Now We Carry An EpiPen

I really didn’t think my oldest son was allergic to anything.  In two months, he will be 4 years old, so it’s been awhile since I worried about introducing new foods to him.

A couple years ago, I had asked our doctor about allergies because sometimes he gets hives around his mouth {usually when saucy food runs down his chin.}  Our pediatrician said that many children get this type of reaction to highly acidic foods.

This past summer he broke out while eating canned chicken noodle and vegetable soup.  We washed his face and the hives went away.

Recently, he had the same soup.  And I didn’t even think about the last reaction until I heard my husband suddenly say, “Are you OK?”

I quickly looked over and my little boy’s face was red and covered with hives. And then he started coughing- a VERY hoarse cough, like I’ve never heard before.

{Insert panicked mom here!}  Could he breath? Should we call 911?

My reaction probably scared the C-R-A-P out of him.

My husband, who was much calmer than I was, had our son drink water and washed his face.  This all happened rather quickly and in just a short time, he was back to normal.

But in my mind, I was picturing his throat closing up with red bumps…just like the ones all over his face.  I was extremely worried.  I took a picture of the label on the soup can, just in case his doctor wanted to see it.

Our pediatrician referred us to an allergist. A blood test was done to see if he was allergic to any of the food protein ingredients that were in the soup.

The results: He is allergic to soy and peas.

I was told to get Benadryl to treat hives and an EpiPen prescription for the rare case of a severe reaction.  Now we wait and do another blood test in a year. Apparently, kids can outgrow allergies.

No peas, No Problem!  Who really likes peas anyways?

Then I went through my cupboards searching for soy.  It seems like soy {in some form} is in EVERYTHING.

That night, I hardly slept.  I stayed up reading website after website about soy allergies.   I found out that there are many different words to look for on labels which mean soy.  Soy is one of The Big-8 food allergens, so the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) requires soy to be listed as an ingredient on food labels {as well as the 7 other major allergens.}

I was confused and overwhelmed.  I called the allergist back for clarification about the soy allergy because many of the foods in my cupboard are labeled with soy oil or soy lecithin.  On some labels these are listed in bold as an allergen and sometimes they are not.

The advice from the allergist… “If it says soy, don’t give it to him.”

That sounds like simple and direct orders.  So why did it feel so confusing?

Because the paperwork from the Allergist states:

KEEP THE FOLLOWING IN MIND:  The FDA exempts highly refined soy bean oil from being labeled as an allergen.  Studies show most allergic individuals can safely eat soy oil that has been highly refined (not cold pressed, expeller pressed, or extruded soy bean oil). Most individuals allergic to soy can safely eat soy lecithin. Follow your doctor’s advice regarding ingredients.

Hmmm…was my son “most individuals?”  The doctor’s advice was “no soy.”  See my confusion?

I took both boys to Target to pick up the EpiPen.  WORST. Target. Trip. EVER. {Keep in mind…my husband was gone that week for work and I didn’t sleep much since I was up worrying and searching the internet.}

Here’s how it went: Waited in a long line at the pharmacy to hear “It’s not ready.” Browsed through the groceries reading labels.  My son asked, “Can we get this?” a million times.  And me, “No it has soy in it.”

Waited in line forever at the pharmacy again. Then they asked for our insurance card.  And had to call the insurance company.  Since we have a high deductible, they told me it was going to cost a small fortune for the medication.  Waited again for the pharmacist to print me a coupon to save some money. {Thank you pharmacist!}

A huge line formed behind us.  My 3 year old got very squirrely. I resorted to holding a flailing 41-pounder on my hip.  Then the baby started crying, all while the pharmacist tried to explain how to inject my son with an EpiPen in the event of a severe allergic reaction.

It was the kind words of a stranger {probably a mom herself}, “Can I help you?” that put me over the edge.

“No,” is all I got out before my eyes filled with tears.

The pharmacist handed me tissues and I couldn’t get out of there fast enough…but we had some groceries in the cart.  The college-age guy at the check-out must have thought I was a crazy person!  But I’m really just a mom…tired and worried sick about a little boy.

If you are an allergy mom, you know how overwhelming the diagnosis is at first.  If you become an allergy mom in the future, please know that you are not alone and reach out for support.

I asked Facebook friends if anyone else was dealing with a soy allergy.  I received several responses and it was such a relief to know of others who I can go to with questions.  Cooking from scratch was the biggest thing I took away from their messages.

A friend, who is also an allergy mom, invited me to join a Facebook group: Eastern Iowa Severe Food Allergies.  Just search for it on Facebook and you can join too, if you need support and information in dealing with severe food allergies.

A couple of helpful websites this group led me to are www.kidswithfoodallergies.org and www.foodallergy.org.

In the past couple months, it has gotten easier.  Reading labels is A MUST now. And we send special soy-free snacks to preschool.  I will do what ever it takes to protect my little guy and I don’t EVER want to have to use that EpiPen.

Moms: Do you have any children with allergies, if so, what are they allergic to? Do you have any advise or tips for parents who have newly diagnosed kids?