I was herding my bouncing, exuberant kids out of the allergist office when another mother stopped me in the lobby. She was there with her beautiful daughter, probably around 10 years old, looking forward to an hour of skin pricks and blood tests.
"Do you know how lucky you are?" she asked. It wasn't a frivolous question, tossed lightly in the air. There was real feeling and urgency behind it.
My voice cracked with emotion when I answered, "I do."
Only one in ten kids outgrows a nut allergies. Adelaide beat the odds.
Lucky. Blessed beyond measure. Today, a huge burden was lifted from our shoulders.
There are the small things, like being able to eat out, enjoy more social events and not having to buy special brands of food. Fewer eye rolls from people that can't be bothered.
And, then there are the big ones.... like sending Adelaide off to kindergarten without worrying that she'll come home feeling isolated and bullied as she spends lunches alone at the peanut-free table. Or worse, that she might not come home at all.
Every year we made the trip to the allergist office, and every year we heard the same thing. Eleanor was improving. Each visit her IgE antibody level dropped a little bit more and a little bit more. Adelaide stayed the same, time after time... until this year.
Two weeks ago, we went in for their blood work and got a shock. Adelaide's IgE antibody levels had dropped dramatically. They were low. Really, really low. So low, her doctor thought, her body may have overcome the allergy.
Allergy blood tests are a tricky thing. They are an indicator as to how likely you are to be allergic in general. A high score means, yes - you are allergic. A low score means, you may or may not be allergic. A zero means no allergy. A low score doesn't mean you have less severe reactions. There is no test that can predict how serious your reaction will be. Nut allergies are particularly dangerous, and kids with low scores have the same life-threatening reactions the kids with high scores do.
You'd think, with all our modern technology, there would be a more sophisticated way to test to see if an allergy has really resolved. But, the only way to test it is to feed the person what they are allergic to and watch to see what happens.
Based on the statistics, with Adelaide's score, the likelihood of still having the allergy was 50/50. So in we went, Adelaide with her peanut butter and Eleanor with her scrambled eggs. Over a period of several hours, the kids were fed incremental amounts while nurses and doctors waited in the wings, monitoring heart rates, looking for rashes, ready with EpiPens if needed.
We can't even begin to say how proud we are of Adelaide. Putting that peanut butter in her mouth was the bravest thing she ever did.
She still remembers the feeling of her tongue and lips swelling because of a cookie. Rocking in Mom's arms while she wheezed and gasped for breath because of a pretzel. Breaking into horrible, itchy rashes because someone on the school playground forgot to wash their hands. She knew what peanuts could do, what they had done. And, we didn't lie to her. She knew there was a chance that she'd have another reaction today.
How overwhelming was our relief and joy when nothing happened. No swelling, no wheezing, no rash, no heart palpitations, no vomiting. Just a smile and a hug.
We're also so proud of Eleanor. Her risks were minimal, and she passed her test. But, more importantly, she was a cheerful force throughout an anxious morning. Hugging her sister, celebrating their shared achievement, and diving head-first into the treasure chest when the long appointment was through.
While this feels like a huge burden off our shoulders, and we are still rejoicing in the new, safer world our kids will enjoy with freedom from food allergies, we aren't soon to forget the challenges and fears this trial brought. And, Melinda intends to continue to be a thorn in the side of stubborn PTA parents that favor bake sales and PB&J in the cafeteria. Children are too precious to risk over a sandwich.
"Do you know how lucky you are?" she asked. It wasn't a frivolous question, tossed lightly in the air. There was real feeling and urgency behind it.
My voice cracked with emotion when I answered, "I do."
Only one in ten kids outgrows a nut allergies. Adelaide beat the odds.
This kid is a rock star.
This one too!
There are the small things, like being able to eat out, enjoy more social events and not having to buy special brands of food. Fewer eye rolls from people that can't be bothered.
And, then there are the big ones.... like sending Adelaide off to kindergarten without worrying that she'll come home feeling isolated and bullied as she spends lunches alone at the peanut-free table. Or worse, that she might not come home at all.
Every year we made the trip to the allergist office, and every year we heard the same thing. Eleanor was improving. Each visit her IgE antibody level dropped a little bit more and a little bit more. Adelaide stayed the same, time after time... until this year.
Two weeks ago, we went in for their blood work and got a shock. Adelaide's IgE antibody levels had dropped dramatically. They were low. Really, really low. So low, her doctor thought, her body may have overcome the allergy.
Allergy blood tests are a tricky thing. They are an indicator as to how likely you are to be allergic in general. A high score means, yes - you are allergic. A low score means, you may or may not be allergic. A zero means no allergy. A low score doesn't mean you have less severe reactions. There is no test that can predict how serious your reaction will be. Nut allergies are particularly dangerous, and kids with low scores have the same life-threatening reactions the kids with high scores do.
You'd think, with all our modern technology, there would be a more sophisticated way to test to see if an allergy has really resolved. But, the only way to test it is to feed the person what they are allergic to and watch to see what happens.
Based on the statistics, with Adelaide's score, the likelihood of still having the allergy was 50/50. So in we went, Adelaide with her peanut butter and Eleanor with her scrambled eggs. Over a period of several hours, the kids were fed incremental amounts while nurses and doctors waited in the wings, monitoring heart rates, looking for rashes, ready with EpiPens if needed.
We can't even begin to say how proud we are of Adelaide. Putting that peanut butter in her mouth was the bravest thing she ever did.
She still remembers the feeling of her tongue and lips swelling because of a cookie. Rocking in Mom's arms while she wheezed and gasped for breath because of a pretzel. Breaking into horrible, itchy rashes because someone on the school playground forgot to wash their hands. She knew what peanuts could do, what they had done. And, we didn't lie to her. She knew there was a chance that she'd have another reaction today.
How overwhelming was our relief and joy when nothing happened. No swelling, no wheezing, no rash, no heart palpitations, no vomiting. Just a smile and a hug.
We're also so proud of Eleanor. Her risks were minimal, and she passed her test. But, more importantly, she was a cheerful force throughout an anxious morning. Hugging her sister, celebrating their shared achievement, and diving head-first into the treasure chest when the long appointment was through.
While this feels like a huge burden off our shoulders, and we are still rejoicing in the new, safer world our kids will enjoy with freedom from food allergies, we aren't soon to forget the challenges and fears this trial brought. And, Melinda intends to continue to be a thorn in the side of stubborn PTA parents that favor bake sales and PB&J in the cafeteria. Children are too precious to risk over a sandwich.
HOORAY!!!!
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