No Great Pumpkin This Year, Charlie Brown

A few weeks ago we went into our allergist for a routine visit. Routine. Did you catch that?

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!

The Other One

8pm on a Sunday night and here I am calling about a reaction my son is having. Through his swollen eyes he cries that he is itchy.

Par for the course, right?

Except it isn't Monk. It's Jag.

We are visiting friends with a Century Agave plant and he gets stuck by one of the thorns. Easy enough to handle in the mom book of medical fixes. Just pour on the hydrogen peroxide, a little alcohol swab and slap it with a band-aid.

All is good until I look up a few minutes later to see that his eyes are swelling up. Panic!

I should be a pro at this but I'm used to it being Monk. I know his tell tale symptoms, his dosage for Benadryl and what to do when it's a food reaction. But this isn't food. This is apparently poison. The sap of the century agave plant is toxic. When we look up information on the century agave plant, we  find out that the toxicity is worst when ingested, but that the puncture wound can still cause swelling of the eyes, throat irritation, difficulties breathing and other symptoms similar to what we experience with food allergies.

Happily, the Benadryl and hydrocortizone cream seemed to work and most of the swelling is down this morning.  Another extra dose of Benadryl to get him through school, which I hope doesn't have the same effect as when he was 2.

Lesson learned...scary plants with long thorns should be avoided at all costs, regardless of whether or not you are the allergy kid!

Century Agave Plant

A Different Kind of Challenge

With all the ice buckets being thrown around and on top of the heads of friends, family and celebrities alike, I started to think about how I could harness some of that enthusiasm for a cause close to my heart, food allergy awareness.

ALS #IceBucketChallenge
Given the millions of the money being raised for ALS, it seemed like a given that people around the world would become more educated about the disease.  I mean I had no clue what it entailed.  Without an educational component to the challenge, I wondered how much attention is the actual disease was getting.  I did want to pay my respects, and found out that ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that affects 30,000 Americans at any given time and the life expectancy after diagnosis is grim at just two to five years on average. 

It is amazing to know that in the just over a month since the first person called out ALS as the charity of choice for their polar splash, more than $15 million has been raised for ALS.  I hope that this challenge continues to help those who suffer from ALS and that awareness, education and research for the disease will grown at the same rate as their donations.

Changing it Up
In thinking of terms of food allergies, I wanted a challenge that would be educational along with being something that would be considered a "challenge."  I mean no one wants to be doused by a bucket of ice water, right? I started thinking about all the different ways to get people educated about food allergies. The facts alone are helpful, such as the fact that 15 million Americans have food allergies and that 1 out of 13 children ages 18 and younger is affected by this disease, but how does this help people to understand the world in which we live?

What if I challenged them to live as someone with severe food allergies for just 24 hours. Sure, it's not glamorous and it won't cause your friends to laugh hysterically while you suffer through gallons of ice cold water invading every bodily crevice, but maybe it will open some eyes to the struggles of managing daily life without everyday foods such as milk, bread, and eggs.

The Challenge
I hopped out of bed the next morning (I actually drug my butt unwillingly out of bed) and set to posting the challenge. Here was my first post:

"All of these ALS challenge videos have had my development wheels spinning, so I have decided to ask all of you to help me spread the word about food allergies by challenging each of you to spend 24 hours eating like my Monk. I will make it easy and only restrict you from the 7 of the top 8 food allergens that he is allergic too (not all 20 food allergies.) That means no eggs, dairy, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish or shellfish. Don't think you can manage? Opt out with a donation to FARE (food allergy research and education) at the link below in support of our upcoming food allergy walk. I encourage those that take on the challenge to post pictures or videos of your favorite #monkmeals, and ask your friends to walk a mile in the shoes of those with food allergies. I was going to say that those who accidentally eat an allergen should donate the equivalent of the cost of an ambulance ride, but that might be a bit much." 

Since I have to shop for a much more restricted diet on a regular basis, my pantry and meal list was already prepared for me to follow the challenge and set the example.  

• Breakfast: Monk and I shared our favorite Kale, Mango and Pineapple Smoothie and for a bit of protein I had one of his Applegate breakfast sausages.
• Snack: Banana (which unfortunately, Monk can't eat since it is one of his allergies).
• Snack #2: I'm so hungry!!!!  Now I know why my child wants to constantly eat.  I grab a few turkey pepperonis (again, which Monk can't eat).
• Lunch: Corn tortilla filled with Daiya soy cheese and grilled using Canola Oil "butter". Served with a side of raspberries and strawberries.
• Snack #3: piece of Enjoy Life chocolate (free of all top 8!)
• Dinner: Ground pork, swiss chard and polenta skillet, which calls for parmesan cheese, but I substituted for Daiya Soy cheese again. The whole family got in on the action this time.
• Dessert: handful of Trader Joe's Citrus Gum Drops, which Monk and I shared.

After all of this there were actually a few things that I learned.

1. Soy cheese smells terrible, but it's not bad and melts very nicely.
2. Soy milk is terrible. Period. It just makes me sad.
3. A diet devoid of enriched carbohydrates makes for very hungry people. I totally understand why, "Eatie!!!" is the most frequent word coming from my child's mouth.
4. It really stinks when the rest of your family is eating ice cream bars and you get gum drops.

I hope that a few of you will join me in taking the 24 hour allergy challenge (or donate to FARE) . It can't account for the fear and pain of a reaction, but it can at least help people to understand the efforts taken daily by food allergy parents to keep their kids happy and healthy.

Eat well and remember to plan for lots of snacks!