Nut Scare

After over 6 years of protecting Maddox from nuts, he had his first accidental ingestion today... and it was my fault.  I attended a cooking class and we added some chopped pistachios to one of the dishes.  I knew then that Maddox couldn't have any, but by the time I got Maddox home from school, I had forgotten.  He had a couple bites at 4pm and then a couple more at 6pm - I'd say he had no more than 1 or 2 full pistachios.  By 10pm, he had gotten out of bed complaining that he itched so bad it hurt.  He was covered from head to toe in hives, his tummy hurt, and he was pale as a ghost.  I knew immediately what I had done. ...oh, the guilt.

We gave him Benadryl and within 10-20 minutes, the itching had subsided.  Fortunately, he said his mouth, tongue, and throat all felt fine, so we did not use the Epipen.  His color did not return, however, and he still complained that his tummy hurt, so for our own peace of mind, Michael and I took him down the hill to the ER.  They confirmed that he was recovering well, but they gave him some steroids to help his body fight the invasion.  This photo is just before he was released - after a cup of yummy juice... and notice the clock on the wall says it's well after midnight.

The good news is that his reaction did not include an anaphylactic scare.  The bad news is that the second time he is exposed, the reaction may be much worse.  I feel like we've used up our first strike.

Having a nut allergy is certainly no fun.
Michele