Peanut Monsters on Halloween

Halloween this year turned out to be much more eventful than we planned.  With the boys allergies, we always cash-out their candy at our dentist’s office and then they use the money at the dollar store or for something they’ve been saving for.  I also give them some safe allergen-free candy which I have here.  However, they still like to dump out their stash and look at the pieces and count them.  My husband has a few favorites from their candy which he keeps and takes to work, so we use this time to sort out the candy for him as well.

My youngest son and I were alone in the living room and we had my husband’s candy sorted out.  I walked into the kitchen to get a ziplock bag.  When I came back into the living room I noticed my son was missing, and thought it was strange.  Just then he rounded the corner with a bit of a mischievous look on his face. I asked him to open his mouth and was dismayed to find a piece of candy in his mouth.  I fished it out and became alarmed to discover that it was a SNICKERS bar!!  Not a good thing for a boy with a severe peanut allergy! 

I immediately washed his mouth out in the bathroom.  He was complaining that his tongue was itchy, so I gave him a dose of Benadryl.  Then I watched him, not much was happening, so I thought we had it under control.  Over the course of about five minutes his back was itching a little.  I took his shirt off, he developed a few hives, but nothing serious.  A couple of minutes later his voice started getting a little hoarse.  I started to wonder if the Benadryl was going to be enough.  I began some tapping on acupressure points to help slow the reaction in his body.  A couple of minutes later he started coughing.  This was alarming, although he had been coughing for a few weeks (from a cold), so still not as alarming as it should have been.

I decided that the epi-pen might be in order so I went to get it.  I got back to him and all of a sudden he threw up, twice!  Now I’m starting to panic, it’s been about 10-12 minutes since we gave Benadryl, and about 15 minutes since he ingested part of the snickers bar.  I knew I need to give the epi-pen, but am a bit nervous about this as well.  What if I inject it in the wrong spot?  What if I don’t hold it in his leg long enough and the medicine doesn’t get in his system?  What if he has a reaction to the epinephrine?  What if it doesn’t work and my baby dies??  A million thoughts are running through my mind.

I take off his pants, position him on my lap and inject the epi-pen in his thigh.  He cries while I pray.  Within a couple of minutes all of his symptoms start to reverse and he relaxes completely in my arms. 

I clean him up (from the throwing-up), place him in his Daddy’s arms as he is now falling asleep from the Benadryl and probably the epinephrine as well.  Now my next task is what to do next…this is after all the first time having to use the epi-pen.  I knew that I needed to seek medical care, but wasn’t sure if I should call 9-1-1 or just take him to the ER.  A quick search on the internet informs me that the epi-pen can wear off within 20 minutes.  I place a quick call to the after-hours care at his pediatrician’s office, leaving my cell phone # as a call back and head to the ER with my son.  Thankfully my pediatrician calls me back right as I pull into the parking lot.  She felt that since I had given him both benadryl and the epi-pen that it would be okay if we forego the ER trip and just monitor him carefully at home.  She suggested he sleep in my bed and if ANY symptoms reappear to immediately call 9-1-1 or go straight to the ER.

I brought him home and put him in bed.  I then did some additional research on anaphylactic reactions.  I learned that up to 20% of people have a biphasic reaction (or a second reaction) that can be mild, equal, or more severe than the first reaction.  It often occurs within 4-6 hours after the first reaction, but can occur up to 24 hours after the first reaction.

I stayed up until 4 hours after the incident, then crawled into bed with him by my side.  About 45 minutes after I went to bed, he woke up coughing & threw up.  I thought, “Oh no, he’s having a second reaction.”  I flew out of bed to prepare to take him to the ER.  He immediately fell right back to sleep.  I cleaned him up again (from the throwing-up) and then woke him up to assess him.  He was not coughing, his voice was not hoarse, he had no hives and was breathing fine.  I decided not to rush him to the hospital, but closely monitor him for awhile.  He had no further problems.

Monday, after school, we rushed to the dentists office as soon as possible to sell back our remaining Halloween candy.  We have a peanut-free home, and I felt so much better to restore it back to its peanut- free status.  While this was a frightening experience, I learned much.  I will now no longer fear giving the epi-pen.  I have a much better idea of how to train those who have my son in their care for symptom identification and treatment.  I hope my son has learned from this experience.  Needless to say….I’m already fearing next Halloween….not for the ghosts & goblins, but for the horrible “peanut monsters” that lurk behind every doorbell.

Natural Cleaning Solutions

Okay ~ so you're eating a pure, healthy allergen-free diet. But what are you cleaning your house with? Chemical cleaners leave toxic fumes in your home and can contribute to poor health. Try these tried & true cleaning solutions, not only do they work great but they smell great too!

All Purpose Cleaner (Mix in a spray bottle)
1 cup vinegar

1/8 cup dish soap (1 oz.)

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup water

Glass Cleaner (Mix in a spray bottle)

1/2 tsp. dish soap

3 Tbsp. vinegar

2 cups water

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Sprinkle baking soda in the toilet bowl, pour a generous amount of vinegar in toilet bowl
Scour with a brush & flush

Laundry
Replace fabric softener with ½ cup vinegar added to each load’s rinse cycle.
Adding ½ cup of baking soda to laundry helps naturally whiten them and deodorize them.

Furniture Polish
Mix well 1 ½ cups olive oil, with ½ cup of vinegar. Apply to furniture with a soft cloth.

Oven Cleaner
· Dampen the oven surface by sprinkling with water.
· Rub with a very fine steel wool pad using baking soda as an abrasive paste
· Wipe away residue with a sponge, rinse with a damp cloth and let dry before using oven.

Drain Cleaner
· First use a plunger or plumber’s snake
· Slow drains can be improved by pouring one cup of baking soda down the drain followed by one cup of vinegar. Cover if you can and let stand for five minutes to let this mixture foam-up. This mixture works by breaking down fat & allowing the clog to be washed down the drain. After five minutes was away remaining clog with very hot water.

Mineral & Lime Remover
Soak a cloth in vinegar and wrap around a faucet for an hour to remove buildup.

Mold Killer (Mix in spray bottle, use on moldy places)
2 tsp. tea tree oil
2 cups water

Why we love our food allergies!

If you or any members of your family have food allergies/sensitivities then you may think this is a crazy title for a blog post. However, I am a firm believer that when you receive blessings you should acknowledge them. Our journey which started 3 1/2 years ago has been a challenge, but has ultimately been a major blessing and growing experience for us.

I feel that we have been extremely blessed in at least the three following ways:

1. I have learned an incredible amount of information about food allergies and good nutrition, as well as just a lot about the human body. It has been such a thrill to learn these things, and I have found it very easy to retain the information.
2. My children eat so healthy now. They love healthy food. Sometimes I'm secretely glad that I can hide behind the food allergy label when my children are offered things that are full of junk, because rather than offending people I can politely say "no thank you, my children have food allergies."
3. I have been inspired to take this experience and the knowledge I have gained to get formal education & training. I recently opened a new business here in Texas dedicated to helping people with nutrition, food allergies and other health issues. It is such a blessing to be able to help other people in their journey of life as well.

So as you can see, while this is a challenge on one hand, it is a huge blessing on the other.

On My Bookshelf

What books/publications have helped us most during our journey? Here are some of my favorites.

The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook by Cybelle Pascal

• All recipes are free of wheat, milk, eggs, soy, peanuts, treenuts, fish, & shellfish. Unfortunately, the recipes are NOT gluten-free. But I've managed to convert them fairly easily to gluten free. She also has a lot of great tips for reducing sugars.

Living Without: bi-montly publication

• I always look forward to the release of this magazine! The recipes are predominantly dairy/gluten free. They also have great articles relation to food allergies & sensitivities. Check it out at http://www.livingwithout.com/.

The Food Allergy Cure by Dr. Ellen Cutler

• Written by the founder of BioSET. A fascinating book identifying some of the alternative approaches to coping with food allergies. It also identifies common ailments and complex disorders and their origins in food.
  
  

Micromiracles by Dr. Ellen Cutler

• A fabulous book identifying the powerful effects of enzymes. It details how enzymes can benefit us by fighting inflammation, slowing aging, accelerating weight loss, renewing our energy, combating depression, dealing with digestive problems, and other ailments plaguing us today.
  
  
  
  

Enzymes for Autism and other Neurological Conditions by Karen DeFelice.

• Digestive enzymes have been a very key part of the management of our food allergies. I love this book because it is an excellent no-nonsense book written by a mother of two sons who suffered from gastrointestinal problems and neurological challenges. She gives excellent descriptions of the elements at play with digestive disorders and enzymes and how they can help. She gives a fantastic analogy of six blind men and an elephant, which for me was a clear description of how doctors tend to view these conditions. We as our children's advocate are responsible for piecing together the six blind men (doctors) interpretations and declaring our "elephant".

Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma and Allergies by Dr. Kenneth Bock

• I can't say enough good about this book. It is fantastic. Look at this data identified by Dr. Bock. Do you realize that Allergies have increased 400% in the past 20 years? Autism now affects every 1 in 150-166 births, an increase of 1500% - 6000%. ADHD has increased 400%. Asthma has increased 300%, and ashtma deaths have increased 56%. This book explores some of the root underlying causes of these increases and identifies a "healing program" to help undo some of the damage which so many kids have sustained.

Birthday Parties?

When your child has food allergies it can be awkward being invited to birthday parties. Most of our friends are already aware of our allergies, however I always call to find out what they plan to serve and I bring our safe alternatives with us.

To make life easier, I always bake a full cake mix into cupcakes (we like Namaste vanilla or spice cake). I then freeze the cupcakes, unfrosted, in groups of three. The day before the party I defrost the cupcakes and freshly ice them. Here's our favorite icing recipe:

1/2 cup palm oil shortening (we like Spectrum)
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. rice milk

Mix with a beater until well blended and creamy. We keep ours in the fridge and it will store well for several weeks. Because we avoid artificial colors, we leave our frosting white. However, we do use India Tree naturally colored sugar sprinkles.

We also trade our kids for the candy they receive in the goody bags from the party (also for Halloween and Valentine's Day). We either trade for naturally colored/flavored Yummy Earth candy, or money to visit the dollar store or football/baseball cards. Now get out there and have fun at all those birthday parties!