Two years ago yesterday we had to administer our first epipen. I had just gotten home from work. My husband had tried peanut butter with Asa for the first time and it had seemed to go well! Hours had gone by with no reaction. But soon after I got home, I noticed a hive. We kept looking and more just kept appearing. We were so confused. It had been hours! Surely this wasn’t an allergy, right? Wrong.
The hives continued and just kept getting worse. We called 911 because we were worried about her breathing and hoped they’d come check her. On their way to our house, the hives started covering her body. We decided not to risk it. I had to put my practice to the test and administer the first EpiPen I’ve even done (unfortunately not my last). I was scared, but honestly, my adrenaline took over in that moment, and I just did what I knew I needed to do to protect and save my daughter.
Thankfully, we gave the Epi in time and Asa was able to get all the help she needed. We followed up with the hospital and they monitored her for a few hours. They told us that delayed reactions can indeed happen. We were so sad and discouraged. The milk allergy was already hard enough and we were still trying to figure out how to navigate life with food allergies. Now we had to add in another one? Was there anything left for her to even eat? How would we manage a household with two major food allergies in it? How could we protect her?
We didn’t know that just a few months later we’d have to tag on another allergy – egg – and would have to once again administer an EpiPen. We felt like we just kept getting hit with blow after blow.
I know that some of you are reading this and think that it feels all too familiar. I know my family isn’t alone. It’s ok to be sad. It’s ok to mourn the “normal” life that others get to enjoy while yours is filled with anxiety and worry 24/7. It’s ok to be scared and overwhelmed. It was those feelings that led me to start this blog and my social media pages to begin with. I needed an outlet for my own feelings, and I needed a community that understood what I was going through. I needed support and I wanted to provide support to others.
We have since learned to cope and have become so much more knowledgable. We discovered that, yes, there were plenty of food lefts for her to eat! We just needed to educate ourselves (and others) a bit more. I hope that you read this and know that there are others that understand your struggle. If you ever have any questions, or just need someone to vent to, feel free to reach out! I’m always more than happy to talk!
Food Allergies Mom 