Living with food allergies or looking after a child with food allergies is a hard task. Sometimes we can appear to be like ducks on water, they look like they are happily floating along the water, but, what we cant see is their feet flapping around below the surface to keep them afloat.
Many people think the food allergy sufferers dramatize their condition, we always get eye rolls, tuts or silly comments like oh just have a bit it won't kill you!!
I remember when Jasmine was in school she was only four years old, school had mistakenly given her food containing eggs which she is allergic to. Thankfully she is not anaphylactic to eggs but still had quite a nasty reaction, but because she appeared fine on the surface they didn't react to help her, this resulted in Jasmine being very sick for two weeks and needing time off school.
These are some of the things that Jasmine experiences after eating foods that cause a reaction that others don't always see
Chest Pain,
Abdominal Cramps
Loose Bowel Movements
Diarrhea
Constipation
Hives
Eczema
Stomach Bloating
Irritability
Panic Attacks
Anxiety
Hyperventilating
Nausea
Fatigue
Stress
Wheezing
Bloating
Depression
Anger
PTSD
Face swelling
Eye Swelling
Lip/Tongue Swelling
In some cases Anaphylaxis
Night Terrors
This list is not limited either as it depends on what she has reacted to, in some cases like the incident with school, Jasmine was so terrified she never ate lunch from school again!
As a parent it is also very stressful and exhaustive trying to explain for the 500th time why she can't have something and how important it is not to let her have these things. Every time Jasmine is not with me I have a pit in my stomach and I anxiously await her return. On the outside I can appear fine but my brain often feels like a whirlwind, constantly spinning to keep her safe and try and live as normal a life as possible.
Do you or anyone you care for suffer from anything on the list above?
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