Sometimes It's Just Easier To Stay Home, Vol. 1

Andante playing with Avôs puppy

Well, we survived Thanksgiving reaction FREE!!! W00T! W00T!

We ended up staying home thanks to a 24 hour stomach flu that rampaged through the members of this household. Holy Moses, and I thought I had a lot of laundry to do before!!! And talk about diaper duty…
Let’s just not go there.

I accomplished the biggest goal for the holidays; everything on our table was allergen free, except for the family stuffing. Nando is a Stove Top junkie, so I made a batch for him. I made Andante’s stuffing with purposefully staled, then toasted tapioca and rice breads. It was purdy dern good, even if I do say so myself! *snicker*

Yes, I am pretty proud of myself.

We had considered going to my bAunts house (for those of you who aren’t up on the lingo, a b before a title stands for biological, and a stands for adoptive, as I was adopted but do have interaction with my birth family) for Thanksgiving, but I just wasn’t in the mood to try to manage a place where 50+ people who would be learning about Dante’s food allergies (FAs) for the first time at this gathering. That, and never getting the definitive answer on if my bRents were going to be there or not were deciding factors.

Sometimes it is just easier to stay home.

Which brings me to a post that was made eariler this week, from Samm, a TKWFA group mother. She posted about an outing she went on with her food allergic (FA) child. On this outing, she found herself looking from the outside in on the world of contact/airborne food allergies; the trials and angst that those of us within this FA world go through when we leave the safety of our homes. Here is her story (edited only to remove child’s name):

I belong to a mommy/baby group at our local hospital. My daughter and I go every Wednesday morning. Today there was a little girl just a few months younger than my child. She was maybe 13 months old or so. I had only seen her once before, many months ago. I knew the parents thought she had food allergies, but she had not been in a while so I did not think much of it. We had been playing for a while, when I overheard the mom say something about wishing there was a food free group or place she could take her daughter to, as they have many allergies; some that are anaphylactic (ANA). The child has reactions through contact, and the mother is still nursing. She even went on an Elemental diet to continue nursing until her daughter began to react to the elemental diet as well.

As the mom was saying this across the room I was actively feeding my daughter strawberries and bananas. I felt horrible. Here she has no idea what her child is allergic to and she brings her for a day of fun outside the bubble of home, and there are several of us feeding our toddlers foods that could cause a severe allergic reaction to her daughter.

I heard little voices recounting some of the frustrations you have all expressed with the outside world not caring for the well-being of your children. My son does not have any ANA reactions, so it does not hit us like it does so many of you. So I am saying I am sorry to all of you out there when I or people like me have been insensitive to your children's severe food allergies.

Samm
Reprinted with Samm's permission


My response to her post:

Awww Samm,... thank you!!! I feel bad when others are around me and realize Andante cannot have something they are giving their children. It is an awkward situation, hopefully handled with some Grace. I believe from reading your words, you did just that.

I hate to impose my restrictions on others. I feel especially guilty, yet immensely grateful, when people do understand and try to accommodate us because it is an intrusion into their world (as well as ours) that no one should have to live with. In the same light, I also struggle with the parents’ who do not agree with having an allergen-free classroom. I understand them not wanting to deny their children; I totally get that. I don't want to have to do it to my children either. Yet, when it could threaten my son's life, I can only HOPE that they would show as much compassion and care as you did today.

Bless you! You are a treasure to those of us living with the most severe of food allergies.

TM


Sometimes it is just easier to stay home.


Seriously!

TinaMarie