Travelling with Severe Allergies...

So on Weds we fly to Florida for 3 weeks, OMG, how exciting!  I am filled with a mixture of trepidation and excitement at the same time.  When we booked the holiday we had no idea what the following months would unfurl though.

Unfortunately a few months ago Keani was diagnosed with a severe peanut and shellfish allergy.  It's not until you read up on these things and see various consultants that you realise how scary the allergy actually is.  It's life threatening.  Keani will have to carry adrenalin in the form of Epi-pens with her for the rest of her life.

So the fact we are going to be on a plane for 10 hours up in the air, with no hospitals nearby, fills me with absolute terror!  We are going to be well prepared of course, with all her medication to hand.  But it doesn't stop me catastrophising and going through the 'what ifs'.  Thankfully airlines have stopped handing out peanuts on their flights to ALL passengers, however, Virgin have told me that they will give peanuts to those passengers who ask for them.  The average person does not understand the fear this induces in me!  Keani will react to a minute trace of peanut - what if she finds one on the floor and picks it up? What if somebody touches something with their peanut coated fingers, and Keani touches that same thing - a chair, a door knob, anything....   What if Keani reacts to the airbourne allergen?! 

Scary stuff.  So it's not flying for 10 hours with 2 toddlers that terrifies me, it's her allergies that will turn me into a quivering wreck!

Cross your fingers for us.  It'll probably be fine............. here's hoping for a 'safe and pleasant flight'....

And my world came crashing down.........

A few months ago we discovered Keani appeared to be allergic to peanuts.  No biggie.  Or so we thought.

Our gorgeous daughter has suffered with allergies since she was a few months old, first dairy, then egg, then finally peanuts.  She outgrew her dairy and is slowly outgrowing her egg.  The peanut thing came as a bit of a shock as we thought were were 'over' the allergy thing.  She'd had Nutella so we didn't really give nuts another thought.  We had no idea peanut allergy and egg allergy go hand in hand.

She had a strong reaction to a tiny amount of peanut.  I wasn't unduly worried.  And then I googled...

It was then that I felt my whole world had come crashing down.  The words 'life-long allergy' and 'life threatening' jumped out at me and made me feel quite sick.  Our beautiful daughter would have to carry an adrenalin shot with her for the rest of her life.

3 months down the line and things are getting a little easier.  We have had further tests and she has tested negative for 'tree nuts' but has now tested positive for shellfish.  I've had to go into pre-school and attend some Epi-pen training with the staff who look after her, I've had to educate my friends and family too.  I've needed to reiterate the seriousness of the allergy to everyone around my little girl.

It's so so difficult for others to understand though.  At parties I'm constantly on my guard, watching her, checking her mouth, making sure she's not reacting, that her tongue's not swelling, that she's not having difficulty breathing.  Her little friends at pre-school have been asked not to bring nuts in their lunch boxes and definitely no peanut butter!  That's ok for now, but as she gets older, what will happen then? I'm going to have to trust her to look after herself.  I can't even contemplate the teenage years!

But life goes on.  It's an allergy.  Children have to deal with far far worse.  I'm slowly coming to terms with it.  We'll be ok I think.  I need to stop catastrophising though, and focus on the positives.

Our gorgeous daughter is 4 years old today.  Beautiful on the inside and out.  We are so lucky to have her in our life.