How to Deal with the Emotional Effects of Food Allergies or Any Other Trial in Your Life {a personal story}

Let's face it. Food allergies are difficult to live with. They affect our emotional being just as much as our physical being. Pain, sickness, and sometimes {unfortunately} even death comes as a result of food allergies. The emotional side brings fear, anxiety, sadness, distrust and feelings of loneliness. It's hard, and as a parent of a child with multiple food allergies it's heartbreaking at times. Today was another one of those moments for both my girl and me. If you've read my blog before this post you know that I try very hard to help my sweet girl live as normal a life as possible. It's time consuming and sometimes inconvenient, but ALWAYS worth every bit of effort. However, there's no way I can make her life feel normal 100% of the time. Because her life requires a lot of care and careful watch over everything in her environment, she naturally feels different from everyone else. This afternoon, she had another one of those moments where it really weighed down on her and she was overcome by emotions. The crying and inability to understand why she has food allergies and no one else in our family has them. Why she can't eat more than half of the halloween candy she got {which we switch out for things she can eat} is a trial for her that she cannot understand. And the tears. They pour down her cheeks like a rushing river. Head in her hands. Sobbing. Until there's nothing left. I just sit there holding back my own tears and once again ask God for wisdom to be able to help her believe in something she cannot see. SomeONE she cannot see, but Whose hand is very evident in her life to those who are watching. I sit there among the sobs and tears and am reminded of His faithfulness. God's protection. His love. My whole life is marked by His faithfulness to me. Every trial and tear, He was there and there was a purpose for it. I couldn't always see the purpose during the hard times, but the sunshine after the rain is always more beautiful. I see Him clearly now in every one of those deep, difficult days. Times when I thought I knew what was best for me, but in His lovingkindness He didn't allow. Times I couldn't understand why life seemed so hard, but now through tear-stained eyes I see. He always has a purpose. And I sit there with my girl, worn out with grief, and begin to tell her - again - about this God that loves and has a purpose for everything. "He makes no mistakes!" I declare for the hundredth time. Do you believe that? This God Who loves with everlasting love, dishes out grace upon grace, and heaps mercy on me in my worst state. He loves. And He cares. He has a reason for these food allergies. I believe it with my whole heart. I have no doubt about that. So, we prayed again asking God to give more grace for these moments, to reveal to us the purpose of these food allergies and for healing from these allergies. But if He chooses not to, I ask Him to help her trust Him that His way is always best. Even when we cannot see or understand and nothing makes sense or seems fair.

These things are sure:

1. God makes no mistakes.
2. He loves and cares.
3. He has a distinct purpose for your trial.

If you're struggling with this or another trial or hardship in your life and you just don't understand why. If it seems like it will never end, let me encourage you to listen to this series on Seeing through Suffering & Pain. It has been a huge blessing in my life and I am sure you will benefit from it, too.

{Click this link to listen or download this series.}

If you have questions or would like me to pray for you, email me through my profile. I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by!
Amy

"Like" Us On Facebook!

Well, I decided it was high time to create a Facebook page for this website so you can find it HERE. It's called 'Living the Allergic Life'. Go there and click 'Like' to get frequent updates on food recalls due to allergens, great food-allergy related articles from some other insightful sources and a link to each new blog post that goes live from this site. I come in contact with lots of info and resources that I know would be helpful to you all, but I don't always have time to post about it on my blog. So, Facebook will be a great way for me to share those things with you in a timely manner.

I really hope you'll come and 'Like' me on Facebook! As soon as I get 100 'Likes', I will be having a giveaway! So, please stop by!

Allergies and your Church

I had a reader email me asking how I deal with my child's food allergies at church so I thought I'd just post about my experience and give you some ideas of ways you can help your church in this area.

I have been very blessed to be in a church where my child's food allergies are taken seriously. I only knew of one child (I'm sure there were more) at church having food allergies before my daughter was diagnosed as a baby. This diagnosis changed our lives in so many ways, not the least of which, was the way we had to train our minds to be on alert every time we were going to have to leave our girl with another caregiver. We are in church a few times a week and almost every time a snack is given in her class. (Especially in younger age classes) We made sure to remind the nursery workers and/or teachers every time we dropped her off that she has food allergies. I remember talking with our nursery supervisor (who is really on the ball and organized) about what I could do to keep my girl safe in her classes. We talked about protocol and then I was able to order allergy alert stickers for our church that were very bright and drew attention to whomever was wearing them. The stickers have proven to be a good alert system at our church. We use a check-in system for the nurseries and the stickers are at the supervisor's stand in the hallway. I would place one on my girl's back and one on her bag. Sometimes I'd put one on her cup. There are several kids in our church now with food allergies because it's just becoming more common.

I would suggest talking with your church leader (who is in charge of the nursery or children's ministry) bout possibly getting stickers for food allergic kids. You can find some good ones on etsy.com or just google 'food allergy sticker' and you'll find several options. I suggest getting bright colored ones so that they are noticeable on any color of clothing. If your church doesn't want to provide them, buy some for your child. Thy really are a great investment.

Also, speak to the person in charge about what needs to happen in case of an allergic reaction. We are blessed to have name tags (as part of our check-in system) with the parent's cell number on them. I know most of our nursery workers and they know me, but if I don't know a teacher that may be substituting in my girl's class, I will introduce myself and explain the allergy issues. My girl is 6 now and very aware of her allergies, so she knows not to eat certain things. If she isn't sure, she will almost always decline or bring it home so I can check it out first.

Nursery workers change at every service so I know it is a bit scary leaving your child in someone else's hands. When my girl was younger, I would go back to her class between services to let the new teachers know of her allergies. You just have to go the extra mile to be sure your kid is safe. It is very tiring to repeat the same spiel over and over, but that is the norm for a family affected by food allergies.

Another thing I do is to send her own snack with her when I know there will be a special snack. Otherwise, lately, I just don't send one. Her teachers have gotten used to her allergy needs and they normally have something she can eat or else they don't do a snack. The older she gets, the easier it gets food wise. Emotionally, though, it is getting harder. We had another discussion tonight about why God has allowed her to have food allergies. It isn't easy. It's a very difficult thing to live with, but God knows all about it and we just have to trust that His way is best.

If you have any specific questions related to this topic, feel free to email me or ask it in the comment section. I want to help you in any way that I can.

Great news for Food-Allergic Travelers!

I have mentioned Divvies more than once on here and today I have one more reason to love them more. Go here to check out all the Divvies goodness. Today on their e-newsletter, I read this little tidbit of wonderful news and wanted to share it with you....

Planning your summer vacation? You can find Divvies at Disney World and SeaWorld in Orlando, Hershey Park in Pennsylvania, Petticoat Row Bakery in Nantucket, and Great Wolf Lodge, in addition to other fun family destinations. Take us with you, or call us to ask that we ship directly to your hotel.

So, if you're headed to Disney Orlando, Sea World, or the others listed, be sure to stop by and have some yummy allergy-free sweets!

Reading Labels

If you are new to the allergy scene, you know how overwhelming it can be to read EVERY label on EVERY item before you put it in your grocery cart. The good news: it gets much easier over time. The bad news: sometimes routine causes us to assume or overlook familiar items. For instance, just this past week as I was shopping for my backup supply of Halloween candy for my girl who can't have most of what is handed out on Halloween, I noticed that one of her favorite candies now has an egg allergy warning on it. I was so surprised! I am not sure if this is a temporary thing due to mass production of candy at this time of year or if this is now a permanent thing, but this just reiterates the fact that we MUST read every label - even on familiar items. Production rules change, ingredients change, some manufacturers do things differently than others, etc. Let this serve as a reminder to you not to let your guard down.

Speaking of reading labels, my new favorite store, Trader Joe's is awesome! I'm just a little sad, though, that most of their products (canned, boxed) have been processed on shared equipment with allergens. So, finding things there for my girl is proving to be quite difficult. They have an egg-free mayonnaise, but it has been processed on equipment with products containing eggs. Bummer! {Thanks to my sis-in-law, I know Whole Foods has a yummy Vegannaise that I can get for her.} Also, I was looking for crackers for something I wanted to make for my girl and there was not one box of crackers at Trader Joe's that she could eat because of processing issues. Bummer! So, be sure to read the fine print that can usually be found somewhere underneath the ingredient list.

Keep those eyes peeled!

Allergy Testing

When we first suspected our daughter's milk allergy (at age 7 months) we knew it was serious. But since she was so young, it was very easy to control her diet and keep her away from any and all milk products. When her 1st birthday rolled around, we were on vacation visiting family on the West Coast and I made sure to find a cake mix with no milk in it. Angel Food cake was what I found. As soon as she ate a few bites, we realized she had more allergies than we had counted on. Needless to say, we flew home a couple weeks later and got to her doctor who referred us to an allergist and had her tested. We went the route of the 40 prick skin test. The results were an off-the-chart milk allergy (the nurses couldn't even measure it - they said it was the biggest reaction they'd ever seen to a skin prick test), an egg allergy and a peanut allergy which were both in the normal range of a result. I was so surprised and left that office not really knowing the extent to which our lives, especially my daughter's life, would change. After MUCH research, reading, scowering the internet, etc. I began to feel overwhelmed. The thought of waiting til Kindergarten to have her rechecked seemed like an eternity. I always kept that summer before Kindergarten in my mind whenever I would pray for her to outgrow her allergies. Babies with food allergies have a 75% chance of outgrowing their allergies within 3 years and I was counting on those odds for my girl. She'll be starting Kindergarten soon and today I took her for her recheck. It has been 4 years since she was first diagnosed and has never been retested until today. I really wasn't sure what the results would be, but I knew I was hoping for good results. We have been praying about this for 4 years. So, when her tests came back positive to all three allergies again, I was a bit disappointed. We had purposed not to make this a big deal unless she had outgrown the allergies, so she was just a little disappointed, but not distraught. Afterall, this is the only life she has known. She's been on an allergy-free diet since she started table food so this is her 'normal'. As she gets older, the journey gets a little more difficult. When I see disappointment in her eyes over having to eat something different than everyone else at social gatherings, my heart breaks. And then, my resolve to make her life as carefree as possible strengthens. Let's just say, she motivates me. She has the sweetest spirit and a great attitude about her food allergies. She handles it so well and I am amazed at her. As her parent, I want to see her live her life to the fullest extent despite her food allergies. I realize it can be a major source of fear to have your child's life (or your life) threatened by something you eat. But, I don't want my girl's life to be defined by food allergies. Yes, we live cautiously around food, but that is not what our lives revolve around. My goal for her is to make her life as normal as possible without making allergies and limitations the focus. Tonight, I was talking with her and telling her how proud I am of her for being so brave when they 'itched' her (as she says - the hives the test caused made her so itchy and she was not allowed to scratch them for 15 minutes). She is 'fearfully and wonderfully made' according to the Bible. And I loved being able to point out to her that everyone has unique qualities that God allows each us to have. That's what makes us special. And because our Creator God doesn't make mistakes, she is exactly the way He wants her to be right now....allergies and all.

Even though we did not get the negative results we were wanting, I was able to get her an excuse from the MMR and Varicella vaccines that she reacted to previously. (They both contain egg and it turns out that egg is her worst allergy now, as opposed to milk.) Her allergist agreed with me that it would not be wise to have those two vaccinations with this food allergy, especially because of her reactions previously. Now that this is behind me, it's time to finish preparing my girl for Kindergarten! She'll be in good hands with teachers that will take precautions around her. I'm so thankful for that.

Here's to praying my girl can outgrow her allergies before her next recheck in 3 years. Until then, we'll be busy living our lives to the fullest!

My girl enjoying a blue-raspberry italian ice! Yum!

Anesthesia and Food Allergies

I took my daughter to the dentist last week for a routine cleaning and my suspicions of a cavity were confirmed. So, tomorrow she'll go and have her first filling. As I was filling out paperwork, one section asked specifically if the child has an egg allergy. I thought - now, why would that matter? What could possibly have egg in it at a dentist's office? I got online and summoned my trusty friend, Google and found this site (among others). Turns out that Propofol, a commonly used hypnotic agent in surgeries, tests or procedures, contains egg lecithin. Propofol also contains soybean oil so patients allergic to soy or egg would need to avoid this type of anesthesia altogether.

I do not know if Propofol is used to semi-sedate during a cavity filling procedure, but I will be very thorough and ask to see the ingredients on any type of medicine/drug used tomorrow. I was kind of alarmed to find this out, but thankful to know ahead of time so that we can avoid any adverse reactions or anaphylactic reactions. I'll try to remember to update after our visit to the dentist.

This just serves as a bold reminder to me that I cannot be lax about my daughter's food allergies. Everything (not just food items) has to be thoroughly checked out before I allow it to enter her body. This is so serious. I am not going to be able to let my guard down as long as she has any type of food allergy.

Monkey WHAT??

If you think you are a bit leary of vaccinations right now, read this list of ingredients in each vaccine and you will be quite surprised. It's straight from the horse's mouth (aka - CDC). I have a lot of questions - but one is why is 'monkey kidney tissue' really a necessary ingredient for a vaccine?? And that's just one weird ingredient. Read it for yourself.

Ingredients listed by vaccine OR Ingredients sorted by ingredient names

My child cannot have the Flu vaccine (egg), MMR (egg - although it's not suppose to affect egg allergic people, but she did have a major reaction), Hib (lactose - aka it comes from milk) and she also reacted to the Varicella (Chicken Pox) vaccine although there is no documentation that it has any of her allergens in it. I had to learn this the hard way. My child's doctor never said a word about this to me even though we had just spoken about her severe allergies. Don't leave it up to the doc to tell you everything. If you/your child has any allergy, make sure that anything that is going to go in your mouth/bloodstream or come in contact with your skin has been investigated for hidden allergens.

I encourage all of you who have any type of allergy to look through these ingredients before taking anymore vaccinations. You have to be the judge of whether or not it is best for you or your child to have certain vaccinations. Don't expect anyone else to have your child's best interest at heart. Do your homework. Before you go extreme and refuse to vaccinate at all, consider reading this article. Then, determine which ones you should/should not allow. Make an informed decision.

Speak Up

When my daughter was diagnosed with severe food allergies, I realized I had a new role to play. All of a sudden, I became an advocate for children living with food allergies. I quickly recognized that this environment in which we live, is not safe for my daughter. In a society in which food is readily available and offered at every event, function, party, classroom, etc. a person with food allergies is at a major disadvantage. How will people know of your child's food allergies, especially when you cannot constantly be with them every minute of the day? I found a good resource while I was researching after my daughter's diagnosis. AllergyKids.com is a terrific website with many products available to help 'be your voice' when you cannot be there. For instance, I bought these stickers for our church nurseries that parents put on their child's back which reminds the teacher/workers of their child's allergies. I usually put one on my daughter's back and try to keep one stuck to the front of her little tote bag so that if something happened, they could find her bag quickly amidst the jackets/other bags hanging on the same hooks in the classroom. When it comes down to it, time is of the essence! This website also has other great resources that I would like to see implemented into the children's classes at our church. One is this allergy alert that includes the child's name, picture, specific allergies, signs of an allergic reaction, what to do if there is one, who to contact, etc. These would be very helpful, especially in situations where the usual teacher is not there that day and someone new is in the class. It would be beneficial to them and could be life-saving for the child. There are letters to parents of children in the class telling them of the specific allergies associated with their child's class and other great resources. Check it out! It might be a big help to you and your child at your church, your child's school or anywhere else. The allergy alert would even be a great tool to carry in your child's diaper bag or in your purse so that when traveling or in emergency situations, you could leave that with your child's caregiver. Great tool!

The bottom line is that you have to be the voice for your child. If your child is the only one in his/her surroundings that has allergies chances are most of the people around him are clueless about how serious food allergies are. Speak up and educate people. I guarantee your child won't be the last to have food allergies. When my daughter was diagnosed, I only knew one child (older than her) with food allergies. Now, there are at least 4 I know in our church younger than her with food allergies. Someone has to pave the way! Take that responsibility. It could save someone's life.

On the Surface

When I first found out about my daughter's food allergies, I automatically assumed that those allergens would only affect her if she ingested them. In some cases, that may be true for some people with food allergies, but not with others. When my daughter was 18 months old (6 months after we found out about all of her allergies), my oldest daughter was having chocolate milk for breakfast. We have taught her not to leave anything on the table when she is finished eating, but that day she forgot and left her cup on the table where my allergic daughter could reach it. I was at the mall, my husband was home with my two girls and I remember the phone call vividly. My husband called and said that my youngest had gotten ahold of the cup, which apparently still had some chocolate milk in it, and because she was shorter than the table she dumped the entire thing on herself - head to toe. Immediately, hives broke out all over her body. She was wearing layers of clothes and overalls, to beat! It was winter. So, the milk soaked into her clothing and since overalls are hard to take off quickly, her skin was exposed to it for several minutes. While I was on the phone with my husband, he stripped her down, put her in the tub, gave her liquid Benadryl and was trying to help her calm down. She was covered in hives - even to the bottom of her feet! And anyone who has ever had hives knows how itchy they are. She was scratching herself to pieces. To our knowledge, she did not ingest any of the milk, but her throat did start swelling and she was coughing and choking, as well. I immediately left the mall, stopped by Walgreen's on the way home and bought some Benadryl cream. As soon as I got home, I rubbed her entire body down with the creme and the hives started to disappear. I had never seen such a sight! It was very scary to me and alerted me to the fact that even her skin was allergic to these allergens. Later that night, the hives returned to a lesser degree, but it's just a reminder that allergic reactions can reappear even though you think the worst may be over. Ever since that day, we only give my oldest daughter milk to drink when we are at the table with her, even though my other daughter is now old enough to know that she cannot touch anyone else's cup or food at anytime. Always be cautious! (And as a side note, even when my daughter is kissed on the cheek after I've had a dairy product, she breaks out in a hive in that spot. That is how sensitive her body is.)
So, I shared this with you in order to either remind you or make you aware of the effect allergens can have on those who are affected by them. It's not just eating allergens that causes serious problems...sometimes it is on the surface. Whether you have allergies or not, please be aware of those around you who DO have them. Take it seriously. It could mean life or death to them.

Tips for Helping Your Child Live a 'Normal' Life

I notice the look of hope on my daughter's face when I am checking the ingredient list on certain foods that look appealing to her. And, unfortunately, I have seen the look of disappointment when she learns she cannot have that food. I have seen her eyes light up when I have found a new treat for her and I've seen how happy she is when she realizes she can eat something that her older sister gets to eat. As a mother, I want her to be able to eat everything that her peers are eating, but I know that is not possible. It breaks my heart to have to tell her that some of these very mouth-watering foods could be very hurtful to her, but I do it because I love her. And because of this, I have come up with some things to help her feel like she's 'normal'. I hope that these tips will be of benefit to you or at least get your creative juices flowing! And if you have any great tips, please leave a comment on here. I welcome your input.

• Desserts - I have come to the point that I just like to have desserts on hand that my daughter enjoys and can eat. Not only can she eat them, but they are very similar to the desserts the rest of us eat - taste and appearance! This has been fun for me. Some are simple, some time-consuming, but they are ALL worth every minute of time and effort! The smile on my child's face makes it all worth it. You've got to find what works for you. One of my favorites: Cherrybrook Kitchen cake and cookie mixes! Check them out! They are free of nuts, dairy, egg, and peanut - even gluten!
• Ready-made snacks - These type of snacks I like to keep on hand for traveling, picnics and carrying in her bag to church or friends' houses. Most of the fruit snacks available in grocery stores are fine for my child's needs, but for variety, I buy other sweets on occasion. My favorite cookie - Back to Nature! Try the chocolate creme! Yummy! I can get these at Whole Foods and Publix. Look for the buy one get one free sales on these!
• Peanut Butter - My daughter is allergic to peanuts, so I have found a good alternative to peanut butter. One is Soy Butter - sold at most grocery stores - It's more oily, but spreads nice like real peanut butter and my daughter likes it. If you are allergic to soy, though, try Sun Butter. I've tried Sun Butter - made from sunflower seeds, but it has a big aftertaste that neither I nor my daughter can handle. If you really like sunflower seeds, you'll like Sun Butter. Who doesn't love a PB&J? Now we have a good alternative!
• Baked goods - if you're into making baked goods from scratch, but have an egg allergy, today is your lucky day! Try Ener-G Egg Replacer (affordable and it works!) for a lot of your recipes. As with any alternative, you may have to tweak your recipe to see what works for you, but this works well in a lot of baked goods. Find it at Whole Foods.

A few tips -

• Make a batch of cupcakes out of the allergy-free mix and freeze them individually. Keep some frosting on hand, as well. Then, when you need a quick dessert or your child is heading to a birthday party, grab one out of the freezer, thaw it, frost it and you're on your way.
• Make a batch of cookies and freeze them in pairs to do the same thing. Or just keep a couple of cookie mixes on hand. They don't take long to mix and bake and you'll always be ready for that last minute invitation to someone's home or outing where you'll need a special dessert for your child.
• Experiment and come up with your own quick fixes. Not only will you be happy that your child has something special to eat like everyone else, but you'll have the satisfaction that you came up with it on your own! I've come up with a few that my daughter really likes and I love knowing that I've made something yummy especially with her in mind...and one that my entire family can enjoy together!

A Day in the Life of a Food Allergic Child

I dare say that the majority of the population has no idea what it is really like to have a food allergy or, in my case, have a child with food allergies. In recent years, the topic of food allergies has made its way to the media and more popular places, but not to the degree it ought to be. So, for those of you who may not have any experience with someone living with a food allergy, this is for you. This is my daily experience with my child who has allergies to milk, peanuts and eggs. My thought processes and daily strategy, the perspective of a 3 1/2 year old, and other thoughts.
The Caregiver - (aka. Body Guard)

• Grocery shopping has changed dramatically. It takes more time to shop because it is medically necessary for me to read EVERY ingredient on EVERY label of the items I am wanting to purchase. And this hasn't changed over time. Some things I know off the top of my head what ingredients are included, but I still read the label everytime. Why? Some of the same products are manufactured in different plants and therefore could be exposed or processed on the same equipment as an item that could potentially be fatal to my child. So, every label is read. This is one change that was very hard to adjust to. Most people just go through aisles, pick up the item they want and throw it in the cart. Well, those days are long gone. Believe me, I know how hard it is to pay close attention when you have 3 children with you at the grocery store and you're trying to get them to behave themselves, not beg for food, not throw tantrums when you tell them they can't have that cereal that is $5 a box because it has Barbie on the front of it....nevermind the fact that it tastes like dirt. I know all about it. But the fact is, reading EVERY label is extremely important for the health and safety of my child. And I'll do whatever is necessary to ensure she is protected from those allergens that could threaten her life.
• Eating out is another biggie. Whew. This has become a bigger challenge as my daughter gets older. At first, it wasn't so bad going out to eat. We could go anywhere because she was still too young to eat all of the table food. Once she began eating normal table foods, my research on restaurants has become a necessity, as well. In fact, one time (while we were still bringing her own food with us to restaurants) we went to a steakhouse that serves peanuts at the table without really thinking anything about it. And although I cleaned the table where she was sitting, brought her own portable placemat, cleaned the highchair she was sitting in, etc. just being in the same room with all of those peanuts started to make her react. Immediately, I left the restaurant and took her to the car with me. I must admit that was probably the dumbest mistake we've ever made as far as her allergies are concerned. It was just one of those small, yet hazardous, oversights that non-allergic people do not have to even think twice about. But, these days when we are planning to go out to eat, I go online and try to find an allergy menu. If I can't find one, we don't eat at those restaurants. We only eat where we know for sure what is in the food. And thankfully, because of the recent awareness of food allergies in the media, you can find several restaurants with an allergy menu or list of ingredients. I plan to add a page to this site in the very near future of those restaurants - good and bad - who have these types of menus. I have to give a big shout out to Fatz Cafe! They were excellent about my child's allergies and the manager came out to the table to find out himself what allergies my child had and he made sure it was cooked apart from any other foods. What a blessing that was! Needless to say, we've been back to that restaurant a few more times. But our lives have changed, as far as eating out is concerned, in other ways, too. Going out with friends is a little difficult because we are limited on the restaurants we can visit. And then, just on a whim, we cannot go if we do not already know about a certain restaurant. So, in that way, we are limited.
• Birthday parties and other outings - This is one that is hard. I have found some terrific alternatives to your normal baked goods and other things that are present at birthday parties and many other events. They have been a lifesaver! I am crushed at the look on my daughter's face when she sees all of the yummy stuff her friends are eating and knows that she cannot have that. She has a great attitude about it and rarely cries about it, but the look in her eyes of disappointment is enough to make me want to cry my eyes out. As a mom, I want her to have all of the great delicious and tempting foods that her friends are having, but I know that it is for her own safety that I cannot allow it. It is heartbreaking. So, I've learned that I have to keep 'her' cupcakes and 'her' ice cream and 'her' cookies on hand at all times - just in case!
• Sunday School and Preschool - At our church, snacks are given out at some point during the service. This is one thing that I never used to think twice about, but that now I constantly wonder why it's necessary to feed kids at church. If you think about it, it doesn't really make sense other than to kill time. Seriously, the child eats breakfast before Sunday morning church, eats lunch after Sunday morning church and either eats dinner before or after Sunday night church, and dinner before Wed night church. So, why feed them? I am quite sure this is a battle I will not win because the majority of parents do not have to be concerned about their child's safety around food. So, I try to bite my tongue and just deal with it accordingly. I always try to have a snack in my daughter's bag that she takes to church, along with her EpiPens that go EVERYWHERE with her. And her teachers are good about giving her her own snack and/or checking with me on whether or not she can have whatever snack they are handing out during that class. I am very thankful for those teachers. It is always better to err on the side of caution and so far, her teachers have done that. As for pre-school, well, I wish that she could go to preschool, but we decided that she would be better off not going right now since we do not know yet whether she has outgrown any of her allergies. She will be tested in another year so that we will know for sure by the time she starts K5. For now, I'm attempting preschool at home....attempting is the keyword. =]

A 3 year old's view:

• Constantly surrounded by kids who are eating things that she cannot eat. She's beginning to understand why and always says, "When I outgrow my allergies, I can have that."
• She gets told no almost everyday over certain foods that she sees. For example, her older sister is in Kindergarten and brings home a sweet treat every Friday that she gets as a reward for being good all week. She recently brought home a bag full of candy from her Valentine's party at school - most of which her food-allergic sister cannot have or else it isn't marked with ingredients so we don't know what might be in it that is harmful to her. Part of this dilemma is just the fact that my oldest daughter is in school and gets to experience these things - and that happens to any child with an older sibling, but part of it is the fact that her sister gets to eat anything and she is very limited. This is just part of living with food allergies.

Life is definitely different for those who face food allergies. Even the environment can be hazardous to those who live with certain allergies, including Hand Soap, for instance. I found one handsoap with the scent of 'milk and honey'. I thought surely there wouldn't be milk in it - it's just the name, right? No! There really is milk in the soap. Then, the following week, we were at a church and when I took my daughter to the bathroom and was helping her wash her hands, I noticed it was the same soap. Thankfully, I had already found out about that previously. But, it just made me realize that it doesn't matter where I am, I always have to be on-guard! Allergies are very serious and cannot be taken lightly. It could mean life or death in some cases.