Another reaction ....

*sigh*  It seems that we just get a handle on things, then something else happens.  William was at a birthday party on the weekend and ended up having a reaction to the birthday cake.  Thankfully, while unpleasant, it was relatively minor.  But the problem we run up against, again, is labelling.

Theoretically, it should have been okay, as he hasn't had reactions to anything previous to this to things (other than sulphur dioxide) that were present in concentrations under 10 ppm.  That's now changed, as while there were no sulphites explicitly present in the cake, there were ingredients (which I normally avoid at home) that are either exposed to or contain small amounts (under 10 ppm) of sulphites.  So we're going to have to be even more vigalent to make sure that he's not getting those things, either.  Until I can determine the specific culprit, I think we'll be bringing more of our own food to events like these.

Who knew .... ?

So, apparently in-store made items do not necessarily have to have sulphites listed in their ingredients.  Ask me how I know this ... you know you want to.

Products that are produced and packaged (in bulk) in-store are exempt from ingredient declaration (see A16), which means that the bread cubes I used for the stuffing in yesterday's turkey didn't need an allergen label, this despite the fact that these cubes are the only logical source for the (thankfully) minor reaction that William had after supper last night.  *sigh*

I'll admit, I was in a hurry and used what I had on hand in the freezer.  I did check the label, but assumed because there wasn't a "contains ..." statement that it was okay.  If I'd have been thinking, I'd have noticed that the package didn't list "Contains:  wheat," which should have put up a warning flag.

Regardless, he's fine today, but I'll be making my own bread cubes from now on, too.

Unexpected complications

It's been a crazy month, during which William's broken his arm, then had surgery twice on it (once in Phoenix, the second time here in Saskatoon).  There's nothing quite like having to explain, repeatedly, to health care professionals  (1) what sulphites are, (2) what sulphites are in, and (3) what happens when William is exposed to them.  Oh, and then there's having a discussion with your husband, who's in a different country in the ER with William, about what William can and cannot have to eat.  Oy vey!

So the pins come out and the cast comes off in four days (not nearly soon enough, in William's mind), and we're slowly returning to normal.  But I'm left thinking that there's a knowledge gap when it comes to sulphite sensitivity , especially when I've had more than one medical professional look askance at me when I explain the difference between sulphites and sulphates, and that William's had anaphylactic reactions to the former, and not the latter.  Anyway, there's definitely a gap in the knowledge base about sulphite sensitivity, a gap that really deserves to be filled, one way or another.

And we've managed through almost a month of crappy eating, injuries, illnesses, and travel to not have a single sulphite-related reaction.  W00T!  Let's hope that we see more of this in the future (crossing fingers).

Getting ready for school

It might seem a bit odd, but I’m already beginning to think about September, when William will enter Kindergarten.  There are a million questions and concerns racing through my mind, and I’m feeling a bit discombobulated, trying to figure out which of these should take priority. 

Unlike other provinces (Ontario and British Columbia), Saskatchewan doesn’t have  policy or set of regulations covering anaphylactic children in school settings.  Prairie Spirit School District does have guidelines for administering an EpiPen (or other necessary medication) to students, and has guidelines for dealing with anaphylactic children in the school (see section JFL).  That being said, we’re not dealing with an allergy that most people are familiar with.  The school is peanut- and scent-free (which I’m not going to get into, here), but it’s inconceivable, because of the ubiquity of sulphites, for this to be an option for William. 

I’ve already had a preliminary discussion with his classroom teacher, and will schedule a meeting with her and the principal for later this spring.  In the meantime, the dearth of readily-available (and understandable, which is a whole different issue) information on sulphites and sulphite-sensitivity is presenting a bit of a problem.  Sounds like a fact sheet might be in order. 

Bundt pan banana bread

Bundt Pan Banana Bread

This recipe is a staple in our house, and always made in the bundt pan.  Best served warm, and even better with peanut butter!

Adapted from The Best of the Best and More.

Ingredients

• 1 cup organic, unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups organic white sugar
• 5-6 mashed ripe organic bananas
• 4 organic, free range eggs
• 2-1/2 cups organic no-additive unbleached white flour
• 2 tsp organic baking soda
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp freshly grated organic nutmeg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl.
3. Add bananas and eggs.  Beat until mixed well.
4. Mix dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
5. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture.  Be careful not to overmix.
6. Pour into greased bundt pan (or two greased loaf pans).
7. Bake 50 to 55 minutes.  Test for doneness before removing (toothpick in middle should come out clean).  
8. Cool on rack for at least 10 minutes before removing.  
9. If freezing, cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap before freezing.

Pumpkin cranberry oatmeal muffins

We're completely out of baking at the moment, primarily due to the nasty stomach bug that's laid all of us up for the last ten days.  Yuck.  So it's time for an über-baking morning.  On this morning's list is banana bread (recipe to come later), multi-grain bread and buns, shortbread cookies, and pumpkin cranberry oatmeal muffins (made with the last of the pumpkin puree I made in December ... of which I will make much, much more next year).

Pumpkin Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins

(adapted from The Kitchen Magpie)

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup of organic pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup packed organic, unsulphured brown sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup organic stone ground red spring wheat flour
• 1/2 cup steel cut whole flake organic oatmeal
• 1/4 cup ground organic flax seed
• 3/4 cup organic cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• 4 tsp organic, non-aluminum baking powder
• 1 tsp organic cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp organic ginger
• 1/4 tsp grated fresh organic nutmeg
• pinch organic cloves
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Mix eggs, pumpkin, water, applesauce, and brown sugar in a medium bowl until well blended.  Do not overmix.  
4. Fold in cranberries.
5. Make a well in the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.  
6. Pour batter into a greased muffin tin.  Note:  Do not use paper liners, as these muffins will stick.  
7. Bake 18 - 20 minutes, until tops spring back lightly when touched.  (If using whole wheat flour, decrease cooking time to 15 - 17 minutes.)

Reaction? Stomach bug? Argh ...

William had an episode of major gastrointestinal distress late Thursday evening, to the point that I couldn't even get Gravol to stay down.  We limped through the night--nine loads of laundry later--and he managed to sleep a bit.  The boys had eaten out with D that evening, so my first suspicion was an allergic reaction to sulphites.  Thankfully, this wasn't the case, as it seems that all four of us have the same bug now, but it did get me to thinking.

Before, my first reaction would've been to give him Gravol and Kaopectate, then check his temperature and keep him clean and comfortable.  Now, I'm immediately giving him Benadryl, then watching him like a hawk, waiting to see if it's just a GI bug, or if it's something more nefarious, requiring constant watch to ensure that it's not the beginning of an anaphylactic reaction.  I feel like I'm over-reacting, but I need to keep him safe ... and there seems to be a constant war between the two, which is a bit uncomfortable, to say the least.  Where do you draw the line between rationality and obsessiveness?  I don't know, at least not right now.  We seem to be making the rules up as we go.  I just hope we're making the right ones.

No outside food policies

Our local rec complex has a policy that no outside food be brought in.  I understand the motivation for it, even though I don't agree with it, and know that it's caused a lot of divisiveness within the community, especially when it comes to supplying stuff for hockey tournaments.  We're getting everything organized for our pre-novice hockey tournament in March, and the policy came up at the parents' meeting.  I hadn't really thought about it before then, but this is certainly something I'm going to have to deal with (and probably not just at our rec complex, now that I think about it).

We've had a few reactions from food others have prepared, things that they've assured us are "safe."  I'm sorry, but that's something I'd prefer to verify for myself, and am to the point that unless I've read the ingredients list myself, William just doesn't get to have it because it's not worth the risk.  I did say to my husband, who's on the board for the complex, that I have no intention of following the policy for William when we're there ... it may cause some consternation, but as far as I'm concerned, my child's safety comes first.  I'm going to be polite and discrete about it, but I'll make sure he has what he needs, just as I've done at every other hockey game and tournament we've been to this year.  And I'm thinking that I'll have a conversation with the manager, who I don't think will have a problem with it, considering why I'm asking.

Must plan more better

Okay, so the bad grammar is deliberate, showing just how flustered and frustrated I was last night.  But, bad grammar aside, I really do need to plan better, especially mealtimes for William.  Eating at home is one thing, but those few occasions where eating outside the home is a necessity, I really do need to take a look at my planning strategies and improve them.

Yesterday was William's first Tae Kwon Do class for the winter session.  It's right a 6:00, which is a bit of a pain because I need to make sure he's eaten before we go.  Yesterday I got tied up at work, didn't manage to leave when I'd planned to leave, and was faced with the sudden conundrum:  what am I going to feed William?  In the past, we'd have bowed to the pressure of the golden arches (a.k.a. McDonalds) and gone through the drive-through on the way across town.  Since William's now had three back-to-back reactions to their fries, that wasn't an answer.  My original plan had been to take the boys to one of the family restaurants I know is okay, but we didn't have time for that.

We ended up eating at Tim Hortons, which wasn't something I'd really wanted to do, but was the only safe and fast alternative.  I can see, though, that it'll not be on our list too often.  Dealing with a new cashier who spoke English as a second (or third?) language can be frustrating enough.  Dealing with one when you're trying to ensure that your allergic child doesn't get exposed to the substance(s) he's allergic to is something else entirely.  I'm sure she thought I was a bit awful, but calling over a manager who spoke better English to ensure my child was going to be okay was a necessary evil.  And somehow I think a little embarrassment is the lesser of the two evils when the other evil is a potential anaphylactic reaction.  

Argh ... read the labels!

We can't seem to survive an event outside the home without some sort of a reaction problem, and yesterday was no different.  We had a family birthday party to go to, so I made sure William had eaten before we went.  Cake's usually not a huge problem, so I wasn't overly worried about that, and he was more interested in playing with the toys than eating.

That was until he saw that dad had Cheezies.  As he ate one, I asked if D had read the label.  Oh, no ... he didn't.  Cheezies (in their various brands and iterations) are a big problem, as almost all (except the Cheese Puffs variety) have sulphites.  So while I dug around for a pre-emptive dose of Benadryl, D and his brother went searching for the bag.  Yep ... sulphites.  

At home, it's not really a problem because I only let a few things (which we *know* William can't have) into the house that have them.  Out, it's different, and D's not really used to, at least yet, having to read labels and be conscious of ingredients.  I think that's the difference between growing up in a house with allergies and growing up not having to deal with them.  Plus, sulphites are odd (especially since they're not technically an allergy), so different things and different levels can cause a reaction.

On the plus side, William wasn't too much the worse for wear.  He did have a tummy ache last night and this morning, but seems to be okay now.  Here's hoping, though, that we all remember to read the labels the next time that we're out.  *sigh*

Fast food woes

I came to the realization, over the Christmas break, that fast food is no longer an option for us.  William has had four significant (although not anaphylactic) reactions to fast food over the last several weeks, all of these to frozen French fries.  Checking the companies' websites has revealed nothing, I suspect that the culprit is sulphites in the citric acid (sulphites are used in the process of producing citric acid), so we'll be keeping a better eye on citric acid-containing foods, too, to see if these are causing a problem as well, or if it's just specific kinds/brands of citric acid.  At this point, who knows?

Also, there seems to be some research to back this up, specifically this paper, along with several others. In the meantime, it's rather unlikely we'll be eating any fast food until I can get this sorted out.  On the plus side, it means we're eating far, far healthier than we had been.