Food Allergies

We discovered through some reactions (throwing up after eating shrimp, or anything that was cooked with shrimp, and a swollen lip after eating walnuts) and then blood tests that Avritt is allergic to pecans (and probably other tree nuts), sesame seeds, crab, lobster, shrimp, and walnuts. He didn't react against peanuts, almonds, coconut, codfish, or tuna (which means that he's probably OK with most fish). He was prescribed the EpiPen to keep at school, home, and the cars. As we are familiar with allergies because of Mike, all the information I received wasn't totally new and overwhelming. We need to brush up how to use the EpiPen, which we will have to use if there are any symptoms that include tightness in his chest or difficutly breathing, or a reaction around his mouth like hives or swelling. I'll be teaching him how to read food labels and to ask before eating. The sesame seed may turn out to be the most troublesome because I think it's more common. I asked a genetics prof. in college about food allergies, and she told me that a child is more likely to have food allergies if one or both parents have them, but the allergy is not necessarily the same as the parent, which is true in our case. Some things overlap for Avritt and Mike, like walnuts.

Avritt doesn't seem phased by it at all. He told me that he was relieved that he wouldn't ever have to eat shrimp again (we had a "have to try everything even if you don't like it" policy that will no longer be in effect for him). He had a "yucky" feeling every time that he had to try a bite of shrimp in the past. The last two times resulted in vomiting (the last time more severely) within 10 to 15 minutes, which caused me to have him tested. His body was sending signals which were hard to intrepret when he was younger. I have seen the reaction increase in strength the last two times he ate shrimp (which were during flu season, so there initially was doubt about the cause of the vomiting), and the reaction will probably worsen each time he is exposed. If he is like Mike, he will develop a sixth sense about food that contains the allergens.

I'm not really worried about him eating shrimp or lobster at school or a friend's house (the parties at school don't rise above cupcakes), but the pecans, sesame seeds, and walnuts will be the bigger challenge for him. We'll definitely be on the watch from now on.