9 things this food allergy mom wants you to know
I don write about food allergies very often these days. I not sure why exactly. I think the reality of living with a child with severe food allergies is so much a part of my life that it hard to untangle it and explain what it like to anyone not living it michael kors handbags outlet montreal.
I also come to realize that when people who know my family think of food allergies, they think of my son Tommy. Most people we meet just have question after question, wanting to know more because his particular version of food allergies is unique and severe. There so much misunderstanding, even from people who are so eager to help. So I wanted to take a step back and just say all the things I wish everyone knew about living with food allergies.
1. I don’t know why my son has food allergies. People ask me constantly why I think my son has life threatening food allergies. I have no idea. We knew he had a milk allergy at 1 month old. His first emergency room trip was at only a few months old after a kiss. By 7 months old he tested positive for a peanut allergy. I don know why this happened to him and he my one child of four with food allergies.
2. I don want my child to have food allergies. It seems silly to have to say this, but some people, think that food allergies are a They are not a trend, they are an epidemic. I promise, it been the hardest thing my family has dealt with. I don want this.
3. I didn cause my son to have food allergies. I want to know why my son has food allergies, but most food allergy studies are meaningless to me. He had food allergies before the age of food introduction. I didn cause his peanut allergy or milk allergy, I firmly believe he was born with them. I believe he was born with the particular set of genes that his environment switched on. This wasn going to be prevented by shoving peanut butter in his mouth as an infant.
Hives on Tommy at 5 months old after a kiss.
4. I hate the confusing word I think a lot of the misunderstandings about food allergies come because of the confusing word When I say allergy I talking about my son life threatening IgE mediated whey and casein allergy. Other people say allergy and mean they can eat too much ice cream. It very confusing and I wish we could change the language. I say threatening even though I cringe at that one too.
5. My son can’t eat that. He has a severe milk and peanut allergy. That means he can eat either in any form, at any time michael kors handbags outlet montreal. For him, tiny amounts would mean anaphylaxis. Some other people are different, but for him, the thing keeping him out of an ambulance is strict avoidance.
6. Yes, I used the Epi Pen and I’m not scared to use it. One time we messed up and he ate the wrong type of oatmeal and it had whey as an ingredient. He had an anaphylactic reaction and it was the scariest thing I ever witnessed as a mom. When people ask if I scared to use an Epi Pen, I not. I terrified of what comes before the Epi Pen and I scared he won get it soon enough. I scared that he need a second Epi Pen or that the reaction will progress too far and it won save him. But I not scared to use it.
7. My 5 year old child is aware of his own mortality michael kors handbags outlet montreal. This is by far the worst part of it. My job has been to teach my son to be aware and to know the consequence of not being aware. He has to be his own advocate. It difficult to balance teaching him to be very careful and not scaring him.
8. Every food allergy family is different. Just like food allergies are so different for different people, families manage them in their own way michael kors handbags outlet montreal. And that okay.
Tommy and his three biggest advocates.
9. Your kids are so kind. More than anything what I want you to know is that your kids are kind. Tommy friends have been so wonderful about his food allergies. So many of his friends remember to wash their hands knowing they are going to see him or ask for safe snacks so he doesn’t get hives when they play with him. Sometimes it difficult for me to write about Tommy online because the unsupportive comments stick in my head, but every real life kindness makes them fade away. So thank you.
Thank you Katherine for posting this michael kors handbags outlet montreal michael kors handbags outlet montreal. I really can imagine how difficult it is for you and your son (and family) and dealing with nasty comments from people who don get it in the least has to be so frustrating. You are doing an excellent job, especially in teaching your son. That is very hard and I wish you all the luck in the world with that, because he holds the key to his health. That is a heavy weight to put on a child so young and it is a special worry that you will always carry in your heart. It is not the same, but my preemie daughter had to be attached to an oxygen tank for her first year of life. I was constantly worried that it would get unhooked or that we would run out of oxygen and her brain wouldn get enough. People don understand that worry everyone worries about their kids, but when your child has a special circumstance or has this kind of life threatening allergy it is a burden that often seems impossible to explain to people who have children with none of these problems.
I amazed at how caring and flexible kids are, too. When our school went into mode to prevent the most common allergens from coming in, the kids just rolled with it. Now all parties are supplied by the PTA from a pre approved list, so it mostly yogurt tubes and fruit. The kids still love it, not a single whine about no cupcakes or whatever. And they all know who needs what and who can have what, they truly care about the other kids.
I get bothered by people who misuse too. But I think it a product of others not taking their reaction seriously, too. Nobody should have to suffer because the server in a restaurant didn feel like really finding out if there is dairy in the meatballs. If you say, I lactose intolerant, people sometimes treat it as an annoyance rather than a serious issue. Whether you have an or a it something your avoiding for health reasons. I guess I have less sympathy for folks on fad diets, but
Thankfully my child that was allergic to the world, somehow amazed her doctors and grew out of all allergies by the age of 5. They swore to us that with the number she had, and several of them being anaphylactic that she would carry some into adulthood. And I am thankful everyday that she did. Being a Mom of an allergy kid is HARD.
And I HATE, absolutely HATE when people use the word allergy for intolerance. My DH is Milk Allergic. I am fairly certain that one day it will be the death of him. It scary, but it also just everyday life for us. And when people state that they are but really are lactose intolerant, it effects how people treat those with real allergies.
And my other pet peeve is items. Most people that have never had to look at ingredients see the label and think great I can give this to a milk allergic person. But what the FDA declares a Non Dairy item is something that does not contain all parts of the milk. So very technically you can slap a Non Dairy label on Skim milk. Yeah, non dairy usually is a guarantee of milk proteins.
But kids are amazing. Each of my kids know about allergies, they know safety procedures, and they care about their friends that have allergies. Once I was making a cake for one of my daughters birthday party, I was cooking with Almond milk, as that what is in our home. My daughter saw it and said I think can have any nuts. So I was on the phone with the Mom in minutes to double check allergies. He had a peanut allergy, but I was set to make another batch of cupcakes had it turned out differently. I have seen the effect isolation has had on my DH, and if possible my kids and I try to make sure that any friends are totally included.
think the reality of living with a child with severe food allergies is so much a part of my life that it’s hard to untangle it and explain what it’s like to anyone not living it. is a great quote I going to remember to use it in the future. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 5 my whole family adapted to a new, healthier way of eating living. I count carbs have a complex way of figuring out how much insulin to give based on what time of day, food type expected activity level. This is all second nature I don really have to think too much about it because I been doing it for nearly 30 years. The comment that I can stand is, I just couldn deal with all that. I can either deal with it be happy healthy or not. Why would I chose to be sick?
Great post for everyone dealing with something! Like my own parents, you a good one!
I am a fairly new mom (8 mos son) but I was born in the 80 when anaphylactic allergies were not common and before food labels had to post contain labels michael kors handbags outlet montreal.
I am severely anaphylactic to all dairy, eggs, beef, shellfish, legumes and tree nuts. I lost my wheat allergy at 5, chocolate at 8 and pork at 16. I have been to the hospital more times than I can count and have had more skin tests than most.
My son so far has shown no signs of food allergies (we can thank his father genes for that).
The thing I hate is when I explain my allergies and people respond with what do you eat? I get this reaction even from medical professionals. Obviously I eat and trust me I eat well.
One thing my parents were very particular about when I was growing up was to correct anyone who said poor baby They firmly believed (and I glad they did) that pity was not going to build me into being a strong and independent adult. While they encouraged understanding and caution, pity was never an option michael kors handbags outlet montreal. Everyone has something and this was mine. There is nothing wrong with me, I am not broken. This is just who I am.
I was so allergic to so many things my parents worried college dorm life would be impossible. Now at 27, the only thing my allergies have kept me from was studying abroad in a developing country for an entire semester. I went to summer camp, including sleep away. I went on multiple high school trips (overnight and out of town). I went to college, I went down to the Gulf twice to help with Katrina relief. I have traveled around the country and 2 other continents. I am now married with a child of my own. Did those things take extra planning and preparation? Absolutely! But that all. I can and will do any and everything I want, I just might have to bring my own food.