Parsley ~ An Actual Food Allergy

There are so many different types of foods that children or adults can be allergic to. Sometimes I am not sure if my daughter is just not feeling well or if she is really having an allergic reaction. Most of the times her reactions to certain foods is pretty much clear cut, but then there are those times when she just vomits (pardon my words) hours later and has no other reaction with it. Those are times when I am left wondering if it is truly something to be avoided or not.

A while ago we had a big dinner at my parent's house. Everything was "food safe", so my daughter could eat until her heart was content. At least that is what I thought. A new item that was presented was red potatoes with parsely and olive oil. Now looking at that, you wouldn't think that it would affect someone in any way whatsoever. But later that night, she got up out of her bed and told me she felt sick. She then went into the bathroom and plopped herself in front of the toilet. I have been blessed to have a young child who can tell me she is going to be sick and still make it to the bathroom before throwing up. As gross as this may sound, I have been in the habit of checking her vomit to see what has made her sick. This time it was red potatoes and parsely. Wow, who would have thought that would be the thing to make her sick!

Today I decided to look on the internet and see if someone could really be allergic to parsely. Can you believe it, you can. I have always kept her from it after that one incident, but that is just because I tend to get paranoid when she has any type of reaction to food. On Wikipedia I found out that parsley is part of the Birch family. Some of the other foods in the Birch family are: almonds, apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, carrots, celery, cherries, chicory, coriander, fennel, fig, hazelnuts, kiwifruit, nectarines, parsley, parsnips, peaches, pears, peppers, plums, potatoes, prunes, soy, strawberries, wheat, and potentially walnuts. After seeing this I thought that I should have done research on it sooner. She happens to be allergic to almonds, hazelnuts, wheat, and walnuts. It is hard to say what to avoid and what not to avoid. She can eat apples, bananas, carrots, celery, cherries, soy, strawberries and wheat (her number for this is so low she is not affected by it) without a problem. Unfortunately, it is going to have to be a guessing game for me for the rest of her life.

Copyright © 2010 Allergykidmom. All rights reserved

Allergy Test Results

I received good news today from my daughter's allergist. Her test results came back with lower numbers. Now when I say lower, I mean way lower. To most of you this may not seem like a big deal, but for someone who has had to watch what their child ingests for the sake of their life, it's a big deal. I thanked her allergist over and over again. I'm sure she could see the smile on my face by the tone of my voice.

First, we talked about her cashew results. This one was the highest number the last time she was tested. The results showed that it went down from a 28 to a 6. She wanted the number to be a 5 or lower, but this was good news for me. See, I had to deal with her having a reaction to cashew butter and it wasn't easy. She fell asleep (her blood level dropped) and then threw up later. I was happy to hear that it was a 6 even though a 5 would have been better.

Next we talked about her peanut number. Originally, it was a 12 and dropped down to a 6 also. This is good news because peanuts seem to be in everything or cross-contaminated with everything. This shows that within the last 3 years, her numbers dropped in half. Just think what another 3 years could bring.

The last thing we discussed was regarding her having a food challenge. I can't say that I am all that keen on this idea. I would love for her numbers to be a lot lower. I still fear that something could go wrong even though she would take this test in a hospital.

When my daughter got out of school I told her the allergist called and gave me good news. I explained to her that her numbers were lower this time which means she is getting better. I told her she still isn't allowed to have the foods that are listed on her allergy bracelet, but one day she may be able to. With a smile on her face, she looked at me and said, "One day I may be able to take this bracelet off and not have to wear it?" I told her maybe. She jumped up and down with joy.

Even though her numbers are lower, I will still take the same precaution as before. The epipens and the benadryl will continue to go with us everywhere. The avoidance of bakeries, certain restaurants, and potlucks will still stand firm. But the thought that maybe, just maybe one day all of this will be in the past, is all I need for hope.
Copyright © 2010 Allergykidmom. All rights reserved

The Joys of Raising A Smart Kid

Is my child the only one who uses her food allergy symptoms to get what she wants (in terms of food)? My daughter thinks she can pull one over on me by saying she is experiencing symptoms in order not to eat a certain food. If it weren't for me knowing exactly what she is allergic to and how to really tell if she is having a reaction, she just might be able to get away with it.

Her favorite cereal, for the time being, is the Puffins cinnamon flavored cereal. I lucked out when I came across Barbara's Bakery cereals. They don’t have a lot of choices, but the two I get are wheat free, dairy free and made in a peanut free facility. Because we don’t have a slew of different cereals for her to choose from, when she finds one she likes, she tends to over indulge. Quite naturally, most kids do.

Just the other day, she was eating a bowl of cereal. In order for her not to eat up all the cinnamon cereal, I gave her the regular brand. Half way through her bowl she started to yell for me. I went in and asked what was wrong and she proceeded to tell me that her tongue was feeling funny. This is the first symptom she usually experiences when she eats something that she is allergic to. I looked at her and she seemed fine. I asked her what she meant by her tongue feeling funny and all she could say was that it felt weird. Apparently, she had forgotten that I gave her this same cereal the night before and the week before without any kind of reaction. When I refreshed her memory, she had a "man I just got found out" expression on her face. Yes dear, I know all your tricks! I've explained to her that she can't fake her symptoms (when she doesn’t want what is in front of her) because one day I may not believe her when she tells me she is having them. Of course, anytime she says something is wrong, I take her seriously. While she is trying to outsmart me, she doesn't need to know.

While sitting here typing this out, I wonder, is there anyone else going through what I am going through or is my daughter the only one who tries to manipulate me with her allergic symptoms?

Copyright © 2010 Allergykidmom. All rights reserved

Food Allergic Kids and Babysitters

The other day I had to leave my daughter with a babysitter who has never watched her before. I usually try to take her with me or leave her with my sister or parents. I had no choice this time. It can be a little nerving leaving her with someone new, whether it is a family member or a friend. I always wonder if they are doing things the way that I want them done. Not to sound like a brat, but it is my kids life we're talking about.

I have found a way to make it a little easier on myself and maybe for others who read this too.

1. Prepare food for them to eat. I find this option very useful. When you do this, you don't have to worry about what the babysitter will have to feed them. You know that whatever goes in their mouth is going to be food allergy free.
2. Babysitter should watch what they eat. If they are not in a food allergy friendly home, the babysitter needs to be careful what they ingest also. If the child is allergic to nuts and the babysitter eats peanut butter and has some on their hands when touching the child, it could set off an allergic reaction.
3. Inform babysitter to read ALL ingredients. If you don't have time to prepare food , you can let them know what they need to look out for. Make sure they know to look over all the ingredients and make sure they also know what hidden words that are used. This is very important.
4. Allergy Bracelet. If your child has a bracelet, it usually has the foods that they are allergic to listed on it. You can let them know if they forget, they can look at the bracelet to help them remember. Another good thing about one of these bracelets is that if anything goes wrong, you can call the number on the back for help. Actually, this is with the Medic Alert Bracelets. I'm not sure how the rest of them work.
5. Food Allergy Card. These are very helpful to hand out when someone is watching your child and they aren't sure what foods to watch out for. They have them on the Internet to purchase. I made some up myself and handed them out to all my family members. I can't speak for the other cards, but the one I created has her allergens listed from severe all the way to very low. I also listed foods to watch out for/avoid and cross contamination issue.
6. Know what symptoms to look for. Knowing the symptoms of an allergic reaction is important for a babysitter. Different symptoms show up with different kids, but they are generally the same. It would be imperative for them to know the ones that your child tends to suffer from. Itchy skin/hives, tingling in the mouth (my daughter tends to say her mouth or her throat feels funny), stomach pains, difficulty breathing, swollen tongue or throat, vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of consciousness. One sign that is not usually listed but happened to my daughter is falling asleep. This could be right before loss of consciousness, so telling them this would be important.
7. The EPIPEN or EPIPEN JR. I feel it is very important for the babysitter to know how to use the epipen, just in case something does happen. You should let them know to use the epipen (make sure they know how to use it correctly), then call 911 and follow up by calling you.

I'm sure a lot of people already know or have done this, but if you are new to having a kid with food allergies and you have to leave them with someone, I hope this can help.


Copyright © 2010 Allergykidmom. All rights reserved