I took Sean to an allergy specialist to find out what was causing his eczema and all his redness, rashes, and the puffy, dry and flaky skin. We also agreed to a skin prick test to find out what he was allergic to.

The doctor was wonderfully nice. He asked me questions about our pets. Our floor coverings. Our furnishings. The age of our house. Whether I’ve started Sean on solids. Other allergies in the family.

He drew a grid on Sean’s arm. Then pulled out a tray of little tiny bottles of liquid. They clinked and rattled as he went about putting little tiny drops into each square of Sean’s skin. Sean sat on my lap and gurgled, mesmerized by a silly snowdome on the doc’s desk. Then he squirmed and grizzled as the doctor made little tiny pricks on his skin where the liquid had made contact.

We all sat back and waited 10 minutes for the test to complete.
I tried to make humourous conversation.
“So how do they make the bottled cat liquid?”
“Do they make essence of cockroach too?”
“Do you have body restraints when you try this on a 3 year old?”

Sure enough. After 10 minutes. One little square of skin flared up into a hideous angry rash. “Definitely an allergic reaction to… YOUR CAT!”

Crap.

The doc said that it was one of the worse allergies in kids, and it’s only going to get worse. Apparently if we don’t do anything about it now, Sean could grow up with severe respiratory problems, skin problems, chronic hayfever, inflammation and swelling, and plenty of emergency trips to the hospital.

His orders were direct. Get rid of the cat. Get rid of your carpet. Steam clean your furniture. Wash your walls with hot soapy water once a fortnight. Wash linen frequently. Air out your house frequently.

Great.

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