One afternoon, while we were at home with nothing to do, I made him a PB&J sandwich. He ate it, and seemed to like it. Not 10 minutes later, his face, especially his cheeks, started to get a little red. Then I noticed that his face was starting to swell. It was interesting that it didn't come as a shock to me. It was almost as if I knew that something was going to happen. I grabbed Hyrum, got in the car, and headed to the urgent care. We only lived 5 minutes away, but I kept a close eye on him the whole time as the swelling worsened.
They got us in quickly when we got there, and the doctor started doing an exam. By that point, it had been about 20 minutes since he had eaten the sandwich, and his little face was extremely swollen. When the doctor tried to check his throat, he started to drool. That was the point where I was most scared. She decided that it was too risky to treat him there and immediately sent us to the hospital across the street.
We ran over there and got him seen at the ER pretty quickly. Luckily, by the time the doctor came in, the swelling was already starting to go down. They gave him some Benadryl and watched him for a while to make sure he was ok. Then they sent us home with a prescription for an Epi-pen and an appointment with an allergist. They warned us that every exposure from there on out would be more dangerous, so we had to avoid peanuts completely. It was a shock for our family and particularly hard on my peanut-loving boys, but we did it to protect Hyrum.
Fast forward 4 years...
We learned to live with strict avoidance to peanuts. Our home was a peanut-free zone, and I carried an Epi-pen with me wherever I went. Eating at other people's homes was always stressful, and I was extremely anxious when he went to school. I went in and talked to his Kindergarten teacher to figure out a plan on how to handle food in the classroom. We sent him special treats that he could eat, and they put a sign on the door warning everyone of a peanut allergy. I also talked with the school nurse and worked out a medical plan. Everyone was very helpful, but it was still stressful.
No one felt the stress more than Hyrum, himself. He was so careful about what he ate and so diligent to check all of his food. We knew that another exposure could potentially kill him, so it was a very serious matter. Hyrum was super vigilant, but I knew that it was hard on him because he wouldn't eat new food and seldom at any food if it didn't have a nutrition label.
When he started Kindergarten, we went back and talked to his allergist at Rocky Mountain Allergy. They tested his blood again and did a prick test on his back. His IgE numbers were getting lower, but his back was still swelling from the allergen, so we discussed doing Peanut Immunotherapy for him. It is a relatively new program where they give very small doses of peanut oil, under careful supervision, every week. Over the course of 4-6 months, they gradually increase the doses until the patient can eat a few peanuts without reacting. The treatment is meant to provide safety for the patient in case of an accidental exposure. We decided that we wanted to do it, so we got on the waiting list.
Seven months later, it was finally Hyrum's turn to start the program. On the day of our first consultation, we met with our doctor again to go over all of the details. It was a huge commitment to drive all the way to Murray every week and take him out of school each time, but we were willing for his safety. As I was signing all the paperwork, the doctor looked at his chart again, and suggested that we do another prick test since the last one was promising. This time, the welt was even smaller. Although peanut allergies rarely go away (only about 20% of cases), the doctor felt hopeful about Hyrum. He decided that we needed to stop discussing immunotherapy, and instead get some more blood work done and perhaps do a peanut challenge.
The blood work came back great and showed very low levels. The doctor gave us the option of immunotherapy or a challenge. The challenge would consist of three hours in the office where they would slowly give him small doses of peanuts and gradually increase the amount if he tolerated it. If he didn't react after eating half a peanut butter sandwich, they could declare him allergy free. I was scared and Hyrum was scared, but Jonathon and the doctor looked at all of the data and felt good about going forward with the challenge. It would save us thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours if it worked.
I finally got on board, and we were able to convince Hyrum to try the challenge. This took a lot of work because he had been deathly scared of peanuts for the last three years. I probably wasn't very helpful because I was still scared too. We made the appointment and then started to prep him for it. We practiced at home with WowButter, which was the closest thing that was safe for him. He practiced eating it on crackers and bread to get used to the texture. It was hard for him, but he did a good job.I knew that he was really going to struggle eating the peanut butter and was afraid he would refuse, so I offered a reward if he could do it. He chose dinner at Pizza Pie Cafe if he was brave enough to finish the challenge.
Jonathon had to work on the day of the challenge, so I took Hyrum up by myself. The first dose was terrifying. I felt like a terrible mother for allowing the nurse to feed my child something that could potentially kill him, but I knew that we needed to try this. Hyrum was super nervous, but we were both trying to be brave. He gagged and choked on the teeny, tiny pea-sized amount of peanut butter they first gave him, but was finally able to get it down. Then we waited... After 20 minutes, he showed no reaction, so the amount was doubled. He again gagged, but was able to swallow the peanut butter. 20 minutes later, still no reaction. This time it was a teaspoon that he had to eat. He could hardly get it down and had to drink a lot of water to stomach the texture, but he was a trooper.
By that point, we were starting to feel a lot calmer and were getting excited. 2 more doses down, and we were at our last one. He had to eat half a piece of bread that was covered in peanut butter. It took him quite a long time, with lots of choking and gagging, but he did it! We had to wait at the office for another hour for monitoring, but then he was officially declared allergy-free! It was such an exciting day! There was such an enormous weight that was lifted off my shoulders. We went home and celebrated with the family, and of course, Hyrum got his special dinner at Pizza Pie Cafe that night.
It took Hyrum and me quite a while to get over the PTSD associated with allergies, but life has definitely improved for the better. He still hates peanuts and refuses to eat them (probably a psychological reaction to being scared of them for so long), but he is much less nervous about food in general. The boys are thrilled to have peanut butter back in the house and eat way too much of it to compensate. Ha!
We are so grateful and so blessed that we do not have to deal with allergies any more, but those 3 years gave us so much insight and empathy for people who do have allergies. Hyrum was one of the lucky ones who outgrew his allergy, but there are many who never will. It showed me, once again, that we are given challenges in this life to help us grow, but also to teach us empathy and understanding for others. The Savior had to feel the pains, stresses, and sadness of the world so that he would know how to succor His people. In a much smaller way, we must endure trials to gain those same qualities.
Here's to a new, peanut-filled life for our family!
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