An Update On Sam

In response to my request for what you want me to post about in the run up to the big 1000, my Aunt Irene asked for an update on Sam's skin rash.

Six weeks ago we discovered Sam was sensitive to wheat, dairy and soy, as well as garlic, salmon and peanuts. We removed all those foods from his diet, and it hasn't been easy! But we are seeing some improvement to the rash that has plagued Sam since about this time last year.

Honestly, it's hard to be patient with this process. I try to keep reminding myself that it took a year to get this bad, so it's not going to go away overnight. But it's easy to focus on the fact that he does still have a lot of rashiness and we've had more than one night in the last month where Sam has been awake at night because, "I just itch all over."

That said, we have not used any steroid cream or medicine on Sam's skin in six weeks. And when our friend Sarah recently babysat she commented on how much better he looked. That was good to hear. It's easy for us to focus on the fact that he's still rashy, instead of seeing that he is improving.

Sam's rash started at his feet and gradually made its way up his body and even onto his face. It appears to be disappearing the same way. His face, neck, chest and upper back are rash-free, but his lowerback and arms and legs are still rashy. His feet continue to be the worst, but even they are definitely better -- less scaly.

We're only six weeks in, so I'm not yet convinced that this is the final answer to resolving Sam's skin issues. But it has been more effective than most of the steroid creams and medicines we've tried in the last year. I think the salt water baths have been helping, too.

So Sam's skin is gradually improving, and we are making progress on finding foods he wants to eat, though it's still time-consuming and expensive. We're supposed to keep this up for six months, and I hope to see some major improvement by the time we hit three months.

In the meantime, I am starting to get the hang of this no dairy, no soy, no wheat thing. And Sam is more and more accepting of the substitutes we offer him. Tonight, for example, I scored a major victory with macaroni and cheese made from Tinkyada rice noodles and "cheese" sauce made with non-soy, non-dairy substitute, rice flour, So Delicious coconut milk, and chedddar style almond cheese.

Happy Sam, happy mom!

Thanks for asking, Aunt Irene, and thanks for always checking in on us via the blog!

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