Moral of The Story: Read The Label

Yes. Yesterday was completely insane. Thankfully today was a bit better - the only thing I had to deal with was a migraine. <sigh>

I gave you several choices of blog topics a week (few weeks?) ago, and one of them was:

      *D) An allergic reaction that no one expected that lead to an anxiety attack*

One of my children has multiple anaphylactic food allergies. He's been able to drop both almond and coconut, but he's highly allergic to peanuts, cashews, macadamias and just about any other nut there is around.

Except donuts. He came up with that line when he was 6 and I laughed until I cried.

I'm careful with labels and I have taught him to check labels. It's HIS allergy, not mine, and I'm not always going to be there. It's his allergy and he has to be comfortable with it and around it - he also has to be able to stand up for himself in dealing with his allergy. Adults don't always take him seriously when he asks to check the labels, but I stand behind him for back up and encourage him to continue to ask.

I check labels on all of the food I buy. I thought that my other grocery purchasing partners in the house did so as well.

I was proven wrong last week.

I took Allegra to Target so that she could look for another bathing suit - she has five, I think maybe she should go to bathing suit rehab or something - and on my way home the phone rang. I couldn't understand who was on the phone, but finally understood that it was Gabe. And he was FREAKING OUT.

He'd made a sandwich and eaten two bites before he remembered to check the label. He checks the label on everything, even thoughI've already checked it - that quirk sometimes makes me just a little bit annoyed - although I totally and completely understand 100000% why he does it, it makes me feel as if I'm being checked up on.

And we all know how WELL I deal with feeling like I'm being checked up on.

So not well, in case you are new here.

But he'd forgotten to check and eaten two bites and then checked. And the other person who bought bread - which could have been one of two people who went to the store together - negelcted to check and bought whole wheat bread that said, midway down in the ingredients list:

Walnuts, and/or almonds and/or hazelnuts.

When he called me he was deathly afraid, screaming that he was going to die and he'd never see me again. Totally and completely 100% understandable. I calmed him down, told him he wasn't going to die (while saying a quick prayer that I wouldn't have to eat my words) and got him to give the phone to my husband. A rapid fire set of yes or no questions shot out of my mouth:

• Does he have any hives? No.
• Check his back. Take off his shirt. He has two on his back.
• What about his face? No
• Are his lips or tongue swollen? No 

I told him to give a double dose of Benadryl, wipe his face and hands and rinse his mouth,and said I'd be home in a minute. I live close to Target, but I think I probably hit 60 on the way. I drove up the driveway and ran into the house, to see a sobbing puddle of goo. Who I scooped up, looked over, applied some benadryl cream to the two hives, grabbed an epi pen and sat with on the sofa.

We talked about the law of probabilities - the three nuts listed could have all been in the bread, or none. The only nut in the bread could have been almonds, a nut to which he is not allergic. The fact that he only ate two bites could have meant that the nuts were in the uneaten part of the sandwich. He might have had hives from hysteria.

We just don't know. And we never will.

I do know one thing - as hard as I've tried to get him to eat whole wheat bread - he's now sworn off on it for life. Not that I blame him.

Comments

[kyooty]

psssst talked....
What a scary experience. hugs!

[Marie]

how scary ! Glad he is okay.

[Carrie]

Poor guy :( I have a little one with a peanut/cashew/pistachio allergy, and myself am allergic to hazelnuts and brazilnuts and have had an anaphylactic reaction. I too am crazy about checking labels, I would hate to have to see my little guy go through that :( Glad your little guy is okay!

[addy]

Poor guy :( Glad everyone is ok.

[Deborah]

Whew, that is scary. Glad that there was a happy ending for you, Gabe and the rest of the family!

[Laura H]

I am so very thankful we don't deal with food allergies!! I would hate to have to do what you and other parents/kids have to do, and be so very vigilant. My daughter got stung by a bee last summer (for the first time) and for two days she just knew she was going.to.die. Because some helpful adult that was there when she got stung asked if she was allergic. I said I don't know. The bystander said "cause you know, if she is, she'll die." Thank you so very much, thick headed bystander!! Poor Gabe. He must have been so scared!!

[Brandy]

Yikes! Glad everything worked out okay, though.

[Donna]

That's what mothers are for...to stay calm in a crisis. Then flip out in private later! Well done.

[Jen]

My God. Poor kid! We have multiple sensitivities in this house, but nothing that could lead to anaphylaxis. Is he still ok?

[Jodie in MN]

Scary stuff! I'm so glad glad that he's okay!

[Angela]

I wanted to tell you (and I already told him) how very impressed I was with how he asked the waitress yesterday at dinner about the oil his and Mikey's fries were fried in. I was at another table and had no idea they even ordered fries - I was grateful to him - and he is teaching Mikey to do the same.

[UKCraftySal]

How awful for you all. Glad he's OK.