Traditional Nut Allergy: Our Trip to the ER

We’ve had our fair share of food allergies in our house; which is something I didn’t grow up with. Needless to say, it was definitely a learning curve for me! So, I’m here to share a bit of our story in hopes that I can alleviate some of your worries and help you through your own food allergy journey with your kiddos.

I’ll start by saying that having a pediatrician and allergist who you know and trust is essential. You should feel supported and want to work hand in hand with your kiddos medical team. After all, they have their best interests at heart, as do you!

Let’s travel back in time a little ways and let me tell you about our first encounter with traditional food allergies. In this post, Rare Food Allergy in Children: FPIES, I mentioned that we learned at an early stage that two of our kids had FPIES food allergies, one of them being dairy.

When I first started on solid food with my first kiddo, we struggled. He had delayed gut reactions to the foods and the first several foods I introduced to him to were all triggers, great right?! That was some of the most stressful time I went through as a new mama.

Fast forward a couple years and I was in the processes of starting solids with my second child. Now, early on I noticed a few things were off. Luckily, I was aware of the signs for FPIES. We took her to see our allergist and they confirmed she had FPIES as well. Not the best result, but at least we had a little more knowledge of what to expect this time around.

We introduced foods slowly, giving them 1-3 weeks before trying a new food. So far it was going pretty smoothly, we only had the known trigger food of dairy. With so many non-dairy alternatives in the stores, it was pretty easy to avoid when I was breastfeeding; even though I still craved dairy like crazy!

Now, we were finally at the stage where we could start introducing more solid foods. She had tried some grains, fruits, and veg, all with great success. Boy did she love to eat, and it was so fun seeing her explore all the new tastes! Well, next up on the list was yogurt. Like I said, dairy FPIES allergy, so we knew without a doubt we were going to try a diary alternative yogurt.

That morning we got up for breakfast and I gave her a couple bites of plain cashew yogurt. The first bite she really enjoyed, but the second she was more hesitant. She then became fussy and kept turning her head away like she wasn’t hungry anymore. That was fine, I didn’t want to give her too much of a new food to start with anyways.

Her two year old brother was eating well enough and creating what I like to call “food murals” all over the table. I decided to step away and let him have his fun; while I tried to soothe her. We tried walking around, getting something to drink, looking outside, but nothing seemed to help. She kept turning her head back and forth, and pulling on her ears. She also did this when she was tired, so I didn’t think too much of it.

I then thought I’d give her a diaper change, just to try something different, and then see if she was ready for a nap. I laid her down on her back and unzipped her footy fleece pajamas, and found her whole torso was covered in hives. Red and white blotches everywhere. I freaked out and knew we had to act fast. The next few moments were a whirlwind.

I packed a diaper bag, called my husband and hauled our two kiddos into the car. Pajamas, rain boots and all, we were off! Luckily, we live pretty close to a hospital, and I knew that I could get there much faster than they could get to me.

I rushed into the ER carrying my baby and half-dragging my two year old into the building (he was a good sport with the whole thing and saw it as an adventure….). At this point, my daughter’s face had started to swell and she was struggling to breathe. I told them what was going on at check-in and they were able to take care of her quickly.

I burst into tears; knowing that we were finally somewhere safe that could help her. The poor check in guy, who was probably an intern on his college break tried to reassure me everything was okay. Let’s be honest, I was a wreck.

Our story ends well. The staff were able to help her and we were given an EpiPen for any future events. We went to her allergist and were able to do skin prick tests (SPT), as well as blood work to confirm it was a cashew allergy. Weirdly enough, she wasn’t allergic to any other nuts!

We ruled out any other common traditional food allergies and have largely been able to avoid cashews quite easily, thank goodness!

The reason I’m telling you this story is because I know there’s someone out there struggling with food allergies. And if that’s not you, great! I hope you never have to deal with food allergies or anaphylactic shock, because that is something no mama should have to go through.

But, if it is a concern for you…Maybe your little doesn’t have as severe of a case. Maybe you’re dealing with skin issues, spitting up, or constant irritability; and just trying to come up with answers to help them feel more comfortable. I’m here to let you know that you’re not alone and it’s okay to not have all the answers.

If you notice something is “off” with your little, trust your gut. You are the best caretaker and advocate for them. Find a medical support team that helps you find answers, and ask lots of questions! Be sure to ask mamas too, ask them ALL the questions. Because we have SO much experience and stories, and we can all learn from one another. And hopefully in doing so, we can encourage one another in this crazy journey called motherhood!