Not Worth the Risk

"Is she REALLY allergic?"  I get that question a lot.  "What happens when she eats the food she's allergic to?"  I get that one too.  "Can't she just have a little?"  And if I had a dime for every time I've heard that one.

Being an allergy mom is not fun.  Coming up with meals that don't include our known allergens is tough.  Making sure my children have safe options when we're eating outside of our home can be challenging.  I don't do it for the thrills.  I don't do it to be "healthy".  I do it because I refuse to give my kids something that I know could kill them.

It's true, they could eat something they're allergic to and have no reaction.  They could eat something they're allergic to and have a little tummy ache or a small rash breakout.  Or, they could eat something they're allergic to and we could end up in the ER with them fighting for their lives.

(These pics are from Belle's reaction in May 2011)

The thing is, you NEVER know how they will react after eating something they're allergic to.  I'm sorry, but it's not worth the risk, EVER.

Belle had been allergy tested and showed no food allergies, and only a few slight seasonal allergies.  ONE macadamia nut cookie sent her into a severe allergic reaction that landed us in the ER getting her pumped full of epinephrine.  And she'd had macadamia nut cookies several times before!

After her reaction, we had her tested again and she tested positive for peanuts and tree nuts.  But she'd eaten them numerous times in the seven years before her reaction (hello, PBJs are a staple for most non-allergy families) with no ill-effects that we knew of.

Rapunzel has never had a severe reaction to food.  But that doesn't mean she won't if she eats something she's allergic to.  Belle hadn't had a reaction until the time that she did.  By the time I got her to the ER, she was covered in hives from head to toe, her eyes were swollen shut, and she was gasping for breath.  Scariest day of my life.  After what felt like hours, the dr. assured me that "she's responding well to the treatment."  You mean there was a chance that she wouldn't have responded well?  That thought hadn't even crossed my mind.  I am not being dramatic when I say that she could have died.  She could have not responded to the treatment.  We could have lost her, all because of a cookie.


Did you read about the teen boy that died after eating a cookie in the news?

Allergic reactions are serious business.  It doesn't matter that Rapunzel has never had a severe reaction to the foods she's tested positive for.  I'm not willing to take the chance that the next time she eats it will be the time she reacts.

It's not worth the risk, EVER.