Last September my daughter had an ear infection that resulted in a ruptured ear drum. We have since had hearing tests that showed a mild but recoverable hearing loss. Allergy tests where we discovered her allergies to cat, mold, tree pollen, dust mites and ragweed – which were treated with Claritin and Nasonex. Three weeks of antibiotics to treat the sinus infection and a CAT scan to make sure her adenoids were not infected. Over the months the hole did get smaller and I was optimistic that if we stayed the course, it would heal completely and we would not need to patch it.
Thursday we followed through with her ENT to see how it was progressing. Unfortunately the hole is still there and is going to require surgery to patch it. If we do not take care of the hole it could cause more infections and increased hearing loss. It is an outpatient surgery and is not invasive. She had tube put in when she was 1, so we know she can tolerate anesthesia. Kids are resilient so I am not too worried (yet.) One of the toughest things is that she can not play any sports or participate in PE for 4-6 weeks after. Since summer is approaching along with swim team, we have decided wait until August do have the surgery done.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Medic Alert Bracelet for Food Allergies
I have decided to get a Medic Alert bracelet for my boys with food allergies. I think it will help at the staff at their pre school to remember their allergies. I also worry that if we were to be in an accident Collin could be given something as innocent as a cracker, and end up having a reaction.
I have been scouring the internet in search for alternatives to the bulky chain bracelets. I guess the best bracelets I have found are the nylon bands with a metal buckle piece that slide on it. I am not sure I can fit all seven of his allergies on the metal along with our emergency contact information on that particular style.
Do any of you have medic alert bracelets for food allergies? Where did you get it and what information did you have printed on it?
I have been scouring the internet in search for alternatives to the bulky chain bracelets. I guess the best bracelets I have found are the nylon bands with a metal buckle piece that slide on it. I am not sure I can fit all seven of his allergies on the metal along with our emergency contact information on that particular style.
Do any of you have medic alert bracelets for food allergies? Where did you get it and what information did you have printed on it?
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Leaving Your Food Allergic Kids with a Sitter
Since my children have been diagnosed with food allergies I have only left them with two sitters. One was a trusted teacher from my daughter’s pre school, the other was our nanny. One sitter has moved away and the other is getting ready to start a family of her own, so they are no longer available. We do not have family in the immediate area; and finding childcare that we trust is difficult and stressful. I have to admit that my husband and I have not been out without the kids since last summer – yikes! There are some young teenagers in our area who do babysit. However, I feel that due to the severity of our allergies I would prefer a more mature sitter who could handle an emergency situation.
Now we have a situation where we have been invited to a wedding 4 hours away. My husband really wants to go, but I am having a hard time leaving my children over night. We have made arrangements for his Aunt and Uncle to come stay for the night. I feel like it is a huge responsibility for anyone to agree to take care of feeding our kids with all the allergies we have. I have a plan for organizing all the food and leaving detailed instructions, medical forms etc. I just hope it is enough to ease my mind so I can relax and perhaps have a little fun!
They visit us frequently and know our children very well. Our kids adore them and will have a blast while we are gone. I am very grateful that they have agreed to make the seven hour drive to stay with us. I guess it is hard to leave your kids with anyone else.
How do you all manage leaving your children with someone else?
Now we have a situation where we have been invited to a wedding 4 hours away. My husband really wants to go, but I am having a hard time leaving my children over night. We have made arrangements for his Aunt and Uncle to come stay for the night. I feel like it is a huge responsibility for anyone to agree to take care of feeding our kids with all the allergies we have. I have a plan for organizing all the food and leaving detailed instructions, medical forms etc. I just hope it is enough to ease my mind so I can relax and perhaps have a little fun!
They visit us frequently and know our children very well. Our kids adore them and will have a blast while we are gone. I am very grateful that they have agreed to make the seven hour drive to stay with us. I guess it is hard to leave your kids with anyone else.
How do you all manage leaving your children with someone else?
Friday, April 18, 2008
Are food allergic kids picky eaters?
I thought I had a picky eater when I had my daughter 6 yeas ago. Little did I know how picky a child could be until I had my 3rd. Collin would survive on milk alone if I let him. I guess that fact that he is allergic to so many foods does not help.
When he was first diagnosed with allergies to wheat, egg, sesame, nut, pea and banana I was a little overwhelmed. I found a handful of foods that were safe and stuck with them. Now, that I am more educated and can offer him different choices, he is not interested. In addition, he is getting tired of his current staples of chicken, grilled cheese and fish sticks. This leaves little else for him to eat. When a new food is introduced he softly says “no thank you” and pushes the food away. If I persist he replies, in his most forceful 2 year old way, “NOOOO!” In preparation for preschool in the fall I have been trying to teach Collin about his allergies. He points to certain things and says he is allergic. He knows if he eats it, he will get sick and have to go to the hospital. However, sometimes when I want him to try a new food, he will say “I allergic.” Great!
At first I tried not to worry too much. I hear stories of some toddlers only eating brown foods. I would feed him what I could, give him a multi vitamin and move on. He is a little smaller than my other 2, but has always met the benchmarks for development. On the days when he leaves the table without eating a bite, I tell myself that when he is hungry, he will eat. When he finally is hungry, he cries for milk. If I am lucky he will eat some cereal. I also recently introduced PediaSure, which he calls “bear milk.” I mix it with regular milk so he will not get used to drinking milk that is sweet. He likes it, and on days that his eating is poor I give him some and know that he is getting some added nutrients.
As you will come to know – sometimes I bend over backward to make something that the whole family will eat, and is safe for Collin. It usually backfires. It is either truly terrible, or the kids do not like it.
I am somewhat relieved that he does not try to take “unsafe” food from other people. My middle son was always grabbing food off of any plate he could reach. Could his picky habit be some sort of self defense mechanism?
I guess the question would be now that I have created this situation, how do I fix it? I am sure some of you have been there, so any feedback would be appreciated.
Oh Yeah – the reason I have a renewed urgency to get him to eat better stems from a recent episode of Jon and Kate Plus 8. She had a nutritionist come help her cook a meal. They cooked a very healthy meal full of vegetables. Every one of her 8 kids ate the food without complaining and even said they loved it! I love the show, but that really got to me. I am sure you will hear more on this topic later.
When he was first diagnosed with allergies to wheat, egg, sesame, nut, pea and banana I was a little overwhelmed. I found a handful of foods that were safe and stuck with them. Now, that I am more educated and can offer him different choices, he is not interested. In addition, he is getting tired of his current staples of chicken, grilled cheese and fish sticks. This leaves little else for him to eat. When a new food is introduced he softly says “no thank you” and pushes the food away. If I persist he replies, in his most forceful 2 year old way, “NOOOO!” In preparation for preschool in the fall I have been trying to teach Collin about his allergies. He points to certain things and says he is allergic. He knows if he eats it, he will get sick and have to go to the hospital. However, sometimes when I want him to try a new food, he will say “I allergic.” Great!
At first I tried not to worry too much. I hear stories of some toddlers only eating brown foods. I would feed him what I could, give him a multi vitamin and move on. He is a little smaller than my other 2, but has always met the benchmarks for development. On the days when he leaves the table without eating a bite, I tell myself that when he is hungry, he will eat. When he finally is hungry, he cries for milk. If I am lucky he will eat some cereal. I also recently introduced PediaSure, which he calls “bear milk.” I mix it with regular milk so he will not get used to drinking milk that is sweet. He likes it, and on days that his eating is poor I give him some and know that he is getting some added nutrients.
As you will come to know – sometimes I bend over backward to make something that the whole family will eat, and is safe for Collin. It usually backfires. It is either truly terrible, or the kids do not like it.
I am somewhat relieved that he does not try to take “unsafe” food from other people. My middle son was always grabbing food off of any plate he could reach. Could his picky habit be some sort of self defense mechanism?
I guess the question would be now that I have created this situation, how do I fix it? I am sure some of you have been there, so any feedback would be appreciated.
Oh Yeah – the reason I have a renewed urgency to get him to eat better stems from a recent episode of Jon and Kate Plus 8. She had a nutritionist come help her cook a meal. They cooked a very healthy meal full of vegetables. Every one of her 8 kids ate the food without complaining and even said they loved it! I love the show, but that really got to me. I am sure you will hear more on this topic later.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Cupcake Holder
Most of who have kids with food allergies will always need to take a “safe” cupcake to any birthday party we attend. I have found a great cupcake holder designed just for this purpose. This cupcake holder is available at The Container Store. If you do not have a store near you, it can be ordered online at http://www.thecontainerstore.com/ Check it out!!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Our Environmental Allergies
I do not want to be remiss in mentioning my daughter Katie who is 6. Last fall she suffered from a ruptured ear drum. It was also determined that she has some mild hearing loss as a result. (And I thought she just wasn’t listening!) During her evaluation the ENT also asked that we have her tested for allergies so see if that was contributing to her sinus and ear infections.
We found out that she is allergic to tree pollen, ragweed, dust mites, mold, and cats. We treated her infection with a 3 week course of antibiotics, and the allergies with Nasonex and Claritin. Her symptoms have really improved and the rupture is healing. There is a good chance that she will not need surgery to repair the rupture. We will find out for sure next week.
After Katie’s diagnosis I started to pay more attention to Ryan’s nasal symptoms. He was always scratching and rubbing his nose. I took him to be tested for environmental allergies. I also needed to have his peanut allergy re tested, as it had been over 2 years. He tested positive for allergies to cats, dust, tree pollen and ragweed. His peanut allergy is still considered to be high.
I have not had Collin tested for environmental allergies. I do suspect that he will develop them. Since spring started he tends to get a runny nose when we play outside for long periods of time. I guess we will find out at his next appointment.
We found out that she is allergic to tree pollen, ragweed, dust mites, mold, and cats. We treated her infection with a 3 week course of antibiotics, and the allergies with Nasonex and Claritin. Her symptoms have really improved and the rupture is healing. There is a good chance that she will not need surgery to repair the rupture. We will find out for sure next week.
After Katie’s diagnosis I started to pay more attention to Ryan’s nasal symptoms. He was always scratching and rubbing his nose. I took him to be tested for environmental allergies. I also needed to have his peanut allergy re tested, as it had been over 2 years. He tested positive for allergies to cats, dust, tree pollen and ragweed. His peanut allergy is still considered to be high.
I have not had Collin tested for environmental allergies. I do suspect that he will develop them. Since spring started he tends to get a runny nose when we play outside for long periods of time. I guess we will find out at his next appointment.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Time for New Epi Pens
I hope I am not jinxing myself by putting this in writing, but we have gone 1 year without an allergic reaction in our house! Last March we had a scary episode with my then 1 1/2 year old. We believe Collin ate a cracker or bread crumb off the floor when he started coughing, sneezing and fussing. He was not in distress, so I gave him Benadryl and took him straight to pediatrician’s office. He was doing pretty well, but it was hard to get any more oral medication in him because he was so fussy.
Shortly after taking steroids, they checked his vitals again. By this time he had calmed down and started to fall asleep in my lap, so I thought we were in the clear. When they checked his breathing it was compromised so the pediatrician said we would need to move to the trauma room, administer an Epi pen and call 911. Now, I have always loved my pediatrician, I am so grateful for her calm and efficient manner. She did give me the option to administer the Epi pen, but I preferred to watch her give it. Having seen the injection given by a doctor, I feel better if I ever have to do it myself.
Epinephrine is an amazing drug. Collin was mad, but otherwise fine by the time the EMT arrived. We went to the hospital where we were observed for 2 hours and released. It was difficult to keep Collin occupied, as he wanted to explore everything. Since we were there during meal time they did offer to bring some food for him to eat. I was a little surprised that they were not really prepared to deal with all his restrictions. We made do with applesauce and milk.
When all was said and done, he was and is fine. An experience like this brings on a multitude of feelings – guilt, anger, worry stress and exhaustion when is it all over. I was also left feeling very unsure on how to determine if Collin needed and Epi pen. His symptoms were not violent – no hives, no vomiting, he did not gasp for air like I had imagined he would. If I had not gone to the doctor I would have thought he was just sleepy from all the crying. I really began to doubt myself and my ability to asses his allergic reaction. I have done a lot of research into what anaphylaxis looks like, which I will write about later. I just know that I have to be vigilant at all times. Navigating the food allergy world is rather daunting. Hopefully others will contribute to these stories and you will find that what I have to contribute is useful. For now I am going to re order some new Epi pens.
Shortly after taking steroids, they checked his vitals again. By this time he had calmed down and started to fall asleep in my lap, so I thought we were in the clear. When they checked his breathing it was compromised so the pediatrician said we would need to move to the trauma room, administer an Epi pen and call 911. Now, I have always loved my pediatrician, I am so grateful for her calm and efficient manner. She did give me the option to administer the Epi pen, but I preferred to watch her give it. Having seen the injection given by a doctor, I feel better if I ever have to do it myself.
Epinephrine is an amazing drug. Collin was mad, but otherwise fine by the time the EMT arrived. We went to the hospital where we were observed for 2 hours and released. It was difficult to keep Collin occupied, as he wanted to explore everything. Since we were there during meal time they did offer to bring some food for him to eat. I was a little surprised that they were not really prepared to deal with all his restrictions. We made do with applesauce and milk.
When all was said and done, he was and is fine. An experience like this brings on a multitude of feelings – guilt, anger, worry stress and exhaustion when is it all over. I was also left feeling very unsure on how to determine if Collin needed and Epi pen. His symptoms were not violent – no hives, no vomiting, he did not gasp for air like I had imagined he would. If I had not gone to the doctor I would have thought he was just sleepy from all the crying. I really began to doubt myself and my ability to asses his allergic reaction. I have done a lot of research into what anaphylaxis looks like, which I will write about later. I just know that I have to be vigilant at all times. Navigating the food allergy world is rather daunting. Hopefully others will contribute to these stories and you will find that what I have to contribute is useful. For now I am going to re order some new Epi pens.
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