Tag: multiple food allergies

Eating Out With Allergies in Madison, WI

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Last weekend I went on a girls’ trip to Madison, WI with my daughters and my mom. As you can imagine, I was a little concerned about trying to navigate eating while there with Asa’s multiple food allergies in combination with my Celiac Disease. Avoiding milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, and gluten isn’t exactly an easy task! I posted in some food allergy groups I’m in on Facebook looking for recommendations for our travels and some people definitely delivered! I also had several people tell me that Madison was a great city for food allergies and let me tell you… they were right!

The first day we got there, we went to a restaurant called Ollie’s based off of a recommendation. It was such an awesome place! Looking at their website immediately made me feel comfortable. They talk about food allergies on their home page which is always a great sign. When you walk in the door, they offer fidgets and sensory items to take to your table. They also provide noise cancelling headphones if you need them! They had a vegan menu and a regular menu and their menus clearly labeled gluten free items as well. The waitress was great and went to the back to talk to the chef about Asa’s allergies to ensure what we wanted to order would be safe for her. The kids were excited because they even had MARKERS instead of crayons for the kids menus. This was their dream come true! I was able to eat cheese curds (a Wisconsin staple) that were gluten free and they were delicious! We had no reactions and everything was super yummy!

That night we went to an ice cream shop that was recommended by multiple people – The Chocolate Shoppe. This ended up being Asa’s favorite part of the whole trip. She’s never ordered “ice cream” from a restaurant before. We’ve always been nervous to and not many places have safe options for her. But since multiple people recommended them, we decided to try. Their website also made me feel better about their awareness of allergens. She got the Strawberry Hibiscus Italian Ice and LOVED IT! She could not stop talking about how she got ice cream from a shop. It was the first thing she told her dad on the phone! They also had great gluten free choices for me!

The next day we hit multiple stops! We went to Yola’s Cafe for breakfast. We had to wait quite a while because it was a Saturday morning and they were busy, but it was really good! They had amazing, fluffy gluten free waffles and were able to make bacon in their separate fryer just for Asa!

For dinner that day, we went to bartaco which ended up being the best meal we had the whole time – so good in fact that we went back again the next day before leaving town! I picked the restaurant based solely on the fact that they were rated high on the Find Me Gluten Free App and was planning on Asa eating food we brought for her. When we got there, I asked the waitress about the menu and found that there were only a few items that weren’t gluten free! Yay for me! I then told her that I was sure Asa probably couldn’t eat there and we brought her food. She asked what her allergies were so I told her. She then uttered a statement that I’ve never had any server say to me before… she said, “Oh! That’s really not that hard!” And then she proceeded to tell me all of the things on the kids menu that she could eat! I was stunned. I’ve never had anyone tell me that her allergies weren’t that hard. The waitress has no idea what she did for me that night! She made me feel so calm and comfortable. Asa was able to eat chicken, corn wheels, and a fruit kabob. She scarfed it so fast and was so excited to come back the next day for more! If only every restaurant experience could be like our experience at bartaco!

My delicious gluten free tacos!

Overall, our experience eating out in Madison, WI with food allergies far exceeded my expectations! I packed a ton of food that we didn’t even have to touch because of how much Asa got to eat out. I had to come home feeling jealous of our experience in Madison! I hope this blog helps other travelers!

Our Allergy Warrior and Her Allies

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I just need to take a minute to acknowledge how much it means to an allergy parent when other parents take the time and energy to go out of their way to make my child feel included.

If you’re an allergy parent, you will immediately know what I mean. And if you’re not an allergy parent, I hope you take a couple minutes to read this to understand how just a couple small gestures can mean the absolute world to someone.

We have been incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by some amazing families so far in Asa’s life. Her friends at school have been awesome with her allergies. I’m sure a lot of this is due to the wonderful teachers that she has had and the way that they educate the kids in her class about her allergies. But it is also due to the kids’ amazing parents. This has been evident by how many parents have taken the time to reach out to me personally when planning birthday parties, in-class treats, and in-class parties to make sure that Asa has safe snacks and treats so that she isn’t left out. We are used to bringing our own goodies to birthday parties and keeping safe treats at school for her. It’s just part of her life. But parents making her feel included not only means the world to us, it means the world to HER.

Today we went to a birthday party where the mom reached out several times ahead of the party to make sure they had safe treats in lieu of cupcakes for Asa. It was adorable because the birthday kids (they are twins) were both so excited to come show Asa the snacks they got her and Asa was beaming. One kid that didn’t know Asa asked why she had a tub of icing sitting at her spot of the table and the birthday girl said, “Because Asa has allergies and the cupcakes aren’t safe for her! So we got her something that is!” The pride on Asa’s face was so evident. Her friends had her back.

I can’t overstate these moments. As a parent, there is nothing better than watching my kid’s friends stick up for her and keep her safe. And as a mom, nothing means more than other parents going the extra mile to make my daughter feel included. They spent extra money on her today just to do that. And it doesn’t go unnoticed by me. Those are moments I don’t forget. And this wasn’t the first time. Other parents have told me that their kid begged to have an “Asa-safe” cake or told them to make sure to buy Skittles because Asa loves them.

These little acts of kindness mean more than these parents and kids will ever know. So if you are ever faced with an opportunity to do one, I really encourage you to think of a way to include those that are probably left out a lot. They won’t forget it! ❤️

Asa with her tub of icing, Skittles, and Starburts 😍

Going Out To Eat…

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Asa is now 5 1/2 years old. A few months ago, I was in the car with her and I was running to pick up some dinner for me while my husband was in our other car running to get food for him and the other kids (that’s life with Celiac Disease for you…). From the backseat, Asa said, “Mom, can we please stop and get some food for me too?” Thinking she meant something from the grocery store I said, “No, we already have food for you at home.” She replied, “No, Mom. Can we please stop at a restaurant and get something for me? I don’t even care what it is. I’ll eat anything. I just want to get something from a restaurant like the rest of you.”

My heart broke. It was the first time that she was really expressing that she felt left out. She went on to tell me that every time we bring food home like this, the rest of us have our food from eating out and she just has food from home and she hates just watching us eat our special food. She said she just wants to be included.

We’ve spent close to 6 years protecting her from restaurants. We’ve packed safe meals every time we’ve gone out. We’ve avoided meals out just to keep her safe. We’ve cooked elaborate meals at home and ordered special ingredients just to make sure we had all the safe foods we needed right in our four walls. I’ve dreaded navigating menus. I’ve shed tears thinking about ordering from a restaurant and trusting them with her allergies. I’ve conjured up images of giving the epipen in the middle of the restaurant because an allergic reaction happened. To say I’m scared is an understatement.

But I also know I need to prepare her. I need to help set her up for the real world. I need to teach her how to navigate restaurants, menus, wait staff, and chefs. I need to help her have confidence using her voice in these situations. I have to be her example. I have to show her how to live with caution but not fear. Anxiety is a real side effect of life with food allergies. And I don’t want her to be paralyzed by it as she grows up.

So we started researching places to go. I started reading menus online, going to local allergy groups I’m in on Facebook, and calling places. I started using MY voice more and slowly but surely I started feeling more confident in letting her eat out at a few different places!

I wanted to share a few of those in hopes that they help others if in no other way than to help you know that it’s possible to navigate eating out, even with multiple food allergies! As a reminder, Asa is allergic to milk, egg, peanut, and some tree nuts.

One of National places that we found was Chick-fil-a. They have a great allergy menu online which makes it easy to plan before you go. (I linked their allergy menu above!) They have a separate fryer for their fries so they stay gluten free (yay!) and their grilled chicken is a great option for those with egg, milk, wheat, gluten, and nut allergies! Their kids meals also have options of fruit or applesauce as alternatives to fries. Asa and I have both eaten there safely multiple times now!

Another great regional restaurant we’ve come to love is Hawaiian Bros. (Their allergen menu is linked above!) Almost their entire menu is dairy, egg, and gluten free. They are also VERY allergy conscious. The best part – they serve Dole Whip as dessert! If you have allergies, you probably know what a treasure Dole Whip is! And if you don’t, find your local place with Dole Whip and get some pronto! For the record, Asa’s favorite food at Hawaiian Bros is the Luau Pig so try it if you go.

Our list is slowly growing and we’ve found some great local spots too. I’ll share more as I find them! Feel free to share yours too!

Our food allergy warrior eating out safely!

Allergies and Asthma and Epipens… Oh My!

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This past weekend, Asa took her first ambulance ride. She also received her first epipen in over 3 years…

I’m not gonna lie, it was scary. We were having a totally normal night at home. Then out of nowhere, she started coughing a lot and then said her stomach hurt. At first we weren’t sure what was going on. I had her come closer to me and could tell that she was wheezing. I got up and immediately gave her her Albuterol inhaler. We’ve been monitoring her for asthma symptoms for the past 6 months or so. She hasn’t been fully diagnosed with it yet, but she’s been having some “asthma-like” symptoms so we’ve been prescribed inhalers and are supposed to use them when she’s sick, develops a cough, or starts wheezing. I knew this was a moment to use it.

We still couldn’t figure out what was going on or what was causing her to start this episode that seemed like an allergic reaction.

Then I started wondering… the stupid cookies I had baked had peanut butter in them. I made them knowing she wasn’t going to eat them and she’s never had an airborne reaction before. To be honest, I wasn’t thinking it would be a big deal. But when she started coughing and acting strange, I realized that the peanut smell was really strong, and if it was that strong, maybe she was reacting to it.

We immediately started opening windows in the house, putting the cookies into a sealed container, gave her Benedryl, and took her outside to breath the fresh air. Her wheezing stopped right after she got her inhaler. We kept monitoring her and asking her how she felt. Eventually she said that the pain in her tummy was now in her chest too. When she said that, I gave the epipen. Ryan called 911.

In hindsight, I probably should have given it a little sooner. I feel like we learn something in every single one of her reactions – whether it’s a small reaction or a big one. You always see a little more clearly when you are looking back at the situation. But still… By the time the paramedics arrived at the house, Asa was acting pretty normal. They listened to her and said that she sounded great and that we had done the right thing. We explained everything that happened and they said a hospital visit was needed to be monitored following administering an epipen (we already knew that drill!).

They had her ride in the ambulance. At this point the epipen had kicked in and her adrenaline was up. When she heard she was riding in the ambulance, she literally yelled, “YES!” and couldn’t get her shoes on fast enough! She was cracking us all up even in the midst of a really scary situation.

At the hospital all of her vitals looked strong and remained that way. When the doctor finally came in, he basically acted like it was almost impossible that she had had an airborne reaction to the cookies. When I explained that I didn’t know what else it could have been, he didn’t offer any other suggestions and instead just said, “Well if she’s that sensitive to peanut you should probably get rid of everything peanut in your house…” (thank you, sir…) and then said, “She looks fine now!” It was almost as if he didn’t even believe she had had a reaction at all. It was frustrating to say the least. But at least she was safe.

The rest of the weekend, I ruminated over the event. I couldn’t stop re-playing it, wondering what had really happened and if there was something I could have done better. Should I have given Epi sooner? Was it really an airborne reaction? Did she have an asthma attack? Did she react to some new food and I didn’t know it? Why was that doctor such a jerk? Hadn’t he heard of good bedside manner?

Today we took Asa to her allergist. After going over the whole event with her, she truly thinks Asa had an asthma attack – a “viral induced asthma attack” to be exact. After she said that, I told her that when we followed up with her pediatrician, we found out that she had an ear infection and this only made the allergist feel even stronger that Asa was probably working through a virus and had an asthma attack as a result. We came up with a whole asthma action plan to add to her allergy action plan. Now she has to carry not only an epipen with her to school, but an emergency inhaler as well. She’s also on a daily inhaler for at least the next month while we monitor her closely.

The allergist made sure to tell me that I did everything right in the event this past weekend. As allergy parents, we are taught to look for certain symptoms, and not to hesitate with the Epipen if those symptoms are present. She said that giving the Epipen is never going to hurt, but not giving it can be deadly, so giving it is always what we should do in these situations! As we always say… “Epi First, Epi Fast!”

The life of a food allergy parent is hard. It’s so easy to beat yourself up – to wonder if you did the right thing and if you should have done something differently. It’s exhausting – both mentally and emotionally. The fear you experience in the heat of the moment, and the sigh of relief you feel after, are so heavy. I walked around for days feeling somewhat depressed just because the weight I was feeling was so heavy.

If you’ve never experienced this before, I’m so happy that you haven’t! And if you have, just know that you are not alone. When I was upset and confused the day after asthma attack, I turned to some allergy communities that I am apart of (and my own social media pages that I run) and felt so supported! It’s a community that none of us want to belong to but we find a lot of comfort in because we know how each other feel and what we are going through. So when you’re feeling heavy, reach out. I’m here for you, and others are too!

Back to her normal spunky self!

Preparing For a Food Allergy Challenge

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Tomorrow Asa goes in for her second food allergy challenge. This time we are doing a macadamia nut challenge. I spent hours tonight making macadamia nut butter. My child better always know how much I love her! 😉

I’ve had a lot of people ask me to explain what exactly a food allergy challenge is and why we do them, so I decided to write a blog about the subject. A super common misconception about allergies is that a skin test or a blood test can tell you everything you need to know. Unfortunately, this just isn’t true. Skin tests and blood tests are good indications of allergies but they aren’t 100% accurate. The only TRUE test for a food allergy is actually ingesting it. Typically an allergist will begin with a skin test to see what shows as positive. From there, they will try to confirm the allergens with a blood test. A good allergist will only test you for things that you’ve already reacted to or that are in the same family (for example, you’ve reacted to one tree nut and so they test you for all of them). Most allergists will not run a full blood panel just to see what comes back positive because too many false positives can occur.

A good example of this is exactly why we are doing the food challenges right now. Asa tested positive on a blood panel to tree nuts. Her cashew and pistachio levels came back EXTREMELY high on both a skin and blood test. Some of her other tree nuts came back with really low numbers that are kind of inconclusive. She could be allergic, but she also could be just showing a false positive. For example, she also showed with some positive numbers to almond which she eats constantly and has no reaction to whatsoever. Her numbers to almond were very similar to her numbers for several other tree nuts, so we decided to do some food challenges for these other nuts in the doctor’s office, in a controlled environment, where she can be monitored closely and given medicine and treatment immediately if needed.

Back in February she did her first food challenge for walnut. Essentially what happens is that they give her walnut or walnut butter in doses that increasingly get bigger every 15-20 minutes. During those times they monitor her closely for any signs of an allergic reaction. Once we even had to wait an additional 15 minutes between dosing because she got the hiccups which can sometimes be a precursor to vomiting (who knew!) and they wanted to be sure it wasn’t a symptom! After her last dose, we have to sit in the office for 2 hours for them to continue to monitor for a delayed allergic reaction. If she still stays symptom-free, she is considered “passing” and is allowed to eat the food freely from then on! The visit takes about 4-5 hours total so it’s a long day at the office!

Another difficult thing to point out with the nuts in particular, is that you have to prepare either the nuts or the nut butter ahead of the appointment because nuts and nut butters that do not have any chance of cross-contamination are extremely hard to find. For example, with her macadamia nut challenge tomorrow, we have to be sure that she is ONLY eating macadamia nut and that there are no traces of any other nuts on them because that could obviously totally change the outcome of the test. Because of that, we have to wash the nuts. Yes, you read that right… we have to literally wash them with Dawn dish soap! Not once… not twice… but three times! Then we have to roast them. You can choose to eat them raw for the test, but we know Asa won’t do that, so we choose to make a nut butter out of them instead. That literally took me hours tonight because the nuts were not cooperating with me. Now I just have to pray that Asa cooperates tomorrow and eats all the doses and most importantly, doesn’t have a reaction!

As you can imagine, challenge days bring a lot of anxiety with them. While I’m so incredibly hopeful that she will pass and we can mark another nut off the “not allergic” list, there is always a part of me that is nervous that we could end up having to give her an epipen, go to the hospital, or worse. And that thought is very hard to shake. If you’re a praying person, your prayers would be much appreciated! I’ll update this post once we go and get results, but for now, please keep us in your prayers and pray for her bravery as well!

I hope this post provided a little knowledge and also helps you see the lengths that allergy parents have to go to for our kids! Being an allergy parent is not for the faint of heart, but we fight every day and our kids do too!

Making macadamia nut butter like a champ… 🙂

Adding more foods to our “no no” list…

foodallergiesmom

The past two weeks have been extremely hard for me. I’ve been really wanting to talk about them while simultaneously wanting to crawl in a hole and hide.

I found out that I have Celiac Disease. If you’re like a lot of people, you may be asking, “What’s that?” For a great, thorough definition of it, click here. The short definition is, my body can’t process gluten correctly and when I eat it, it’s damaging my small intestine.

I’ve known something was wrong for quite some time. I went and saw a new gastroenterologist last July and he did bloodwork that pointed towards Celiac. He ordered a colonoscopy and endoscopy but due to insurance issues and a multitude of crazy one-offs, we had to reschedule the procedures multiple times. I finally had them two weeks ago and it confirmed that I did, indeed, have Celiac Disease.

Since then, I’ve been feeling a multitude of emotions: anger, sadness, and disbelief mixed with a little bit of relief to have an answer for the pain and discomfort that I’ve been feeling for so long now.

But the anger and sadness has been a little overwhelming. We already have to read so many labels. We already have to avoid so many foods. My daughter, Asa’s allergies mean that we already have to avoid peanut, milk, egg, and multiple tree nuts. Adding gluten to this long list just seems overwhelming. So many recipes that we have perfected now have to be changed all over again.

I’m angry at the additional cost this will add to our grocery bill. For example, gluten free bagels come with 2 less bagels in the package and cost literally $3.00 more… It’s insane! Our bill is already so high from the dairy-free milks and creamers, egg-less noodles, and special almond butter we have to order to make sure it’s not cross-contaminated. Now it’s going to go up even higher? Why is this happening to us?

Then there’s the sadness over the foods I will miss. It may sound trivial, but let’s be real… food is a part of our culture. We base so much of our life around food. I was joking that I don’t even feel like a true St. Louisian anymore because I can’t have Imo’s pizza, toasted ravioli, or gooey butter cake anymore. Who even am I? Not to mention that I can’t even drown my sorrows in my normal comfort foods because they are no longer things I can eat! It’s just depressing.

I am well aware of all of the amazing foods that exist that are gluten free now and I’ve already tried a lot of them! I am working my way through the stages of grief and will get to acceptance. I know that there are worse things in life than having Celiac Disease. But I also know that right now I need to feel my feelings, and that it’s perfectly acceptable to do so.

Changing your food habits is HARD. All of you in the food allergies community know this first hand. Altering recipes, finding new brands, researching companies online, looking up restaurant menus ahead of time, checking labels in the grocery store… all of it can be extremely stressful. But just know what there are others out here fighting the same fight with you. This community has been wonderful for me. And you’ve helped me navigate through my daughter’s allergies for 3 years. Now I hope you’ll help me navigate through my own food journey too!

My and my food allergy buddy. I told her we are in this together til the end! #myminime