It started out like any other day, the typical rushing around upstairs getting the kids ready for school. I did the usual routine like making the beds, helping the kids get dressed, washing their faces and ensuring they brushed their teeth. I noticed my son had some marker on his face so I washed his face with what I had near the sink, trying to get it off quickly. Before you know it, the kids were dressed, ate breakfast, grabbed their backpacks and we were off to school in a flash.
It was just like any other morning.
And then, my phone rang.
The school number was showing up on my caller ID.
Every single time I see that number, my heart always beats a little faster. I always worry that something is dramatically wrong – that something happened.
The nurse was calling to let me know my son’s face had mysteriously broken out in hives but none appeared on any other parts of his body – just on his face, specifically around his mouth and chin. Immediately, I began to panic and my mind raced with so many thoughts:
Did he ingest something he shouldn’t have? Did the afterschool program not clean the tables well enough from the day before? Did my son touch a child’s hand or even a pencil at school that had come into contact with nuts? Will the hives get worse? Will they spread? Is his lip about to blow up? Will his breathing change???
I was so confused and the nurse continued to rattle off a list of questions:
Did you change his breakfast routine? Anything he could have touched or eaten that would have caused the breakout? Anything else out of the ordinary, perhaps a new lotion, cream or soap on his face?
And then it hit me.
I remembered that I washed my son’s face (to get that stupid marker off) with my exfoliating cream, a cream I had never used on him before.
I ran upstairs to get the bottle to read the ingredients and before I could even get to the bottom of the label, I read the top which stated:
“Soothing, gentle scrub with micro-spheres and natural extracts of honey, ALMOND and yeast…
ALMOND.
My son has a severe NUT allergy, he is allergic to ALMONDS.
“Sweet almond protein” is an ingredient found in the scrub that I used to wash my son’s face that morning. Total #MOMFAIL
I felt relieved in one sense that I discovered the culprit of the mysterious hives on my son’s face, but what didn’t sit well with me is the fact that after all these years of dealing with my son’s severe allergy, it’s crap like this that *still* happens and continues to spook me. It’s the idea that we don’t live in a bubble and I know there will be many more moments like this for him growing up, making an honest (but potentially deadly mistake) like putting a new cream on my son’s face.
The big lesson learned for me?
I need to read EVERY single label – not just FOOD labels, EVERY label.
Aside from what he ingests, I need to be conscious of every product that he puts on his face, in his hair, on his teeth, lips and all over his body.
EVERY single label.
We’ve had a few scary episodes in the past, two of which I blogged very openly about and yes, I continue to be THAT mom.
Unfortunately for my son, this allergy is not going away anytime soon. We recently had him re-tested and he is *just* as allergic as he was five years ago.
And so it goes – we continue to live with this terrible allergy, one that has the potential to KILL my son. No, I’m not talking about the common cold from time to time or a cough that won’t seem to quit, I am talking about something that he could actually die from.
For the record, I know many of my bloggy friends would want to know how he is doing – Thankfully, with a dose of Benadryl he was ok. Had I used this exfoliating cream repeatedly or if he actually ingested some, it could have been a much different outcome.
This is reason #5,629 I am haunted by this allergy and will continue to blog about my experiences, hoping that if you are a mom who deals with this as well, you can totally empathize with me and know that you are NOT alone. And to the moms who don’t have children who suffer from this allergy, I hope my words resonate with you and that you find compassion in your heart for moms like me. Ultimately, my hope is that you’ll have a better understanding of why I continue to be THAT mom.
Because I just don’t have any other choice – it’s a matter of life and death.
I’m glad it all worked out this time and served as an important reminder. I know, as someone who doesn’t have to deal with these allergies, I’ve become aware of it with food and I’m always asking before we have a new friend come over, but I wouldn’t think about the things in the kids’ bathroom.
A worthy PSA! I’m super glad your son is okay!
Oh, that must have been SO scary for you! I wouldn’t even think that there would be any type of nut in a face cream!
I honestly can’t imagine how tough it must be having a child with a life threatening allergy like that. A good friend from college has a little boy with the same thing, and it is so tough for her to send him off to school, etc.
Is is something they think he will eventually grow out of? I hope so!
I have chills, Heather! That must have been so scary!
I’m so glad he’s okay and for the record, I am so in awe of all that you do and manage with this!
How scary! I am so glad that he’s ok.
My son has issues with dairy. Allergy, sensitivity… still don’t know what to officially call it. He’s much better than he used to be, but we got a nasty reminder this past weekend that he still has some issues. Total MomFail on me for not paying attention to what he had been eating and drinking.
I also have school-age son with nut allergies and severe asthma. I go into panic mode when I see the school’s number on my caller ID. It is a very frightening situation to have to deal with, but we adapt and overcome as the fabulous Moms that we are! I am glad everything worked out and that your son is okay.
Thank you for sharing your experiences — it DOES help to know that I am not alone in this! I too, am THAT mom!
Oh my gosh, you poor thing.
I KNOW.
There are lipsticks, lots and lots of lipsticks, that use peanut oil for sheen.
There are foundations/base: that use peanut oil for “rejuvenation” and “glow.”
Hand lotions with shea nut butter.
It goes on and on.
When you have teens, you have to give them the “peanut talk” : not only can they not spontaneously kiss unless they are sure the other person did not just eat a Reese’s cup hours ago BUT they need to know if their lip gloss has peanut oil in it.
Talk about high alert status.
You need to tell them without scaring them.
Vigilance not terror.
Such a fine line.
I’m so sorry, mama…people will never know.
Impossible to know unless it’s your life.
I’m here, if you ever have questions..and I”m so sorry.
My stomach dropped with you as I felt like it was me running up the stairs to check on the ingredients…I can’t even imagine what you felt as your eyes read the word ALMOND.
Horrifying.
He is a beautiful child.
You know I live this life – and I feel blessed having found you in this space.
Thank you for these words.
xoxo
as the mom of kids without peanut allergies, everytime I read a post like this my heart just stops. I know that as THIS MOM..I have to be vigilant for YOUR children too and have them be just as cautious with their friends and schoolmates. A peanut butter cookie is a BIG DEAL to have at school…accidnentally taking a peanut M&M in IS a big deal and I promise to be even MORE aware of what we’re doing as parents of children without Allergies…
it really does take a village, and I’m happy to be part of that community.
It *does* take a village Kir, and I am SO glad moms like you understand what we go through dealing with this. Thank YOU!!
When my oldest was little, he had terrible eczema. Everyone told me to use Aveeno products. I used them and he got worse. I finally stopped using them, but didn’t understand why they made him worse.
Fast forward a year or so when we finally had him tested for allergies. He’s allergic to oats!! The funny thing is, he can usually eat them without a problem, but it’s more of a contact allergy for him than anything else.
I’m glad your son is okay.
A friend’s daughter had a reaction to toothpaste – it had coconut as a main ingredient. My husband has a severe peanut allergy and you do have to read every label – nuts pop up where you least expect them.
Glad your little cutie is feeling better!
be gentle with yourself today. your heart has been through a lot. im glad you blogged about this, not only to raise awareness, but compassion. and Im grateful the results of the almond exposure were topical only *HUG*
oh! i can understand with you. 3 weeks ago, my daughter had a terrible food allergy and hives allover her body. Her face was so swollen and her wrist too. Her lips and eyes were almost 3 times the normal size. She’s 3 and we havent really been able to detect what she’s allergic to, but we are keeping her away from cashew nuts and soy
Scary. My son is really allergic to tree nuts, and I’ve never even thought about having to read other labels. thanks for opening my eyes!
In a sense, it was a harmless wake up call to check skin care labels. It’s probably good that it happened. On another note, I’m impressed you make the beds in the morning! That is one chore I don’t think twice about.
So funny about the beds because my mother always said that an “unmade bed” in the house means someone is sick. I know, so silly, but I always make the damn beds probably in fear of that superstition!
Thanks for reading mama.
That is so scary Heather!! I am so glad he is okay. I would never think that nuts would be in face creams. I can’t imagine having a child with a life threatening allergy….I don’t know how you moms do it. I hope this is something that he will eventually grow out of.
Ugh. That is awful. I have a daughter with tree but allergies, among others, and it’s really hard. Other moms think I’m crazy when I ask “what brand of chocolate chips did you use?” But it’s up to me to be obsessive. I once poured her bath and put in a tiny bit of vanilla bath and body works soap only to realize it had almonds. She wasn’t in it yet so I drained it, bleached the tub, and started again. It’s a full time job.
Yes, a full-time job that at the moment (for me) has no breaks in sight.
Hugs to you mama
xo
Well, you know I know. Did I tell you that last year, on opening day of Little League, his teammate gave him an Indian Burn – after having just had a pbj for lunch. Sawyer broke out in hives all up and down his arm and I have never run so fast to my car to grab the benadryl and epi (just in case). It took two days for the hives to go away.
Anyway, I’m glad he’s okay. And I’m sorry both of you had to go through that. It’s absolutely terrifying. Many, many hugs to you and I hope you won’t beat yourself up too much over it. xoxoxo
He’s a stunningly gorgeous kid, btw. 😉
Oh Heather, how scary! And of course you’re THAT mom. Of course. It’s so unfortunate that nuts are something that pop up everywhere, and this post is important for someone like me. Abbey tested positive for a peanut allergy, but her reaction was mild. I carry Benedryl and the epi-pen, and we are so careful about food situations, but I just forget about things like moisturizer. She doesn’t have an allergy to tree nuts, but there is SO MUCH cross contamination to worry about, and I need to be more careful
Oh no! But, seriously, any of us could easily make the same mistake!! I’m so glad it was easily taken care of. Whew!
Oh wow! What a freak out session I would have had too!!!
How scary — I am so sorry you had to go through this. Thanks for continuing to raise awareness on this issue. It’s so important. And I’m so glad your son is doing OK.
I am so glad that your son is okay, but so sorry that you both have to deal with this on-going allergy. He is lucky to have such a loving and cautious mama. xo
I totally understand! It’s impossible to read every label and yet you have to. I’m at the point of investing in a magnifying glass so that I can read better. My son’s allergy is to citric acid and we try to avoid it, but it seems to be in everything. He kept coming home from school broken out only to find out that the soap the school uses has citric acid in it. Apparently citric acid is a pretty rare allergy so it’s hard to keep a close eye on everything. We are lucky that it’s just a bad rash for him, not currently life threatening, but allergies can turn fatal quickly so we try to avoid it as much as possible (He’s also allergic to egg which is much easier to avoid, but also in many unexpected things.
I’m so glad your son is ok!
I’m sending you a Virtual hug from another mom who has a son with a nut allergy. He turns 17 today and we have had our moments too! But now he is the one to read the label and say: but this has nuts in it! And that’s the good news, he is advocating for himself now.
My hair is standing on end. I am so sorry that you had to experience this, and so happy that your son is ok.
Omigosh, I’m so glad he’s okay!
I just spoke to a mom whose 3 1/2 year old has a severe peanut allergy, and I could see how hard it is for her, knowing that he has to deal with it his whole life, and how worrying it can be. You blogging about this is great, as it serves to educate the rest of us whose children will have friends who will have allergies, who will come into contact with food/ substances that could be harmful to them. Armed with knowledge like this, I feel better knowing that I will at least be able to look out for children with allergies.
And it’s a comment like yours, “Armed with knowledge like this, I feel better knowing that I will at least be able to look out for children with allergies,” that I am *so* glad I published this post.
Thank you!!
It’s so scary, hon. I’m sorry.
Chessa has a peanut allergy – so far it only causes a rash, but I’m scared to death that it will get worse as she gets better. Craig is hopeful it will go away, but I’ve read too many stories about it getting worse and my fear gets in the way of his hope.
He found an article a few weeks ago about how doctors are reintroducing peanuts at really low doses to start to try to build a tolerance in kids once they get a little older. Have you seen that? Do you think it will be an option for your little guy?
I actually have heard of that but we are far away from that trial because of my son’s severity. His blood tests were off the charts and when they performed the skin test (they placed a small dot – smaller than a drop of water from a medicine dropper) and his arm blew up.
It’s scary, the whole damn thing.
All I can do is continue to share my experience (as it happens) and hope that it resonates over time with others and maybe in the process, raise some awareness. Thanks for listening & reading, as always mama.
xoxo
How scary! I’d never even think to look at my face scrub!
Oh, what a gorgeous boy. I’m so sorry you have these scares to juggle. I’m sure it’s such a hard balance of wanting him to not be scared all the time but also be very aware of what he’s eating, touching, etc. Your posts have definitely made me more aware!
Oh, and HI!!
We are in the allergist office right now to find out how severe my daughters peanut allergy is.
This post hit home.
Yikes! Severe allergies like that are SO scary! I’m glad it didn’t go beyond hives!
You be that mom. It’s totally important.
There are much worse things to be than “That Mom”. I wish I could be her. Our youngest has ADHD and there’s some research pointing to the elimination of artificial colors and flavors as something that would help him. But it is hard and fighting with him about eating healthier is even harder. I’m open to suggestions.
If by “that mom” you mean an intuitive, loving, passionate, intelligent, vigilant mom, then good for you. We should ALL be “that mom.”