Hi there, welcome to our little corner of the internet! I created this blog to journal our life managing food allergies and pursuing treatment at the SoCal Food Allergy Institute in Long Beach, CA.
So let me introduce us! I’m Tamara, my husband Syed and I have a 19 year old daughter and an amazing, smart, funny, spunky 7 year old named Jacob. Jacob is a foodie! From the age he was able to start eating, he has been open-minded and adventurous when it comes to trying new foods. The bolder the flavors the better! Spicy doesn’t phase him. He just has a love for food (not unlike his mama).
Imagine our shock when at 9 months old, he had his first allergic reaction. It was 9/24/2014, I’ll never forget the day because it was my birthday. What a birthday present right? That day I decided to feed him a jar of green pea baby food that had been sitting in the pantry. I had put off giving it to him because, let’s be honest, who really likes pureed peas?
I decided I didn’t want it to go to waste. After a few tiny spoonfuls it became very clear something was wrong. He started projectile vomiting. Within minutes his eyes and lips had swelled and he had hives from head to toe.
We were home alone, Syed was at work. I panicked! I called his pediatrician and left a voicemail for the nurse. I paced for what felt like an hour though it was probably more like a few minutes. I finally strapped him into his car seat and drove to the nearby ER. In hindsight, I should have called 911 and if I’d had epinephrine available, it would have been used.
In the ER, he was given benadryl and monitored for about 4 hours. Thankfully he never stopped breathing, I wasted so much time not knowing what to do that I am forever thankful that we had a good outcome.
2 months later we saw an allergist for the first time and after skin and blood tests it was determined that Jacob is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, sesame, legumes (chickpeas, lentils, beans, and of course the dreaded green peas), cats and dogs. He was also diagnosed with asthma.
We have since learned to live with these allergies through strict avoidance. Over the years we have successfully challenged green beans, sesame, black and pinto bean, and pecans. He is able to eat these foods. We’ve had to administer epi 2 times over the last 6 years, one after an unknown exposure and another time after an accidental exposure to peas.
Now we’re headed to sunny California for the Tolerance Induction Program (TIP) at the SoCal Food Allergy Institute. We are hopeful that through this treatment program, Jacob will achieve total food freedom!
Thanks for following our journey!
I love that you’re documenting your journey! We love you all and are hoping this all works out so well.
Thank you for sharing your story with the world. Being a mom to a kid with food allergies feels so isolating at times so reading someone else’s journey with this helps feel not so alone. I’m keeping Jacob in our prayers!