Adventures of an Allergist Mommy

You're Invited to an Open House! I am thrilled to celebrate the opening of Kaneland Allergy & Asthma Center with an Open House event for my colleagues, patients and community members. We'll be giving tours of our kid-friendly new office, talking about the latest developments in allergy and immunology, sampling yummy allergy-friendly treats, accepting donations for a local Food Pantry and giving away prizes! (iPad, anyone?) If you have a friend or family member who could use a good allergist, this is a great time to "Meet the Doc" and get a feel for the practice before scheduling an appointment, so bring a buddy! Where: 66 Miller Drive North Aurora, IL 60542 When: Wednesday, October 12, 2011 6:00pm-8:00pm I'm lucky to share my office building with great neighbors, who will also be opening their offices to the public during this time with similar events. Here's your opportunity to meet all of the professionals at 66 Miller Drive in one evening: Ligh...

In a rush to get the kids' clothes clean yesterday, I dumped the laundry basket contents into the washer without taking the time to sort... HUMONGOUS mistake. After returning home late from a business trip, DH walked into the bedroom asking me about the "crystals" in the laundry. "Crystals?!?! What the heck is my crazy husband talking about?" I wondered to myself upon being woken from my slumber... Well, this morning, it became "crystal" clear exactly what had transpired. Son #2, upon being instructed to "Throw all those dirty clothes down the laundry chute", decided to include his Pull-Up in the mix. My washer and all the clothing therein was covered in pieces of super-absorbent polyacrylate gel. Most excellent. Thankfully, it turns out the AllergistMommy is not the only ridiculous parent to have committed this laundry crime. Laura, the Mellodramamma, has walked this road before me:  http://www.melodramamma.com/?p=60 Read her pos...

 Ah, back to school... kids get back into a routine, and mom gets her life back, right?  WRONG! For most moms, back to school is anything but relaxing. However, for some of us "chosen ones", it's even more tiring: Is this the time of year when you struggle to drag yourself out of bed, despite hitting the sack as soon as you put the kids down for the night? Is your focus during the day so scattered that it takes you 3 times longer than usual to accomplish even relatively simple tasks? And when it's finally time for bed again, are you shocked to see a face 10 years your senior staring back at you in the mirror, with dark circles and puffiness? Many tired moms attribute these seasonal symptoms to the stresses associated with "Back to School".  However, if you're an allergy-mom like me, remember: your kids got those allergy genes somewhere, and you probably had a little something to do with it! As parents of kids with allergies and asthma, we are often...

As an immunologist, part of my job is to identify and treat immune deficiencies, which can predispose patients to recurrent infection. Primary immune deficiency is remarkably under-diagnosed, and it can often take years of chronic illness before a definitive diagnosis is obtained. This delay in diagnosis is frustrating for both patients and their physicians. However, a proper diagnosis and treatment for immune deficiency can be life-changing. With this in mind, I'd like to share the Warning Signs of Primary Immune Deficicency, courtesy of the Jeffrey Modell Foundation: 10 Warning Signs of Primary Immunodeficiency in Children 1. Four or more new ear infections within one year. 2. Two or more sinus infections within one year. 3. Two or more months on antibiotics with little effect. 4. Two or more pneumonias within one year. 5. Failure of an infant to gain weight or grow normally. 6. Recurrent, deep skin or organ abscesses. 7. Persistent thrush in mouth or fungal infection ...

My boys have recently gotten VERY into the Harry Potter series. Their new favorite game is to play wizard dueling with markers in their hands as wands. Here's a recent exchange: Son #1: (Pointing a green highlighter at his brother) I'm going to zap your wand! Experiamus! Son #2: You missed! (Pointing a blue highlighter right back at his big bro) SUPERFLY! With that slip of my 2 year old's tongue, I was treated to an image of Son #1 suddenly being transformed into Ron O'Neal. Superfly, indeed.

I am thrilled to announce that in July, 2011, Kaneland Allergy & Asthma Center will open its doors! The decision to open my own medical practice did not come easily. The combination of the changing healthcare environment and new economic realities in our nation has caused many to question the viability of private practice medicine altogether. So naturally, I am filled with butterflies at the prospect of starting from scratch.... However, my heart tells me that I am doing the right thing. I believe there is a great need for independent physicians in our nation- physicians who are not answerable to bureaucrats or administrators or insurance companies, but are answerable only to their patients and their own consciences. I believe that patients long for a return to the time when conversation and education created the cornerstone of medical care, rather than pills and procedures. I believe that medicine is still a noble profession- we only need to start believing in it again. W...

For families in the Illinois Kane-Kendall counties with school-aged children with potentially life-threatening allergies, the following FREE seminar will be of interest. Many children with severe allergies may benefit from having a 504 Plan in place- led by an attorney specializing in special education law, this seminar will aid parents in advocating for their child's right to a safe and healthy learning environment. Please note- as seating is limited, advance registration is required. See the flyer below for details (it will enlarge upon clicking):