Dairy Anaphylaxis Question From Another Newsletter Member
I thought I’d post another one of Melanie’s fine responses to an Allergy Smart newsletter member question.
Toni from Brisbane is just coming to terms with her son’s new found dairy anaphylaxis. Her son is now 1 year old and had a mild dairy allergy since 3 months. Anaphylaxis to dairy has now onset and he requires the epi-pen.
This is new territory for Toni, as it is for all of us when we find out that our children have this condition.
Enough from me, here is what Melanie had to say about it.
Toni, my heart really does go out to you. I can recall the sheer terror that I felt, learning of Declan’s anaphylaxis when he was 4 mths, and all that it encompasses. The responsibility of parenthood is huge, but it is magnified greatly when dealing with children with life-threatening allergies. I was completely overwhelmed, and went through several stages in dealing with it - hypervigilence and depression to begin with. We have since learned that there is a natural grieving process when a parent discovers that their child is afflicted with a medical condition that will cause a life(style) change, as there is a loss of what you envisaged your lives to be. If this gets too bad, it is always advisable to seek councilling to gain skills to help cope better.
One of the biggest struggles is getting people to believe that food can be poison to your child, especially one so “healthy” as dairy. We have learnt that not all people ‘get it’, and they pose a risk to your child with their lack of understanding. Especially if they are looking after your children without you supervising. We had family members in serious denial to begin with, because the job seems too much to handle. But some did begin to understand, others we don’t see that much at all.
I am a full-time mum. The thought of leaving my helpless child in the care of others who did not have the emotional investment in him as I do was too much to comprehend. People do it though, after lots of research into finding a safe place. Most of those people I have heard are dealing with peanut issues, where the common thing is to “ban” peanuts. Can’t do that with dairy, as it is in so much, and I couldn’t trust other parents to read labels etc?
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Aaron
Melanie / Aaron,
Thankyou for your support and understanding. While I might feel that the world is a dangerous place right now, it is comforting to know that there are other parents out there who “get it”!
Toni
Toni isn’t it great that someone (melanie & Aaron) “Gets it”. My son (4th Child) in severley allergic to dairy, egg, peanut, lupin and Almond. He will be 12 months on the 25th. Even my family don’t understand what we go through to keep him safe. My Parents have told me (when I wanted to show them how to use the epi-pen) that there is no need as they would prefer not to look after him alone. Which is fair enough but it still hurts. They only live 5 minutes away but I don’t see them much now. It’s great to get onto this website where people understand, everyone knows about “Peanuts” but when you mention dairy anaphylaxis they automatically say something like “oh my aunt is lactose intolorant”. You really learn who your true friends are. Keep your chin up, you aren’t alone even though it may feel like it at time.
Take care
Karen
Karen,
We really need a new term for these severe allergies don’t we! I also love it when people tell me about how many types of soy milk there are now! Then you have to give them a home economics lesson about how cheese, yoghurt and ice-cream are made. Not to mention their surprise when you tell them that Cheezels are actually made with cheese.
I would never have expected to become instant “friends” with people on the internet (isn’t that just for computer geeks who play computer games?). So thankyou for your companionship, and good luck to you and your family.
Toni