Food Allergies

I never thought that this would happen to me. I never expected that I would have a child with food allergies, serious food allergies…anaphylactic allergies. I have an anaphylactic allergy to shellfish, I know what its like to have a life threatening allergy, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

I suspected that my son Liam might have an allergy or intolerance to dairy that was contributing to his eczema. You can imagine my surprise at the allergist’s office when she told my Husband and I that Liam was severely allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs…I had never expected nuts or eggs. Dairy didn’t even show up as an allergy, which shocked me some more, however we are waiting for a more conclusive test so we know for sure.

My husband took it all in stride and was happy that we finally knew what Liam’s allergies were. I was floored, a nut allergy I kept repeating in my head, that is a really scary allergy. I was really scared.

I took Liam home after the appointment, put him down for his nap and started to surf the Internet. Looking for information, any information that could help alleviate this fear. I read stories of people who inadvertently ingested peanuts on products that they thought were safe because peanut wasn’t listed in the ingredient list. It turns out those products ended up being made on the same machines that make products with peanuts in them – cross contamination, my nemesis.

For some reason the egg allergy didn’t faze me as much as the nut allergy. Probably because I think they are easier to avoid. Kingsmill makes an egg replacer that you can use in baking and you can find egg replacer recipes all over the Internet. However, nuts are small, leave a greasy residue, and are in everything – to me, peanut butter is a lethal weapon.

Then I read about the measures that are being taken to keep kids with food allergies safe. I read about Sabrina’s Law and thanked god that I live in Ontario. Ontario is the first Canadian province requiring public school teachers to be trained to recognize allergic reactions and know how to treat them. The schools are required to keep a file on every child who has an anaphylactic allergy, emergency procedures in place, and proper storage for epi-pens. I feel better knowing that this law is in place. Liam is one now, he has a few years until he starts school, hopefully Ontario will continue to progress in this area so when he does attend school, I can be confident in his care.

Knowledge is power. We need to educate everyone that currently is involved in my son’s life. That includes grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins, friends, and especially, his daycare worker. I am armed with pamphlets, journal articles, support group information, ingredient lists, and a load of epi-pens. I am getting Liam a button that says, “Stop, Don’t Feed Me, I Have Severe Food Allergies”. Our home is in the process of becoming a nut-free home – once it is, I will put a sticker in the window advertising this. No one will be allowed to bring nuts into my house. Strict avoidance will also give Liam a better chance of outgrowing this allergy.

To all those parents who deal with food allergies, I invite you to post comments and suggestions, even words of support for other parents. We have to stick together and raise awareness.

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