Egg Tolerance Challenge Day

Megan has been three years post desensitization and today was the day to challenge her against her once arch enemy, EGG!!! Megan did amazing and passed with flying colors. We did four escalating doses over a couple of hours. Megan no longer has to do daily dosing of egg. Dr. Wasserman suggests that she eat egg 2-3 times a week.

Megan quickly scarfed down 3 boiled eggs when we got home today!! Oh, how she missed eating eggs for the past month. I am so very grateful for Dr. Wasserman and all that he has done to make Megan's life what it is today. Gone are the day of fearing anaphylactic reactions from egg and the fear of death that can result from reactions. Despite skeptics and fellow colleagues that still think that what he is doing is crazy, I applaud Dr. Wasserman for his desire to offer DESENSITIZATION to better his patients lives. I am extremely grateful that God put our family in Dr. Wasserman's care over 16 years ago when our firstborn, Hannah, was a toddler. God knows ahead of time what each of us needs and is faithful to provide in the most extraordinary ways. 

One week to go....

One week to go and Megan will be having her Egg Tolerance Challenge. Megan misses eating EGG so much!!!!! The last couple of weeks have been so hard. Not only does she miss her eggs but avoiding everything with egg in it has meant that many other foods have been taken out of her diet. She cannot wait until next week.

Egg Tolerance Challenge

Now that Megan has been on egg maintenance for a bit over three years she is ready to challenge her egg tolerance. Megan began her egg desensitization journey on July 7, 2011 and completed desensitization on November 29, 2011.

Megan will completely eliminate egg from her diet for 30 days. After this period of time she will go to Dr. Wasserman's office for an egg tolerance challenge.

So far taking egg out of her diet has been a challenge. So many foods contain egg. Since Megan deals with several other food allergies and Celiac her diet is already limited. Taking egg out again is NOT FUN.

If Megan passes her egg tolerance challenge she will no longer have to continue daily egg maintenance.

So far we are 12 days into avoiding egg.

To learn more about Dr. Wasserman's food allergy program and desensitization you can find it HERE.

End of the year update...

Custard, hard boiled, scrambled, over easy, quiche......Oh, the possibilities!!! Megan is enjoying her egg freedom. Megan continues to eat egg, and lots of them. Megan has ZERO issues with egg.

Where we are today...

Megan is still doing great with Egg!!! Last year we discovered that Megan would eat free range eggs. She did not like the taste of regular white eggs. I was surprised by the significant taste difference between the two. Now, we only buy free range eggs. Megan likes eggs with cheese, omelets, runny eggs, and boiled egg whites. She eats eggs once or twice a week. She still doses with her egg powder in chocolate pudding every night. You would think that after so long she would be tired of chocolate egg powder pudding, nope. We buy chocolate pudding in bulk, LOL. Baking gluten free for Megan is SO MUCH EASIER now that eggs can be used.

Still a NO....

Last night I let Megan pick out one of the fresh eggs that our neighbors gave us. She chose a blueish colored egg. I cracked it, fried it and really talked it up. She ate most of the white but refused to eat any of the yoke and told me she didn't want any more of the 11 other eggs from the dozen they gave us. Megan informed me that she will just eat her egg white powder in pudding because she REALLY DOES NOT LIKE EGGS.

We went to see some chickens today

Yes, we live in Dallas and yes our neighbors have chickens!!! Tonight the children and I went over to see the chickens and got some eggs to bring home. Megan touched a chicken and held some eggs. If not for egg desensitization this could have never happened.

Egg update

Megan continues to eat egg without any issues thanks to desensitization. We continue to dose with egg white powder mixed in pudding each day. Megan does not like egg so never really eats them plain. I use eggs when cooking and baking for her which has make preparing food so much easier in recipes that require eggs.

Daily dosing after desensitization

In order to stay desensitized Megan is dosed once a week with egg powder that we mix with pudding. Dr. Wasserman has us purchase egg powder from Barry Farms (can be found on the internet). Though Megan can eat as much egg as she wants she still has to dose with the powder. When you cook egg it begins to denature the protein thus you don't receive the same amount of the protein every day. Just like taking daily medication or insulin, Megan must take daily egg powder. It is not yet know for how long she may have to do this since desensitization is in its infancy. We are excited to be a part of something that hopefully eventually be standard protocol/treatment for those that have anaphylactic food allergies.

Easter egg fun!!!

This is the first Easter in Megan's life that she has been able to dye eggs. She was so very excited. Every day I am so very grateful for desensitization!!!

Dare I say the words, EASTER EGGS

For the first time in Megan's life and for many of our other children dying real eggs for Easter has not been an option. Many of the siblings don't remember dying eggs as it has been almost 6 years since we have had to ban this Easter favorite. All of the children are anxiously anticipating adding back in this Easter activity. Six children means I will have to buy a huge amount of eggs to satisfy each child's desire to decorate and dye. We will be eating a lot of hard boiled eggs stained every color of the rainbow, LOL.

For those interested.....

NOW THAT MEGAN HAS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED HER EGG DESENSITIZATION WE HAVE MOVED ONTO PEANUT.
Megan is currently doing peanut desensitization. Here is a link to her peanut desensitization blog.
http://mypeanutdesensitization.blogspot.com/

Post Desensitization Appointment

Yesterday Megan had her post egg desensitization appointment. Repeat labs were drawn about a week ago and Megan's RAST score for egg had decreased by 80%!!!!!!!! We are so very excited. Megan continues to dose once a day with egg powder in addition to eating all of the egg she wants. EGG DESENSITIZATION IS A SUCCESS!!!!!!

Eating EGG

Megan began her egg desensitization on July 7, 2011 and officially completed the program on November 29, 2011. She went for a child so allergic to egg that even contact and airborne proteins from eggs caused anaphylactic reations. Thank you Dr. Wasserman for making it possible. Though Megan isn't considered cured she is considered desensitized.

Megan is officially done with her egg desensitization

I can hardly believe that the journey is now over. I feel bad that I haven't been able to blog in more detail over the past two months. One of my children has been very sick and was in the hospital for over a month. Anyways, back to Megan. When we first started this journey I was very skeptical that it would work or that Megan would be able to make it through. Well, I was very wrong. Not only did Megan make it through but she did it in record time too. Today Megan had a real egg for the first time without going into anaphylactic shock. Tomorrow she will go down to her maintenance dose of 1 tbsp of egg powder and all of the egg that she wants to eat.

Long awaited update

I haven't updated in awhile because Megan's sister has been very sick and in the hospital for over three weeks. Life has been crazy.

Megan increased to 1/4 of an egg (egg powder) this week!!!!!!!!!! I honestly never, never, never thought that this would be possible. Megan's ana reactions to egg were so bad (contact and airborne too) and it is hard to wrap my brain around the fact that she is now able to tolerate egg. I am so very thankful to Dr. Wasserman for what he is doing. Megan's world has become a little less scary. A little over three more weeks and she will be DONE WITH EGG DESENSITIZATION!!!!!!! I plan of having a GREEN EGGS AND HAM PARTY when she is all done.

No news is good news, right??

I feel bad that I have not being keeping up with updates but there really has not been much to say. Megan has been doing awesome with her egg doses and increases. This week she dosed up to the 450mg capsule. It is amazing how well she has been doing. Megan has stayed reaction free and willingly takes her egg twice a day. Next week she will increase to 600mg. The following week 900mg and then to 1200mg!!! After this point Megan will have FOUR weeks of desensitization left!!!! During the last four weeks she does 1/4 egg, then 1/2 egg, followed by 3/4 egg and finally a WHOLE EGG.

Life has been crazy...

Life has been crazy and I haven't posted recently. Megan continues to progress through her egg desensitization without any reactions. Dr. Wasserman is so pleased. Megan is up to 150mg capsules of egg powder!!!

Flu shot

Today Megan got her first ever FLU SHOT. Thanks to egg desensitization Megan was able to get the shot.

Egg a la whipped cream

Tonight Megan will be taking her powdered egg on top of whipped cream. We are having fun thinking up new creations. Can't wait for the real thing.