hope it stays like that forever!
my zoey
June 23, 2011 is a day that will forever live in my mind, the day I rushed Zoey to the emergency room. Fresh from her afternoon nap she was sitting in her chair and enjoying her very first sunbutter sandwich (sunbutter is a peanut butter alternative made from sunflower seeds) when she started sneezing repeatedly. Thinking this was odd I turned from the pile of dirty dishes I was working on to discover that she had begun to break out in hives. Due to our experiences with Finley, my husband and I knew immediately that she was having an allergic reaction and that it was severe. We gave her a dose of benadryl and I loaded her up in the car and headed for the hospital. Three minutes later when we arrived at the ER she was covered head to toe in hives and unable to swallow her saliva as her throat was beginning to close. There were no tears from her when she vomited the entire contents of her stomach. There was no recognition from her when my mother walked into her room. She only whimpered as they inserted the IV in her tiny little arm. She slightly acknowledged the ambulance ride as we were transported to the children’s hospital where she would receive proper care and observance for 24 hours. We didn’t know Zoey had any food allergies. I had my suspicions when she began sleeping poorly and developed mild eczema when she was two months old but after many dietary adjustments on my part since she was breastfed and even skin testing we couldn’t pinpoint any allergen and wrote the situation off. We never tested or suspected sunflower as it’s an uncommon allergy and very rare to be anaphylactic to it. Further testing showed that she is allergic to sunflower, sesame, poppy seed, flax seed, and oranges. Please be aware of the possible signs of an allergic reaction – sneezing, itching, hives, swelling, wheezing, vomiting, constricted airways, rapid pulse, and/or major drop in blood pressure. Just because it’s the first reaction doesn’t mean it will be a mild one. I am so incredibly thankful to get to hug and kiss my tiny, spunky, stubborn, goofy, chatty, Fresh Beat Band loving, clothes obsessed baby girl every single day.
my finley
This is my dear, sweet 4 year old boy Finley, or Bubby as he’s known in our home. He is the most lovable boy there is and insists on giving me hugs, kisses, and snuggles first thing every morning. He will do anything to make his sisters happy and hates seeing them upset in any way. Cars and superheros, especially Captain America, are among his favorite things. When Finley was a baby he was quite the handful. From the day he was born he had an itchy rash, couldn’t sleep well, and spit up a ton. We went through many diagnosis including baby acne, colic, and reflux but it wasn’t until he was 20 months old that we discovered the true culprit to his difficulties, food allergies. He was allergic to peanuts, dairy, egg, banana, avocado, tomatoes, and corn. Thankfully he outgrew everything but the peanuts a year and a half ago but has recently developed an allergy to walnuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios. We carry benadryl and a set of EpiPens with us everywhere we go due to the anaphylactic nature of his allergies. Right about now you may be wondering why I’m sharing this with you. This is why, it’s Food Allergy Awareness Week. My hope is to shed a little light on the severity of food allergies. Food allergies are not something that any parent wishes for and it’s more than a dietary suggestion. It’s nothing like lactose intolerance and far more than seasonal allergies. You see, if Finley is simply in a room with peanuts he could die. Yes, he could die. This is my worst fear and something that crosses my mind every single day, that I could lose my sweet, loveable, superhero loving boy forever. Please consider those around you and take allergy warnings seriously. And thank you to all of you who have offered me or someone else dealing with food allergies support! I also wanted to share this video that expresses my thoughts so perfectly.
