I Have One of Those Kids - My Baby Has a Peanut Allergy

Yesterday at lunch we had quite a scare. While we all sat around the table chatting, I looked over at Turbo Tot in her high chair and immediately asked with a sense of urgency,

“What’s all over her face!”

My hubby was sitting closest to her, but I could see from across the table red blotches all over her face. When I got up to take a closer look, the conversation that took place moments before flashed through my mind . . .

“Can Turbo Tot have a peanut butter sandwich?” Feisty Girl asked.

I heard my hubby reply “Yeah,” and didn’t think twice about it because she is one year old now and her pediatrician just said she could have peanut butter.

“Are you sure?” Feisty Girl responded. She knew full well how obsessive careful I’d been about not giving Turbo Tot any foods that are prone to cause allergies. (Milk, eggs, honey, and of course peanuts.)

So when I saw the red blotches on my baby’s face . . . I got concerned.

When I saw her lips start to swell . . . I got worried.

When I saw the blisters form on her lips . . . I got very worried.

We quickly began wiping the peanut butter off of her and stripped her down to see if the blotches were anywhere else on her body. They were not. In the hopes of keeping it that way, my hubby rushed her upstairs to give her a bath, while I called the pediatrician.

As I waited for the doctor to call me back, I researched peanut allergies on the internet. Don’t we all turn to the internet in times of medical crisis to glean all we can about a medical condition?

And then don’t we all get a little freaked out when we read about the worst case scenarios and horrible side effects? Well, at least I do. I know to consider the source when researching on the internet, but no one can scoff at the Mayo Clinic who states plainly . . .

“A peanut allergy can cause a life-threatening allergic reaction.”

Life-threatening? My baby has a life-threatening condition? I’m really struggling with that.

I’m trying to keep things in perspective. I think I prefer “potentially fatal” instead of “life-threatening.” It sounds more like a possibility than a probability.

Now that the acute side effects have subsided, we’re left with the life-altering aftermath. In the short run, I have to get her blood drawn and take her to an allergist to determine what else she is allergic to. In the long run, they’ll be a lot more because . . .

I have one of those kids you have to notify the school about so the other kids are careful not to go near her with peanut butter.

I have one of those kids you have to bring a separate snack for at soccer games in case the snack provided has peanuts, peanut oil or was made in a factory that manufactured other peanut products.

I have one of those kids you need to tell the parent hosting the playdate to make sure my daughter doesn’t eat any peanut products.

I have one of those kids you need to read every candy label on Halloween before she gets to eat even one piece of candy.

I have one of those kids who will always have to be extremely careful about what she eats for fear of inducing a “life-threatening allergic reaction.”