Wednesday, January 7, 2009

3 Year Check-Up

Mallory went in today for her 3 year check up. I was under the impression it would be the same old well child check up. For the most part it was. The difference? She is three...she goes and gets weighed and measured without mom. They even tested her hearing and vision without me. They asked me to stay put and wait...sad. I know its all part of the developmental process and they want to see that she is answering on her own, but still--just another way to shove my face into the fact that she is getting older. She talked with the doctor like he was an old friend. She told him she was going to be a big sister and she would come in and see him with the baby. "I will not be scared, but the baby might if the baby needs a shot." He left telling me to enjoy the next two years and that he wished his kids could still be three.


As far as the stats, she is completely normal. She continues to get shorter as time goes one when compared to her peers :) I had brought in some pictures to show her doctor what happens when Mallory goes outside to play. Since the winter started she has been coming inside with bright red patches and bright white circles on her cheeks. We thought she somehow got frostbite, but we weren't sure. Brent took pictures and I brought them in to show the doctor. He took one look at them and said "textbook case of Cold Urticaria" or for those of you who are unaware of medical terminology (like I) "Allergy to cold". Yup. We live in Minnesota where winter exists for longer than any of us care to acknowledge and she is allergic to it. She will break out in hives whenever her skin is exposed to cold temperatures. The doctor said she shouldn't go outside to play if it is below 20 degrees. GREAT.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Mallory and family!
We are very familiar with cold urticaria. My 11 year old daughter developped this condition almost a year ago. We have been learning how to manage this allergy in our New England climate..spring, summer, fall and now winter. In my daughter's case there are a variety of situations that will trigger the cold hives. Our strategies to deal with this include daily antihistamine medication and monitor her clothing to fit the weather or indoor environment (too much air conditioning can trigger the hives as well).

This past Sunday we had a breakthrough. She went skiing for the day. I never thought it was possible with cold hives. The trick was to cover all of her skin, so that not a square inch was exposed. The final piece of gear that was essential was a balaklava that had a neoprene portion that covered the nose and then down under the chin. She was warm from her head to her toes and had a great time. I wish you the best in dealing with this curve ball and trust that you will find creative ways to handle this new situation.

Amanda Jean said...

Wow, I have never heard of that! I always say I'm allergic to the cold, but I don't mean it in the literal sense...I guess you learn something new every day!

Cal said...

Aww...poor pumpkin! I have a pretty awesome bomber hat she can borrow sometime if she needs to (check out my post from today for a picture...although I think she would look cuter in a pink one).

Anonymous said...

My sister-in-law has this and it happens to her in winter, spring any time she gets cold. She even got it last year at the water park in the Dells in March!
Hopefully she won't get it as bad!
Take Care-
Lori