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I know I am pretty fortunate to have two healthy children that have no allergies. On one of my Facebook groups, literally every second article is about a Mumma’s question about a possible allergic reaction or an actual allergy they are coping with. I mean yes, I had those questions too when I was a new Mumma; what is that rash, did I feed my bubba the wrong food too early, what are those spots…? But it was all pretty mild {although quite stressful at the time having absolutely no idea about much}.
But, there is one member of my family that has a number of severe allergies; my mum, who is very allergic to onion and garlic. Yes, she is now one of those individuals following the FODMAP diet. Have you ever tried to cook something without a key ingredient? It is like baking a cake without eggs or flour.
One Friday night mum came over for dinner. It was just an ordinary Friday night, but it was recently after she was diagnosed. I kept everything simple. Took all my spices and flavours out of my cooking. Imagine plain rice and chicken, only not as bland. Ha! Easy right? I poisoned her. She had an allergic reaction. I have absolutely no idea how I could possibly have failed on the most simple of cooking recipes with no spices, onion, or garlic, but somehow there must have a been a trace of something in the vegetable stock.
That night {unbeknown to me at the time obviously} she was up all night vomiting. And that was only that occasion. Mum has many reactions in the past where she has had similar experiences with a similar reaction. It is awful to hear! Especially when you realise you may have in fact unintentionally caused the reaction.
And then I wonder, how hard it would be for her. Every restaurant she goes to she has to order literally her own meal. Every restaurant she has to ask the waiter for specific ingredients. And then, she is relying on the truth given back to her {we all have had those waiters that really just have no idea}.
Mum also suffers from hay-fever and dry eyes. She is constantly pulling out her eye drops, tilting her head back and putting in her drops. In the past my daughter has been seen copying her, thinking it was just ‘normal’ to do that. “I am putting drops in my eyes like granny”, she says.
Allergies are hard. And because I am lucky enough to not have any children suffering from allergies, I asked my girlfriend how she helps her 10 year old daughter cope with her allergies and how she copes herself. This is what she said:
Educate your child to manage their own allergy. Teach them what to ask when you’re not around. Make sure they know not to share food with friends and to ask their friends to not bring food to school that they are allergic to. Choose a handful of restaurants that you know and trust. Avoid certain cuisines if they cook with the food your child is allergic to. Make sure your child carries their own meds from around age 10 onwards.
These days it is good to know that for many mild allergies, hayfever tablets can be used to provide relief from allergic symptoms. Unfortunately for some, the need for more serious medications is needed. Either way, it is important to know that there is support and advice out there to give you and your family the best relief possible.
Do you or anyone in your family suffer from allergies? How do you cope?
Linking up with Essentially Jess
