Adjusting to Food Allergies
Will was only a few weeks old when we discovered that the rashes that seemed to come and go all over his body were being caused by allergic reactions to eggs, cow’s milk, peanut products and dog saliva. Interesting combo, but impossible, right? I mean he was only a few weeks old… it’s not like he was eating any of these things… However, his Allergist was quick to point out that he in fact was ingesting all—through my nursing… which then came to a screeching halt. The dog saliva—that was just welcome-to-the-world-love from the Bluedog.
We left the Allergist that day—Epi-pen in hand…just in case the test results were off the mark… and ears full of instruction… Speechless. Not only could Will not have eggs, milk or peanuts in their singular form—but he also had to avoid foods/drinks that contain them as ingredients. Do you know how many products this cuts from daily living? Aside from having to read every label on every item that ever comes in contact with Will… there was the guilt… MY GOD THE GUILT. How did I let this happen, it must have been something that I did or didn’t do.. Dammit, why did I smoke in the nineties? I thought wine and coffee were supposed to be good for you.. Maybe I didn’t eat enough apples… And as for the dog saliva, we’ll just have to tie Blue’s tongue up in his ears somehow… A bubble.. I need a bubble to put my boy in… Maybe there was too much Mercury in all the fish I’ve ingested these 33 years.. I’m a minefield.. Maybe I… But wait. There is a chance that he’ll grow out of it. All of it. A very good chance.
Now, let it come to pass that I have researched food allergies inside out, up down, backwards, under-over and in my sleep. There really aren’t any answers to be had… despite the seriously condemning nature of the topic… Most kids born today—in America— are allergic to something… And, most parents are not as insanely bothered by a rash as we were… but everyone is looking for an answer. And thank God—for Will, his reactions are just a rash—some kids go into shock and the unspeakable happens. After major investigations… it’s the same as everything else that seems loopy in modern day life… We can blame the world around us, the things that we have done—most unknowingly, to our bodies and well—life as we know it. The rash, by the way, never seemed to bother him.
So, we are in it… and honestly, it really isn’t that bad. Will is incredibly healthy—turned 18 months this past Friday. There are tons of “alternate” food choices out there… Alternates to things that, as it turns out, are really not very good for him anyway. And, thanks to the vegetarians and vegans of the world, these things are not hard to come by. Soy is a blessing in disguise… and cow’s milk—not so great for the bod anyway… who knew? Most things, in fact, that contain milk and eggs, even on their own, are not so hot health-wise (as heart disease sweeps the nation). And, on a more “all about me” note… We as parents are in massive growing company of others that are scouring over books, websites, blogs— frustrations equaling fear demanding answers looking for solutions….. something has to give.
Eventually—sooner than later… there will come a day when he’ll want the ice-cream… someone will give him a piece of cheese… I guess we’ll deal with that day when it arrives.. Peanuts — we have high hopes that they will be banned from existence entirely. For now we’re doing great, and as for Blue… we untied his tongue and are just mindful about the number of licks that actually land on Will…. as that friendship grows, however, it has become the hardest part.
