Day Three - Almost Wheat Free

And so the journey begins

Today is day three of Em being Almost Wheat Free - I say almost as we are not avoiding traces at this stage and there was a hiccup on day 1.  I forgot she had food tech at school and I hadnt informed her teacher of this new restriction.  So she had one piece of filo pastry which she had made into a pie.  Oops.  Must email teacher.

So what has she eaten.

Day one
Afterschool snack - two medium baked potatoes with Olivani.
Dinner - Pork Fried Rice

Day two
Breakfast

Banana Berry Smoothie & Dry Cornflakes

School Lunch

Left over Pork Fried Rice, Nairns Choc Chip Oat cakes, Fresh Strawberries.

The verdict - the rice is too hard to eat and she preferred yesterdays snack lunch.

Afernoon tea - Dovedales Rice & Raisin bread toasted with Olivani, Corn thins with Marmite

Dinner - Minestrone soup made with Gluten Free pasta. Banana.

Day three
Breakfast - Rice & Raisin Toast & Chocolate nesquik Oat Milk

And today she is taking for lunch

Homemade Teriyaki Chicken Sushi (which Em made last night), Orgran animal biscuits and Dried apricots

And have we seen any change?
Her skin is certainly looking better, but that could also be due to the antibiotics she is on to combat the infection.

Is she happy with the change?
So far she hasnt found it to be to much of a challenge.  "Just as long as I can eat potatoes I'll be happy" - bless :-)

Hello again

It has been a long time since I wanted to share things here.

Things have been ticking over so nicely over the last few years with Emma that I had reached point where I didn't really have a lot to say.

But that has all changed.  I guess that is the thing with allergies.  You think you know what you are dealing with and wham! something new happens.

Em is 12 now and hitting the turbulent years of puberty.  Puberty is well known in the allergy world as a time when things can change, you can grow out of allergies - YAY.  Not so good it seems for Em is that you can also grow into them.....

Yup another allergy.  Whilst not yet clinically diagnosed (waiting for the appointment at Starship) our GP has agreed with our self diagnosis that something we have been giving her is causing the chronic flare in her eczema.  I was hoping it would be something easy, but unfortunately all the signs are pointing at it being wheat :-(.

So our new journey is slowly taking off.  Today I am starting her on a wheat free diet.

I've found lots of information on feeding littlies on a very restricted diet, but not much info on what to do with an almost teenager eliminating all Nuts, dairy, eggs, shellfish, sesame, kiwifruit, most soy products and now wheat.  What am I gonna feed the girl for school lunches?

So today I sent her off with what looks like a kindergarten snack, not an intermediate lunch, but she was happy.  Her belly full of porridge with blueberries and coconut cream and the promise of a baked potato for afternoon tea.

Blueberry porridge is one of her favourite starts to the day - this is half eaten before I remembered to take a photo.

Corn thins with olivani & marmite, Chicken strips, bluebird potato chips, peaches in mango jelly and fresh strawberries.

I dont think she will be impressed when she gets home starving, but every other option was turned down by her.  She will learn me thinks.

Tender Hooks

Life as the parent of an allergy kid is tough.

Whenever she is not with me I worry.  Not just normal parenting worry that I have with the other 2, but a real gut wrenching worry.

Last friday I got a missed call on my cell phone from her school.  I went into instant panic mode, replaying scenarios in my head and trying to figure out how to respond before I called them back.  There was a picture in my mind of her all puffy and wheezy and the office staff not knowing what to do.  Of course it was nothing really, just a confusion as she had had water polo training before school.  She was fine.

Saturday was one of the local school fairs and little sister was dancing on the stage.  Emma just wanted to hang out with her friends.  Lots of new friends this year.  She is at Intermediate.  Kids that dont know her history, one old friend with her who does.  She comes up to me and says she wants to pop down to town with her friends.  She has her bag with her and she knows her rules.  I let her go with them for one whole hour, not knowing whether she will keep herself safe or not.  The only rule was to stay with the old friend the whole time.  The old friends Dad collected her and took her home.  She was fine.  I felt like I couldn't breathe for the whole time she was doing her own thing.

Today I sent her and her younger sister off on a run - big sister looking after little sister and helping her train for the triathlon.  Little sister was streets ahead.  Where was the allergy kid?  Lying on the pavement having an allergic reaction?  And no-one noticing? There is this new theory about exercise induced anaphylaxis, could this be what she was having?  And hang on a minute it was only 1/2 an hour ago that she ate - O.M.G... Hang on, her emergency kit is in the car.  So should I run back to the car and drive around the block?  Should I get little sister with boundless energy to run around the block again to look for her?  What should I do?  And then she walks around the corner, holding her side - Stitch - too much afternoon tea....  All my panic for nothing, again.

I thought being the parent of an allergy kid was hard before.  When she was little I could control everything.  The teachers knew her well, as did the office staff and the principal.  I knew the parents of her friends.  That has all changed now.  Her teacher knows her, but not the office staff.  And that is despite me going in and introducing her to them at the start of the term.

She now wants to go to the park and to peoples houses who I dont know and it is tearing my heart in two.  I dont want to stop her being a kid and I certainly dont want to stop her making new friends but I want to keep her safe.

It is time to let her take some control over her life and learn to make choices - both right and wrong.  And I have to hope that all the work we have put in over the last 11 1/2 years will make her choose the correct options.

I have to trust her to keep herself safe.

The trouble is a really wrong choice could kill her.

So maybe for the rest of my life, I will be on tender hooks.

RE-ACTION

Yup last Tuesday saw yet another anaphylactic reaction for our allergy kid.

This one was more mild than her last one.  The ambo guy reckons it was mild because we got the anapen in quickly.

This one was diferent from the others.  Firstly it was different because it was almost 2 hours after dinner before the reaction really started.  And then it took awhile before I decided it was anaphylactic.  She started off really itchy, a bit of a wheeze and I was thinking she was reacting but not severely, and I didnt necessarily think it was food related - her eczema had been flaring after doing sport on the school field over the last two days.  I gave her antihistime and ventolin. 

Emma asked us to call the ambulance and said she needed the anapen.  I still wasnt sure.

Then suddenly it was all on.  Hives were coming out on her forehead and she started to fade.   I was on the phone to the ambulance.  Hubby gave the anapen.  I had a blank and couldn't do it.  Things went pretty hazy.  

But straight away the adrenaline kicked in and she was doing okay.

The ambulance came, did their checks, she walked to the ambulance.  In the ambulance they gave her more adrenaline via a nebuliser.   They took her to North Shore rather than Starship as she seemed okay.  Once there they took her off the nebuliser and administered Prendisone.  She was in the Resus room for about an hour hooked up to monitors, then as her swelling and hives went down, they moved us to a general ED room and a couple of hours later we were allowed to go home.

Soon after arriving in resus -
Red and splotchy around the mouth
Red over her arms

Feeling better in resus - taking selfies
Still Red

Taking selfies in the ED Room
Returning to her normal colour

All in all, scary, but not that bad.

However some things have been learned.

1. No matter how hard we try to keep her safe, there will always be reactions.  This wasnt her first and most certainly wont be her last :-(
2. We all need to know how to use the anapen.  It is possible that any one of us can blank and someone else needs to be able to step up.
3. Emma knew what was needed - we need to trust in her when it comes to the reactions.
4. Emma needs to know how to inject herself.  We might not be there next time.
5. Never give Ventolin before Adrenaline - If you think it is a food reaction give the anapen first, ask questions later.
6. If you think it is a food reacion,  The anapen is needed if there is itching and wheezing - even if there is no swelling around the lips or throat.  Getting in before the reaction gets worse means more chance of a good outcome.
7. If you are out and about lie the person who is having the reaction down and send others to get the  medicine.  
8. Trying new foods can result in reactions, even if there are few registered cases of anaphylaxis to said food.
9. Reactions come in all shapes and sizes - no two will necessarily be the same.
10. Always be prepared, Reactions can occur well after the food has been eaten.  Always have the anapen with the allery sufferer.

We now have an anapen trainer and we are all practicing injecting each other, and Emma has been practicing injecting herself.

Yes it is scary.  

Having a child whose life is so fragile is hard.  

Something so simple as eating a dinner prepared at home could have fatal consequences.  

We have to be prepared all the time.  She has to learn to recognise her symptoms.  

We have to let her take responsibility - Every ingredient, every time.

We still dont know exactly what caused the reaction.  Maybe we never will.

Allergies are always going to be part of her life.  And with that there will be more anaphylactic reactions.

Next time I just hope I dont have a blank, and together we can administer the precious life saving drugs.

Kids are resiliant - Emma went to Netball trials at 7am on Wednesday morning! (Even though we didnt get home from hospital until after 1am)  And she played fantastically.

Barb x.

It's so much harder with allergies

"It's so much harder with allergies"

That's what my 12 year old son said this morning.  

I was preparing them to go to the movies by themselves whilst I popped into work for a couple of hours (just a couple of minutes walk from the theatre).

They packed snack packs to eat and took water bottles.  I asked Dan if he knew what to do in case Emma had a reaction.  He got a real concerned look on his face.  I know the chances of her having a reaction were minimal, the food I packed was all safe for her, but you can never be 100% sure that there hasn't been a slight cross contamination somewhere.   You can never guarantee  that people next to you aren't eating choc-nut icecreams (double bad for Emma) or just munching away on nuts.  I know the risk of anaphylaxis to this kind of exposure is minimal, but there is always a chance. You can never be 100% sure of her safety, never.

I went through the emergency process with him.  If she complains she cant breathe get her out of the theatre at once, give her the inhaler, lie her down, call me, check for hives and swelling, give the anapen if needed, get someone to call an ambulance.  He went through how to give her the anapen.  

After his initial shock at maybe having to deal with an allergic reaction, I was amazed at how much he actually knew.  

Emma was really frightened at the thought of having a reaction when I wasn't there and offered not to eat during the movie!  She did have some biscuits (least risk) in the end, but saved her crackers and lollies until I picked them up.  And she didn't have a reaction.

But it brings it home, the constant worry of having a reaction.  

Something as simple as a trip to the movies turns into something so much more.

12 year old's know things that most kids their age don't even have to think about.  But they are growing up.  They are cutting those apron strings.  They want to do things by themselves like their friends do.

And it is so much harder with allergies...

Thanks for Reading

Barbs x.

And the result is.....

After much hype and excitement we got to Starship at 8.30am and after all the paper work was done, Emma got her first taste of Eggy muffins in 8 years.  Very tentative at first, she took the whole 1/16th of a muffin she was allowed and pronounced it to be "Yummy!".

The next bite 1/8th of a muffin 20 minutes later and all looked good. Emma is now using her ipod to time when she is next due a bite of muffin.

20 minutes later 1/4 of a muffin and a scratchy throat.  The allergy specialists are called and it is decided to continue with the challenge as Emma says her throat is okay now.

Another 20 minutes pass, no further symptoms so it is decided to go with 1/4 of a muffin rather than the 1/2 in case there is more reactions.

Within a few minutes she is complaining of a sore tummy.  20 minutes later a 1/2 a muffin is placed in front of her but she cant eat it and is pretty much curling up with tummy pain.  

The challenge is stopped, antihistamine given and the specialist called back again.

The nurse said that sore tummies are the most common reaction to a baked egg challenge.  The specialist is keen to reassess her in about 6 months with the view to trying it again.

So for now we have to say she Reacted to the challenge and we cant give her baked egg again.

Apparently they are not allowed to use the word FAIL these days, cause it might upset some people.  

Really?!?!?! 

Anyway the positive we take away is that she did not have an anaphylactic reaction, so that is one thing we can cross off the list.

And even though we are sad we can still enjoy a lemonade ice block, do some arts and craft and get a day off school.

Barbs x.

Watch This Space

On Monday Emma is having a food challenge at Starship Hospital to see if she can tolerate Egg in baking.  Super Exciting and Super scary all rolled into one.  Her Egg RAST results have dropped quite dramatically in the last 18 months - from 56 to 16.  And the new test for the Ovomucoid IgE (for egg in baking) is 17 which is still high but they are keen to test her.

So on Sunday I have to bake her some muffins with an egg in them.  That will be a different experience.  I haven't baked those for years.  She has requested I make her favourite blueberry and chocolate ones.

And then on Monday, Emma has to eat them at Starship over a 4 hour test to see if she can tolerate it.

Wish us luck.

Barbs x.

Shocking News

I just cant believe this has happened

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10863345

A young girl has died from Anaphylaxis to a bee sting.  D.I.E.D.

She had a known allergy.

I dont know if they gave her an epipen or anapen.

I dont know how long it took for the ambulance to arrive.

I know she has a family who are in absolute shock, that something as small as a bee could kill their child.

It is a real eye opener to just what life threatening allergy actually means.  Life Threatening means you can DIE from an allergic reaction.

Life threatening means that there are no guarantees that medical intervention will save your life.

It is hard to believe that in this day and age, with all our knowledge, something like this can still happen.

Adrenaline, in the form of an anapen or epipen, buys you time until the ambulance comes.  I'm not sure how long before it starts to wear off, someone said it was 20 minutes.  So I guess if you only have one pen and the ambulance takes longer than that to come, you might get into the danger zone.

But once the ambulance comes and you go to hospital, you kind of feel safer.  They have everything you need to save you, dont they?  They have more adrenaline, they have oxygen, they have other drugs they inject into you via iv line.  How can the outcome be so very bad?

This is a real wake-up call for all us allergy parents and allergy sufferers out there.

Allergies can kill.

And no matter how prepared you are, the worst case scenario can happen.

We dont want to wrap our allergy kids in cotton wool.  But we dont want them to die.

I cant imagine what her family is going through.  It is so hard to believe.

I am certainly feeling a little tender around the edges right now.  Hoping and hoping that this never happens to my beautiful allergy kid.

Barbs x.

How to ruin a perfect day.......

First be a little bit tired after a late night.

Second take allergy kid to the Hastings farmers market.

Thirdly let her try things that she couldn't possibly react to - fresh fruit, juices etc.

Then as feeling brave, buy her a roll from the bakery after making sure it was safe for her.

Next get kitted up in togs and head off to Splash Planet.  Hang out in the lazy river, do a few slides then have lunch.  Give allergy kid the roll you bought for her for a special treat.

Have some more fun, kayaking, driving the jungle jeep and a quick go on the flying fox.

Then allergy kid comes to you saying she needs inhaler.  Notice large hives all over her face.  Yell to sister and husband that she is having a reaction.  Run (yes I said R.U.N) to where we left our stuff.

Administer antihistamine and ventolin as per allergy action plan.  No relief noticed.  Grab anapen and run (Yep still running) to first aid post.  Try to administer anapen, hands shaking too much, hubby does it.  Safe and steady hands.  Anapen administered.  Staff call for ambulance.  Watch child go in and out of conciousness.  Talk to paramedic on phone.  Wait for ambulance.  Wait some more.  And more.

Allergy kid still suffering majorly.  More hives popping up, breathing wheezy and irregular.  Finally ambulance arrives (we are probably only talking about 10-15 minutes - feels like a lifetime).  Paramedics come with stretcher, oxygen, large kit full of syringes.  Paramedic administers another shot of adrenaline.  Other paramedic inserts IV line.  Administers more adrenaline via IV.  Allergy kid stabilised. Transferred to stretcher.  I climb into ambulance with her.  Nebuliser given to stabilise her breathing.

Arrive Hastings hospital.  Watch child be hooked up to many monitors and still unable to talk (most unusual as those of you who actually know her will understand).  Prendisolone administered.  Hubby arrives having followed ambulance and left other kids with my sister.  We sit and we wait.

About 2 hours after this all started, allergy kid starts to come round.  Parents breathe sigh of relief.  Child transferred to Pediatric assessment unit.  We wait.  Dr finally comes and says we need to stay over night for observation.

No further reactions noted and we are told we can go home.

And home we come.

Back to Auckland.

This is her second reaction since school broke up.

Back to lunch boxes and never letting our precious daughter eat food prepared by others again.

Sigh.

Barbs x.

Cheese has no milk in it ?!?!?!

So last week, poor Emma was admitted to Starship with tummy pains.  She was poked, prodded, X-rayed and scanned.  She had samples of everything taken.  And everything came back inconclusive.  So we still have a wee girl who has severe stomach cramps each evening that can last for a couple of hours and there is nothing we can do to help her......

Anyhow, this is not a post about her exactly but about what happened when we were in Starship.

Emma has a multitude of food allergies, one of her most serious is her dairy allergy.  The first night we were there they couldn't feed her.  Luckily I had popped to the convenience store at Auckland hospital and bought some 2 minute noodles which she ate.

The next morning Emma was happy to receive her menu and chose her dinner for the night - Pasta with tomato & garlic sauce.  Her menu clearly stated all her allergies.  However instead of dairy it said milk.



Imagine our surprise when her pasta turned up covered in cheese.  The care assistant called the kitchen and was told the meal was fine, they had double checked.  I tasted it, just to make sure and sure enough it was cheese.  Another call to the kitchen and then the dietician by our dedicated care assistant and we were told another dinner was on it's way.

The dietician came to chat with us and apologised profusely.  It seems that the person in charge of the kitchen that night had decided that cheese was okay, coz it wasn't milk.

NOT MILK! 

Not Milk, never mind that it is made from milk.  I was flabbergasted that Starship, of all places, could get it so wrong.  The dietician said she would be off to do some education with the kitchen staff.

This had a happy outcome.  Emma didn't eat it and got another dish (which she didn't eat either coz she didn't trust it to be okay).  But what if I hadn't been there.  Even if she had questioned it and the answer from an adult staff member of a children's hospital had assured her it was safe, would she have eaten it?

We realise that not everyone understands about allergies and that the slightest trace can set off an allergic reaction.  But the kitchen at Starship?  They should really know a whole lot better.

So Starship, I hope by our next visit, you will have sorted out your kitchen staff and things like this wont happen again.

Barbs x.

A kid first

Dear Friends

Could you please remember that our allergy kid is in fact a kid.  A young person with feelings, who wants to fit in with the crowd, have friends, hang out, do things, play sport, dance, go to birthday parties - you know, just the same as other kids.

Chatting to a friend on the phone

It tears our hearts in two when we discover yet again that her so called friends have not invited her to their parties.  We have to pick up the pieces.  She is used to it now, but it still hurts.

I know that some of you might not be able to see past the allergies.  Yes, it has been proven, she could die if she eats a nut or something with dairy in it, or an egg.  But she is sensible - she wont eat if she doesn't know what is in it.  And she carries an emergency kit, and she knows when to use it.  She is very aware of her body and knows when something is wrong.

We have spent most of the last 7 years educating her.  Teaching her that the world is not a safe place for her.   We have come home from extended days out with a child who has eaten next to nothing because there was nothing she could eat.  We will eat in front of her in these situations whilst she drinks a lemonade because she has to know that that is how it is for her.

It sucks.  Oh yes, it sucks.  But it is real life.  It is her life.

She is 9.  She understands.

Swings and roundabouts

She is the kid who had to eat the last bit of left over camp food on the way home from our camping  trip whilst we stopped and ate Subway (There was no McDonald's in that town).  I am the McDonald's hating parent who now knows where all the McD's are on our trips down south to see family.  Because Emma can eat there.  It is safe.


Just for one minute, can you please try and put yourself in her shoes.  To watch everyone else take part fully and to wish it were you.  I live with this every day and I cant imagine what it must be like for her.  At home, 90% of the foods we consume are safe for her.  But when we eat that other 10% my heart breaks for what she is missing out on.


Can you imagine how it must feel when you are the only kid from a group of "friends" who isn't invited? I know pre-teen girls can be nasty, and not inviting someone to a party is the ultimate way to be mean.  But why do we have to put up with that?

As adults we should be embracing situations which can teach our children how to love each other, not helping them put up barriers to keep those that are different on the outside.

And really, she is no different from your child.  For the most she does the exact same things.  She goes to school, she plays netball, she does dance, she takes music lessons, she has a family who want the best for her, who love her unconditionally.

And we teach her that it is okay to have things that are different from others.  That we were not all meant to be the same.  It is okay to be different, but it is not okay to judge people because of their differences.

To those of you who make the extra effort to make her feel part of things, who invite her to parties, who make food that is safe for her and those who keep snacks on hand that she can eat, you make our day as well as hers.  We really appreciate you.

But to those of you who are scared by her allergies, could you talk to us about it instead of just leaving her out.  Usually she will be able to do whatever it is you are doing. And if eating is happening, then we can advise what she can eat or provide a safe similar food.

It would really make a difference if you could treat her the same as any other kid.

Remember. Kid First.

Barbs x.

Thinking out loud.

Um.  Hello.  Long time, no see.

Yes it has all been a bit quiet over here in our bloggy land.

Hubby has been away lots (his mum has terminal cancer) and I have been finding out first hand how hard solo parenting of three kids and a dog is.  But these are mere excuses.  Truth is my bloggy mojo went.  I'm not sure if it is back or not but I thought I would try and put something out there.

Gotta love these three 

When I started this blog my intention was to provided recipes and information for allergy families.  When I had Emma, I couldn't find information or recipes anywhere.  After years of searching the internet, I stumbled across the lovely blog Delissimon.  Mon's girls went to kindy with my girls and I was so inspired by her story.  After checking out many of her fave blogs, I decided that I could do it too.  It's not that hard to write some words and upload some photos is it?  Well I guess the answer is yes it actually is.  You have to think about blogging when you are doing things, you need to take photos when you are doing things and then you need to sit down and find the words and bring it all together.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

I've needed a few of these...It is not healthy, it's a wine slushy!

Now I have a decision to make.  Do I leave my blog and my intentions alone and forget I ever tried?  Or do I make a commitment to my blog and post regularly?  Thing is, I get a real buzz out of writing, always have.  And I love taking photo's.  And I love information on Allergies and Eczema.  These two topics have taken over our life for almost 10 years. So I guess there isn't any question of forgetting about my blog and I have to commit to making it work.

And sometimes Sausage Rolls and tomato sauce just hit the spot

Thing is I'm lazy.  And I mean L.A.Z.Y.  If I can get away with not doing something I wont do it.  I'm not a supaMum.  I'm getting by but things have been getting me down a lot lately.  Being on my own with the kids is hard. You don't realise just how much that extra pair of hands is needed until it is not there.  We are so spoilt on a daily basis coz hubby works from home, with him away I have to drag all the kids everywhere I need to go.

Guacamole and corn chips - the ultimate lazy, yet kinda healthy afternoon tea

So now it's Easter time.  A great celebration of rebith.  A chance to eat lots of chocolate.  A hard time to be an allergy kid.  Whilst I can go out and by lots of easter eggs for the other two, finding Emma safe treats is usually not so easy.  But this year there are these

And better still, I don't have to traipse all over town coz they are available at my local New World supermarket.  A big thank you to the wonderful Robyn (Emma's Girls Brigade Leader) who told me about them.  Finally Emma will be able to have a fun easter egg hunt with her siblings and get to eat what she finds.  And I am also so lucky that Emma is not gluten free.  Where would Easter be without hot cross buns.  Usually I make my own but this year I've been too lazy so we have been scoffing these ones down regularly.

Well that's about it for now.

Thanks for reading.

Barbs x.

Happy New Year

2011 was a tough year for us - you could say we became frequent flyers at Starship as Emma's health fluctuated so much, but we managed to weather the storm and got through the year somehow.  I started working more, and coaching sports teams and became a waterwise instructor.  I had less time for home and family and everything suffered.  Christmas prep was a blur (not helped by Emma breaking her arm...), although the day itself was great, spent in Wanganui with my family.  We then headed over to Napier to spend New year with my sister.  I forced my self to stay up to and farewell 2011 and to see in the new year full of hope and promise (and less hospital visits.  P.L.E.A.S.E.).

Family Christmas Lunch at the Farm

2012 is only going to be better.  The methotrexate is working with Emma, her skin is better than it has ever been and she doesn't seem to be suffering from any of the side effects that long term drug use can bring.

Last year it seemed that everytime I had run out of time and energy and the house was a mess and there were no groceries to be seen; we got thrown a curve ball and everything fell down.  This year we need to be able to handle those curve balls better.  With a kid like Emma around, I know those curve balls are coming, it isn't "if", it is "when".

And this year, I am not going to let things fall down.  This year is the year I am not going to listen to my lazy, do it later, dont feel like it self, and focus on being the organised, tidy, on top of it self that hasn't been around for awhile.

Spending time with our friends and relatives for the holiday season made me realise what a struggle we have with feeding Emma on a daily basis.  And just how hard it is to find food for her when we are out.

Where oh Where would we be without hot chips!  

And sometimes it feels like everything we do has to be okay for Emma.  And whenever we go out the first thing that we have to think about is "can Emma do this?", "can Emma eat there?" and so the other two sometimes miss out on being normal everyday kids.  We are lucky that Emma understands her allergies so well and is often okay about getting something different  - like getting a bottle of Fanta, whilst we enjoy Rush Monroes ice-cream in Hawkes Bay.  Her recent Anaphylactic reaction has meant that the risk of cross contamination with Dairy now has to be taken even more seriously than before.

So this year I am going to spend a little more time planning, take an extra few minutes looking out for new things she can eat and sharing more of my finds and tips that we use for dealing with our allergy kid.  Coz at the end of the day, the allergies aren't going away, the curve balls will keep coming, and we have to make the most of each day.

Happy New Year to you all.

COMPLACENCY

Emma has been an allergy kid for 9 years, although we have only known about them since she was 2.  She had her first registered  anaphylactic reaction to peanuts then.  For the last 7 years we have carried around her emergency kit .  Occasionally we go into it to administer anti-histimine and ventolin for mild reactions but never have we had to use her Epi-pen  We have dutifully bought new epi-pens as the old ones expired and often thought "Do we really need this?", "The cost is so exorbitant to just throw away in a year or so's time."  We were complacent.

Do you note I wrote were.  Last night our lovely Emma came home from Girls Brigade with a tub of baking.  All safe for her - we provided ingredients and her lovely leader checked everything else they used.  Everything.  Nothing was on her banned list.  She hungrily gobbled them up when she got home.  I am so grateful that she ate them at home.  We had visitors, she chatted for a few minutes and I sent her off to bed.

"Mum" she called, "I'm itchy, can I have a shower?"

"Sure" I said "I'll be up in a minute"

"MUM I am so itchy, and I cant breathe"  She was starting to get really agitated and something was obviously wrong.

I get her out of the shower, give her Ventolin and her preventer Seretide and smother her in Fatty cream. She scratches constantly and her breathing is laboured.  "I am so ITCHY!" She cries.

I bring her downstairs and give her anti-histimine.  Then the welts start forming on her forehead.  I rang for the ambulance. The operator takes forever to find our address - I have to say it 3 times.  "It is an EMERGENCY!" I yell.  Hubby tells me to calm down.  Eventually they find out what is wrong.  The tell me to administer the Epi-pen.

For 7 years we have carried it and never needed it, now I actually have to use it.

The ambulance arrives a few minutes later.  They take her vitals and it all looks okay.  The welts are coming down.  Yay, we got it in time.  They take her to hospital.

By the time we get there I notice her body is red from head to toe and she is still so itchy.  The ambulance driver tells us it is just starting to come up.  It really makes me think this might not be as routine as I think it is.  Luckily half an hour later and the itch has subsided and her skin is starting to look less red.

They keep us in for 4 hours incase she reacts again.  Luckily all is good and we go home by taxi at 1.30am.

We still dont know what she reacted to, a trace of nuts maybe, some dairy that was mixed in with her food by mistake, or is it a new allergy to something she has eaten regularly before?

Complacency is bad.  And in a food allergic kids life, it can be fatal.  If we hadn't had the Epi-Pen and had to wait for the ambulance driver to administer it would we have had the same good result?  Probably is the answer, but not definitely.  And is that something I ever want to find out? No?

This really can be a life saver

We don't have an Epi-Pen now.  She didn't go to school today.  We have to be extremely careful with what she comes into contact with until we get her a new one. But what if it is a new allergy to something she eats regularly?  It is quite an unsettling feeling.  One of us will head off to Quay Park Pharmacy tonight to get one.

I don't think we will ever feel complacent about things with Emma again.  It was a real wake up call.

You can never know what is around the corner with allergies.

You need to be prepared.  ALL.  THE.  TIME.

Shared Lunches

As the parent of any allergy kid knows, the school shared lunch thing is a real pain.  It is one of the times that our precious kids really do have to show they are different from their peers.  Emma is lucky in one way because there is another girl in her class who is seriously allergic to Nuts and Eggs too.

Today is International day at school.  It is a wonderful celebration of the 30 or so different cultures present at our primary school. 

They have a wonderful assembly and follow it with a shared lunch which is supposed to offer a wide range of foods from many cultures.  I went along the middle eastern theme with pita bread crisps, carrots, capsicum and hummus.  As I put her food out with the others, I noticed the international theme of Emma's class seemed to be pizza, sushi, cake, slices and biscuits and apart from the teacher aides fruit platter, there was nothing else safe for Emma to eat. 


It is days like these that make me feel so sad for my darling girl, but she is so brave about it.  She just knows the food is no good for her.  She really is a true hero to me for the way she handles her allergies.

Emma, you ROCK.  I am so glad you are mine.

The Emma Files - Part one

Hello Guys

I think in some ways it is bit unfair when I see a lot of people having, for example, donuts and I dont because I'm not allowed.

Sometimes I actually like having allergies because I get to try new things some other people dont get.

I get yummy stuff.  I am actually very lucky because some people are not even allowed bread, potatoes or meat.   That is pretty sad because they are our main foods.

The most annoying thing is that in school lunch I sit with people that do not have allergies and they have very yummy things like cheese and crackers.

I used to be able to eat a lot of other stuff like cheese, dairy and soy, but now that we know I have got allergies we need to stay on my diet all the time.

thanks!!!!!!!!!!

By Emma!!!!!!!!