Six Months In
So here we are ... six months into our daughter's severe food allergy. I have been struck by how tight knit the anaphylaxis community is and just how much there is to learn. I think we've done a good job of managing the allergy without having to significantly alter the things we do, but it is certainly a challenge at times. It is difficult to be 100% compliant in reading labels, checking ingredients, quizzing servers, bringing the EpiPen, bringing safe snacks, etc. It is annoying to deal with people who think that you are overreacting. It makes me sad to hear my daughter It is also quite stressful to live with the intense fear that rises up whenever you see a red spot on your daughter's hand.
That being said, while it would be great for her to outgrow her allergy I would not change anything. She is an absolute treasure and the food allergy is part of who she is. I am certain that we appreciate every day with her even more after experiencing a near fatal allergic reaction to peanut six months ago.
3 comments:
I just found your blog and wanted to comment. My son is now 21 and we've been dealing with his peanut allergies since he was 9 months old. I remember thinking, "How is this child ever going to go away to college safely?" He did go away, and still lives away and is handling it all very well himself. We've had a number of very scary (life-threatening) situations, but can only hope there will never be another. Good luck to you!
Hi.. I wanted to offer support. My son is 9 years old, we've been dealing with his severe reaction throughout his entire life.
Other people's flippant reactions to a potential life threatening situation has been the most difficult part. Hang in there.
We ended up pulling my son out of school and homeschooling him (and his siblings) two years ago. His peanut allergy wasn't the main reason for homeschooling, but it certainly has made our lives easier.
We just marked our one year "Aller-versary" in April, and I couldn't agree more about the food allergy community being an incredible network!
I really appreciate Kathy's and Teresa's comments, as they are parents of older allergic children. My brother has had food allergy-induced asthma since he was very young (he is now thirty), but I was still surprisingly ill-equiped to handle my son's severe food allergies at first. Even though I see my brother living a good and healthy life as an allergic adult, I was quite unaware of all that he and my mother went through when he was young. Since there was not a lot of public support, it was never dealt openly with then the way it is now, so it really helps to hear other families' experiences. I know it is something my mother appreciates, too.
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