It was November 24th 2009. Baby Asher was 10 months old. I thought that day would be a good day to try a new solid food. His pediatrician gave me the "okay" to let him try egg. It had NEVER crossed my mind what would happen next. He ate a bite of the fried egg and didn't want to eat anymore. He was tired and ready for a nap. I laid him in his crib. A few minutes later he was crying, but not his "normal" cry. It was a terrified cry. Upon entering his room, I noticed 2 large welts on his neck. It looked as though someone took a leather belt to his skin. I picked him up and he clung to me. I called his pediatrician and they nurse told me to give him benadryl. I did not have any benadryl. At this point, Asher's lips, eyes, and ears were starting to swell. I laid him on his changing table to get him dressed so I could go buy some benadryl. I dialed his pediatricians office again. Then Asher's eyes and ears were swollen SHUT and he screamed in fear as he could not see his Mama. His little body was covered in hives and welts and he was bright red. He made a wheezing sound and his lips were turning blue. I dialed 911. I carried his lifeless body to the living room and waited with the front door open, holding Ash, as the operator stayed on the line with me. Her attempts to calm me were futile. It seemed like an eternity. I dropped to my knees in prayer, begging god to not take my son. A firetruck, 2 ambulances and 2 squad cars pulled up. They ran to us. One of the EMT's took my baby out of my arms and examined him and did what they needed to do...I was hysterical. Asher was in anaphylactic shock. His own immune system was reacting to an allergen...an allergen I wasn't even aware of. Could this really be happening to us? Wasn't it just a bad dream? After hours at the emergency room, Asher's swelling went down and he was starting to look like my baby again. I could not wrap my head around the fact that a bite of egg almost took my baby's life. The ER doctor prescribed oral steroids for 2 weeks and said we needed to see his Pediatrician the following morning and get our own EPI pens. I did not sleep that night. I checked on Ash every 10 minutes to make sure he was breathing. This was the beginning of our new life. Our life where we would never look at food the same way. Our life where our family and friend relationships would never be the same. This anaphylactic life.
From here we found out that Ash is anaphylactic to eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts. He is also highly allergic to dairy and most legumes (beans). Slightly allergic to wheat and soy. He is also allergic to dogs and cats. Asher's allergies are so severe that he reacts to simply touching his allergens, or people who have eaten them. We have an allergen free home and I have been on an elimination diet since November 2009 so that I can still breast feed him. My days are dedicated to keeping him safe, nourished, loved and educated about his allergies.
