I got a totally unexpected phone call today. Wait, back up, not true. When I saw the allergist’s office number on caller ID I figured it was my reminder call that we had an appointment in the morning to go over his allergy history and talk about test results. I expected a negative on the peanut and crazy high on tree nuts.

What I did not expect was the nurse to say, ” Dr. D wants to do an oral food challenge… we have his test results and he came up negative for everything.”

Being a totally in control calm mother… I dropped the phone.

As I dove off the bed frantically grabbing for iPrecious I must have looked like a fish gasping for air. “What? Wait? How? I mean…his diagnosis was based on a nasty anaphylactic reaction and positive skin tests since. How can it be NEGATIVE?”

I also, to my total surprise, found myself near tears. Not sure why yet. I think maybe it’s the possibility that this might be over. That he might be the 1:5 child that outgrows such a severe allergy. Maybe. I don’t know. I like surprises. Actually I LOVE surprises… notes on my van, flowers, sweet comment from those I love… but I wasn’t sure what to do with this one.

I’m still having a difficult time comprehending this. Dr. D even point-blank said last year, “This is a lifelong allergy. Get used to it.” And I was fine with that.

His last skin test for peanuts was negative. And I was okay to just keep avoiding since we were quite sure about the cashew/pistachio allergy.

But now… with his age and 0.0 test result for peanuts… and everything else being negative… Dr D wants to do the oral food challenge.

Tommy had said there was no way he’d do the challenge. No reason. And I agreed. But then it could be that we find out he’s no longer allergic to any of it. And… wow.

The nurse also said he wanted to do cashews in few weeks. Whoa, Bud. Whoa. One step at a time here, Buddy. I’m all on board for checking peanuts with a 0.0… but my understanding was that his RAST testing reported the presence of tree-nut antibodies in the blood, just that they were low enough to not be statistically relevant. Translation: antibodies are there but his body may have calmed down. He might not be allergic anymore.

The only way to find out?

Oral challenge. Basically: we don’t think you are allergic anymore, but the only way to find out is to give it a go. So — eat this!

And that is why you need to envision my trying not to FREAK out. For years I have coached this child: never touch pn/tn, always read labels, no baked good, no label means can’t have it, never hide if you think you are having a reaction, do you have your epi-belt on…. and so on and so on and so on and so on. And suddenly we’re being told he might have outgrown it?

Don’t get me wrong, I am cautiously beyond optimistic. But I saw what his little body did during that first anaphylactic reaction. I can still imagine him in my lap wheezing, covered head to toe in hives and bright red. He looked like he’d been sunburned and stung by a thousand fire ants all at once. He was throwing up. Lost control of his bowels… and this was all within a few minutes.

Of course I want this allergy to be gone.

But I’m scared to believe it.

So… baby steps. We’ll try peanuts in the morning. 8:30 a.m. No breakfast, no antihistamines.

They’ll put some on his arm, then his cheek, then his lip, then he’ll eat some. Vitals will be monitored throughout. They have all the emergency equipment on hand just in case. It’ll take 3-4 hours.

I am feeling fairly good about peanuts. Tree nuts? Get back to me later.

Deep breath…here we go…

*image from web