Allow me to introduce myself... I am Krystal, a mother of two little princesses, one of which is severely allergic to peanuts and all nuts. I am new to the "blogging world"... but I really want to connect with other moms of allergic children who may be feeling alone in this world full of peanuts.
We found out our 3 year old daughter, Aislynn was allergic to peanuts the hard way, when she had just turned 2. My husband and I had just gone grocery shopping and picked up some Reese peanut butter cups and he gave Aislynn a piece of one. Now, we had given her a PB&J sandwich a couple of months prior to this and she took one bite and wouldn't eat the rest. I had assumed since she had touched the sandwich and ate one bite that she definitely wasn't allergic to peanuts, since she had no reaction. But this time was different. Within 2 minutes she was coughing, so we looked back at her sitting in her car seat, and it looked to me like her eye was a little bit swollen. So I thought we'll look at it up close when we get home. By this point Aislynn had thrown the peanut butter cup on the floor in the car and stopped eating it (she must not have liked the taste or the smell..mother nature is smart!) By the time we pulled in the driveway almost 10 minutes later, she had hives all over her face. We quickly decided we were going to the hospital ASAP. On the way, she started vomiting and coughing. At the hospital they gave her a shot of Epinephrine immediately and it seemed all of a sudden there were about 10 nurses and 1 doctor in the hospital room. They told us that we got there just in time, as Aislynn's throat had already begun swelling shut. We left 6 hours later with an Epi-Pen and were told to avoid all peanuts and tree nuts, as anaphylaxis could occur. Our family doctor sent Aislynn for a blood test and the allergy was confirmed (even though it was very obvious).
Almost 2 years later we are still educating our families and friends about Aislynn's peanut allergy and reminding them to read every label on food packages. We still have to remind some that no, you can not eat peanuts around her, no you can't even touch her if you have eaten peanuts in the last few hours, and yes I need to read the SAME label that I read on the box at the grocery last week, as it is possible the ingredients can change!! And no we rarely eat out at restaurants as we don't like taking the risk of cross contamination or hidden ingredients in food. And YES I know I may seem plain "nuts" at times, and over protective of what my daughter eats, but it's all for keeping her safe. We do try and live as "normal" a life as possible for her, and it is getting easier as time goes on because this has become our lifestyle.
Some people just don't understand how serious a peanut allergy is. They think Aislynn will just develop a little rash. We wish that's all it was!!! Or they say, "Well she'll grow out of it, right?" Aislynn's blood test results came back as severely allergic and our family doctor says it is extremely unlikely that she will outgrow this allergy.
Aislynn starts junior kindergarten in September and I look forward to keeping you up to date with our fun and challenges throughout the summer and into her first school year. As well, we are hoping to have our youngest daughter, Ella tested for a peanut allergy.
Watch for more posts soon. :)
