When seconds count

I know I have been writing a lot about my son as of late. His health issues have consumed me to the nitty gritty and even the blog had taken backseat since his diagnosis. I have been so busy with doctors appointments and life that I am missing some of the neat things that Abilene has to share. I am also about to move again and try to start off a new. I will explain all that later in another post. Maybe I need to name it " finally ( hopefully) getting it together." I have been in a sea of new medical terms and tests and I am lost.. honestly I am lost. I wanted to share something with you, though it has only been a week ago.. the feelings are still soo raw and I hope to pass this on to other people. I hope that no one else will have to deal with it.


I tucked my son into bed a week ago thinking that it would be another typical week night. The routine has been the same for the last few weeks. It has been : bath, brush teeth, bed story, kisses and hugs and prayers and then sleep.. He fell asleep pretty fast as he normally does, his little blue eyes finally closing after a long day of fun. I go outside for a bit on my porch and chat with the neighbors ( which live right across from me) and then manage to get tired enough to go to bed. Since we had bad weather I was watching a little bit of the weather channel and enjoying another quite night. I fall asleep and drift into a deep sleep. Suddenly I hear screaming and what sounds like vomiting. I rush out of my bed to meet my son in the hallway. I notice he is wheezing and is visibly having breathing issues, even in the shadows his skin looked pale. I put his nebulizer machine together and start to give him a breathing treatment. I notice that there are blotches on his skin and turn on the light. I noticed the hives and then noticed his lip color. He was having an allergic reaction, unfortunately not caught in time to give meds. I called his father to tell him to get ready to leave and meet us at the hospital. I called 911 and prepared to give him his epi pen.. As I was on the phone the fear washed over me, my son could die!! What did he eat, what could he have eaten here, the house is cleaned out of unsafe foods. I start to sob and sing to him to make him calm.. I noticed that the symptoms where not getting any better and administer it . I hear the click and then hear a loud sob.. I again started to sob and held my son still while the medicine injected. After the dose was given I see the color start to come back.. He is coming back to me.. By that time I am off the phone and the sirens are coming closer.. Good they will take him where he needs to go.. I put his nebulizer mask back on just to give him air and I pick him up and rock him .. I try to gather myself and start to sing to him... you are my sunshine.. I smile at him and tell him that he is the strongest little boy i have ever known.. All the while my head is dancing with thoughts.. I allow the medics to take him and transport  to the hospital, i stayed back home with the other two.. all the while i am on the phone with his father. After awhile his dad gets off the phone and i am left alone... in silence.. I go to his room to make his bed and ready it for him to get home.. praying that they will release him..

While all this took me an hour to write it took 5 short minutes and 1 Epi pen.. in that short amount of time, my son could have died... He could have taken his last breath..

What most people do not know is how fast that this happens.. Seconds count, not minutes.. please know that this can be any child... that a shell from a peanut or a handshake after and ice cream could be deadly.. 

 

 

Being a mom of a food allergy Child : Food Allergy Awareness Week

I had always thought nothing of my Kids eating a peanut butter cracker on the playground or carrying around a cone of ice cream at the park until my son was diagnosed with food allergies. I had always thought that people who talked about food allergies where over worried and over concerned parents not wanting to feed their kids a certain food. Now that I am a mom of a newly diagnosed child with food allergies , and it is down right scary!! I have now become even more paranoid of the places I go daily and the things I touch. I have never thought of the impact would be so hard!! At first it was relief after years of wondering what was wrong with my child, why he would break out in huge rashes and have multiple asthma attacks. I spent hours in a ER, been through two surgeries and two hospital stays. Now I have nightmares of my son eating a peanut and having to give him his Epi-Pen and the look on his face from the last attack he had ( he was scared) .. I have been back and forth in my mind of all the changes I am going to have to make for him. I know it seems like having a child with food allergies ( and other health issues) would be annoying, tiring and stressful, But  I have learned it is much more than that.

1. Its waking up in the middle of the night from your baby crying because he cant breath well. As you sit there singing his favorite lullaby holding his Neb mask on his face you think of the last time you cuddled and realized it was weeks ago
2. Going to the park and watching him have freedom away from the house ( all the while you are praying there is nothing on the slide that will make him sick)
3. Going to a doctors office and making wonderful friends with the staff and them telling you are a good parent ( how can I be, my child is suffering and there is nothing i can do)
4. Having the talk over and over about what your child is allergic to until they can tell you what they are allergic to. ( its even harder with a slightly non verbal child)
5. Going to do blood draws and allowing them to have that big sucker he saw in the hospital window ( even though you dont want them to have all that sugar)

I am pleading with the parents with children that do not have food allergies to consider us. We may be the mom that yells louder at a PTA meeting, or the mom who brings the weird snacks for her child at soccer practice.  Please remember our children because what wont harm your child , can kill ours. I ask for family members not to downplay my concern and feed my child something that could harm them, I have rules for a reason. I ask for the media to pick these stories up and make it as popular as cancer stories or world news.. Our children deserve the attention and all the help we can get! It would make our nights easier , maybe we can sleep. It would make our kids relax and be able to enjoy going out to eat somewhere or go to the park and play freely.

Come one, come all to the opening of the farmers market!!

So it is going to be an exiting day this coming Saturday!! For most people here in Abilene it is the day the Farmers market opens! I like many other people are exited about going!!! I can't wait to see what our local farmers have grown !! I like many other "crunchy" moms like the idea of fresh foods without all the processed crap as well as less of a carbon footprint!! Most of our fruit we buy at stores are not even from this country!! Can you imagine what would happened if we got rid of the GMO foods? We would be able to survive without the threats of cancer, food allergies, obesity and the growing countless health issues caused by Monsanto and the other evil companies! What about giving back to the people that grow these foods? Would there be less food stamps if foods where grown locally and cheaper?

This is the perfect chance for me to get the word out  EAT LOCAL!!!  I have always heard from my grandma about how much she loved the seasons because each one brought a food that she was not able to eat until that time of the year. I am sure that this weekend will bring me excitement like it did for her. I only can think about all the money that is going to go to the local economy and help bring up the options to make Abilene beautiful !

So what am I going to look for this weekend
Fruits-  Strawberries, lemons, kiwis, cherries, grapefruit
Veggies- red potatoes, lettuce and carrots
Meats- beef and chicken
Herbs- all of them if i can ( i plan to dry them on a string in my kitchen)

I am also in the look for fresh local honey to help with my sons allergies and skin issues and maybe get him off his allergy meds when his body builds up an immunity. I am also looking for homeade soaps and lotions!!


I cant think of another better way to spend my weekend , but to eat fresh fruits and visit with local farmers and the people that make up this beautiful city!!