A Difficult Adjustment

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By Jessica Y.

All of my life, I have lived with my mother being severely allergic to fish, so food allergies was something I thought I knew about. As a kid, I had only seasonal allergies, and then as I got older, I discovered food allergies for myself. Still, I never really thought too much about them until my son had his first reaction.

He was just over a year old and I had given him a piece of a candy bar. Within 20 minutes he was crying, pale, clammy, sweating, and limp, and he looked like he was going to fall asleep. I called our pediatrician and immediately took him in. His lips were as pale as his skin, and while we waited to be seen, he just sat in my lap with his head on my shoulder. When we saw the doctor, he had a little bit of color in his face and a bit of energy. At first glance, he seemed fine and no real signs of a reaction were present.

Unfortunately, we were sent home not really knowing anything. As soon as we got home, I changed his diaper and discovered he was covered with hives. We hurried back to the doctor’s office with our first clue that this was an allergic reaction. He was given medicine and we went home not really knowing what could be next. He slept the whole night and luckily the hives were gone when he woke up the next morning. 

We later made an appointment with an allergist and discovered my son was allergic to eggs, peanuts, and fish. It was a scary thing to go through, and trying to stay calm was not easy. The aftermath of the reaction was and is just as hard as his first reaction.

Learning a new and safe way to eat and live on a daily basis took a lot of time. It remains stressful, but it’s worth every second.  I have found that I have to do what is best and safest for my son regardless of how others feel. You can eat and have a pretty normal life, just as someone would who doesn't have allergies, but you may have to switch brands or make your own food. My son was only a little over a year old, so that made things much different. He couldn't talk and tell me how he was feeling or what was wrong or anything. He was helpless. As an adult you understand those feeling and can express them. He couldn't and that made it even harder. Now he is 3 and we have yet to have another reaction. I feel lucky every day that we have not had another, but it is always on my mind and always will be. I have blamed myself, since it was my choice to give him the candy. I don't know if I will ever completely get over that. But now, I have the tools and knowledge to keep him as safe as I can and I am always prepared.