Intro and anxiety over food allergies

miamiumeg

Hello!

I had my LO in September 2013.  Since the day he was born, he has been a lot. of. work.  Don't get me wrong, he is the light of my life!  But, he has a rough road so far.  At 4 weeks, he was "diagnosed" with MSPI and I cut out all dairy (EBF at the time).  6 weeks later, we discovered I wasn't producing enough, and had to switch to half BM half Alimentum.  He also had colic for the first months of his life and has had severe reflux.  So, I BF (and deprived myself of everything I love... know there are other moms out there that did the same for their babes!) and spent a small fortune on Alimentum.  At 9 months, we transitioned to Similac Sensitive completely.  He thrived.  Woo hoo!  Same time, he ate scrambled eggs and had hives and swelling lips.

We cut out eggs per pedi's rec.  He did well, sorta.  He has constant puffy eyes and we use hydrocortisone for eczema about once a week.  Last week, my mom fed him pancakes and banana bread and his tongue swelled.  My pedi told us to get him skin tested.  He tested positive for an egg allergy.

I know there are bumpees on here that have lots of experiences with food allergies.  Is there anything that has helped ease your anxiety?  Having an epipen has already helped me feel a little more comfortable.  Also, how do you breech the discussion with other family members about how serious this is?  The grandparents seem to think we are shielding him.  I appreciate any words of advice or wisdom you have.

mrsannie

Hi there. Sorry your dealing with this, it is not a fun thing for sure. It's definitely scary and I'm finding the older they get the harder it is to keep relaxed about it. The thing that has sort of put me "at peace" about DS's food allergies is that because of it, I have done so much research on potential causes of food allergies and the state of our food system that my family now eats much healthier because of it. There's also the hope that DS outgrows his allergies, but I am fully aware that he may not. 

As for the family members. Educate them and tell them like it is. It's an allergy, not a sensitivity, and it is life threatening. Not just an inconvenience. I have to constantly remind my family members that (1) DS could die from ingesting his allergens, (2) they must wash their hands after eating anything around him that he's allergic to because he reacts on contact, (3) just because his first reaction didn't turn into anaphylaxis doesn't mean his next reaction won't - each reaction tends to be worse. Make sure they know where the Epi pen is and how and when to use it. I also don't let any family members cook for DS, I don't trust that they "get it" to the point where they can feed him.