When The Moon Hits Your Eye

Like a big dairy-free pizza pie...

That's amore!

(and a dirty oven)

While the pizza pies baked,

Flynn & Gabe made a pizza that can not be eaten (well, Gabe might beg to differ)

Can you guess which is the 'real' pizza?


Flynn's Dairy-Free Pizza Pie:

Pillsbury pizza crust
contadina tomato sauce
soy cheese (sliced, cut into squares)
California pitted black olives
Hormel pepperoni slices

Using 2 8" cake pans, Flynn spreads the crust out into the bottom of the greased pan
She then pours & smooths out the tomato sauce
she takes the squares of cheese that mommy cut & spreads them evenly
she then does the same with the cut olives *cut by mommy
she takes the whole package of pepperoni & distributes it as well.

Repeat in 2nd pan.

Mommy puts it in the hot oven (350 degrees)
Mommy gets it out about 10 mis later
Yummy!!

Experiences with Restaurants

Hopefully soon, I will be posting some experiences, both good & bad, that we've recently had with restaurants.
I think it says a lot about a company's customer service, when they deal with a situation like ours.
I will first talk about eating at Bob Evans last night & the great experience we had there.

It's Official... I'm Human

It's not easy to be the parent of an allergy kid.
NO ONE knows, until they experience it first-hand.
And before I share my screw up, I feel the need to defend my own honor by sharing just how careful I really am....
When eating dinner, I typically eat w/ my right hand, to reserve my left hand (clean) to deal w/ Flynn, her food, her cup, etc.
I label her cup & Gabe's w/ a "G" or an "F", for when Papa, Nana, Grammy, Aunt G, or Hannah babysits.
I read labels once, twice or several times.
I forgo some parties or situations where I feel she might not be kept safe.
I put my career on hold, as working full time would force us to put the kids (Flynn) in a group setting where she might not be kept safe.
I'm her advocate in certain situations like church... for example, we quit the last church we attended because they wouldn't make her classroom a milk-free zone, as the children's director, "[couldn't] ask that of [her] volunteers".
I read everything I can get my eyes on.
We try our hardest to educate Flynn on her allergy, but try just as hard to make her feel like she's "normal" & doesn't miss out on too much.
I'm a clean freak when dealing w/ milk. If I'm giving Gabe his milk cup/refilling it, I wipe the counter off after his lid touches it.
I hover over her in group situations.
And everyone who is around my Flynn-parenting, can attest that we are careful, to a fault. It's almost neurotic how we behave around her.
So, can you imagine that last night, I made the first & worst mistake I've ever made with her....
We went to Delaney's birthday party at Woody's Cafe (a chuck e cheese type of place)... so I had planned to not only bring her her own dinner (plain hamburger happy meal), but I wanted to be sure to bring a special dessert/snack for her to eat while everyone else ate cake.
P.S. I'm on steroids for an allergic skin reaction (to what I'm not sure), and am on a high dose of prednazone, to which I'm blaming any not-myself-ness....
The other day I had the kids (way too close to naptime) at Dierbergs trying to do a quick shopping trip. Gabe was throwing a fit, he was tired & hungry & bored. He was trying to cliff dive from the shopping cart. People were staring, Flynn was laughing & I was sweating.
On the end cap, I spotted the cutest animal crackers. They were iced & sprinkled & were calling for me to buy them, as the funnest b'day cake alternative.
Remember how I mentioned my meticulous behavior when it comes to label reading?...So I picked them up, at the very bottom was the allergy warning (a practice that the FDA tried to pass by Dec '05) which informed me that the only allergies were peanuts.
I've NEVER by the way, just took their word for it, I've always read each & every ingredient myself to see if any of the 40-something milk-based ingredients are in the food.
But I didn't. I don't know why. Maybe the roids. Maybe Gabe's ability to rush me. I don't know.... Maybe I figured I'd read closely at home?
I didn't.
I grabbed them last nite & I put them in a container for her to eat at the party.
And she did.
Then she ran off into the ball pit & started playing.
About 10 minutes later, she ran up to me & was crying, and sneezing & clawing at her throat & skin.She was clearly having a reaction....but to what? I had no idea. I sat her in a chair, grabbed her bag, and started medicating her....benadry, albuterol...Then, as God sent him, up walked a doctor, a friend of the Frosts & he quick got involved.
Not long after, she started to drool & show signs of airway closure.
I knew it in the back of my mind, but Lee pointed out the obvious....the EPI PEN.
I hate the epi pen....altho there are several situatons where she probably SHOULD have had it, I didn't....cuz I'm scared. It's A TON of adrenaline, a shot of a chemical that will open your vessels, your airway, you name it.
That's when I lost it.... you know that I'm typically a calm & collected person when it comes to her health, but I knew this was the worst she has been.
He gave her the shot....and we jumped in the car....
**************************************
We passed a cop who I yelled out my window to for a police escort.... Dr Lee from behind me yelled out that he was a physician & that Flynn was having an allergic reaction.....but apparently it was donut break in a matter of minutes (sorry to my friends & family whom are policemen & take offense to that), as he declined.Fine. I turned on the flashers & floored it, pealing away from the cop so he could get back to pasting the big orange sticker on the stalled car (apparently far more important than saving a life).
We blew through red lights & stop signs & in probably 2 mins, I skidded into the ER entrance.
Dr Lee grabbed Flynn & her bag, I grabbed Gabe, and off we ran.
Thanking God a millionth time for Lee, who ran in w/ Flynn, again announced his profession, & what was going on. They ran us back to a room, where in a matter of milliseconds, there were 3 or 4 people in the room.
It was bizarre.
It was surreal.
It was my little girl coming close to death.
**********************************************
I write through tears as I reminsce the way I felt. Jeff was at home 30 minutes away & I was so scared. I realize at times like that just how much I rely on him...and thank God that I'm fortunate enough to have a husband who is an equal partner in parenting.
**********************************************
They gave Flynn another shot of epinephrine, more antihistamine, and started her on oxygen & albuterol, and something else that I'm forgetting. They put leads on her chest, to monitor her heart (that epinephrine is some crazy stuff), and she had a "glow toe" (blood ox pulse thing on her toe).
Her swelling started going down. But we spent the rest of the night under close observation with regular intervals of meds.
Can I tell you what a stud this girl is? Other than crying from the epi pen (which I would do too), she didn't cry. She never showed fear. She is amazing.When I was holding her cheek to mine while she got the epi pen, we talked again about the lesson that meant so much to her a few weeks ago.... the book of Joshua: God is with us always. He never leaves us. I'll tell you that I needed it as much as she did. Maybe more.
I wish I could be more like her. She never doubts it. She's quick to remind me that God made "the earth, the planet we live on" & that Jesus lives in our hearts. When she looked at me through her swollen eyes last night, she reminded me that it was okay.
This morning, while we drove to my parents to get Gabe, she called up to Jeff, "I wanna be a teacher when I get big, just like you." Even though her professions of choice are fleeting, it didn't keep Jeff & I from getting teary-eyed.
And I think she could be a doctor.
But God's definitely got something special planned for her.

13 FACTS ABOUT FOOD ALLERGIES

13 Facts about Food Allergies:
1. Scientists are reporting an increase in food allergies over the past decade. In particular, peanut allergies among young children doubled between 1997 and 2002.
2. Approximately 12 million Americans suffer from food allergies, with 6.9 million allergic to seafood and 3.3 million allergic to peanuts or tree nuts.
3. Food allergy is the leading cause of anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction) outside the hospital setting.
4. Eight foods account for 90% of all reactions in the U.S.: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans, etc.), wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish.
5. There is no cure for food allergy. Strict avoidance of the allergy-causing food is the only way to prevent a reaction.
6. Food allergic reactions result in over 30,000 emergency room visits each year.
7. It is estimated that between 150 and 200 people die annually from anaphylaxis to food; including children and young adults.
8. Approximately 2.2 million school-aged children have food allergy.
9. One in every 17 children under the age of 3 has food allergy.
10. Milk allergy is one of the most common in young infants, with 2-3% of children under three years of age allergic to cow's milk proteins.
11. Trace amounts of a food allergen can cause a reaction. Patients should be on guard for hidden ingredients (such as milk or peanuts) in unsuspected places such as candy, baked goods, trail mixes, sauces, desserts, and gravies, just to name a few.
12. Medications can even contain dairy (Prevacid Solutabs is one example).
13. Virtually all infants who develop cow's milk allergy do so in the first year of life, with about 80% ‘outgrowing' their milk allergy by their fifth birthday. Nearly 25% of these milk-allergic infants retain their sensitivity into the second decade of life, and 35% go on to develop other food allergies.

Getting More Recognized

Checkout this article...really hits home.

I guess a huge part of me is mucho relieved that allergies are getting some exposure.

Another huge part of me worries even moreso, about Flynn attending public school.

And a huge part of that last part, will pray harder than I ever have... that she'll outgrow this ugly thing.

Milk Allergy Summary

I had a few moms ask for info re milk allergy...how we discovered it...what we do now. And here's what I compiled based on our experience. I send this to anyone who wants just a little info...

Milk Allergy Info

An allergy to a cow’s milk protein is much more serious than most people imagine. It is NOT lactose intolerance!! (I get people saying that all the time). It is when a person has an allergic reaction (be it rash, vomiting, anaphylaxis, etc.) to ingesting (or in Flynn’s case just coming in contact with) a substance (food or drink) which contains a cow’s milk protein. A severe allergic reaction could end up as serious as an anaphylactic reaction (her stopping breathing or even worse).

I’ve read that 50% of babies outgrow the milk allergy by two. Flynn was tested most recently at 27 mos & on a scale of 1-4, had a 4+. She is supposed to be tested every 6 mos, but because they have such a hard time putting a line in her vein (they ended up cutting her finger & squeezing the blood out), we’re opting to test her yearly instead. We PRAY she’ll outgrow this.

Ours has been a learning experience. We didn’t personally know anyone w/ a milk allergy, so it wasn’t even something in the back of our mind. At 6 mos, for the first time she was given formula (combined with breast milk) & had a horrid reaction. Again, totally unaware of what it could be, we UNDER-reacted (later learned she should’ve been given an EPI-pen & taken to the ER). I wasn’t w/ her, but she sneezed, swelled, wheezed, & eventually vomited. This happened 2x more before we made a connection. Our HORRIBLE pediatrician (we’ve since switched back to our original one), said that it wasn’t indicative of an allergy & try lactose free (WRONG!). He also didn’t recommend an allergist (wrong again!). I figured out the allergy – even in foods, when she ate Gerber graduates meat sticks. They contain whey & after eating just one, her face was filled w/ welts.
It’s still so bad that last year, Jeff ate an ice cream sandwich & failed to wash his hands afterward. He picked her up from the bath & everywhere his hands touched her, left red spots with white bumps.

The most frustrating thing is trying to find a variety of foods that are safe. I didn’t wean her from the breast until 14 mos (I couldn't continue to nurse as I was entering the 2nd trimester of pregnancy). When I wasn’t w/ her, she got NUTRAMIGEN (a very broken down formula & expensive!!) Now she drinks SILK. It’s the mildest tasting soy milk (in my opinion) & I can cook w/ it (as a sub for reg. milk) & Jeff / I don’t notice.
A very helpful source when it comes to this, is the vegan website (never thought I’d say my 1-yr old was a vegan!!)
http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/
This list, combined w/ some other foods that I know are safe, is the list I carry w/ me (particularly when grocery shopping).

I love our pediatrician, she's awesome, however sometimes I feel like I know more about this situation than her. I'm sure this is untrue, but when she asked if we wanted to do a milk challenge (giving a sample of milk in a controlled environment), I remembered that she doesn't realize how serious this is for Flynn.

You are your child's advocate & basically no one can be trusted, including ME! Thankful only to God, I have never screwed up. But I am the only one. You can't cross-contaminate, use the same utensils or allowher to touch ANYTHING milk-related. You must wash your face & hands anytime you've eaten dairy, or else not touch or kiss her! This is easy for the family to forget.
Beware of employees at healthfood stores, who appear to be knowledgeable on the subject. When Flynn was 2, we gave her rice cheese from THE NATURAL WAY. The employee there, advised Jeff to purchase this & give it to Flynn. It contained a milk ingredient & after a TINY corner of the sliced cheese, Flynn began to drool & wheeze. When I contacted them later, they simply sent a letter of apology (they didn’t even refund our $5 spend on the cheese!!).
What we finally ended up doing was always carrying a can of CAMPBELL’S CHUNKY chicken noodle soup in her diaper bag. That way, wherever we end up (friends or family), we know we have a safe meal for her to eat. We also rely heavily on McD’s plain hamburgers. Their fries are safe for her as well.

I'm happy to answer any questions based on our experience. I would've loved a resource like this while I was going through the initiation of this. Good Luck!

Helpful Websites:

http://kidshealth.org/parent/misc/milkallergy_cutout.html (this page is great to print out & pass out to the people who might be caring for your milk allergy child)
http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/milk_allergy_diet.html
http://www.wegmans.com/health/nutrition/MilkAllergy.asp (this kinda explains the kosher symbol & how that helps us)
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_milkall_hhg.htm (after looking @ this particular page, a little helpful hint, we ask the deli counter if they’ll hand slice us some meat for Flynn – they’re usually understanding)
http://www.allergicchild.com/default.htm (a page by parents of 2 allergic kids)
http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-ppallergies (a message board I found helpful)

*Amy’s disclaimer: I am in no way a medical professional nor have I had formal training on this matter. Please consult your child’s pediatrician before trying any of my ideas.