Now what do we do?

When Brooke was diagnosed with life threatening peanut allergies, we were told that there was no cure.  The only treatment we could provide our child, was a life of strict avoidance. In case of accidental exposure, we were prescribed an epi-pen and taught how to use it.  It soon became apparent that our entire world needed to be restructured.  First, we had to “un-poison” our home.  I remember raking through all the food in our pantry and cupboards and throwing everything away that had a peanut warning on the label.  At every subsequent grocery shopping trip, we had to check and recheck labels to make sure we weren’t buying foods that could potentially kill our child.  Gone were the days of spontaneous trips to a restaurant… from that point forward, each restaurant had to be called beforehand, so we could check if there were safe foods, or any risk of cross contamination.  Brooke’s environment, no matter where she was, needed to be checked for peanut-residue-landmines that could have been anywhere.  Dog treats had to be checked before Brooke could let the dog lick her. Shopping carts had to be wiped down before Brooke could sit in them.  Public picnic benches and tables needed to be avoided at all costs. And then, there was the need to educate others… which is always difficult when you’re trying to walk a thin line between keeping your child safe and pissing off the person who has to be inconvenienced in order to accommodate her needs.

Unfortunately all of this knowledge didn’t come all at once. We’ve learned bits and pieces along the way.  We are still learning. We have had to learn to employ extraordinary vigilance at all times.  We’ve encountered people who think we are crazy or overreacting or seeking attention.  We’ve encountered people who are hostile because Brooke’s food allergies inconvenience them.  We’ve encountered all kinds of circumstances and attitudes that have surprised us and upset us and everything in-between.  For the most part, people have been kind, caring, compassionate, understanding and most importantly accommodating, which is a huge blessing… it makes the pissed off people easier to tolerate.  Ü