Results tagged "Allergy"

I’m sitting here at my desk being all uppity because my son has food allergies.

RIGHT?

Because I know everything. AND, I’m not being sarcastic… AT ALL. Not here – Not there… Not anywhere… Okay, a little too much Cat in the Hat, but you know what I mean. By the way, I am being totally sarcastic…Because some people just don’t get it.

It all started a few weeks ago when I came to the realization that if I want Will’s Kitchen to actually achieve anything in the world of food allergy awareness, that I was going to have to get off my tuckus and actually tell someone about the website. I know. Because apparently, if you don’t tell people about it, they simply WON’T KNOW. And yes. Apparently I just used the word tuckus.

So I did what any marketing trained mind would do. I turned to Mr. Sal and told him I needed an operating budget of no less than 20K to hit the ground running…. Bombarding him after a hard day’s work, with charts and graphs and media calendars combined with returns and percentages of success. He was suspect when I excused myself from the dinner table to change into business-wear and sexy heels — because that’s when you know you mean business…It may have worked better if had gone the extra mile and showered… but then again, I don’t think he enjoyed snarfing that first martini sip when he heard the bottom line, so no water wasted. Perhaps I should have waited until sip number six.What?

At any rate, my attempts to achieve my first major investor failed. Shocking, I know. So off I went a-packin out into the wild, wild wonders of the interweb with my anti-food allergy flag held high in an attempt to achieve a grass-roots, gorilla campaign. A few stops later, I found myself with a mini ad campaign on Mini Munchers, as well as a guest recipe post. Wandering around I also found gobs of other useful contacts — like-minded people that are just asking for food allergies to be acknowledged and taken seriously, which then led to engaging correspondence about awareness and the right way to reach the food weary audience. One such response came from the lovely ladies at The Mouthy Housewives — whom I join today in answering a very important question regarding peanut/nut-free policies at schools — a topic that I deal with on an almost daily basis with Will and his new preschool. It was a great opportunity to be able to voice my suggestions to the Mom that wrote in as well as the general public AND, interesting to see the debate so far…

One Mom suggests putting all allergy kids on their own island in their own classroom! BEAUTIFUL. Allergy kids and Lepers having so much in common****….

So, once you’ve gathered yourself after rolling on the floor laughing at the ‘OMG someone SAID THAT insanity’ over the above statement, click on over to read some of the more intelligent thoughts that are being thrown out — share and enjoy — in all seriousness, because YOU KNOW that I’m taking every word TO HEART while I muddle around in a pool of sarcasm.

****This is a joke. Despite it’s lack of grace….

As I walked into the office, I immediately felt hives creeping up my neck. Were we crazy? Obviously this doctor didn’t have the first clue about the modern world… The piles of outdated magazines caked with dust and strewn around the ramshackle 1950′s decor. The faint scent of mildew entered our noses as we took the clip board from the 200 year old receptionist that looked at us over her bifocals with annoyance and doubt that we were indeed old enough to care for the three year old and infant in tow. You know, 35-40 being the new 15-20, we were obviously checking in to meet the doctor due in part to our own stupidity… but didn’t she know the levels of our desperation? We called them, obviously…. and they relied on filing cabinets and clip boards, not computers and other fangdangled tricks of technology. But did we need to be met with the sketchiness of HR Puff-n-Stuff meets Land of the Lost all because we wanted a third opinion?

And as she held out her skeletal pointer finger in an attempt to direct Will to the toys of antiquity, I tried to think of an analogy to express our ever growing frustrations over Will’s food allergies. Unfortunately, my attempts were immediately sidelined when the definition of eccentric walked out of his office to invite us in.

Large portraits of family pets and a coffee table encasing a Floridian sea shell collection found us speechless and grasping to understand our surroundings as he turned to us to initiate the conversation.

Why were we there?
Grasp.
Because….

The wood paneling of his office walls screamed with anticipation as I realized that the heels on my shoes had become entangled in the orange shag. Really?

Because… we want another opinion.
Grasp.

The room was hot as I gazed over his desk to a self-portrait of the doctor in a civil war reenactment uniform. Long-gone were my dreams of forward thinking, as OH – I think the hives had reached my face. I found my voice and explained our situation — reeling off the script that I had repeated to a list of other allergists and pediatricians. We want our son to have a flu shot and his egg allergy is preventing this. We don’t completely believe his test results from his other allergists. And, after almost 4 years of living with several food allergies  — we aren’t sure that he would ever have a severe reaction considering the number of times he has already been exposed. We want a cure. We don’t want to be scared anymore. We want world peace — perfection, and while he’s at it — we want him to tell us EVERYTHING WE WANT TO HEAR. Because this food allergy thing SUCKS. And here we ARE — uncomfortable, and… SWEATING in an office with a man that we would only avoid eye contact with in any other given situation. PLEASE. TELL US. MAKE IT ALL OKAY.

And then he did. That is to say, he agreed to a few of our demands while acting out weird and undoctorly movie quotes that made us laugh uncomfortably. He suggested that Will might not really be allergic in the terms of your typically defined allergy. That although his blood might scream severe, his reaction may be quite the opposite. In short, he told us almost the opposite of everything we’ve ever been told about Will’s allergies AND he suggested some proactive steps… like giving him the allergens directly, allowing the flu vaccination in a controlled environment and, instead of hovering over him in a “no, you can’t have that” kind of way… being more open and suggestive that he might try more things. And for about forty minutes we felt euphoric. As if the must in the air was really a choice herb emanating from a giant bong connected to the office humidifier. We were encouraged to breathe deeply while Mr. Sal and I held hands and danced rings around Dr. Eccentric. His sea shell collection came to life — floating around us as if they were still alive in the deep blue ocean. It wasn’t until we walked out of the office that we, as parents, actually glanced at each other as if we’d just met Jesus — but not so sure it was really him or just some weirdo asking us to buy real estate in heaven. Because, there really isn’t anything scarier than having someone tell you exactly what you want to hear.

Amid all of the craziness of preparing for Annie’s wedding last week, I totally forgot to mention that it was also Vegan Week over at The Kitchn.

I know — HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW THAT? I mean really. With everything else going on in the world… your life, etc. — how did you fail to lift your head up and recognize the significance that is Vegan Week? I mean… I bet you ate dairy — eggs… MEAT, even. Because when I realized that it was Vegan Week, that’s exactly what I did. AND, not only that, but I FAILED to point it out to just about EVERYONE I know… excluding Mr. Sal, of course, who responded with a polite “Oh really” followed by the expected uninterested silence that could pretty much win the world series of poker should the opportunity arise… In other words, I blame myself.

But that’s okay. It’s alright that Vegan Week at The Kitchn was overlooked somewhat… mostly because I am not a Vegan, and you probably aren’t either… although I have to admit that the whole lifestyle is somewhat enviable and admittedly, healthy. And while I admit to questioning the morals of Taste vs. Lifestyle, Vegan Week was a little bittersweet for us as the timing fell just around Will’s allergy tests. Recipe trials, one of our favorite pastimes, over at Will’s Kitchen even slowed in hopes that the need to cook and bake dairy and egg free had passed… So while all of these delicious recipes and Vegan ideas were flashing before my eyes, I was in complete denial about committing to try any of them without knowing whether he was still allergic to cow’s milk, eggs, trees nuts and peanuts… Which, as it turns out, he still is — although his severity is slightly decreasing (yay!).

So while we are brushing off the counters at Will’s Kitchen (where I am repeating this post and stepping up our game) — getting out our spatula collection and preparing for another GO in the world of all things SAFE — the feelings of disappointment are a little numb. We’ve been laxed, a bit too much perhaps, with what we know about food — the controversies and unkempt practices that our country seems to “overlook”. And while I could completely cut loose and get balls out POLITICAL about what I’ve learned over the past three years about food — production, overproduction, shelf-life and LIFE EXPECTANCY– I will sit here angry and frustrated, but patiently stewing (dairy-free — of course). Because who wants to see me shouting at the blinding snow??– Pregnant, admittedly crazy and (oh, what the hell) only wearing slipper socks an apron while whipping together an admirable batch of these?

Come at me with an Egg McMuffin and I’ll gladly show you the door… but not without a lifetime of guilt schooled through flour throwing tantrums and apple sauce….Burned on your brain for the rest of your life… with love, of course.

Organic, farm fresh, real sugar… saved from the GENETICALLY MODIFIED to the Fresh to Fork… We may not be Vegans and we certainly aren’t Vegetarians, but we are shoveling our way out to a new way of eating… One allergy test at a time.

Related articles

• Welcome To Vegan Week at The Kitchn! (thekitchn.com)
• Vegan Around the Clock: 25 Vegan Recipes from Breakfast to Dessert from The Kitchn Recipe Roundup (thekitchn.com)

A few months ago I mentioned a little project that we had started – Will’s Kitchen. And I know – I can hear you… “Oh my GAWD, when is she going to STOP TALKING ABOUT THIS?!?!?!”. Even I am boring myself.

But here’s the thing. For the Birds is a blog about me (shocker!). And I’m going to write about pretty much anything I want — whether you like it or not. SO THERE. And yeah, I’m going to be pushy about it too… just like anyone that runs after the water delivery truck that pulls into the driveway, DOES NOT DROP OFF WATER, and leaves. Right? Because if I leave the empty bottles outside they will blow away…. but that doesn’t mean that we don’t need refills. And this is the kind of stuff that I sit here writing about… and it’s a DAMN GOOD THING. 

But back to Will’s Kitchen. After trials and fails of recipes and madness, we are happy to say that things are going well…. We’ve made all kinds of things… from breads to snacks to failed frittatas. Honestly, a great deal of attempts end up being rushed to the nearest garbage can, but we are also often surprised by our own concoctions. So it is with this that I have sent out a mass email inviting people to the site to participate. If, by accident, you were left off of the email list, please note that while I am not entirely sorry, I apologize. Here is how it went, please note the horrific absence of sarcasm:

Dear Family and Friends,

I am writing to you to tell you about a little project that we have been working on – http://willskitchen.com

As some of you know, Will was 4 months old when he was diagnosed with several food allergies, most severely eggs, cow’s milk, tree nuts and peanuts. Now that he is two years old, these allergies have remained at high levels and although there is a good chance that he will eventually grow out of them, we do not take any chances and have practically eliminated the allergens from our daily lives. In the process of doing this, we have had to make numerous adjustments, which – have surprisingly made us healthier!

One major change, aside from dietary, is that we spend a great deal of time now in the kitchen cooking and baking — which, as it turns out, is something that Will loves to do! In this process, we have started creating our own recipes while modifying old favorites. Do you have a recipe that fits in with our restrictions? Or, do you have a dish that you would like to see us modify? If so, please send it over to us and we will let you know how it goes… and of course we will give you proper credit as the original chef.

In the interim, food allergies – especially among children, are on the increase. Recent numbers show that as many as 6% are born with a food allergy with peanuts being among the highest at 37%… We are sure that you know someone that deals with this issue on a daily basis as we do and may only benefit from our fun, online experiment. Please feel free to forward this email in an effort to promote the cause and share the yumminess!

Thank you,
Ryan, Will, Bill & The Bluedog

http://willskitchen.com

So, in short, if you would like to join us  — we’ll be waiting over there, still damning the water guy — spatulas in hand. And don’t worry, I WILL WRITE ABOUT THIS AGAIN. I promise. 

After sitting in the H1N1 tank disguised as Dr. F’s waiting room for almost over an hour… My name was called.

Dr. F: Why do you want to get a flu shot?
Me: Why, do I have to qualify for one?

Dr. F silently glares at me over his glasses.

Me: Well, because you pinched me last winter when I came to you dying of influenza – 102 fever, glands swollen to the size of grapefruits. Then you yelled at me. Also, my son, who is two, can’t get the either of the flu shots. I don’t usually enjoy injecting anything into my body, but I feel that I might be a good candidate.

Dr. F: Your son needs to get both shots, why won’t you allow him to have them?
Me: I would most definitely give him the shots but he’s allergic to eggs and both vaccines are grown in eggs.
Dr. F: Did you take him to an Allergist?
Me: (in my head) No, a Veterinarian.
Me: Yes, Dr. B. He is B to the A awe-some.

Dr. F: What kind of test did he have?
Me: Blood
Dr. F: Are you sure the results were 100%?
Me: Yes.
Dr. F: You should double check.
Me: I’ve checked, but also there isn’t a Pediatrician or Allergist alive that will give the flu shots to a 2 year old that is even remotely allergic to eggs.

Dr. F: Well your husband needs the flu shot too.
Me: He was here on Friday and you gave him one.
Dr. F: He’s not on this list – he didn’t get one.
Me: I was waiting in the car outside while he came in to get one.
Dr. F: Why were you waiting in the car, you could have come in to get one too.
Me: I was in the car so that we wouldn’t have to bring our son into your infested waiting room and I did come in after he had his shot but the wait was too long so I’m here now.
Dr. F: Well he’s not on this list.
Me: Well, Dr. F, the list is wrong.

We silently stare at each other.

Dr. F: RUTH!?!?! Can you check the other list to see if Mr. Sal had his flu shot on Friday?
Me: The “other” list?

Dr. F says nothing and gets up to prepare my flu shot.

Me: Dr. F, the “other” list?

Dr. F walks over to me, asks me to roll up my sleeve and then–with all the mighty force in his aging 5′ body, proceeds to jam the flu shot into my arm muscle. That was five days ago and my arm is still sore.

Me: Ouch!

Dr. F: RUTH?!?!?

Ruth: He’s on this list. He was here and got the shot.

Dr. F: (not looking at me) Okay, well at least he’s on A list.

Dr. F leaves the room.

Ruth: NEXT PATIENT!!!!!

  

We saw a really great doctor today.

Can you feel that? The vibrations similar to that of a giant TREMOR.. giant worms rising out of the ground.. Giant worms in search of HUMAN FLESH only to be quelled by the Bacon of Kevin? Reverberating the entire Island of Long — all being caused by my excitement? We saw an awesome doctor today, and we feel more in charge. More complete. We feel comforted. He was in the waiting room when we arrived.. What? Where? That’s right – IN THE WAITING ROOM. Not hidden in a back office doing whatever it is that doctors do back there. He was waiting for his receptionist to finish compiling our data and then he CALLED US IN RIGHT AWAY. Can you feel that? The tsunami-esche boom of continents breaking free and colliding?

We saw an awesome doctor today, and we are hoping for the best. We know that the results may end up the same as with the first “doctor”. The “doctor” that LIED to our faces about our son’s food allergies. The “doctor” that made up a scale of her own to rate the severity of his allergies. The “doctor” that I hope I never happen to pass on the street.

We saw a doctor today that looked like he was trying to solve our son’s Da Vinci Code of an allergy issue within seconds of meeting with us. We felt his brain working. We saw it in his eyes. He was thinking about Will. He was concerned and as first appearances go, he had us at hello (yes, I actually just said that).

We met with a doctor today that was interested in helping us. And despite the fact that we took all of our collective friend’s vigilante advice and were holding him at visual gunpoint, he was positive. He was honest — and he was forthcoming. After retesting, he assured, the results could be the same…doubtful that they will be worse, and probable that they will be better. He talked us through every challenge that we threw at him… and we had a truckload. He turned to us, looking us in the eyes, pen pointing to charts.. He printed out proof. He laughed, he smiled. He didn’t offer a death sentence. He approved of Will’s Red Sox hat, despite Saturday’s game.

Today we saw, who we hope will turn out to be, a really great doctor. Someone who will work with us and not against and someone that, if only for a brief few minutes, made us feel like we were doing the right thing for Will. And with that, we move on. 

Throwback posts:
Things Just Got Ugly
Small for Big and Ethan — The Bravest Kid in Town
The Meat Eating Vegan

I was just told that if I write about this experience that things might make more sense to me when I’m finished. I’m not so sure about that but here it is… Yesterday, I drove Will to his pediatrician for a flu shot. This isn’t out of the ordinary, except for the fact that they didn’t give him one.

Now, let it be known that Will has food allergies AND I have always been very forthcoming about this fact with every doctor, relative, waiter, friend, you name them — they’ve been told, Will is allergic to eggs, peanuts and cow’s milk. Not only is it practically written on my forehead in big orange letters, it’s the first thing I say when I wake up in the morning and the last thing my husband and I tell each other before turning out the lights. I have written about this before, and I have researched the topic beyond belief. There is a huge warning light that goes off when Will walks into the pediatrician’s office–ALLERGIC, ALLERGIC.

But a few weeks back, at his 21 month visit, the very same doctor that didn’t inoculate yesterday suggested that we go ahead and schedule a visit for his flu shot.

It was between these two visits that I was reading about food allergies when it was brought to my attention that the flu vaccination is grown in eggs. Not just the regular flu, but the new and shiny H1N1 is as well–which was also suggested that he have. So… Will, who was diagnosed with food allergies at 4 months of age, and has had two flu shots in his lifetime to date–was in danger of the shots he had been given? My mind wanders back… when he was born we weren’t aware of the allergies, so how could we know? When he was one, we were in the process of packing him up to leave the doctors office when the nurse suggested that “Oh, wait, let us give him a flu shot before you go so you don’t have to come back.. ” Yeah, okay, good idea.”. This was despite the massive red flag waving above Will’s head–ALLERGIC ALLERGIC ALLERGIC. We switched doctors a few months later for a whole bucket of other reasons, none having to do with the allergies.

But wait, Will has had the flu shot twice in his lifetime without any allergic reactions.

Now, allergies can develop – and they can decrease. They can huddle in your body for half of your life not doing anything and then suddenly, without warning run amuck causing all kinds of unpleasantries… I know because it happened to me with shellfish. At age two I was riding around on my trike gnawing on a clam – at age 27 I had hives everywhere – from my eyes to the BOTTOMS OF MY FEET, after eating shrimp. When Will ingests eggs or milk, he breaks out in a fit of eczema – we do not know his reaction to peanuts because he’s never been exposed, and we are SCARED TO DEATH OF NUTS. This reaction–the rash, we were told by his allergist when he was one, is considered non-life threatening or non-severe. So that should explain why he never reacted to the flu shot and it SHOULD be okay for him to have another.

So, we drove to the pediatrician’s office yesterday and it was all fun-in-games until I mentioned my findings to the doctor. ALLERGIC, ALLERGIC – the lights were going off, the chart was right there, and as we discussed how non-severe his allergy was, the nurse left to get the shot ready… I asked, for more fun-in-games, do you have the paperwork from the allergist? She did. And right there – scribbled doctors scroll – “SEVERELY ALLERGIC TO EGGS, MILK and PEANUTS”.

For the first time in my life, after hearing unbelievable news – I became dizzy, I fell into the chair, I couldn’t breathe. The doctor gave me some water–and after taking a sip I thought, was that water or rubbing alcohol. Will was busy playing with a stethoscope and had NO IDEA that for the past 22 months I have treated his allergies like that of well – anything non-severe. We have eggs and milk in our house. I wash dishes all together. I use the same skillets. I kiss him after eating cheese. I tell people — its not that bad, he just gets a rash – tra la la. I have convinced myself that he will grow out of these allergies. And upon hearing that his allergist TOLD US ONE THING AND THEN WROTE SOMETHING ELSE IN HIS CHART, my mind left the room and went into the crazy world of WHAT-IFS. Not to mention that his previous and current pediatrician had failed to read the allergists WARNINGS. We are considering our legal options.

Okay, so you’ve read this whole thing so far… I’ll try to keep the afterwards short. Will is fine–absolutely awesome, actually. He didn’t get the flu shot and we are taking him to a new allergist in a few weeks AND in his 22 months, none of the WHAT-IFs ever happened.. I, however, am still shaking… and my husband has torn up every phone book he could find. If I had it my way, I would never take him to a member of the medical community ever again but thats just silly-talk. Considering that he never reacted to the flu shot, chances are that his allergies are not severe and the original allergist was just flitting about and wrote the wrong thing down. Other wise the unthinkable would have happened a very long time ago… Right?  

We have just returned from a whirlwind trip down the Delaware coast for funtimes with family… Catching up has taken me longer that I had hoped, but I’ll get there. Whilst we were traveling.. two slightly amazing things happened.

1. The owner of Designing Moms contacted me to let me know that one of her readers had mentioned me in one of her own posts regarding my recent Designing Moms interview. Looking into it — the postie is also a mom, designer & avid blogger — http://smallforbig.blogspot.com/ . We have of course connected on Twitter and are now complete and total BFFs (kidding). 

   Here is the post — http://smallforbig.blogspot.com/2009/07/you-can-do-it.html

2. I received a comment from a woman named Amy that apparently reads this bloggedy blog (who knew!) and also has a son with food allergies. She had read The Meat Eating Vegan and was reaching out to share the story of her son Ethan’s struggle with anaphylactic reactions from exposure to peanut butter and his life threatening allergy to all nuts and soy. Will, my son, does not have such severe reactions and therefore I am overwhelmed by her and her family’s situation.

   Powerful and beyond touching–Ethan’s story is one of bravery and strength. Please take a few minutes to watch a video that his parents posted on his website – http://www.ethansangel.org. As always, please continue to support research for Food Allergy related causes.

Will was only a few weeks old when we discovered that the rashes that seemed to come and go all over his body were being caused by allergic reactions to eggs, cow’s milk, peanut products and dog saliva. Interesting combo, but impossible, right? I mean he was only a few weeks old… it’s not like he was eating any of these things… However, his Allergist was quick to point out that he in fact was ingesting all–through my nursing… which then came to a screeching halt. The dog saliva–that was just welcome-to-the-world-love from the Bluedog.

We left the Allergist that day–Epi-pen in hand…just in case the test results were off the mark… and ears full of instruction… Speechless. Not only could Will not have eggs, milk or peanuts in their singular form–but he also had to avoid foods/drinks that contain them as ingredients. Do you know how many products this cuts from daily living? Aside from having to read every label on every item that ever comes in contact with Will… there was the guilt… MY GOD THE GUILT. How did I let this happen, it must have been something that I did or didn’t do.. Dammit, why did I smoke in the nineties? I thought wine and coffee were supposed to be good for you.. Maybe I didn’t eat enough apples… And as for the dog saliva, we’ll just have to tie Blue’s tongue up in his ears somehow… A bubble.. I need a bubble to put my boy in… Maybe there was too much Mercury in all the fish I’ve ingested these 33 years.. I’m a minefield..  Maybe I… But wait. There is a chance that he’ll grow out of it. All of it. A very good chance.

Now, let it come to pass that I have researched food allergies inside out, up down, backwards, under-over and in my sleep. There really aren’t any answers to be had… despite the seriously condemning nature of the topic… Most kids born today–in America– are allergic to something… And, most parents are not as insanely bothered by a rash as we were… but everyone is looking for an answer. And thank God–for Will, his reactions are just a rash–some kids go into shock and the unspeakable happens. After major investigations… it’s the same as everything else that seems loopy in modern day life… We can blame the world around us, the things that we have done–most unknowingly, to our bodies and well–life as we know it. The rash, by the way, never seemed to bother him.

So, we are in it… and honestly, it really isn’t that bad. Will is incredibly healthy–turned 18 months this past Friday. There are tons of “alternate” food choices out there… Alternates to things that, as it turns out, are really not very good for him anyway. And, thanks to the vegetarians and vegans of the world, these things are not hard to come by. Soy is a blessing in disguise… and cow’s milk–not so great for the bod anyway… who knew? Most things, in fact, that contain milk and eggs, even on their own, are not so hot health-wise (as heart disease sweeps the nation). And, on a more “all about me” note… We as parents are in massive growing company of others that are scouring over books, websites, blogs– frustrations equaling fear demanding answers looking for solutions….. something has to give.

Eventually–sooner than later…  there will come a day when he’ll want the ice-cream… someone will give him a piece of cheese… I guess we’ll deal with that day when it arrives.. Peanuts — we have high hopes that they will be banned from existence entirely.  For now we’re doing great, and as for Blue… we untied his tongue and are just mindful about the number of licks that actually land on Will…. as that friendship grows, however, it has become the hardest part. 

(March 2009)

3OnTheSides

1. This book is amazing: Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living by Alisa Marie Fleming
2. This book is awesome too, although it has given me a huge bought of deja vu: The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food is Making us Sick — And What We Can Do About It by Robyn O’Brien, Rachel Kranz
3. These cupcakes rock, as does the yet again deja vu causing article.