It may not have a lot of significance to the everyday person, but routine means that we made it months without a major issue, without a major reaction, Epi incident, or new food failure. We made it through the entire summer without seeing a medical professional about anything allergy related. It was a great new normal.
Heading into Fall, the season when all things pumpkin start getting thrown in our faces, I asked for a skin test for pumpkin. Last Fall Monk reacted to eating pumpkin. He was never tested for it, but it was put on his list of allergies and we were told to avoid it. Since our family hosts a pumpkin carving party each year I thought it might be good to find out for sure before 50+ screaming children go flinging pumpkin guts around my house and yard.
His skin testing was negative.
See that small insignificant dot in the bottom right corner amidst all the crazy big hives? That is the pumpkin.With instructions to try it at home, we reveled in being able to remove something from the list and enjoy the pumpkiny-ness of the season.
It seemed like all things pumpkin were showing up earlier this year, as if the finale to the 4th of July fireworks signaled all green leaves to suddenly shift in preparation for cinnamon and nutmeg production. But no worries, because this was one food we could handle!
With our first taste of the pumpkin being successful, I found myself clearing the isles of pumpkin baby food pouches, so excited to be able to buy more than our standard 4 varieties.
Typically we use food pouches for when we are out and about or following a minor reaction when Monk's appetite is waning. Since school is back in full force, our evenings are a bit hurried, so when Monk was still hungry after his dinner, I grabbed a pouch and handed it over. Within a few minutes he started crying and threw the pouch, half eaten, onto the floor. I picked it up, he threw it down.
Then the real action began with coughing and vomiting. Two systems engaged, but I still picked up the phone and called our allergist. As I described the reaction, I saw the hives pop up. Epi-time. After we gave him the shot we loaded the whole family into the car (Road trip!) and drove to the ER just down the street, checking in with the allergist on the road.
I feel a bit like we are ER champs these days. I know the drill and almost answer questions before they are asked. I know the course of treatment and what medications to expect. I am calm and cool under the pressure and pretty much the opposite of what friends and family see on a regular stressful day.
While I might be the one you can call to hurdle you through the inner workings of our Hospital ER system, there are some things that don't change and don't get easier. I still take a deep breath and hold it as I have to plunge the Epi Pen into my child's thigh. I still feel the same aching pain in my chest when nurses hold him down to start and IV or when I have to hold the nebulizer to his face as he screams through another breathing treatment. These are certainly some of the worst moments.
This time was not so bad. After getting IV medication and fluids started, he began to get better and four hours later we were released and went home to regain a sense of normalcy (especially since school started for the other two 8 short hours later.)
So we did the hospital thing, again. We had an "Oops! Maybe no on the pumpkin." I can live in a world without pumpkin and so can Monk. It doesn't send me to my knees to know that he can't have a piece of pumpkin pie, or enjoy fresh pumpkin seeds after carving a spooky jack-o-lantern. This cultural obsession with all things pumpkin will pass, and we will move on. We are choosing to take a year off from our Annual Pumpkin Carving Party that we have hosted for 8 years straight, but in light of our new view on pumpkin, we hope all will understand.
We wish you all a Happy Halloween and certainly condone the use of sharp objects again the offending squash. So ready, set.....CARVE!
It seemed like all things pumpkin were showing up earlier this year, as if the finale to the 4th of July fireworks signaled all green leaves to suddenly shift in preparation for cinnamon and nutmeg production. But no worries, because this was one food we could handle!
With our first taste of the pumpkin being successful, I found myself clearing the isles of pumpkin baby food pouches, so excited to be able to buy more than our standard 4 varieties.
Typically we use food pouches for when we are out and about or following a minor reaction when Monk's appetite is waning. Since school is back in full force, our evenings are a bit hurried, so when Monk was still hungry after his dinner, I grabbed a pouch and handed it over. Within a few minutes he started crying and threw the pouch, half eaten, onto the floor. I picked it up, he threw it down.
Then the real action began with coughing and vomiting. Two systems engaged, but I still picked up the phone and called our allergist. As I described the reaction, I saw the hives pop up. Epi-time. After we gave him the shot we loaded the whole family into the car (Road trip!) and drove to the ER just down the street, checking in with the allergist on the road.
I feel a bit like we are ER champs these days. I know the drill and almost answer questions before they are asked. I know the course of treatment and what medications to expect. I am calm and cool under the pressure and pretty much the opposite of what friends and family see on a regular stressful day.
While I might be the one you can call to hurdle you through the inner workings of our Hospital ER system, there are some things that don't change and don't get easier. I still take a deep breath and hold it as I have to plunge the Epi Pen into my child's thigh. I still feel the same aching pain in my chest when nurses hold him down to start and IV or when I have to hold the nebulizer to his face as he screams through another breathing treatment. These are certainly some of the worst moments.
This time was not so bad. After getting IV medication and fluids started, he began to get better and four hours later we were released and went home to regain a sense of normalcy (especially since school started for the other two 8 short hours later.)
So we did the hospital thing, again. We had an "Oops! Maybe no on the pumpkin." I can live in a world without pumpkin and so can Monk. It doesn't send me to my knees to know that he can't have a piece of pumpkin pie, or enjoy fresh pumpkin seeds after carving a spooky jack-o-lantern. This cultural obsession with all things pumpkin will pass, and we will move on. We are choosing to take a year off from our Annual Pumpkin Carving Party that we have hosted for 8 years straight, but in light of our new view on pumpkin, we hope all will understand.
We wish you all a Happy Halloween and certainly condone the use of sharp objects again the offending squash. So ready, set.....CARVE!
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