Journey Number 1

The kindergarten journey is almost over. We have had a good year and I am very much looking forward to next year. However, next year brings a whole new set of issues to the table. For instance:

1. How far away will the first-grade classroom be from the nurse’s office?
2. Will the epi-pens be allowed in the classroom?
3. How is lunch going to be handled?
4. Will there be a peanut-free table or a peanut-free section of a table?
5. Will there be snacktime?
6. What in the world am I going to make this child for lunch every day????

Hopefully we can get most of these questions answered a few weeks before school starts on August 30. Looking forward to having my boy home for the summer!!

The Birthday Treat

This was a great idea for a birthday treat. It was cute and as peanut-free as I could make it while still buying mainstream ingredients.

Nilla Wafer Hamburgers

Two Nilla Wafers
One Snack Size Peppermint Patty
Vanilla Icing tinted red and some tinted yellow
Sesame Seeds

No need for a description, I’ll just show the picture:

Birthday Treat

February 2. Groundhog’s Day. Alex’s birthday.

I am trying to come up with a cute birthday treat for Alex’s kindergarten class that is peanut-free, not boring and still utilizes the snack sheet that I gave at the beginning of the year.

I haven’t come up with anything yet. I thought about buying the Keebler fudge stripe cookies and putting a little icing face on them but that seems kind of dumb. Baked goods are out. Although cookies aren’t exactly healthy, they would be quicker to eat than say a box of Nerds. Alex first requested Lucky Charms cereal. I was trying to figure out if I could make little pots of gold to put the cereal in but I haven’t spent enough time searching the net for ideas.

I guess if all else fails, I’ll just send in a couple boxes of Lucky Charms and they can enjoy that snack for several days. We shall see. I’ll update when I come to a decision.

The Allergist

Sounds like a book. Lol.

Our first allergist appointment went well. I was told things I already knew and we also found out some things we were 99% sure we knew and I found out something that made me feel very, I can’t find the right word, I’ll go with deflated.

First, the peanut allergy. When the nurse at the allergist’s office asked if he had any allergies, I said he was allergic to peanuts. She grimaced and said, “oh that’s a big one”, thank you I’m very aware of that. I know I sound snide but I’m well aware of how bad a peanut allergy is. Anyway, the doctor came in and asked about his past reactions and what prompted us to see her today. I told her that we had never seen an allergist and I just wanted to get her opinions on some things. She was very nice and we talked a lot about Alex’s history.

Second, other allergies. Although he was never formally diagnosed with cat, dog, seasonal allergies, we were pretty sure he had them. He can’t go to anyone’s house with a cat or dog without having an allergic reaction and come March, he is one miserable little man. So, you probably know how we find this stuff out. Skin test it is. Alex had 23 tests done on his back. The worst part of this whole thing was not having him touch his back for 15 minutes. He kept saying it itched. It was a loooooong 15 minutes.

Other allergies include cat, dog, grass pollen and lambs quarter. The latter is apparently a fall weed. Who knew. What the allergist found interesting is that he tested negative for tree pollen. So we aren’t sure what is causing his spring allergies. She said it could be a tree they don’t test for. Interesting.

Now for the biggie. The one that has left me deflated. Prior to this appointment, from what I have read, Alex had about a 50-75% chance of reacting to peanuts based on his RAST. However, today his wheal was 15mm and left me with the grave knowledge that he has a 95% chance of reacting to a peanut ingestion. It would be 100% but the allergist said that with a RAST as low as his it puts him in a very grey area.

She did say that she would not say he will never outgrow this. She has some patients where she tells the family point blank that there is no chance they will outgrow it based on wheal size and RAST. Again, Alex is in that grey area based on his own RAST, wheal and past reaction history. She told me it’s not futile to hold onto hope. So that’s what I’m doing. Hoping, praying, wishing.

Allergist Appointment & the Holidays

We have our first allergist appointment tomorrow. When I say first, I literally mean first. Even though my son has been allergic to peanuts for four years, we have always relied on our pediatrician and our own investigating for his allergy. However, I felt it was finally time to see an allergist and get her opinion on where we stand. I know she’s not going to be able to tell me if he will outgrow this but I would like to know where the allergists stand on a future “cure”. I’ll post about our experience after the appointment.

On another note, we made it through the holidays reaction-free. However, we did find ourselves in a very unsettling situation on Saturday night. We were at a Christmas party and my aunt made a peanut butter cake forgetting about Alex’s allergy. That’s fine, I made a dessert too, one he could have. As I wandered into the kitchen I noticed a bowl of nuts. Oh goody. I told Alex not to go near the bowl or the counter it was on. I did let him eat the chips that were in the bowl on the other counter. About an hour later I saw my aunt get a handful of nuts and then go and put her hand in the bowl of chips. Needless to say my breath was caught in my throat at this sight. Alex did not get any more chips the rest of the night and I remembered that we are always learning with this allergy.

Happy tears or sad tears?

I got the phone call today that my 18-month-old daughter is not allergic to peanuts. Yay right? Wrong. Since I got the phone call that Isabelle is not allergic, I can’t stop crying. I don’t know if it’s tears because I’m happy or tears because my daughter can lead a normal life but my son can’t. Just typing those words made me cry more so I’m going to guess it’s the latter. Although I am completely and utterly ecstatic that Isabelle is not allergic, it hurts me so much to think that Alex is. I have felt guilty ever since this whole testing thing started that I was wishing and praying for her to be clear of this allergy. Now that she is I feel terrible that Alex isn’t. I know this will pass and eventually we will get back to our regularly scheduled lives but right now I’m conflicted. Joy and pain all at the same time.

Wonderful Article

If you would like a glimpse of what others are dealing with when it comes to food allergies, please visit Rocks in My Dryer for their guest post this week.

Labeling

Is anyone else as confused about labeling as I am? I know that the FDA put the new labeling laws into effect to help us and to some point it has. We no longer have to worry about some scientific sounding word being a synonym for peanuts. My problem is with the “may contains”.

There is a new FDA guideline being considered to change the labeling once again. I can only hope that a “may contain” law goes through. I am so torn on some products that I confuse my family, my husband and even myself. For instance, I am not 100% positive that Oreo’s and Chips Ahoy are safe. I’m pretty sure they aren’t made on a dedicated line but when you call Nabisco/Kraft they give you the run around and say that if the product contains peanuts it will be labeled as such. That doesn’t help me. I would prefer that my son not be exposed to peanuts at all. Allergy wash or not.

I remember specifically not putting those on the safe snack list for Alex’s class. But yet I put down Fig Newtons and Teddy Grahams, both made by Nabisco. What was my reasoning for that? I have no idea. I really am confused. While putting the new “may contain” law into effect will probably take away at least of half the stuff Alex eats right now, it will put my mind at ease knowing that he is eating something without a peanut exposure. I truly hope that this law gets passed so that we can look forward to a more specific label.

Halloween Handover

Alex will be trick-or-treating like every other child in our neighborhood this year however when he gets home, he will hand over his bag for a bag that has been prepared especially for him. Rather than take the chance of cross-contamination I decided to gather up some safe candy and other little treats and put them in a bag for Halloween night. If, while we are out I see something that I  know is perfectly safe, such as playdough or juice boxes etc. I will get that for him and put it in a bag that I will carry. This just makes life a little easier while still getting to enjoy the fun of Halloween. I’m very tempted to make up a sign to wear around his neck that says he’s allergic to peanuts but I’m not sure if that’s taking it too far.

Speaking of fun, my kiddos are going to look super cute this year. My daughter, who will be 17-months-old at trick-or-treat time is going as Minnie Mouse and Alex will be going as Mickey Mouse. They are going to look adorable!! I can hardly wait.

Public School

So Alex has been in public school now for a week and a half. He is really enjoying spending time with the kids. It takes some prodding but I can usually figure out what he did during his time at school. I feel comfortable with the precautions the school is taking this year. We have a plan of action in place, there was a letter sent home to all kindergartners and then a letter sent home to the whole school letting parents know there is a child with a life-threatening peanut allergy attending. His classroom is peanut-free and all snacks must be from a pre-approved list that I made.  Even birthday treats must come from the list.

I think the fact that I had tried homeschooling really made the school administrators realize how terrified I was of sending him to school. Thus they took every precaution they could without making the entire school peanut-free. I’m happy about that. Alex needs to know where he can and can’t make adjustments.

So things are going well. The only thing that I was surprised to hear Alex tell me was that he was excited that he didn’t have to eat a different snack than everyone else. He was beaming when he told me that they all got the same snack. My sweet boy. I never thought he minded having a different snack in preschool, I guess he did but never said anything. It breaks my heart to think about him hurting. At least now he’s happy.