Allergies and Lymph Nodes

Since Crewe's condition is so rare there is not a lot of research that helps us to know what to expect as he progresses. Every 6-8 weeks it seems like we have at least one new medical learning or happening that sheds a little light on what cystic hygroma means for our little guy. Here's what we've learned over the past couple of weeks:

• In addition to milk, Crewe is allergic to egg yolks, egg whites, and wheat. His RAST test even showed that he has a mild soy allergy (slightly alarming since he's on soy milk/formula). We haven't tested for peanut allergies yet. There is no history of food allergies on either side of the family so we are thinking this has to be somewhat related to his condition. Seems to make sense since the lymphatic system is part of the immune system and allergies are the result of an overactive immune system. We are hopeful that he will outgrow these allergies. My creativity is being tested as I search for a variety of things I can feed him.
• The body is capable of "growing" new lymph nodes practically overnight (rare, but possible). Two nights before we left Colorado, Crewe woke up screaming about 1:00 am, which is highly unusual. I couldn't find anything wrong with him. Finally, I noticed this HUGE mass on the left side of his neck (see photo above). It was hard and very tender to the touch. We called his doctor in Phoenix who told us to ge him on an antibiotic and come to see him asap. Turns out it's a new lymph node. This could be the body's way of trying to facilitate more lymphatic fluid flow... or a reaction to his MMR shot ... or simply teething. We don't know exactly what has caused it and when and if it will go down in size.

Fortunately, these new learnings haven't come with too much pain.