What I Do Now:
Bermuda, Bahama, C’mon Pretty Mama
Recently, I went out to dinner with someone my husband works with and his wife. Eden and his food allergies didn't enter the conversation until I was onto my main course which was nice, Despite the appearances, I have so many other topics I like to discuss.
Inevitably though, IT- ahem - the big A came up. Usually It comes up during the requisite kid talk but this time we talking about travel. I had to confess why, for example - going to the Bahamas, takes a lot of thought since Eden was diagnosed i.e. Where's the nearest hospital? Can we get a kitchen? What kind of supermarkets are there? Etc.
So I explained Eden and all he implies and then I waited while this father of three asked, "Do they know why?" I love the they. To me, the they shows the understandable ambiguity that people instinctively have when it comes to the tougher concepts in life - like children with health conditions. Are we referring to doctors, scientists or the gods?
Still, I cited my list of "possible but not necessarily certain" reasons that more children are developing life threatening food allergies, starting with the ever popular Hygiene Hypothesis and finished with my more obscure personal research on an accumulations of circumstances unique to Eden.
One of those circumstances was his birth. He was born with Transient Tachpnea, a common thing. He was put in the NICU on standard course of antibiotics and came home within days. Now what happened after that was a combination of ill advised feeding choices, a series misdiagnoses and allergic genetics. Nevertheless, I find it interesting that beginning life with an an early round of antibiotics may have consequences for certain individuals.
Coincidentally, my dinner partner's third child was also put into the NICU at birth for the exact same reason and his child has no food allergies. So what's my point? Only this - six years later, while I'm fascinated by the discrepancies and origins of extreme allergies, I am more concerned with a CURE or life-long treatment. (And now it looks like they may have one for peanuts.) When they find it, I'll pack a very small suitcase and take my family around the world.