What Are We Supposed to Feed This Boy?

We had a fairly good idea that Ryan would develop food allergies from the time he was a few months old. So, we tried to follow all of “the rules”. He had only breast milk for the first six months and then we gradually introduced him to foods least likely to cause reactions…the same things most moms do when they are starting their babies on solid foods. And since I was breastfeeding, I even cut out peanuts out of my diet and reduced my dairy intake. I tried, but I couldn’t give up chocolate…I am only human!

When Ryan was about ten months old, I gave him a piece of the cheese that I was shredding for Rebecca. I’m not sure what I was thinking…it was just automatic. And I should say that it wasn’t a slice of cheese…it was a shred of cheese…a teensy little shred. After eating it he started to throw up….instantly. That totally freaked me out. Luckily, he didn’t get wheezy and there were no other symptoms of anaphylaxis, but I took that as a warning sign. As much as I would like to deny it, this boy was going to have severe allergies.

For the next couple of years we kept Ryan away from some of the common pediatric food allergens: milk, peanuts, soy, egg, wheat, and citrus. He ate meat, vegetables, some fruit, and arrowroot cookies – lots of arrowroot cookies. We eventually found substitutes for the foods that we enjoyed so that he could eat something similar. If we had pizza, we would make him meatballs and spaghetti. If Rebecca was having ice cream, Ryan could have gelato. If we were having birthday cake, Ryan would have a rice krispy square decorated with sprinkles. You have no idea how many birthday cakes I’ve ruined because I tried to follow recipes that were dairy and egg free. Ryan didn’t like them…and neither did the rest of us.

When Ryan was about to enter nursery school I talked to our doctor about getting Ryan tested so that we would know exactly what he was allergic to. So, when Ryan was almost three, we went to see an allergist. First, they did the skin test. Ryan sat on my knee facing me, so the nurse could poke his back six times with the lancet dipped in the pediatric allergens. The nurse left the room for a few minutes, and when she came back her reaction almost floored me. Her jaw dropped and she said, “What are you going to feed this kid?” Just the response I was looking for…great. They also did the RAST test, which is a blood test measuring the allergen-specific IgE antibody. Combined, these tests showed that Ryan was severely allergic to peanuts, milk, soy and egg. I was terrified…even though I had expected this, I was scared for what this would mean for Ryan – if we are not careful, his next bite might be his last.

Three years later, Ryan is thriving. We’ve had a few “accidents” with food, but his strongest reactions are vomiting…and that’s all. He carries his epi-pen with him wherever he goes, and at school he has a student volunteer that watches him at lunch in case he has a reaction when a teacher is not close by. I’d love to get him tested again, but he still remembers the skin test and blood work that he had to do last time. Maybe when he’s seven I can convince him to do it…just in the small hope that he might have outgrown one of his allergies. And if Ryan does outgrow his allergies he says the first thing he wants to eat is ice cream and chocolate…that’s my boy!!