In a food allergy home, though, as I've said before, we are ALWAYS aware of food allergies.
My son showed signs of food allergy almost right away. When he was under two years old, we had already seen an allergist and had our first diagnoses. He had a full range of symptoms: eczema, breathing issues, vomiting. He was initially diagnosed with allergies to peanuts, corn, eggs, and tree nuts. We were overwhelmed. That feeling of being overwhelmed lasted a long time. Worries about birthday parties, Halloween, Christmas, class parties, camp, sleepovers rushed through our brains night and day. (Of course, all of these things were far off, he was only 1!)
Over time we found a new allergy practice. We got clear information about what allergies he has. He's not allergic to corn, but definitely allergic to dairy, eggs, tree nuts and we were told to avoid peanuts. We learned how to read labels. We learned how to cook for our boy. We taught his aunt and grandparents what they needed to do to keep him safe. We worked things out with our amazing sitters.
He grew older. We gained confidence. We made mistakes out of over-confidence. We learned more. We found an allergy practice that we love. We had food challenges. Some he passed, some he didn't.
Over the years, my son has gone to birthday parties and sleepovers. He has gone on overnight field trips and participated in class parties. We have had 13 more years of holidays and family gatherings and vacations. He is safe and strong and healthy. He is also funny and smart and athletic and musical and creative and loving.
He is so much more than his allergies, but his allergies are also so much a part of him.
We are always aware of food allergies, but we are grateful that they are not so overwhelming for all of us as time has passed. I hope that time helps ease your feelings of being overwhelmed, too.
Happy Cooking!
Kim
My new book, Ancient Grains: A Guide to Cooking with Power-Packed Millet, Oats, Spelt, Farro, Sorghum & Teff (Superfoods for Life)
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When you or a family member has a food allergy, you resign yourself to the realization that there is no cure. Though the solution seems simple eliminate the food that you are allergic to that's anything but simple in our fast-paced lives of eating packaged and restaurant foods.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, Debra. And there's the sense of loss for what you have to give up. Food allergies are not easy!
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