Confessions of a mom about food allergies
No filters, No coating, No holding back, Honest Real stories
No filters, No coating, No holding back, Honest Real stories
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No one will ever be able to take better care
of my child's food allergies than me.
by: mom
of my child's food allergies than me.
by: mom
Not so long ago most doctors didn't know much about
food allergies, and the term for a severe reaction no
one could even spell it...but it sounded something like
"analfilashctid" allergies.
Analfilashtid?
Honestly....at first it sounded like I had to buy a lot of
diapers....because the baby was going to have a lot of
diarrhea....
The minute I got out of the doctors office I
KNEW...I FELT IT.... This is not a common thing....
In an era when no one could really help you learn what
you needed to do to keep your child safe if he had
celiac or food allergies.... "Mothers instinct and asking
God to guide me through this unfamiliar journey was
the only available choice"
Information and Internet: In the 1990's Internet
was in it's infant stages...the ".com era" was barely
starting. Access to information via a computer to
medical research papers about food allergies was a
simple NOOOOOOO ---- Bloggers, Tweeter,
Facebook, Instagram..... Weren't around yet.
So what can a food allergy mom do when
information about allergies and Internet makes
you wonder if it's a real thing or you are just
sleep walking?
You wake up! Take manners into your own hands.
Even if the pediatrician assure you that your child
doesn't have food allergies if you thing the contrary,
go back and tell him/her. If that doctor doesn't
believe you then find an allergist.
Don't blame the doctor
Symptoms of food allergies are so different that many
doctors continue to overlook the signs of food
allergies. Doctors are human and many will make
mistakes, others just don't have enough time to
carefully examine each child.
Next--- big PUNCH/////
Having a child with any kind of food allergy means
that the parents need to become a non stop fast
moving "human search engine" . Read all labels,
keep journal of everything they eat and touch. Take
pictures of every skin rash or hives. Research,
research, and more research.
What Works Best?
Trust your instincts because those of us that have
been there, know that every minute you don't spend
doing something related to food allergies--- you
were/are most likely putting your child's life at risk.
You will never be able to stop looking!
Worrying!!!
Now that I look back, our child's life was at risk every
second... Thank you God for guiding us and showering
our child with "health" Gracias Dios por tus
bendiciones.
How could I trust anyone when no doctor could
figure out what was making my child so sick.
I knew my child had food allergies...but what was
causing all these skin rashes, and weird coughs?
Why Mother's Instincts are Real
Every specialist we went to gave a different diagnosis
and a handful of prescriptions.
Why so many medications? Two Dr's said that my
child had asthma. So I got all the
"equipment"====nebulizer's...tubes...salin
solutions... Asthma medications. They were really not
working and I truly believed that doctors were wrong
and he didn't have asthma. "You are on denial" was all
I heard when I shared my thoughts about his health.
I had to lie to get an appointment with an asthma
specialist who confirmed what I always knew,
that my child had food allergies and no asthma:
To get an appointment with a Dr who was an asthma
specialist at a medical research university, I had to say
that my son had really bad asthma and that I would
bring copy of his records. When I got there and they
asked about his medical history, I acted like I knew
nothing and told them that he had no medical records
because his doctor had left the country. When the
doctor started asking me questions, I lied again, I told
him that I wasn't really sure if my child had asthma
because no doctor had ever checked him for it. I also
had to bribe my child with a visit to Toys R' us so he
wouldn't tell them that I was lying.
Did I really need to lie? I wanted my child to be
seen by a doctor who was also a medical professor
and a specialist in Children Asthma and I didn't want
him to be influenced by anyone's else opinion. After
spending more than three hours in this research
facility, the doctor concluded that my child didn't had
asthma. I was quite happy. The funny thing was that
doctors used to tell me that I has on denial and that
my son had asthma, and this last one said that I
needed to "relax" and to stop trying to be a doctor.
So was I on denial and too relax or was I too
hysterical and needed relax?
No one really understands the severity of living with
food allergies until you have to do so. No matter how
much educational efforts are been implemented most
people still believe that food allergic reactions are just
a simple rash, an itch, or just diarrhea and vomiting,
No matter what you do to educate those close to you
about food allergies, most believe that moms like me
are just obsessed and over dramatic when it comes to
our kids. It's not easy to be a mom when no one
seems to believe that accidental ingestion of a small
piece of food could cause an anaphylaxis life
threatening reaction.
What most moms do but won't tell.
I never trusted anyone to feed my child. No one could
take better care of my child than me. During several
Food Allergy Teen Summits I had the pleasure of
meeting other moms that also felt as I do. After
spending several days during the past few years with
them and seeing everything they do and how they
always have their antennas high, watching their kids, I
can shout out....No one can take better care of a child
with food allergies than their own Mom.
food allergies, and the term for a severe reaction no
one could even spell it...but it sounded something like
"analfilashctid" allergies.
Analfilashtid?
Honestly....at first it sounded like I had to buy a lot of
diapers....because the baby was going to have a lot of
diarrhea....
The minute I got out of the doctors office I
KNEW...I FELT IT.... This is not a common thing....
In an era when no one could really help you learn what
you needed to do to keep your child safe if he had
celiac or food allergies.... "Mothers instinct and asking
God to guide me through this unfamiliar journey was
the only available choice"
Information and Internet: In the 1990's Internet
was in it's infant stages...the ".com era" was barely
starting. Access to information via a computer to
medical research papers about food allergies was a
simple NOOOOOOO ---- Bloggers, Tweeter,
Facebook, Instagram..... Weren't around yet.
So what can a food allergy mom do when
information about allergies and Internet makes
you wonder if it's a real thing or you are just
sleep walking?
You wake up! Take manners into your own hands.
Even if the pediatrician assure you that your child
doesn't have food allergies if you thing the contrary,
go back and tell him/her. If that doctor doesn't
believe you then find an allergist.
Don't blame the doctor
Symptoms of food allergies are so different that many
doctors continue to overlook the signs of food
allergies. Doctors are human and many will make
mistakes, others just don't have enough time to
carefully examine each child.
Next--- big PUNCH/////
Having a child with any kind of food allergy means
that the parents need to become a non stop fast
moving "human search engine" . Read all labels,
keep journal of everything they eat and touch. Take
pictures of every skin rash or hives. Research,
research, and more research.
What Works Best?
Trust your instincts because those of us that have
been there, know that every minute you don't spend
doing something related to food allergies--- you
were/are most likely putting your child's life at risk.
You will never be able to stop looking!
Worrying!!!
Now that I look back, our child's life was at risk every
second... Thank you God for guiding us and showering
our child with "health" Gracias Dios por tus
bendiciones.
How could I trust anyone when no doctor could
figure out what was making my child so sick.
I knew my child had food allergies...but what was
causing all these skin rashes, and weird coughs?
Why Mother's Instincts are Real
Every specialist we went to gave a different diagnosis
and a handful of prescriptions.
Why so many medications? Two Dr's said that my
child had asthma. So I got all the
"equipment"====nebulizer's...tubes...salin
solutions... Asthma medications. They were really not
working and I truly believed that doctors were wrong
and he didn't have asthma. "You are on denial" was all
I heard when I shared my thoughts about his health.
I had to lie to get an appointment with an asthma
specialist who confirmed what I always knew,
that my child had food allergies and no asthma:
To get an appointment with a Dr who was an asthma
specialist at a medical research university, I had to say
that my son had really bad asthma and that I would
bring copy of his records. When I got there and they
asked about his medical history, I acted like I knew
nothing and told them that he had no medical records
because his doctor had left the country. When the
doctor started asking me questions, I lied again, I told
him that I wasn't really sure if my child had asthma
because no doctor had ever checked him for it. I also
had to bribe my child with a visit to Toys R' us so he
wouldn't tell them that I was lying.
Did I really need to lie? I wanted my child to be
seen by a doctor who was also a medical professor
and a specialist in Children Asthma and I didn't want
him to be influenced by anyone's else opinion. After
spending more than three hours in this research
facility, the doctor concluded that my child didn't had
asthma. I was quite happy. The funny thing was that
doctors used to tell me that I has on denial and that
my son had asthma, and this last one said that I
needed to "relax" and to stop trying to be a doctor.
So was I on denial and too relax or was I too
hysterical and needed relax?
No one really understands the severity of living with
food allergies until you have to do so. No matter how
much educational efforts are been implemented most
people still believe that food allergic reactions are just
a simple rash, an itch, or just diarrhea and vomiting,
No matter what you do to educate those close to you
about food allergies, most believe that moms like me
are just obsessed and over dramatic when it comes to
our kids. It's not easy to be a mom when no one
seems to believe that accidental ingestion of a small
piece of food could cause an anaphylaxis life
threatening reaction.
What most moms do but won't tell.
I never trusted anyone to feed my child. No one could
take better care of my child than me. During several
Food Allergy Teen Summits I had the pleasure of
meeting other moms that also felt as I do. After
spending several days during the past few years with
them and seeing everything they do and how they
always have their antennas high, watching their kids, I
can shout out....No one can take better care of a child
with food allergies than their own Mom.
| If a child refuses to carry his Epipen is the parents fault |
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Help kids create the habit
of not leaving the house
medications. Make it a
rule that can't be broken.
Help them make carrying
their epi's a daily routine.
of not leaving the house
medications. Make it a
rule that can't be broken.
Help them make carrying
their epi's a daily routine.
