I went armed with snacks, toys, an mp3 player loaded with wiggles songs, AND a portable DVD player. I had been warned that the first visit to the allergist could last a few hours. Dylan and Caitlin were not interested in any of my distractions. And just when I most needed them quiet (so I could actually talk to the Dr.) they went ballistic. The low point for me was when Caitlin dumped crackers all over the ground, smashed them to crumbs and then said "Clean it up, mom!"
To complicate things further, the Dr. talked himself in circles. At one point there was a long digression about scholarships to the Coast Guard being denied to anyone with asthma anywhere in their medical history and then something about free airfare to Disney World vs. the risks of cosmic radiation. Also some cryptic comments about anti-biotic related deaths. All I wanted to know is if Dylan has been sniffing and coughing for 6 months because of dust allergies.
After 3+ hours in a tiny exam room we emerged, both children inches away from being gifted to grandparents, with a few answers. Dylan is conclusively allergic to cats and dogs. That is it. Everything else the Dr. said is pure speculation. He is convinced that Dylan is having no allergic reactions to Banjo but rather has had sinusitis since December. He thinks the occasional wheezing is actually mild (whisper) asthma (Don't tell the Coast Guard!!!!). So now we have a meter to check his lung capacity, 20 days of antibiotics and a little science experiment to see if Dylan will get better by next month or if allergy medications are a new constant in his life until the dog kicks the bucket.
Oh, and the one thing that actually kept the kids quiet for the longest? The Dr. gave them both cherry flavored tongue depressors. That was a solid 7 minutes of silence!
To complicate things further, the Dr. talked himself in circles. At one point there was a long digression about scholarships to the Coast Guard being denied to anyone with asthma anywhere in their medical history and then something about free airfare to Disney World vs. the risks of cosmic radiation. Also some cryptic comments about anti-biotic related deaths. All I wanted to know is if Dylan has been sniffing and coughing for 6 months because of dust allergies.
After 3+ hours in a tiny exam room we emerged, both children inches away from being gifted to grandparents, with a few answers. Dylan is conclusively allergic to cats and dogs. That is it. Everything else the Dr. said is pure speculation. He is convinced that Dylan is having no allergic reactions to Banjo but rather has had sinusitis since December. He thinks the occasional wheezing is actually mild (whisper) asthma (Don't tell the Coast Guard!!!!). So now we have a meter to check his lung capacity, 20 days of antibiotics and a little science experiment to see if Dylan will get better by next month or if allergy medications are a new constant in his life until the dog kicks the bucket.
Oh, and the one thing that actually kept the kids quiet for the longest? The Dr. gave them both cherry flavored tongue depressors. That was a solid 7 minutes of silence!
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