telling it like it is

My youngest son had an appointment with the allergist yesterday. It had been two years since his last visit and it was time to check whether he had outgrown any of his allergies (as we hoped) or whether he had acquired any new ones (two years ago we learned that he had developed an allergy to nuts).

The results were pretty much the same as last time. He is allergic to peanuts, nuts, sesame and poorly cooked eggs (this one doesn't matter much, since he won't eat eggs at all, even well-cooked ones). His environmental allergies include cats and feathers. Elm trees have been added to the list (we suspected a tree allergy since he does seem to react in the spring).

The test involves a scratch test on the arm. Lots of little scratches at the same time. My spouse says that D. cried when the test was being done but recovered quickly when he was offered a little prize. After the test, D. and his dad went out to the waiting room to await results (or while D.'s arm "lit up like a Christmas tree" according to my spouse).

While they sat there, a mother was trying to comfort her daughter, who was obviously very nervous. "It doesn't hurt," the mom said. This prompted D. to get out of his chair, walk up to the girl and look her in the eye. "Oh, no," he said. "It hurts."