Nuts

About a week ago, Max stole Alex's PB&J sandwich and ate a little bit of it.  I noticed, after I'd wiped the mess off his face, his skin was all red and splotchy.  I figured it was either from having been outside and maybe having a bit of hay fever or even just from me rubbing the PB&J off his face a little too aggressively.  Being the nervous mother I am, I watched him closely the rest of the afternoon, I googled "Peanut allergy" and watched him for any other signs.  There were none. 

Yesterday Alex was eating a peanut butter sandwich (no jelly) and he gave a little chunk of it to Max.  I wasn't too nervous about it because he'd clearly survivied his first peanut butter experience.  But maybe 30 seconds later he started coughing.  I turned around to look at him and his mouth and chin looked as thought he'd been attacked by a swarm of mosquitos. Hives were spreading all over his face and his eyes were puffy and watering.  His nose was just pouring boogers.  I watched him for a couple of minutes, I thought maybe he'd rubbed crumbs in his eyes or something.  When his lips started swelling I started to panic.  Do I call 911?  Should I call his doctor?  He seemed to still be breathing ok and his lips, while puffy, were still pink, not blue, so I called the nurse at his pediatrician's office and she advised us to get in the car immediately and come into the office.

Thank goodness I had the car!

When we got to the office, the nurse was waiting for us out front and she took us right in to a room and started taking Max's vitals.  She noticed he was retracting with his breathing, which is what happens to Alex when he's having an asthma attack.  It means he's having to work harder to get air into his lungs and you can see it when the skin between the ribs and around the neck sink in with each breath.

He was still getting plenty of oxegyn it seemed, they didn't feel the need to give him anything.  The doctor who wears the funny shoes (He's my 4th choice of all the Pediatrician's in the practice, they're all great, but since we came in w/out an appointment, we didn't get to choose the dr who saw us.) came in to look at him and now Max was getting little bug bite looking hives on his chest, belly and arms which the doctor said was a systemic reaction, meaning that he did injest the peanut butter.  He thought the swollen watery eyes and redness of his face was from Max rubbing the peanut butter around on his skin, which he had done. 

"Well, he's allergic to peanuts" The doctor told me. I supressed the urge to say "Gee, ya think?" and instead asked him some basic questions about what he should avoid contact with from now on, since all I know about peanut allergies is from that episode of Arthur when Binky finds out he's allergic to peanuts. He told me the basics, peanuts and peanut butter, obvoiusly.  But also other nuts and legumes (and I asked about beans and peas which he said were fine, so I'm not sure what other legumes other than nuts I'm supposed to be avoiding), candies and cereals packaged or processed in plants that also package and process nuts.  He advised me to read labels carefully and avoid anything made with peanut oil and that also means no eating at Chinese Resturaunts unless they specifically cater to people with peanut allergies (which means cooking in separate pans, etc.).

I'm also to put some peanut butter on his arm sometime next week (not sure why next week and not today, but whatever, I'm not too excited to get PB anywhere near him again any time soon anyway) and see if he has a skin reaction, if so, the doctor wants us to keep an epipen on us at all times.

"Oh, and I'm going to give you a prescription for Amoxicillin for those ears, they're infected".  I just stared at him.  "Are you kidding me?"  I ask him.  This would be infection number five since February and we were just in last week to check his ears and they were fine.  He was not kidding. 

"Has he been fussy?" the doctor asks. 
"Well yea, he's always fussy.  And he's teething." 
"Has he been pulling on his ears?"
"Well yea, but he's teething."
"Has he been sleeping well?"
I couldn't help laughing at that.  Ha.  Sleeping well.  HA!
"Why didn't you bring him in?"
"He didn't have a fever and we were just in last week and they were fine."
"Well, they're not fine."
"They never are."
"He needs tubes."
"I know."
"Here's a referral to an ENT."

I've been a wreck ever since.  It's like this doctor visit was the last straw for me.  I'm out of my mind worried about this allergy.  I got up this morning and threw out everything that was peanut related or may at some point touched a peanut.  It was a lot of stuff.  Cereals and cookies and some of the few foods my picky boys will eat.  When you add that to the long list of dairy foods I've been eliminating from Max's diet to try to get rid of his diarreha (which will just come back again thanks to the antibiotic), we're left with barely anything for him to eat! 

I've been just a puddle of pathetic sobs all morning.  I cried the entire time I was making John's breakfast because I had no idea what I could give Max for breakfast this morning.  I cried while I took the boys to the grocery store to find something, ANYTHING ok to have at our house that won't KILL MY BABY!  I cried when I spent too much and worried John would get mad.  I cried about how I have to worry about everything he eats from now on.  I cried about how he'll have to be that weird kid at school who has to always have a packed lunch from home.  I cried about how I'll always worry when he eats or sleeps over at a friend's house because they could have PEANUT BUTTER THERE!  NOOOO!!  I cried about how he'll never just get to eat a candybar.  I cried about how he'll never know the yumminess of a peanut butter cookie.  I cried about how he may someday have a rebelious streak and eat a peanut M&M and I won't be there with my epipen and he'll die, HE'LL DIE!!!! I cried about how I thought it felt impossible to keep my kids safe in the big scary world before and now that big scary world is infested with killer peanuts!

And then I'd calm down.

And then Max would cry and pull his ear and I'd start crying again because he's got another ear infection and why does his life have to be filled with so many things that suck?  Why can't he just be well and happy and not have to keep taking all these medications that make his tummy hurt?  Why can't it just be easy?  Why are my kids always sick?  Why do my kids have to deal with allergies and eczema and asthma?  It's not fair! WAHHHH!

Believe me, I know I'm overreacting.  My kids ARE healthy.  There's just a couple of annoying things in their lives that suck, but they're manageable, preventable, and they'll be just fine.  But, I seem to be having a breakdown about it all the same.

Comments

[Tracie]

One of my nieces has several food allergies. I'll check with my sister for some ideas for you. They've learned to deal with it pretty well. Another niece had tubes, and they ended up being a really good thing, and not that hard to manage. And the procedures to put them in and remove them only take a few minutes.

[Scott and Sara]

Oh Jamie, I am so sorry. I can't imagine the worry. I would be having an ulcer right now if it were me!
Good luck on getting him tested, and that it's not what you think.
Good luck with the ENT and getting those tubes in ASAP. Have you thought of doing the 3 day injections for his antibiotics? Maybe that won't make him uncomfortable?
Hang in there...maybe after all this is over..tubes and all..he will feel PERFECT and sleep like an angel : )