Our peanut allergy research journey. November 19th Tonight has been a marathon of sprints. He finished football practice at 5:30.He was starving but he needed a shower. He also needed to take his dose of peanut powder. He can't dose until one hour after he showers. He can't sleep for two hours after he doses. … Continue reading I’M SCARED TO TAKE A SHOWER
Last night, I heard the words that I knew would eventually come, "I'm getting tired of this." I figured he would. Eating chocolate pudding mixed with pasty powder for 127 days in a row would make me gag. But the words didn't come out of his mouth, they came out of mine. It wasn't really … Continue reading PUNCTURED PACKAGES
Today I subbed for Mrs. Becky. Mrs. Becky is our High School Secretary. Ladies and gentlemen, please pick up the phone (during school hours) and thank your school secretary. Send her chocolates, flowers, coffee, donuts… and Lysol. Mrs. Becky had to go to some kind of training today. When teachers go to stuff like that, … Continue reading FUNK
When I was learning to drive, my dad would say, "quit jackrabbiting!" Punching the gas and then the brake is many a young driver's approach to maintaining a steady speed. I did it with the added challenge of a standard shift clutch. Hashtag whiplash. Sometime in the 70's my grandfather, a lover of luxury sedans, … Continue reading CRUISE CONTROL
Tonight was the last game of the Jr. High season. Coleman is officially part of the Sr. High football team now. Along with the other ninth grade players, he has been invited to join the afternoon practices. It is the arrival of the ninth grade athlete. The passing of the pigskin from a bonded brotherhood … Continue reading THE SENIOR LINEUP
(Our peanut allergy research journey. October 21st.) HALFWAY “C’mon! You’re almost halfway there." When he was a small child, I would urge him to finish a serving of something healthy. We pushed through to the “clean plate marathon trophy” by increments on the other side of the halfway mark. “You’ve already eaten over half of … Continue reading HALFWAY
(Our peanut allergy research journey. October 7th) WALLS AND HALLS... "Hi, How are you?" Everyone asks. It's seamed into a polite greeting. It's the first thing you learn when studying a foreign language. "Bonjour, ca va". The correct response to that is "ca va". It means "fine". That's what you say. You say, "I'm fine, … Continue reading WALLS AND HALLS…
Our peanut allergy research journey. July 16th. HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL? Here's what I can tell you about my glass... it has been overflowing with struggle in the half empty/half full mentality. For the first food challenge, our Warrior HAD TO react to less than the equivalent of one peanut (300mg). That wasn't a … Continue reading HALF EMPTY, HALF FULL
(Our peanut allergy research journey. May 20) ROLL TRIBE. His story is about so much more than peanut allergy and our escape from it. He's a Warrior. And there's a story about that. My husband and I are Warriors, too. We graduated together, married and had children, but he and I didn't get married until … Continue reading ROLL TRIBE
(Our peanut allergy research journey. May 15.) SYSTEMIC SYMPTOMS. That's what happened to us today. That was the beginning of the end. My son had a very very very small amount of peanut and his tongue began to itch. We were in a controlled environment trying to tightrope a delicate balance that would be life … Continue reading SYSTEMIC SYMPTOMS
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