My daughter Reagan is allergic to nuts. As a baby she was sensitive to milk so we kept her away from other common allergens, like nuts and shellfish. But last year, when she was 2 and half years old, she took a bite of some valentines candy that my husband was eating. The reaction was immediate. She started scratching her tongue and asking for water. After a frantic call to the nurse and some benedryl, she was feeling much better. We headed out to church, but had to leave halfway through when she threw up all over my poor husband. Thankfully it happened in the lobby after she got restless during mass. To this day she still talks about 'getting sick all over daddy and the bushes at church.'
After that day, I didn't ask, I just told our pediatrician that we needed to see an allergist. No more waiting to see if she would grow out of it, or avoiding foods, I wanted to know what she was allergic to, and what to do about it. The blood test revealed some normal dust, ragweed, mold and pollen allergies. Sadly, it also revealed that she was strongly allergic to hazelnuts and peanuts, and though less so, allergic to pretty much every other nut.
Now we have an action plan, as they call it. We carry benedryl and her EPI pen with us wherever we go. There is a 20% chance that she will grow out it, but besides redoing the blood test, there is no way to tell. It's too dangerous to expose her to a nut.
And now the holidays. I'll never look at a buffet table the same way again. Every dish is a possible danger zone for her. It's a leap of faith to trust the person who made the sweet potato casserole, even if she is grandma. We're teaching Reagan to ask before she eats something, but she's 3, and that's a huge responsibility to place on her. When the macadamia nut cookie looks an awful lot like the white chocolate chip ones we make at home, will she even think twice before taking a bite? For now we just ask our family to leave out the nuts, and even though it means no pecan pie or almonds in the green beans, they are happy to oblige. For non-family events, I pack her food. I'm hoping that weget through this season without any mishaps.
