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As you may be aware, food allergy awareness week is May 12th – 18th. Just in time for food allergies to be hitting close to home.  Last week, I took my son to an allergy doctor. He has had a rough go with a lot of the seasonal allergies, and I had some suspicions about his reactions to various foods. Over the last year and a half or so, my son has vomited when eating certain foods. I was not sure why he was vomiting – if it was the consistency, the taste, but I figured we were going to the doctor for seasonal allergies, I might as well ask about the foods.

When we were talking through this with the doctor, her first suspicion was gastro issues as well. As the allergy test progressed and the hives presented themselves, my suspicions started to turn into reality. Peanuts, tree nuts, finned fish, cantaloupe, and some seasonal items all showed up with big old hives.  The talk of peanut allergies, epi pens, became real.

We ended the visit with receiving a list of the items he should avoid, directions on how to administer an epi pen, an allergy plan, etc. As I walked out of the office, my head was spinning. Not only was there so much information to absorb about the allergies, but I was trying to figure out what could have caused these allergies.

Personally, I have always avoided cantaloupe and picked it out of my fruit salads and when I was pregnant, peanut butter and fish grossed me out. I had major aversions. Did I cause this???  A friend whose daughter has extreme allergies assured me this was not the case…she indulged in peanut butter all pregnancy, and her daughter was allergic…phew, mom guilt avoided…

Over the last couple of days, we have figured out our plan to discuss these new issues.  We know that there is the potential for him to grow out of these allergies, which is, well, awesome…and we also don’t want to make a big deal of this. We hear more and more about kids with allergies, and honestly, I am just really grateful we figured this out in a doctor’s office, instead of in a hospital or an ambulance (again, his aren’t that bad, but still feeling grateful!)!!!

Here are the steps that we have taken so far, with the advice of our doctor. Obviously, this is just meant as a sharing opportunity – if your child has allergies, please consult with your doctor

1. We have a “food action plan” created with the doctor which shows when he should be given Benadryl, and when he should be given an epi pen. The food action plan can be found through the following link, and is placed on our fridge at home, and was also given to school  http://www.foodallergy.org/document.doc?id=125

2. We reached out to our family and close friends who may be with our son when we are not. We advised them of the allergies as well as the action plan. We also sent on instructions about how to use an epi-pen (http://www.epipen.com/How-to-Use-EpiPen), and we will follow-up in person with instructions if they would like.

3. We printed out information from the Food Allergy and Research & Education website about the particular allergens (http://www.foodallergy.org/allergens)…we read the information, have it posted within our house, and copies ready for our families as well. This website was an absolute eye opener for us!  We have gone through our home to see what products include the allergens, and then see if he has had it before, and what the reaction has been. It was a shock to me that our organic body wash that we were using contained tree nut oils. I have driven myself nuts (no pun intended) for months about my son’s eczema, and we are now hoping that by eliminating this soap, he may get some relief.

4. Lastly, we had some serious discussions with our son. While he is only 4, we felt it was important for him to be aware of his allergies, as much as possible. He can recite what he is allergic to, he knows to ask an adult if he can have something, if it is something he does not recognize, and most importantly – we talked about how he should never just take food or candy without asking first. When a neighbor asked him the other night about his allergies, I was so relieved that he recited the list of items, and said that they could make him sick so he will stay away from them until the doctor or mommy and daddy say otherwise. Phew.

Allergies in children are extremely prevalent, but they are frightening. There are “hidden” ingredients all over, and I fear his reaction if he has something to eat outside of my watch. I am hopeful that the strategies above will help manage this new challenge easier.

Do you have any additional advice? Any resources that you would recommend?

photo credit: cherylsmith999 via photopin cc