I will freely admit that I'm always thinking about Olivia's food allergies.
I'll see a recipe in a food magazine and think "well, that's one more thing I can't make." Or I'll be watching a cooking show (as I do every night while I cook dinner) and the chef will be making something with hazelnuts, or peanuts, or pecans and before thinking "wow that looks amazing!" I'll think "Olivia will never get to eat that." Or I'll be checking out a menu at a local restaurant and the only words that pop out are "sesame," "hazelnut," "pecans", and the like.
Now that might sound all doom-and-gloom to you but it's the reality we deal with.
As of right this very moment Olivia can't eat a myriad of things including: pesto (pine nuts = tree nuts), pecan pie, Nutella, most candy bars including those "without" nuts because they're processed in the same facility as peanuts and/or tree nuts, a bagel from our local bagel spot (Barry Bagels), a Big Mac, a Quarter Pounder, a burger or anything else from Five Guys, some brands of pretzels, some types of crackers, pistachios, anything from Chick Fil A, hummus, Almond Milk (or Cashew Milk), M&Ms, Burger King, anything with peanut butter, sesame seeds, most break-and-bake cookies, peanuts, doughnuts and cookies from most bakeries, most chocolate chips, some cereals, regular bread crumbs, milkshakes from Steak 'n Shake, Cool Whip, McFlurries from McDonalds, frozen coffees from just about every coffee shop, almonds, walnuts, any tree nuts (the risk isn't worth it), anything processed in a facility that also processed peanuts and/or tree nuts, anything with sesame seeds....and the list goes on.
Trust me when I say the list of can't-eat items is MUCH longer but I decided to NOT add everything. But you get the idea, right?
It's no wonder that I spend a lot of time thinking about Olivia's allergies.
I also think these random thoughts:
- I hope she never gets bullied at school for her food allergies. Kids (and adults) can be so mean and heartless.
- What if someone tries to bully her with food?
- Why does everything at school have to revolve around food? Since when did cupcakes become so freaking important?
- What happens when she starts dating? What if her boyfriend wants to kiss her but he just ate Nutella? Oh my gosh! She's going to be kissing boys! And they can't eat the food she's allergic too!
-What happens when she goes out with her friends in high school and she has to carry her EpiPens? Will her friends be supportive of her and the food choices she has to make?
- Oh crap. She's going to go to college someday. Will she be able to manage her food allergies?
- I just ate pecan pie at Thanksgiving dinner. Now I can't/won't give her a kiss goodnight.
- We're on a plane. I hope no one eats anything that she's allergic too. Oh great, they're selling snack boxes full of things with tree nuts.
- I hate nuts.
- Crap. I ate a sesame seed bagel at lunch. I need to wash my hands. And brush my teeth.
- Oh good. It's Halloween again. Time to trick-or-treat and get a bucket full of candy she can't eat. I hate holidays.
- This is so unfair for Olivia.
- OK. Time to create an Easter basket with no candy.
- I sure hope the allergy tests are negative next time.
- Maybe it's time to do a food challenge?
- Why her?
- Oh man. She wants to try crab legs at dinner. What if she's allergic to shellfish and we don't know it? Good thing the EpiPens are nearby.
- I hate food allergies.
- The waitress says she told the chef about Olivia's allergies. But what if she didn't?
- Did the waiter/waitress REALLY write down the list of food allergies?
- Oh shit! Olivia just opened a package of crackers that were covered in sesame seeds! Holy SHIT! Quick! Brush off the table. Get the crackers away! Wash her hands. (This actually DID happen a few weeks ago - we were at a new-to-us place in the Outer Banks and Olivia opened a package of crackers that had sesame seeds on top. I have NEVER seen someone drop something SO FAST. She recovered quickly. Me, not so much).
...and the list goes on and on.
So you see...allergies are an everyday kind of thing.
We take the good with the bad.
There are small victories and big defeats.
Yesterday Olivia's dad took her to the ice cream shop up in Maberry and SURPRISE! they really DID have a bottle of Hersheys' chocolate syrup behind the counter. So my vanilla ice cream kid was able to skip the sprinkles and have chocolate syrup instead. She was VERY happy.
Which just goes to show: sometimes all it takes is some chocolate syrup on a bowl of vanilla ice cream and all is right with the world.
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