Eye Opening Allergy Reminder

Hubby and I had a reminder last week to always check before giving C anything to eat.  It wasn't a scary experience, just eye-opening.  My mom and dad have been eating lunch out more, which is fine because they are really good about only feeding C things that we have already given him at any given place. 

The issue came with milkshakes.  I had mentioned that we've given C milkshakes before.  What I failed to mention was that we make our own, so even though we had lunch at McDonald's, the milkshake was made at home.  Two days during the week, C came home with very red lips, redness around the mouth, and increased eczema on his body.  He had a runny nose, so my mom thought the redness was just his rubbing his face a lot, and he had played outside so she thought that was the reason for his eczema.  However, after observing him for a few minutes, I noticed he wasn't rubbing his nose, he was rubbing his mouth specifically.  So, on the off chance, I gave him Benadryl.  It cleared everything right up and he stopped rubbing his mouth.  After the second day (not in a row, just in the same week) I decided to see what he ate and recheck everything.  The only thing different was a milkshake from Chick-Fil-A.  We have just recently added Chick-Fil-A to his okay list because of his peanut allergy (very limited what he can have and watched very closely,) and never thought to check their milkshake.  Guess what?  There is egg in their milkshake, and egg cross-contamination in McDonald's milkshake.

I asked why they were giving him milkshakes (he wasn't getting his own, he was sharing with my mom) and they said because we have before.  That's where the slap on the forehead came in!  My mom and I both learned to ask more questions, and to be more clear on what we tell the other.  Just another reminder to ALWAYS check, no matter what.  My parents are still new to food allergies, even though C was diagnosed over a year ago, it is harder for them to understand completely, and that's okay.  Hubby and I have been living with it, so it's a little easier for us understand that everything needs to be checked, no matter how silly it seems.  Would I have expected McDonald's milkshake to have egg cross-contamination?  No, I would have expected peanut cross-contamination, because I know their ice cream itself is safe. 

I'm just glad his reaction was so mild, it is an improvement from when he was diagnosed.  Back then he got hives all over his stomach and back if he ingested anything with egg.  Maybe this means the allergy is getting better?  Not that we will be testing this ourselves anytime soon!  We will still be just as careful.  With food allergies, you can never let yourself get into a false sense of comfort. 

C eating a safe treat at a friends house.