Food Allergies

Growing up, no one in my family was allergic to anything consumable....pollen, flowers, maybe cats. My first child passed through all the food transitions without a hitch. Then came bubba-do.

It all began when he turned 10 months old. In retrospect, there were signs before that, but 10 months is when we took notice. He was in his high chair experimenting with finger foods...probably cheerios. Pooka-shell and I were enjoying some Mac and cheese and I decided to let him have a little. Boy oh boy he loved it! I thought "Great! Another food to add to his repertoire." He had a few fist fulls and then started rubbing his eyes. I wiped him clean and he had a little more...proceeded to start rubbing his hands through is hair and fussing. I thought he was just being messy, so I ended lunch and cleaned him up. As I was wiping his face I noticed hives popping up everywhere he had smeared the cheesy sauce. Soon his little eyelids were swelling and he was crying like crazy! Thankfully I had the presence of mind to get the benadryl and give him a small amount....I didn't know exactly how much he weighed. I called his pediatrician's office in a panic. It was hard to get a hold of a live person..I HATE talking to a recording!!! Finally I got a nurse and they said as long as he was screaming like that (they could hear him) and was breathing okay, the benadryl should do the trick. They told me the right dose (double what I had given him). Poor baby! I gave him the meds and a nice bath to get any remaining residue off his tender skin. He was swollen for hours. The next week we had an appointment with the allergist.

They scratched him and waited for swelling....they drew blood from his tiny arm. He reacted strongly to proteins in Milk, Egg, and Peanut. Man! Where did this all come from? I wish I had known while he was nursing....he never was a good eater...maybe if I stopped eating those things he would have done better...

Our lives now...There is a huge learning curve when it comes to dealing with food allergies. How do you make a birthday cake without eggs or milk? What about chocolate chip cookies? Milk and egg are in everything!!! What about snack time at school or church? I had to discover these things so he would not suffer, or miss out too much. There are also lovely, well meaning people who claim that the dramatic rise in "food allergy diagnosis" in children is exaggerated and that most of those diagnosed don't have a true allergy. Who cares? It doesn't matter what you call it....My son can't have your birthday cake :0(

I must carry a bottle of benadryl and an epi-pen around for my son "just in case". I have to instruct babysitters to administer meds, and make substitute treats to take with us whenever we go somewhere food will be served. I learned that lesson when he cried so tenderly at a party because he couldn't have a cupcake like everyone else. Missing out on all that yummy high calorie fare (cheese, cake, scrambled eggs, ice cream...you know, all the good stuff) has made it tricky for Bubba-do to put on weight...he is almost 4 and weighs 27 pounds. Every year we get him checked by the allergist because many kids grow out of their allergies....no luck yet.

There are some up sides. He has developed a taste for lots of fruits and veggies. We don't have to worry about childhood obesity. He can have bacon, and hot dogs and cookies whenever he'd like....provided we can find a milk free bun for that dog. I have learned to be creative in the kitchen so he can have normal meals with the family...but oh how I wish to cook regular things like lasagna, or french toast (disclaimer: there are recipes out there for these things without his allergic foods...they just taste really yucky...soy cheese anyone?) And maybe someday he will grow out of the allergies...to celebrate I will bake him a cake...a real milk, egg, ooey gooey cake

BUBBA-DO SAFE FROSTING!