Food Allergies - Boy do I have a lot to learn!

I know that there are LOTS of people living with food allergies and they are doing it very well. There are also LOTS of families living with children with severe food allergies.  My family is now one of those families!

My 8 year old son, Mason, has had bad allergies his whole life.  We knew Mason was very allergic to cats, dogs, dust mites, trees, weeds, grasses, and molds. Mason was getting 3 allergy shots every 1-3 weeks from Summer 2006 through the Spring of 2008. Mason was also diagnosed with asthma in the Spring of 2008 after having a respiratory reaction to his allergy injections. Currently, Mason is taking medicines to help control his asthma and his allergies, Pulmicort, Zyrtec, Claritin, Benedryl, Ventolin, Flonase, and Patanol.

After meeting with the Allergist at AAIR and having some blood work done we now know Mason is VERY allergic to fish, seafood, sesame seeds, and tree nuts. His allergies are very severe and can cause anaphylaxis, so now we will be carrying an EpiPen at all times.  This hit home when I heard the Doctor say Mason’s allergies are so severe that it could cause him to have “A LIFE THREATENING EVENT!”

I am so grateful to our AWESOME pediatricians office Penn Fair Pediatrics.  Dr. Kevin Klossner called me first thing Friday morning when he received Mason’s blood test results, that I thought would take 2-3 weeks. He was also able to tell me where to start, time for the EpiPen and note for school.  When I went to the office on Friday I was a mess. I was scared, nervous, anxious and even in tears!  I had many questions and no idea where to start, thank goodness for Kathy, she is an RN at the practice.  Kathy was of great! She offered her personal experiences with children in her family with food allergies, she gave me a packet of information including information for a support group FACTS, she also gave me the comfort and support I needed to start to understand the changes ahead to keep Mason safe.

I spent at least one whole day reading the labels in my pantry removing all the foods that contain or might contain ingredients that would not be safe for Mason.  I still have to tackle a few more areas , the fridge, the freezer, and the lazy-susan, I will get there on Monday.  I have learned that some ingredients are easy to spot, but others are no alway obvious.  By the way did you know that gelatin can be made from fish bones?

My family celebrated Mother’s Day a week early and enjoyed Sunday Brunch at Mario’s Via Abruzzi in Pittsford, NY. WOW, they were great!  I arrived a few minutes before my reservation time, spoke with a manager and the hostess about Mason’s allergies, they were kind enough to refer me to the Chef.  I wish I would have caught his name, he was wonderful.  The chef took the list of foods to avoid to the kitchen and the brunch room to check the ingredients.  He then came back for me, he walked through the buffet room pointing out what was safe for Mason and what to avoid.   Mason ate waffles, fresh fruit, bacon and he was thrilled that they gave him his own bowl of chocolate fresh from the kitchen because the chocolate fountain was not an option for him because of cross-contamination.

Overall, we are doing okay with all of the changes, just taking it all one day and label at a time!