Team Clairey

I am pleased to announce that Elementary School children aren't the only people to observe Martin Luther King Day. Apparently, all allergists in the state of Indiana also take the day to pay their respects. It was a good reminder for my impatient self that there is more happening in the world besides our FPIES...

While I was on an involuntary recess from assembling "Team Clairey" (that's my new term for all of the family, friends, nurses and doctors that are working towards seeing Claire through this disease), I tried my hand at my new culinary cuisine... I feel like I'm getting back to my tasty California roots! In one short week I've gone from health conscious to health NUT! Yesterday, I purchased an industrial size bag of quinoa and today I picked up a couple of boxes of almond milk. Judging by the fact that grocery shopping today took 50% longer than our past trips, excluding dairy, rice and oats from our pantry and fridge is just as hard as it sounds. I have confidence that it will get easier though. On another note, my new dietary regime has given me the unexpected perk of seeing the scale hit numbers I haven't seen since college. Apparently I was single-handedly keeping the dairy industry in business :)

I agree with our allergist for erring on the side of caution by instituting this elimination diet, though I believe Claire would be fine even if he didn't. For me, the real reason for cutting everything out, cold turkey, is more of a tribute to Claire. I want for her to see that it is very possible for us to live a tasty, healthy life, even with limitations. It might be a little over her head, but I like to think she understands :)

One more small development... Thanks to one of my incredible mentors, Cindy, a nurse practitioner, educator and mom of four, I have been in contact with a renowned allergist with Riley Children's Hospital here in Indianapolis. We are trying to work out the kinks of passing along medical records from our first allergist and/or pediatrician (what a challenge!) so that we can get a second opinion. I have no doubts that our original diagnosis is correct, but I am hoping to rack the brain of another expert so that we can all collaborate and put together the most comprehensible game plan possible. Come on medical records!!