Allergy Update

I completely forgot to update about Mason's allergy report! We got the results back last week, they're good and bad- the new allergist called me last monday morning and I was in a total funk for the rest of the day after that, okay rather just a rotten mood. It takes a LOT for me to get into a rotten mood or to even seem pessimistic (that's just not me by nature!) Basically what she told me was:
1. all his outside allergies are still the same. (I wasn't expecting these to change. we live in texas- who's not allergic to our outside to some degree?) I tell Gavin we're allergic to Texas and the only cure might be to move to the beach. I wonder if my dad would buy that- we could live in his beach house and be squatters. Not sure how well that would go over. haha...oh yes...allergy results....so basically just keep up with the zyrtec if needed, but more than anything use the nasonex daily (hadn't been doing that)
2. Food allergies have DRAMATICALLY dropped. (THANK YOU LORD!) over the past year I've become a complete food nazi with label reading, finding alternative recipes, new food ideas that Mason can eat, not to mention grow eyes in the back of my head- i have a radar to things that go in his mouth when he's within 50 feet of me (i'm serious on this- I've surprised people what I see him try to eat or grab from other kids!). Just a reminder he has food allergies to Corn, wheat and soy. not severe like Gavin (beans/peas will land gavin in the hospital) Mason not so much- he has what you call a delayed reaction- its nasty thick green congestion that will set in within a few days after and also the itchy excema that when he eats something he's not supposed to - he will itch it so bad, the spot will dry out, crack bleed, itch some more, infect it...you get the idea. But, from my hardwork of self education on his food allergies (more on this later) and being a food nazi mixed with a lot of prayers for Mason- his results show that he is infact still testing 'postive' for these allergies, however she said the numbers have come WAY down and she also thinks that if we test again when Mason turns 3 (all the while staying with his diet we've been on) he should test 'negative' for these allergies. A few added things- the allergist we previous saw told us that he did test positive for peanut allergies, but it might not be a true allergy considering he was only 14 months old then, kids under 3 should stay away from peanuts and also kids with allergies are prone to peanut allergies too. New allergist said the peanut # went up (even though we stayed away from it) so she thinks it just might be a true allergy (but we'll know more next year) and also a NEW one popped up this year - sesame seeds. strange! so if anything we keep away from nuts!!
3. the kicker that got me was the indoor allergies. Mason also tested positive last year for pet dander- more specifically cats. We have 2 cats- Sabai and Sanuk. Yes they can drive me nuts, but i love them. I adopted them almost 11 years ago while living in Bangkok, Thailand. Old allergist told us to not get rid of them, if anything he can build a tolerance to it. Didn't quite get what we were hoping for- his allergy # went up with cats. new allergist said ideal situation is for us to get rid of Sabai, Sanuk AND shelby. NOT AN OPTION. first off, my cats are 11 years old, shelby will be 8 this year- this is their home and what they know. When i adopt & love an animal its for life! 2nd of all- if we got rid of them- his tolerance (of what little he has) would drop, and EVERY house we go to has pets. Dee & Tony (Gavin's parents) have 2 cats, Gavin's grandparents have 2 cats, my sister has a cat, my dad has 2 dogs, Sara has 2 dogs, Kristin has 2 dogs.....so honestly we wouldn't be able to go to ANY family or friends houses because of pets. So getting rid of our beloved animals would do more harm than good i truly believe. Lastly, i think we have the ideal home situation if having pets- we have wood floors, very few area rugs, leather furniture that gets wiped down, the dyson vacuum specifically for pet hair, we vacuum every other day, we have a housekeeper who comes in 2x monthly, and the pets are not allowed in any of the bedrooms period. Now if we could just get Mason to stop loving on Sanuk we'll be good! We do need to get a hepa filter air purifier in the house (not cheap) but I do think that will help some as well. So obviously we're doing all we can to make it the ideal situation. I already know that when the day comes that my cats pass on, we won't replace them with other cats, not sure if another cat can top Sanuk's sweet personality or Sabai's bipolar attitude. (he screams at me yet is such a loverboy too). and not to mention Shelby is hands down the best dog i've ever owned. She had a little Marley (think Marley & me book/movie) in her when she was a pup (escape artist, chewed up TONS of shoes, belts, clothing, doors...just to name a few) but over the past 6 years she has turned into an awesome dog and the best pet possible for Mason- I can't praise her enough for patience she has with him and just a laid back personality!
So anyway, this last bit of news put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day, not sure if it was so much the news but someone TELLING me to get rid of our pets. Gavin and I talked about it and prayed about it and feel that what we're doing is our best possible option and just pray that within the next couple of years Mason's immunity will go up and he will continue to grow out of the food allergies! So maybe at Maddox's 1st birthday party Mason can enjoy an actual REAL birthday cake :-)