Nutsnutsnutsnuts...
Well, it's official.
The allergist called back with the results of Mädchen's testing for nut allergies after her bad reaction, and it turns out that not only is she allergic to cashews and other tree nuts (which wouldn't have surprised us), but that she's allergic to peanuts as well (which threw us for a loop). When we visited the allergist, he actually thought that because of the relatively slow nature of her reaction, it was more than likely viral and that it was pure coincidence that she happened to eat a cashew before it happened. And since Mädchen has had a lot of exposure to peanuts (e.g., frequently eating at Thai restaurants), we all figured that even if she did have a cashew allergy, that would be all. As it turns out, the test was even more certain for peanut allergies than anything else (which doesn't mean the allergy itself is any worse).
When she first had her reaction, someone I worked with asked "so are you guys now going to be those crazy parents who obsess over what she eats?" At the time I thought we weren't, but now it turns out we're going to have to be because she's not supposed to have any exposure to nuts--period. Gretchen has combed through all of her snacks, a huge number of which have warnings about being prepared in facilities that may have nuts, etc. Eating at Thai restaurants (and many others, especially Asian) is out, and when we do go out we'll have to make sure nuts aren't used in preparing anything because of the risk of cross-contamination. We've already got EpiPens and learned how to use them.
The biggest thing about this isn't the inconvenience--it's the fear. We were very lucky that her initial reaction was only on her skin and that she didn't have trouble breathing. And she could continue to have mild or no reactions if she had further exposure. But it evidently can't be predicted--she could go years with no reaction, then have a severe reaction. In that sense, it's a good thing that it happened the way it did (i.e., a relatively mild reaction when she was with Gretchen and close to medical care). But we're going to have to be vigilant, and even with vigilance I'm sure there will be a little bit of worry in the backs of our minds about what could happen. It's certainly reinforced for us just how dearly we love Mädchen.
At least there are a lot of resources out there to deal with something like this, and lots of people (e.g., schools) are now used to it (when a friend told her kindergarten-aged daughter about it, she just replied "that's OK, she'll just have soy butter and jelly sandwiches.") And of Gretchen's closest group of Moms, three out of five kids have food allergies. And the allergist is fantastic. In any event, it's definitely a whole new world for all of us...
The allergist called back with the results of Mädchen's testing for nut allergies after her bad reaction, and it turns out that not only is she allergic to cashews and other tree nuts (which wouldn't have surprised us), but that she's allergic to peanuts as well (which threw us for a loop). When we visited the allergist, he actually thought that because of the relatively slow nature of her reaction, it was more than likely viral and that it was pure coincidence that she happened to eat a cashew before it happened. And since Mädchen has had a lot of exposure to peanuts (e.g., frequently eating at Thai restaurants), we all figured that even if she did have a cashew allergy, that would be all. As it turns out, the test was even more certain for peanut allergies than anything else (which doesn't mean the allergy itself is any worse).
When she first had her reaction, someone I worked with asked "so are you guys now going to be those crazy parents who obsess over what she eats?" At the time I thought we weren't, but now it turns out we're going to have to be because she's not supposed to have any exposure to nuts--period. Gretchen has combed through all of her snacks, a huge number of which have warnings about being prepared in facilities that may have nuts, etc. Eating at Thai restaurants (and many others, especially Asian) is out, and when we do go out we'll have to make sure nuts aren't used in preparing anything because of the risk of cross-contamination. We've already got EpiPens and learned how to use them.
The biggest thing about this isn't the inconvenience--it's the fear. We were very lucky that her initial reaction was only on her skin and that she didn't have trouble breathing. And she could continue to have mild or no reactions if she had further exposure. But it evidently can't be predicted--she could go years with no reaction, then have a severe reaction. In that sense, it's a good thing that it happened the way it did (i.e., a relatively mild reaction when she was with Gretchen and close to medical care). But we're going to have to be vigilant, and even with vigilance I'm sure there will be a little bit of worry in the backs of our minds about what could happen. It's certainly reinforced for us just how dearly we love Mädchen.
At least there are a lot of resources out there to deal with something like this, and lots of people (e.g., schools) are now used to it (when a friend told her kindergarten-aged daughter about it, she just replied "that's OK, she'll just have soy butter and jelly sandwiches.") And of Gretchen's closest group of Moms, three out of five kids have food allergies. And the allergist is fantastic. In any event, it's definitely a whole new world for all of us...
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