My son is in fourth grade this year. He only fairly recently started complaining about feeling left out sometimes - maybe in the last couple of years. In the past he never complained at birthday parties about why he couldn't eat the ice cream and cake. He just ate his candy and graham crackers or Italian ice or whatever. For his own birthdays I usually bake an egg and dairy free cake, but he doesn't eat it. He acts all excited about it and takes that first piece, eats a bit and leaves the rest. I haven't had to worry about cheese substitutes and alternative baked goods because he didn't complain about not having them and he has never gotten familiar with the tastes of rich ice cream, buttery baked goods, cheese, etc. He does like soy butter, and in more recent years has developed a taste for soy ice cream. He likes Italian Ice better though.
But despite his relative lack of complaining and his long-standing acceptance of his allergy situation, I was still surprised when I found out that he had decided not to go on a class field trip. He didn't even tell me his decision. I overheard another kid in his class talking to him about it and he said he wasn't going.
"What?" I asked, "You aren't going?"
"No. They are going to be near a peanut farm and it is the HEIGHT of peanut season."
Well, it is not exactly the HEIGHT of peanut season but it is the beginning of the growing season. The class would be visiting an outdoor museum where they reenact early colonial life and it is located in peanut farm territory. His teacher had told me earlier in the year that they would be going on this trip. I had decided I would probably go on the trip with the class, take Benadryl and an Epi-pen, and be prepared to leave early if it seemed necessary. I figured he would probably be okay if he didn't go into the peanut field and they weren't harvesting.
But my son decided not to go. He didn't want to risk it. I honored his decision and I was proud of him. He is already taking charge of his own health and well-being. This makes me feel much better about the future when he goes off to college and out on his own.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
BJ's shocking reminder about anaphylaxsis
I haven't been keeping up this blog. Maybe I can't handle two regular blogs.
I am pretty consistently posting weekly on my other blog about my younger son:
Brilliant Spectrum Child: The Adventures of Orangeboy and his Antagontists.
In the world of dealing with food allergies, we are mostly just taking everything in stride these days, but I did have some emotional turmoil for a few days on a topic that still nags at me:
the possibility of sudden death by anaphylactic shock.
I read an article from an allergymoms.com newsletter: "A Parent's Worst Nightmare" about a family who lost their oldest son, BJ, to a sudden food allergy reaction while on vacation. He had never had a serious anaphylactic reaction before. My son HAS had choking and drooling during past reactions. Thankfully he didn't proceed into shock because a quick double dose of Benadryl calmed his symptoms. But this article really hit home with me. The family didn't have their Epi-pen because they had never needed it before. That's us. I've gotten pretty negligent about making sure we always have an Epi-pen on hand because in ten years we've not used it. They cost about $80 each and have to be replaced now and then. It seems a waste if Benadryl does the trick. I wouldn't want to give him Epi unless it's absolutely necessary either.
On the other hand, if it was absolutely necessary I would want that fresh, 80 dollar Epi-pen on hand for certain.
Allergic reactions are tricky. To the same exposure there can be a mild reaction one time and a full blown reaction the next time. A serious reaction can be followed later by a mild reaction. One doesn't know which exposure will be the triggering exposure for anaphylaxsis.
It's hard to remember to always keep something on hand that you never use. I worried about this from the time we first got epinephrine for D. I worried that I wouldn't have it with us that one time we needed it. An Epi-pen isn't something that you can keep in your pocket like a mint or a pack of gum - it's a little larger than that. He can't wear it on his wrist. You can't even really keep it in the car all the time because freezing or extreme heat can make it go bad.
I don't like to be reminded that my son's allergies could potentially result in sudden death, but maybe I NEED to be reminded now and then - to keep it real. So I can remember the Epi-pen.
And my next question is: do I have to remind HIM? At what age do I have to show him stories like BJ Hom's and remind him that if he isn't diligent enough he could die from a common food?
I'd rather have the birds and bees talk.
But I am thankful for increased awareness of food allergies and I hope that research into treatments yields good results soon. Until then I guess I will have to use painful reminders to keep my son safe.
I am pretty consistently posting weekly on my other blog about my younger son:
Brilliant Spectrum Child: The Adventures of Orangeboy and his Antagontists.
In the world of dealing with food allergies, we are mostly just taking everything in stride these days, but I did have some emotional turmoil for a few days on a topic that still nags at me:
the possibility of sudden death by anaphylactic shock.
I read an article from an allergymoms.com newsletter: "A Parent's Worst Nightmare" about a family who lost their oldest son, BJ, to a sudden food allergy reaction while on vacation. He had never had a serious anaphylactic reaction before. My son HAS had choking and drooling during past reactions. Thankfully he didn't proceed into shock because a quick double dose of Benadryl calmed his symptoms. But this article really hit home with me. The family didn't have their Epi-pen because they had never needed it before. That's us. I've gotten pretty negligent about making sure we always have an Epi-pen on hand because in ten years we've not used it. They cost about $80 each and have to be replaced now and then. It seems a waste if Benadryl does the trick. I wouldn't want to give him Epi unless it's absolutely necessary either.
On the other hand, if it was absolutely necessary I would want that fresh, 80 dollar Epi-pen on hand for certain.
Allergic reactions are tricky. To the same exposure there can be a mild reaction one time and a full blown reaction the next time. A serious reaction can be followed later by a mild reaction. One doesn't know which exposure will be the triggering exposure for anaphylaxsis.
It's hard to remember to always keep something on hand that you never use. I worried about this from the time we first got epinephrine for D. I worried that I wouldn't have it with us that one time we needed it. An Epi-pen isn't something that you can keep in your pocket like a mint or a pack of gum - it's a little larger than that. He can't wear it on his wrist. You can't even really keep it in the car all the time because freezing or extreme heat can make it go bad.
I don't like to be reminded that my son's allergies could potentially result in sudden death, but maybe I NEED to be reminded now and then - to keep it real. So I can remember the Epi-pen.
And my next question is: do I have to remind HIM? At what age do I have to show him stories like BJ Hom's and remind him that if he isn't diligent enough he could die from a common food?
I'd rather have the birds and bees talk.
But I am thankful for increased awareness of food allergies and I hope that research into treatments yields good results soon. Until then I guess I will have to use painful reminders to keep my son safe.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
