Friday, January 15, 2010

Allergic

Yesterday, we found out that Andrew has a peanut allergy.  And we found out the hard way.

I smeared a little peanut butter on a quarter of a wheat bun for him at lunch.  He loved it...thought it was, quite literally, lip-smackin' good.  But within two minutes, he started crying and began to break out with red blotches all over his face and neck and chest.  Then, the blotches filled in with hives.  He even had hives on his thumbs and index fingers, where he had pushed the peanut buttery bread into his mouth.  Then, his eyes started to swell and turn red.  And he vomited.  This was all SO fast...maybe four minutes total from the time he ate the peanut butter.  I called 911 and then I called Jacob to tell him to come home.  I've never been so thankful for his 5-block commute (and his track star past).  He beat the paramedics to our apartment!  Andrew had his first ambulance ride to the emergency room of the local children's hospital, and, despite his ailments, loved the up close experience with the sirens he hears go by all day and night.  10 hours of observation later, and we were released with prescriptions for Benadryl, steroids, and an Epi-Pen that we've been told to treat like an extra bodily organ...everywhere Andrew goes, the Epi-Pen goes.  We've been warned that this first reaction will be the mildest.  That further reactions are almost certain to involve respiratory distress.   That he may be so allergic that he can't even be around peanuts.  It's got us good and scared.

We'll be seeing a pediatric allergist soon to find out the extent of the little guy's allergy/allergies.  In the meantime, I'm scouring the Web for information and my pantry for allergens.  If you have any resources to recommend, please let me know.  If you'd put this on your prayer list, too, I'd be eternally grateful.

So, how's Andrew doing today?  Today, he's back to eating sticks.  And it's quite wonderful.

14 comments:

Sarah Baggs said...

Oh No! I hate to hear that happened to him and you all. I can only imagine how scary that all is. My cousin's little girl is allergic as well (to other things too) and the good news is that now (she is 9) that she can actually have peanuts in a very small form. So hopefully this will be something that he grows out of.

Laura said...

oh elizabeth! that's so scary! i'm glad everything turned out ok and that he's just as cute as ever!

BettieBoyd said...

The picture is very reassuring! Give him an extra kiss from Gra'Mama (I have no peanut butter on me!)

Holland said...

oh my gosh! elizabeth! i feel so bad for complaining about antibiotics when you had something so serious going on. i'm so glad he is ok. poor little thing. that must've been the scariest thing ever. i think i might just not introduce peanuts now.

Wanting What I Have said...

Whoa. I cannot imagine how terrifying that must have been! I am so glad he is alright. Eating sticks is a great sign. :)

We'll be praying for him...and thanking God for His mercies.

Anonymous said...

I have a 2/5 year old peanut allergic child...

1) buy a book called "How to Manage Your Life Child's Threatening Food Allergy"

This is an excellently written book with very practical advice for the peanut allergic child. Be prepared, you're probably feeling overwhelmed with the diagnosis and this book is a little sobering as you realize how many risks are out there... but when finished, you'll feel informed and empowered. Good luck!

~Kim (in Virginia)

http://www.amazon.com/Manage-Your-Childs-Life-Threatening-Allergies/dp/0970278519/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263648342&sr=1-1

Julie said...

Thanks for the latest precious picture. I second what BettieBoyd said - it reassured me that the little guy bounced right back! I am praying for all of you!

Kelly said...

Elizabeth! I am so sorry to hear this. That sounds like a nightmare! Happy to see he is looking so good just one day later. We will pray for you guys

Rhonda Hennessy said...

That is SO scary!! I'm so, so glad that sweet little boy is doing better! I'm terrified to give ML peanut butter - she hasn't even had eggs yet for that reason (I'm a total wimp). I'm just scared I would freeze and not know what to do.

As a side note - I've been in the doctor's office several times recently and heard other moms talking about their children's allergies to nuts, eggs, etc. and that they OUTGREW them! I didn't even know it was possible to outgrow an allergy, but it's reassuring just the same. Hang in there!

Confessions said...

that is SO SCARY! bless your heart. i'm so thankful that Andrew is okay. sweet baby!

Anika said...

oh no, I'm so sorry to hear this, Eliz. I'm glad Andrew is okay. I will keep him in my prayers and hope that he grows out of his allergies.

Lexi said...

Elizabeth, I am so sorry to hear this. However, I am glad to see that Andrew is OK and feeling better!

tubesy said...

Oh my goodness! That is such a scary experience. One of the little guys in my kindergarten classroom has severe peanut allergy. We (his teachers and the principal) successfully lobbied the school board to make the school peanut-free. It doesn't keep all the butterfingers away but it has really helped. As your doc probably told you, there is a huge range of reactions with peanut allergies. Those epi-pens are a fantastic invention! I'm glad the little guy is OK!

Unknown said...

Hi Elizabeth, this is Kay, just stumbled on your site. Sorry to hear about your baby's peanut Allergy. My husband has a tree nut allergy, so I totally understand! Anyway, we found the following site very helpful. You can sign up for alerts of food recalls that were "mislabeled."

http://www.foodallergy.org/