Allergies

So last week or so Casey was at Big Bunny's (grandmas) house and Stacy was eating a mixture of nuts and gave Casey one. He ate a Brazillian nut sometimes refered to as "Monkey Toes", and maybe 10 seconds after he ate it he began to say that he didn't feel good and that he could not breath. After a minute or so he really started saying he couldn't breath and his eyes and face began to swell. Big Bunny immediately sprung to action and ran around the house seeking the elusive benedryl. She found the box of chewable benny and quickly tried to put it in Casey's mouth but because his throat was closing up he couldn't swallow it. Now aunt shannon happened to be in the kitchen and since she deals with patients who can't swallow pills sprung into action and quickly crushed the pill and mixed it with water and forced it down. A minute or two later Casey was fine and breathing well.

Now we have known since he was about 2 that he is allergic to all shellfish. No crabs, scallops, shrimp, muscles, etc. But this Brazillian nut thing was a complete surprise. He eats peanut butter on the regular so I just never thought that he would be allergic to nuts. But what I have learned is that there is a difference between Tree Nuts and ground nuts, I know right? He cannot eat any "tree nuts" but he can have ground nuts. This is alot to deal with so Iwould just assume him not eat any nuts at all. It is very scary to see your child suddenly become unresponsive and unable to breath. I can deal with alot of things but for some reasson when I see them that way I kind of panic. Stacy is really good with keeping it together but I do panic.

I really thought that if someone were to be allergic to something that it would present itself during childhood, I really didn't know that you could develop food allergies later on in life. The doctor told us when we had him seen for his reaction to shell fish that in all likelihood he would be allergic to other things that would come up later on.

So I decided-that because it is the holiday season and parents often bring goodies into the school for the class- that I would take benedryl down to the school just in case he eats something containing tree nuts that one cannot readily see-like something cooked into the treats right, well the school nurse told me that I would have to get a note from his doctor. "A note for what?" she said telling them that it is okay for me to drop the medicine off. So I said, "let me get this right, you want me to get a permission slip from the doctor's office saying "it is okay for Mrs. Harris to bring benedryl to the school?" she said, "yes." I was shocked and the nurses even chuckled when I told them what the note had to say. Needless to say I had to go to his doctor and get a note giving me-his mom-permission to drop off benedryl for my son.

does that not sound crazy to you? enough said.