First off, Wes tried to pack his own lunch for preschool today.

Today Carissa took a trip to an allergist’s office.

She’s had peanut butter a few times, and each time she’s broken out in hives around her mouth.

I’m a little out of my element with allergies since I have none, nor does anyone in my family.

The nurse dabbed high concentrations of peanuts, nuts, and eggs on Carissa’s back and then pricked her skin in each area. We hung out for fifteen minutes while the hives grew and grew.

Carissa is allergic to peanuts, VERY allergic to walnuts, and more mildly allergic to almonds and pistachios. She is also allergic to egg whites (but not egg yolks). I asked him to test for eggs because she tried some the other day and spit it up fast.

Then I got a quick education about the epipen (and it’s cost–over $200 per pack). It’s a quick shot of adrenalin that I’ll keep in my purse and at home near the kitchen. If Carissa has an allergic reaction that’s bad where she is choking or can’t breath, we’ll pull out the epipen and stick it in her upper thigh. The adrenaline reverses the allergic reaction so we have time to get to the hospital.

So we’re set. No nuts, no food processed on the same equipment as nuts (pretzels are OK!–first thing I checked), and no eggs.

The doctor said that many kids outgrow egg and dairy allergies in four or five years. Only one in five kids outgrow nut allergies. So we’ll see.