Cow's Milk?

On Tuesday we went to the pediatrician's office to revisit what had happened last Friday. Dr. Szabo had called an allergist and he said since his reaction was so severe that they should go ahead and get a blood test done to check for allergic reactions to certain foods. A nurse took us into a lab room and wrapped him papoose style in a large Velcro strap that went around his entire little body and attached it to a board-like contraption on the table. She wrapped the band around his arm to find his veins. Another nurse leaned over his body and held onto his face to keep him from moving too much. He was screaming so hard. It was so awful to watch. She poked him 3 times with the needle (once in his right arm and twice in his left arm). She was only able to get about 1/4 a tube of blood (she needed at least a full tube). She said in babies 9-12 months it is very difficult to find their veins due to them being so chunky at that age. She went in to let Dr. Szabo know and he said we had to get the blood that day so we would have to go to the nearby offices for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta where they take blood all day everyday and would be able to find the vein. Before we left Dr. Szabo spoke with us about what happened (he told Max that he really had them all scared) and used a trial Epi-Pen on Scott and I to let us feel the force of how we should administer it to Max if we should ever have to. We got to the hospital and the nurse there said that our nurse had found the vein that looked best but must have just barely missed the center of the vein. This time Scott had to hold on to his little bruised arm and I had to lean over his body. She got all the blood she needed on the first try (so 4 pokes total with a needle). I felt just horrible for my sweet baby. I cried on the way home and he fell asleep. He had worn himself out with all that pain and crying! We have been spoiling him rotten since then! Dr. Szabo called this evening with the results of the allergy test. The test just automatically tests allergies to certain foods; nuts, corn, chocolate, fish, eggs, soy, cow's milk, pork, poultry, beef, wheat. It will show allergies to foods based on a number 1-6, 6 being severely allergic. Max is highly allergic to cow's milk (4) and had numbers for other foods that Dr. Szabo says we do not need to avoid  (beef:3, pork:2, peanuts, soybeans, fish and eggs:1). It still scares me to feed him those foods though. I am taking it slow on introducing him to meat (if I do at all). We are  feeding him very healthy and slowly and safely. I am nervous about other people feeding Max so I will just be packing his breakfast/lunch for the rest of his life! He will have no shortage of special notes in his lunchbox from Mommy and Daddy!  Dr. Szabo has advised me to continue breastfeeding  Max until 12 months of age when they will retest him for allergies again. Since he had results that make him highly allergic to items on the list the allergist wants to see him. We will have an appointment to see the allergist, Dr. Cole, next week. Cow's milk; not the result I was expecting at all! I mean, everyone in my family drinks milk with dinner every night. I guess Scott and I will have to start getting used to Soy Milk?!