What is up with DS's eyes? (pics)

[AprilM]

Here is a pic of him tonight at dinner....he's got food all over his face, but his eyes, as you can see are very red on the top and bottom lids.

We have been struggling with trying to figure out if he is allergic to a new kitten we just got. He got super sick when the kitten came in to the house, but the sickness acted more like a virus than an allergy. We removed the kitten from the house for 2 weeks and just brought her back into the home yesterday.

DS hasn't shown any signs of getting sick again, but his eyes got really puffy and red this evening.

They do this sometimes, with or without cat, but tonight's were extra bad so I thought I would post and see if anyone else has experience with their kids' eyes doing this.

Here are a few more pics of tonight at dinner.
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Any input would be great thank you!

[mamafish9]

Sounds like a cat reaction to me . If it happens other times as well, you may have something else he is reacting to as well (environmental or food).

[changingseasons]

Ooh- those are definitely allergy "shiners". You could try keeping a food journal to see if the shiners follow any patterns of what he's eating... but the cat is probably contributing as well.

[eclipse]

That looks like my son when he spends too much time in the company of feline friends. It starts out like that, but after awhile he starts getting respiratory symptoms and rashes.

[ASusan]

Ohh, those eyes made MY eyes itch.

Another vote for the cat...MAYbe a food, but more likely the cat.

[deditus]

Youch! I'd bet on the cat, too. My brother and dad get bad eye irritation from animal dander, so sometimes it really bothers them and other times they are fine.

[AprilM]

I am thinking it's the cat as well. We removed the kitten from the house tonight. DS has had those shiners all day yesterday, and all day today, and now he is running a fever of about 101. Are fevers normal following an allergic reaction?

[deditus]

Originally Posted by AprilM

I am thinking it's the cat as well. We removed the kitten from the house tonight. DS has had those shiners all day yesterday, and all day today, and now he is running a fever of about 101. Are fevers normal following an allergic reaction?

Fevers are not "supposed" to be associated with allergies, but ime, they can be. Or he could be getting sick.

[AprilM]

Originally Posted by deditus

Fevers are not "supposed" to be associated with allergies, but ime, they can be. Or he could be getting sick.

That's what everyone is telling me (his pedi, friends with kids that have allergies)...that fevers don't usually result from allergies. But if you have an allergy attack, your body is fighting off foreign invaders, right? Would it be right in thinking that your body's temperature *could* technically rise to fight off those invaders?

Just a thought, I would love to hear more thoughts on this.

[mamafish9]

Allergic reactions can also run down your immune system and make you susceptible to other stuff out there - and there's lots of germies flying around at this time of year.

[rhesp1212]

yea, I'm thinking the cat as well. However, if you notice it at other times without the cat in the house it could be food related or other environmental allergies. My DS looked like that a week or so ago from all the ragweed in the air....poor thing was miserable!

BTW.....your son is such a cutie!!

[SubliminalDarkness]

Originally Posted by rhesp1212

yea, I'm thinking the cat as well. However, if you notice it at other times without the cat in the house it could be food related or other environmental allergies. My DS looked like that a week or so ago from all the ragweed in the air....poor thing was miserable!

BTW.....your son is such a cutie!!

It could also be that there is still dander and cat hair in the house. It's hard to get rid of it completely.

[AprilM]

Just an update: his eyes have gone down tremendously since I posted those pics. I have an appt to have him allergy tested on the 28th...the allergist said she will do the skin tests on his back, and said it won't be too painful.

Anyone have kids they have gotten tested that young? What's your experience like, and in your findings, are the tests accurate?

PS thanks for the "cutie" remark! I always call him my little cutie pie! LOL

[changingseasons]

We've done tons and tons of skin testing on DD. The hardest part is the sitting still and not scratching for 10 minutes. Other than that, it doesn't bother her at all. We found that after about 18-24 months, the skin testing got more accurate for us.

[ASusan]

We did skin prick testing at 15 mos. Yeah, DS fussed for a bit, but DH held him and spoke softly and soothingly, and then I nursed him afterward. He was fine.

[AprilM]

Ok...now I am totally confused. We got DS allergy tested....we did blood work and a skin test for cat. The skin test showed very low allergy reaction, and the bloodwork for seasonal, pet and foods, and everything including cat came back negative.

So if he is not allergic to anything, then what could be the cause of those red puffy eyes....that he is still getting even though the cat has been gone for well over a month. (the cat was only in the house for a total of one month by the way, and we did a thorough cleaning of the house after the kitty left, so I don't think kitty dander is still lingering)

What other conditions, besides allergies could cause this? His eyes seem the best when he first wakes in the morning and then they gradually get worse throghout the day. Some days better than others.

Unfortunately, I don't have a pedi right now as we just got kicked out of our current pedi's office for vaccination issues. Any thoughts on what I should be exploring from here?

[changingseasons]

Have you looked into food allergies?

[AprilM]

Originally Posted by changingseasons

Have you looked into food allergies?

The bloodwork included food testing. I gave the doctor a list of all the foods DS eats, and she tested him for them.

[changingseasons]

How old is your DS? The allergy testing is not all that accurate until about 2 years old. Or it could be food intolerances, which wouldn't show up on a standard allergy test.

[AprilM]

Originally Posted by changingseasons

How old is your DS? The allergy testing is not all that accurate until about 2 years old. Or it could be food intolerances, which wouldn't show up on a standard allergy test.

He is 2 years and 4 months. What is the difference between food intolerance and food allergy?