Allergies & Kids...{guest post}

As parents we worry daily about our kids from the moment they are born. Ive been lucky enough to know Melissa from Mommyhood Chronicles through the blog world for a few years, and as a blogger she is one that I totally look up to! Today she shares her struggles w. her son Zane's allergies w foods.



As most of you know, if you read my blog, I am dealing with a 2 year old that got diagnosed at 11 months with some severe food allergies. Luckily for us, some of the major food allergies such as milk subsided, but we are still dealing with a nut and peanut allergy. The reason why I decided to write this post is because I am honestly afraid.

I read this story today about this poor 13 year old girl who passed away from a simple taste of a dessert that had Peanut Butter in it. This is not the first case I have heard about this happening. In my home state, just this past summer, a 17 year old died after taking a bite of a cookie. If you are interested in reading any of these two horrible stories, I have linked them here:  http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/girl-dies-peanut-allergy-summer-camp-19818184 and http://www.abc6.com/story/21627412/teen-with-nut-allergy-dies-from-eating-cookie The fact of the matter is I am scared and rightfully so!

When we found out Zane had a peanut allergy, it was scary in and of itself, but when we were told his allergen was actually quite high in the routine allergy blood test, it really scared me. The doctor really could not tell us if he would ever have a sever life-threatening situation if he accidentally had a bite of something containing peanut butter. She only told us to be very prepared and have all friends/family trained on how to use an epi-pen if the situation g-d forbidden ever occurred. While I am extremely careful with whatever comes in our house and I do not allow him to have baked goods outside the home, the fact of the matter is he is going to get older and he will need to be in charge of what he can and can not eat. He does wear an allergy bracelet most days and he knows he can't have tree nuts or peanuts (he will tell you that it makes him very sick if he has it), but like the two above cases show, mistakes can sometimes happen.


It is very scary to be the mom of a child with severe food allergies! I worry but all I could do is to continue to be super careful, be knowledgeable on how to handle an emergency, and make sure everyone is prepared if the need ever arises. I have to keep in mind that Zane is one healthy boy and I am extremely grateful for that! Do you have a child with food allergies?