A peanut allergy is not the end of the world!

Finding out my daughter had a peanut allergy at the age of 18 months was what I'll call just a real shocker. Actually I was quite devastated.  Before I could even process the information that was being given to me, all I could think about was all of the things she would never be able to have. I was heartbroken for her. I had read all the books that said to wait until a year old to introduce peanuts and I waited even longer but the facts were that I had a daughter that had a peanut allergy.

I had been giving my daughter peanut butter crackers and PBnJ sandwiches for about 2 months before any signs had popped up. One afternoon she was running around after lunch and I noticed a bump on her lip. I didn't think anything of it. She was teething and chewing on everything. I thought she may have bopped her lip on something, easily explainable. I never even gave it a second thought. A day or so later my husband fed her lunch while I was out. He called me to ask what my thoughts were on lunch for her, and I just riddled off a PBnJ. Easy enough and I knew she wouldn't fight lunch for him. Within a half an hour my husband is calling me back, “I think we have a problem. Our daughter has broken out in hives all over her mouth!” My husband is telling me he thinks she's allergic to peanut butter. I say no way, she loves peanut butter she's been eating it for months, no way she's fine! I asked where she was when he seen the hives, thinking to myself maybe she got into something else, only to find out she had been sitting in her high chair. I leave my husband with the famous words, “We'll discuss it when I get home!” As if there's anything to really discuss about an allergy like that. Not something I could have just willed away! But my daughter was breathing regularly and there were no other symptoms.

I get home as soon as I can. I burst through the front door. “Where is she at?” She's sitting in her highchair as happy as can be because momma just popped up from nowhere and she’s having a snack. Immediately I'm examining her face, I see no bumps no red marks nothing. I look at my husband and pull the ole you’re joking with me right? And as serious as he can be says no. I didn’t want to believe him. I wanted to give her more peanut butter just to see for myself. I wasn't willing to take his diagnosis. Thankfully my husband stopped me because the truth of the matter was that my daughter did have a peanut allergy and that exposure could have been the one to potentially send her to the hospital.

After an allergy test and meeting with an allergist we found out that each exposure can be different. What initially gave her a bump on her lip quickly became hives all over her mouth and who knows what another exposure could have been. I had a mountain of paperwork in my hand, a prescription for an epi pen and to be quite honest I was pissed. Not only had our lives been changed by becoming parents but now everything was going to change again. I look back now and think how selfish I was but I was scared. I just kept thinking of the things that she was going to miss out on, how much more difficult going to school was going to be for her, and what I felt like she was going to be cheated out of. Not to mention I was now going to have to read and check every single ingredient list for everything that was going to be bought or given to my daughter.

Having a child with any kind of an allergy can be difficult. You have to educate the people around you and educate your children. My daughter at 5 will come to me with anything that has been given to her to ask if it has peanuts in it. Something you could say we drilled into her was that you have this allergy, it can make you very sick, and you always need to come to an adult/mom/dad to find out if it has peanuts in it. You have to trust that the people who are around you are going to remember this when you visit or there is a birthday party or any kind of a gathering where food is involved. A food allergy is difficult but its manageable you just have to adjust your way of thinking about it. Not once has my daughter felt she's missed out on anything but school is just around the corner and with that brings holiday parties and much more that involves candy and food. But we're good and we'll handle whatever comes our way with a smile and a question. “Does that have peanuts in it?”

It's not for everybody, but it is for us!