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Original poster

the worst mother ever has some great news

39 replies

JJ · 26/08/2003 19:19

My son, 5 1/2, whose first reaction at 9 months to pure cow's milk was to go into anaphylactic shock, accidentally had pizza with cheese on it on Saturday. I was not here and my husband was away, but it was completely my fault. (The last time my son had a bite of cheese, his throat started swelling closed, but that was 3 years ago...)

Anyway, he didn't react. I, being the bad mother, decided that he probably wasn't so allergic to at least cheese, butter and yoghurt. And so have tried those over the past few days. He's not. No reaction. He even had a sandwich and part of a croissant yesterday while we were out. (A new world for us.)

Wouldn't have posted this if he weren't fine. He even tried a tiny amount of ice cream tonight. Not dead so far.

This is surreal....

OP posts:
codswallop · 26/08/2003 19:23

Hoorah? Did you have a family history of allergy to milk?

Original poster
JJ · 26/08/2003 19:36

Respectively:
Yes?
No?

Just joking. It's a very good thing and wholly unexpected, although not shocking.

OP posts:
GeorginaA · 26/08/2003 19:51

That's fantastic news, JJ - that must make such a difference for you (and for your son!)

Lots of "go with the flow" trips out now to celebrate are in order

aloha · 26/08/2003 19:53

Brilliant news! I've read recently about children growing out of allergies - even horrific severe ones like your son's and the specialist said that children with life-restricting allergies (such as to common foods like milk and peanuts) should be regularly re-tested to see if the allergy had gone - so you were just following medical advice !

LIZS · 26/08/2003 19:58

Wow I'm really pleased for you all. Bit of a scary way to find out though ... I sometimes forget just how much I take for granted being able to pop out and feed ourselves on the hoof.

good luck as he explores his new found choices

bossykate · 26/08/2003 20:22

hey jj, great news. dairyworld awaits him!

lou33 · 26/08/2003 20:30

Congrats JJ, it will make your life so much easier now.

Original poster
JJ · 26/08/2003 20:33

Thanks. Today is my husband's birthday and my son and I picked out far too many sweets to celebrate. I don't have to make birthday cakes anymore! Bliss. (uh, not that they were bad or anything..... )

OP posts:
WideWebWitch · 26/08/2003 21:10

Great news JJ, it will surely change your life.

tigermoth · 26/08/2003 22:25

that's wonderful news, jj. You'll have to have a buttery, cheesy, yoghurty and ice creamy family meal to celebrate.

SueW · 27/08/2003 10:28

Fantastic news A whole new world. And lots of eating out without worrying about the menu

Sonnet · 27/08/2003 10:48

that's great - it must have made life just that bit more difficult before!!

motherinferior · 27/08/2003 11:17

FAB! Feast on ice cream to celebrate!!!

Original poster
JJ · 27/08/2003 19:50

Thanks again! He didn't have any today, but I'm so used to dairy free that it'll take a while to change. But planning holidays has already changed completely! Yay!

LIZS, yup, I'm putting the "what could have happened" out of my mind. Will probably pay for it in nightmares later, but hey, those'll pass.

Aloha, you're right! He was getting tested every year for milk (although every 6 months for the past year) and kept failing. I did know he was getting better, though, as he made it to a food challenge June 2002, but failed on when they wiped it under his lip. Same thing last January, but we did that at home. I'm not going to try milk straight up yet...

His peanut allergy is getting better, too, although I'm only having him tested about once every year and a half as the welts are still huge and hard (last one June 2002). He fits the profile of kids who grow out of it, though, so I'm hoping he does. His prev allergist said his best guess was that it'd happen a few years after he outgrows the milk allergy.

Still can't quite believe it! His first day of school was today, too. It's such a relief not to have to worry about that!

(far too many exclamation points, I know.. )

OP posts:
codswallop · 27/08/2003 19:51

at school already?

LIZS · 27/08/2003 20:12

coddy

Over on the continent we don't hang around ! ds is on his second week back but he did break up June 13th. Apparently some schools in Germany were back at the beginning of August whilst others only just broke up then. Whole new thread...

Podmog · 29/08/2003 08:25

Message withdrawn

Original poster
JJ · 05/09/2003 20:49

Podmog, yes! Amazing. It's so good to hear that someone else has the 20% in mind. I think I'll leave the next test until he's 7. When does your daughter turn 7? Please let me know how it goes.

What did your doctor say to do when she was ok with milk? We're kind of struggling on how to introduce it regularly-- mainly it's me being unused to the cooking with milk thing. But what did she like? My son wants to like everything with milk, but seems to be so unused to it that it's not tasty. He does like his pizza with (a little) cheese, though! Any thoughts, menus, anything, would be appreciated. He's going to his first drop off birthday party tomorrow and can eat the cake. Wowsers.

Sorry if this a little off topic, but do you go to Chinese or Thai restaurants? We don't, but we had gotten really paranoid. I really miss them. And I do think he's getting better-- do you think it's ok if we go? What do you do?

OP posts:
Original poster
JJ · 05/09/2003 20:55

Oh, and Coddy, yes, he's back. Thank goodness... 9 weeks was enough.

OP posts:
Podmog · 05/09/2003 21:59

Message withdrawn

Original poster
JJ · 05/09/2003 22:44

Oh, I sounded so irresponsible. I meant do you and your husband eat out at Chinese and Thai restaurants on your own.. I would never even think of taking my son there (as you wouldn't!).

Just to pry further: does your daughter have the epipens? I usually give one to my son and then the rest (one or two) to the host who is usually a teacher (he's never been on his own in a purely social function). This is the real first time for a birthday party and I've okayed the cake (no peanuts) with the hostess who is a good friend of mine.

My son remembers the injections, but it's hard for him to know when it's necessary, iykwim.

Any and all advice welcome. Life is good. It dawned on me that I've got to worry about the whole peanut allergy thing now. We avoided the cuisines before, but never really thought about it otherwise.

OP posts:
Original poster
JJ · 05/09/2003 23:02

Ok, I was wavering back and forth on this.. but what happened this past summer? It all ended up ok, right? What should have happened (ie, include solutions for the next time the situation might arise, because next time it might be me)?

Don't feel you have to answer the details -- really! I completely understand that. (Ie, I wouldn't... )

OP posts:
Original poster
JJ · 05/09/2003 23:17

I mean I wouldn't answer the details....

must not post while slightly drunk and mightily paranoid.

OP posts:
Podmog · 06/09/2003 06:55

Message withdrawn

Karen99 · 06/09/2003 14:21

JJ - just a quick message from a mum who herself has been allergic to milk all her life. HOWEVER, it was terrible when I was younger, but gradually in my teens I was able to have one or two bowls of cereal with cows milk a week and/or ice-cream, I was able to know the signs if I'd had too much, and now at age 31 I have LOADS of cheese, eggs etc, but still limit the milk. I also found that certain cheeses gave me migraine so I only have the mild and soft kinds. Mature chedder (one of my favourites!!!) has not been touched for 10 years. Also as mozerella (sp!) is churned etc differently to most other cheeses I found I can eat this in great quantities with no reaction - so pizza is definitely on the menu!

Hope things improve for your little one.

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