Mrs Livingston, I hear you.

The movie Bubble Boy has a whole new meaning to me now. Mrs. Livingston locks her son who was born without an immune system within a plastic bubble in his bedroom to protect him and of course in turn, ruin him in many other ways. I'm about there. I'm Googleing non-porous plastics in my other tab. Right now. Boomba had his second reaction of the week and I don't even know what the source was and, oh yeah, it's only Friday. Saturday and Sunday still hold all new possibilities. Sunday. Pot Luck Sunday. Pot Luck Sunday, where all the cheesy casseroles and Casein delight dishes are served till your bloated tummies' content. Nightmare.

We've been dealing with a lot of stress lately.

The question is what can we do about it?

We can't "heal" the allergy (but that doesn't stop us from asking God to take it away).

We can collect information, get support, and adjust our life styles (even more).

Here is the plan of attack:
1. Collect information on well recommended allergists in the area.
2. Call Boomba's Allergist in the other state and ask her questions and for a
recommendation to said recommended allergist.
3. Eliminate ALL Casein from the house hold- even the non-dairy coffee creamer.
4. Actively investigate Immunotherapy options.

After I was Googleing for literally hours (during Boomba's nap) I discovered some great resources.

Allergic Living Magazine.com. This link takes you to an article titled "Your Child and Food Allergy Fears ". There are many different treasures to uncover here though!

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Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network Website.

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Toddler Sized Dairy Allergy Alert Bracelets: Silicone style!

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National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases' PDF link of "Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy in the United States". Yeah it's mostly as dry as it sounds- but lots of good information. Check out the Summary for Patients and Families. Scroll down to find it.

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I also discovered Allergic Girl. She has a book. I think I might read it. She also has a blog. I don't think I'll read that.
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All of this sounds like a relief. Something I can do to make this better. Then WHACK I remember I'm missing something. God gave Husband, Boomba, and I this cross to bare (and of course the support, technology to help with that). It's now I'm thinking about the theological conversation I had all too recently. A group of us are reading Luther: Letters of Spiritual Counsel. Something sticks out at me right about now. Luther had a way with words. The section we were reading was on death and dying which is a subject on everyone's mind but on few lips. Luther described suffering as "being worthy of suffering in the eyes of the Lord". Wow. Christ suffered the ultimate pain. Christ bore the sins of the whole world. Christ was quite a guy. Our good works are like filthy rags in the eyes of the Lord (-Isaiah 64:6). We don't get near what we deserve. Praise the Lord. What we deserve is pain and suffering and a horrible eternal death. Knowing God wont allow me to be tempted beyond what I can bare (-1 Corinthians 10:13), I suppose that does make me "worthy" to suffer.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
-1 Corinthians 10:13