Put a Lime in the Coconut

Well, it looks like Ethan is allergic to coconuts. Bummer. Remember when we had coconut milk? He was totally fine. But this time, we decided to crack open a coconut and eat the meat. It was fun. We watched this little video and things were going swimmingly until Ethan's eye and ear got red and itchy. Rats. But we took a little Benadryl and he was all better. Could've been worse.

3 Down, One to Go!!!

Ethan passed the Oral Challenge!! This is a sight I never expected to see - Ethan with his hands digging deep in the jar of peanuts. Just yesterday he was eating a sunbutter & jelly sandwich, and today he can eat any kind of peanuts (as long as their not out of a jar of mixed nuts). He still cannot eat tree nuts. So we still carry around the epi-pen, and carefully monitor his food, but this is a huge relief. It is one less thing to worry about.

How we got here? If you are new to my blog, here's the background...At 5 months, we realized he had a milk allergy. At 1 year, he was officially tested & we were told he had allergies to milk, eggs, peanuts & tree nuts. We get allergy tested yearly. At his last appointment (age 3), we got the good news that he could go in for oral challenge to milk, then eggs. He passed. So here we are. At his recent test, his bloodwork was low enough that E's allergist recommended the oral challenge. Today, we went in and had 5 stages of the Reese's Pieces test. First one. Wait 15 minutes. Then more and more each time.

Here are a few posts about Ethan's allergies: Update #1 here, Update #2 here, and Update #3here.

I know so many of you were wanting to hear the report, so I wanted to get this up quickly! Much love to all my blogger friends out there who have been so supportive!!!

Oral Challenge for Peanut

Keep us in your thoughts & prayers. In the morning (8 am), we go to the allergist for an oral challenge for peanuts. Ethan eats Reese's Pieces. This will either be a very exciting or very unpleasant day.

Halloween Allergen-Free Candies

I'm behind schedule on posting this, but I wanted to share this link of Halloween Candies which are free of all the top 8 allergens, as well as Gluten-Free. This year, I've got Halloween whistles, spider rings, and other non-food treats. These go over pretty well, people! You should try some non-food items. The kids were coming back to our Trunk-or-Treat trunk for more whistles! Smarties are the easiest-to-find safe food that is good for most everyone & very easy to find.

Bringing Food to Someone with Allergies

I’m convinced that bringing food to someone who needs it is possibly the greatest gift ever. But if that person has dietary restrictions, you might have a challenge on your hands. I am quite well versed in food allergies. However, a recent experience cooking for a family with a different set of allergies reminded me what an overwhelming experience it can be to cook outside your comfort zone. Allergy families understand what a big deal it is for you to bring food. If you have a friend with a new baby, illness, or just in need of a TLC, here are a few tips that would be helpful if you are willing to go the extra mile, as you generously consider bringing to someone with an allergy in the family:

1. Do it Anyway – The thought might enter your mind “This is too difficult. Forget it.” Trust me: Whatever you do will be appreciated. Even if it’s not a glamorous meal, you can come up with something that will work for your friend. One friend brought us a simple basket of fresh fruits/veggies from the farmer’s market, which saved me a grocery trip!
2. Ask Questions – If you cannot conceive of how to cook a meal within your friend’s restrictions, just ask! I sent a list of “safe” recipes & easy substitutions to some friends who requested it. Your friend will be happy to answer questions about how to accommodate their needs.
3. Label – Put the list of ingredients on the box, container, or include the recipe. Although your friend understands that you have gone to extra effort to create their meal, people with allergies are instinctually double-checkers.
4. Bring The Box – If you used anything prepackaged, bring the empty box with you! Even those who are accustomed to cooking this way make mistakes, so it’s comforting for us to read labels for ourselves.
5. Don’t Be Insulted – If you are asked questions about an ingredient or food, please don’t be insulted. We are so grateful for your kindness, but must be sure that the foods we eat are safe.
6. Know that we are Beyond Grateful – Many people are frightened by the thought of bringing us food. So we are so grateful that you’ve done it anyway. We know the extra effort required by your generosity, and it means more than we can explain.

Allergy Story, Part 3

I wanted to give an update to our allergy story (Part 1 Here and Part 2 here) since people often ask about how Ethan is doing. Thanks so much for your support & concern for him throughout the years. I hope that watching our story has helped you realize (if you didn't before) that parents of children with food allergies are just like you. We're not crazy & overprective. We dream of a normal childhood experience, complete with fun birthday parties, trick-or-treating, eating out, etc. We would never want this for our children, and hope every day that our children outgrow them. It is a challenge every day. I am so thankful that I've been given so much support by you, my family & friends. So...Now onto my FAQ's:

How is he with Milk & Eggs these days? He’s not able to drink a glass of milk, or eat scrambled eggs, quiche, etc. But he can tolerate milk and eggs used in foods. At the beginning of our good news, we jumped right into the unrestricted diet full-force. That was just too much on his little system. So we have pulled back. So we just try to go light on milk/eggs, but don’t have any real fears anymore about these foods.

How does he feel about it? People often expect him to feel like some whole new world has opened up to him, but he doesn’t really know any different. LIfe is very different, but mostly for me. It does make it a bit more difficult to explain, “You aren’t allergic to milk anymore, but you can’t drink a glass of cow’s milk.” The explanation was much simpler before. He just got it.

What will happen if he drinks a glass of milk? With large quantities of eggs/milk, now he gets very congested & has tons of snot & difficulty breathing (due to nasal congestion). His eczema flares up.

What about the Nut thing? He still has never ingested any type of tree nuts or peanuts. We’ve only had the skin test, so we will go back in for the blood test at a later date. We just have to schedule it, which I’m reluctant to do, because it’s pretty unpleasant.

What’s Next? The doctor thinks he will completely outgrow the milk/egg allergy. He said to just try every once in a while to give him eggs or a glass of milk to see how he responds. I gave him a little milk in May, and he was congested for 3 days. Last week I tried milk again & he seemed to handle it well. The nut allergy is likely lifelong.

What about Katie Belle? We haven’t had any testing done for her, but she has not had any reactions to foods yet.

Throughout the course of my blogging experience, I have had lots of people ask me questions. I'm so happy to help out anyone who is dealing with thie personally, or who wants to get a greater understanding of it. The whole concept is very overwhelming at first.

Allergy Support & Giveaway

Hey Friends. For a while, we have been organizing a support group for Middle TN for food allergies. We meet every 2 months and have speakers talk about stuff such as research, psychological impacts of food allergies, etc. Our next meeting is Tuesday July 7 & we will have a nutritionist come talk with us & answer questions. If you would like to receive my email updates about meetings, please let me know.

Also, I have a super-cool giveaway on my food allergy blog, AllergySupport.blogspot.com. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment! Anyone can enter to win!! Please check it out!! (I mean please! No one ever comments on that blog - it's a ghost town!)

Nut Allergies

We now officially know that Ethan has peanut & tree nut allergies. We've been staying nut/shellfish-free for Ethan's whole life, but never knew if there was an actual allergy to them. But today we went in for the scratch test. This is obviously very disappointing for us. The bad news is that they are most likely lifelong allergies, unlike his allergies to milk & eggs which children typically outgrow. The good news is that he does not have allergies to shellfish. Pictured above is his little back, while undergoing the scratch test.

About the Scratch Test:They test potential allergens, along with controls, to see how the body reacts. There is a slight prick (which does not hurt) & application of the allergens. At his testing today, you can see results for nuts, peanuts, shellfish & eggs. Then, you have to keep the child from scratching & rubbing while it hurts & itches like crazy (for those who react). I basically just lightly blew on his back for 15 minutes while he whimpered & squirmed on ocassion. The middle row is shellfish, which is negative for allergies. The bottom left is peanuts, and the right column is tree nuts. He tested very very high for walnut allergies.

What really bums me out? He prescribed us 3 epi-pens. I took it as a good sign that he had never felt a need to prescribe me an epi-pen until now. But the nut allergies are the big bad allergies, so it looks like we're in it for the long haul. At some point, we'll go in for a more comprehensive blood test, which is more accurate as well, but I just couldn't handle that today.

Bummer.

**As always, I prefer not to discuss this in front of Ethan when possible. I want to minimize any feelings of being left out, self-pity, or awkwardness that you can imagine might accompany such a diagnosis.

Egg Test Results - YEAH!

We're still in the doctor's office waiting. Another 4 hour appointment (!) and we're still waiting for our final approval, but everything looks great for us! Big things in our future. Ethan has eaten all the foods, and we just have to wait another 20 minutes and get to go home!

Here's how the oral challenge works & why it takes so long, for those who are interested: Ethan eats one bite of muffin. We wait. Ethan eats the rest of muffin. We wait. Ethan eats a bite of french toast. We wait. He eats rest of the french toast. We wait. He eats scrambled egg bite. We wait. He eats the rest. We wait.

I hope I never take eating for granted. Since this problem came our way, I've realized that food allergies is the Biggest, Smallest problem ever. Thank goodness, it never has to be a problem that affects one's livelihood if you work really hard at controlling what you eat. But it is a part of your life that you can never forget about. Food is a part of every social situation, and you never get a break from thinking about it. Already I feel such a load off, but I never want to forget what so many people have to deal with every day to avoid allergic reactions.

If food allergies are the reason you started coming to my blog, stay strong! It may not be easy, but hopefully your days of dealing with this are limited. I hope my story has been an encouragement to you & I'm sure it will not be the last you hear from me on the subject. If you ever want to post a question or need some encouragement, feel free to send a post my way!

Edited Note: We got home, and he was very uncomfortable, with trouble breathing, saying "I can't breathe!". I did notice his congestion a bit at the dr. after the scrambled egg, but didn't think much of it because he didn't complain. I guess we'll avoid the eggs in scrambled egg, deviled egg, etc.

Oral Challenge for Egg

This week was one of the best weeks ever. I felt like a parent taking pictures of their first born trying his first bite of rice cereal or mashed banana. Except for us, it was photos of Ethan's first ravioli, pizza, chocolate kiss, grilled cheese, ice cream, cheese cubes, yogurt, and on and on. It was the first week we have ever just walked into a random restaurant and ordered off the menu. There are 3 (yes three) restaurants we've ever taken Ethan & felt comfortable with the food. Other than that, we bring his food, or just don't go out. No more!!!

Hopefully, tomorrow will be the start of an even better week. Ethan's egg oral test is at 8:30 am. He will eat a muffin with egg, followed by french toast, and then scrambled eggs. He had a higher reaction to egg on the skin test, but got a "0" on the blood test. I'm very optimistic! We'd love your prayers!

In other good news, we move in one week!!! Yeah for February!

Ethan's First Ice Cream

"It's Pretty Good!"

Good News!

We are still at the doctor's office (added note: from 1:30-5pm!), but I wanted to give an update to tell everyone that ate his muffin & pizza with flying colors! He did say, "My Mouth Hurts" after eating his first bite of pizza, but quickly said, "It's Better!" and proceeded to eat 2 slices. (I don't know - maybe he bit his tongue??) He drank chocolate milk, and seems fine, but has hives on his mouth (He also had some nasal inflammation). So we've been cleared on baked goods & cheese, but have been told to wait 6 months on whole milk & try again later. We'll be keeping an eye on him tonight to see if his eczema flares up also.

Anyway, I just wanted to update those of you who are checking on us! I can't wait to go to an actual restaurant and get a grilled cheese tonight!!! And tomorrow, my boy is for sure getting his first ice cream!

We still have an egg test coming up next week, and nuts/shellfish are tbd, but milk has been the biggest deal so far! YEAH!!!

#3 Racing Birthday Party!

i felt certain about two things for Ethan's birthday. First: All food there would be E-Safe. Second: Cars would be involved. So I went with the race car theme, embraced the "slanty 3" and the rest is history.
A friend who is an awesome graphic designer owed me a favor, so he threw together the cute party invite with awesome Ethan illustration. Then, I got some great car themed goodies for the bags from Oriental Trading. Other fun racing decorations came either from here or here or here.Sis-in-law Jeanie makes amazing cookies, so she whipped up these cuties, using this vegan cookie recipe. (Last year, I vowed never to attempt this type of cookie ever again.)
Ethan's cars filled a corner as our "race track." Easy enough, right? Toddlers don't stay in one place too long, so they quickly moved on to...The DMV. Where they could make their own license plates, from craft foam, stickers & glitter glue. We also had some of these guys - first drivers license, perhaps?
Next, off for paint jobs & work in the body shop! At the Body Shop, they got to paint & color wooden cars. 
Or color pictures of cars.
For the food, we had bagels (Tires) with flavored cream "cheese." I made strawberry and veggie flavored cream cheeses from using Tofutti brand. Plus bananas and coffee (Fuel!!!). We topped off a good breakfast with some checkered vegan cupcakes.Then, it was off to do some climbing & work off those cupcakes! I have no intention of putting on a party like this every year. I am actually a big advocate of simplicity. But I figure I have it in me to throw a small handful of good parties during their lifetimes. Maybe in another 5 years we'll do it up again!

Today I Ate Pizza

And it really wasn't that great. I don't know why I picked pizza as my returning-to-a-normal-diet-celebration-food. I don't even like pizza that much. I've decided that I could go the rest of my life without cheese, I think. It's just not my temptation or indulgence of choice. Milk & oreos, however, are another story. They were delicious & did not disappoint.

In the 5 months since Katie Belle's birth, I've had a cumulative total of about 1 ounce of milk/egg/nut/shellfish in my diet. In the 3 months prior to that, I was eating those things in very, very, very small doses. I guess I'm going to start eating normally now. The past few months haven't been that bad, really. Much easier than I expected. Eating out is a pain, but I'm used to that. It's easier to feed myself than Ethan, when we're out. I'm fine if I just have a salad for lunch, but I can't quite convince E. that it's a good idea.

Eating normally makes me feel a bit guilty. Until E. outgrows this (which I hope he will), it is not a novelty, or a test. He has no idea what cheese tastes like. Or oreos & milk. I hope he will one day.

Burger & Fries, Hold the Cheese & Mayo

A couple of months ago, we were excited to find another place that we could all eat as a family - yeah!!! So we've been going with some regularity, which I've loved because - FINALLY - a break from all the cooking from scratch. So every time, we order E. the burger & fries - "No Cheese, No Seasoning. And For the Record, we have Food Allergies, so write it down on that little pad of yours & tell your friends back in the kitchen." So again last night we ordered our meal, and when it arrived, Lance noticed there were bitty bits of cheese all over the burger and a dollop of mayonnaise in the ketchup. Ahh! Both of these were not totally obvious, but he fortunately had looked over the meal when it arrived. E could have totally eaten these things had we been a bit less observant. We talked with our server and he said the spatula dropped cheese onto the burger. Hello! Food allergies! Can you use a spatula without cheese all over it?!?! This is such a pain. As careful as we are, I don't know if I can ever trust a dining experience. Will I ever get a real break from cooking? (pictured: not from our restaurant.)

My New Blog

After much hesitation, I've decided to start a new blog, AllergySupport.blogspot.com. This will be a format to discuss products, recipes, and issues relating to food allergies. I know that many people frequently look at my past posts about food allergies, so I thought it might be good to have a place to put information just related to that topic.

I would love to have it be a blog which has 3-4 contributors, so the information is posted more often. I know I won't have tons of time to devote to it. If you would like to be a contributor, please let me know! I'd love to have some help with it to keep it going strong!

I will continue to occasionally post food allergy info here, but the new blog."> will be completely devoted to it.

Food Allergies on the Rise

Last year, one in 29 children had food allergies, up 18% over the previous 10 years. Read about the new study here.

Feeding Kids

I think about food all the time. And not about eating it - About cooking it. Despite my current sugar problem (I’m working on it!) I’ve always been interested in eating healthy. I wasn’t great at it, but I have always been interested in trying new things & making good choices. My mom (who is currently going all RAW) is a very good nutrition role model for me.

Then I found out our son had some food allergies. This presented a whole new set of challenges when preparing food. And a whole new set of challenges to get him the nutrients he needs, since there are tons of proteins/calcium lacking in his diet. So now I work extra hard to think about what he needs to eat.

I have several personal philosophies about feeding my children, although not uniquely my ideas. Here they are:
1) Try Something New – We try new foods & recipes all the time.
2) Keep Trying - It takes 10 exposures before a new food is accepted, right? Ethan is rarely a plate cleaner, but I keep trying. Surely one day he’ll pick up that carrot and actually eat it!
3) Offer about 5 things on their plate at mealtime (at least 2 of which you know they’ll eat). – This way he probably won’t go to bed hungry, but I’m not afraid to put food on a plate that he likely won’t eat. You just never know when a toddler might change his mind.
4) Don’t let your personal opinions affect your child – Never in a million years did I think Ethan would eat a straight up tomato. I never even thought about offering it. But one day, he grabbed a cherry tomato, bit into it & never looked back. Also, my son loves tofu. Go figure.
5) Don't Force It - I try not to make a bit deal forcing Ethan to eat his food. But I always encourage just a bite of a new food. If he chooses not to eat dinner at all, he knows that’s it until breakfast.

Over the next few days, I'm going to post a few of my favorite food resources. How do you make sure your kids eat wholesome meals? Feel free to chime in if you have other thoughts on feeding kids!

Bento Boxes & Mabel's Labels

I've already blogged about these, but I'm loving my new Bento boxes! Perfect for packing healthy lunches. I was inspired by the pretty food at the Vegan Lunchbox. Also lovin' labels from Mabel's Labels. Customizable for every child, even those with food allergies!

Oh No...Halloween.

To be honest with you, I’m not exactly looking forward to Halloween. Sure, seeing my kids dressed up in adorable outfits will be awesome. But letting my boy get a bunch of candies that I have to take away from him b/c he's allergic is gonna be a total drag. I don't know if it's a good or bad decision to take him trick-or-treating. I am still undecided.

I really liked this list of 8 Halloween tips from AllergyMoms.com. I hope this will be helpful to everyone out there - with or without food allergies. Here are my favorites:

1. Keep a stash of “safe candy” or fun trinkets, like bubbles, Silly Putty, tattoos, stickers, spider rings and bracelets. Kids with food allergies or intolerances will be grateful to receive something they can enjoy
2. Be discreet. If you know a child has food allergies, don’t ask “Oh, you’re the one with the peanut allergy, right?” Kids want to fit in and don’t like to be singled out.
3. Everyone loves ingredient labels. Give out candy with clear ingredient labels so parents and children can decide which candies are safe.
4. Listen to the children. If a child says “No thank you,” it may be because they don’t see a safe option in what’s being offered. Don’t make a fuss by insisting they take candy that may not be safe for them.

Last year, I posted this list of candies that were dairy/egg/nut-free. Sure Foods Living has also posted a quick list of foods free of gluten & the top 8 allergens. You can also reference this post to check on the allergy info for your favorite junk.