It was a fairly average midweek evening in January. My wife was thinking what to make for dinner and decided she wanted to give our baby twins (then 7 months old) something different from the usual vegetable puree. Little did we know that 2 portions of scrambled egg would have a huge impact on our lives, and the lives of our kids.
With Thing 1 the reaction was immediate. When he tasted the egg his face and mouth began to swell, his skin turned red and his eyes and nose were runny. There was even a mark on his neck, like a burn, where a small piece of the egg had landed after falling from the spoon. Thing 2 also had a reaction, though nowhere as extreme as his brother’s.
We attended A&E at the local hospital and the registrar took the unusual step of immediately diagnosing an egg allergy – he decided to do so due to the severity of the reaction and because it was so obvious what had caused it.
The Doctor talked about allergy tests and mentioning the possibility of the problems disappearing by the time the twins turn six – I don’t think we’ll be forcing egg down their throats to find out, mind you.
Looking back, one thing that was perhaps a bit of a surprise was the lack of information or advice that night at the hospital. We were basically told avoid eggs or products containing egg – or next time it could be worse.
We arrived home in a state of shock. A simple meal had turned into a family emergency, and looking back, we have to be grateful as it could have been far more serious.
From that night on, the hard work started. We had to educate ourselves as to what we could and couldn’t feed our own kids. Fortunately, my wife already possessed a decent knowledge of nutrition, which helped a great deal – though that didn’t mean that there wasn’t some surprises.
Take Jaffa Cakes for example. While some budget ranges don’t contain egg, most brand names do. The same goes for rolls. Normally they’re fine, but the likes of Marks & Spencer like to glaze the top of theirs with egg. No, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference either.
We’ve already had a few awkward moments when our two youngest have been denied a particular snack while their older siblings are able to have it. As they start to attend kids parties, the problem will be exacerbated. Fortunately, there are some decent egg substitute products on the market which means that ‘we’ can at least bake a cake for their birthday.
Of course, it’s all well and good dealing with the problem at home, but eating out is another concern. Most large restaurant and fast-food chains provide dietary information regarding what goes into their food. While I’m not looking to give anyone free publicity, McDonalds and Subway for example, have a decent selection of egg free products. On the other hand, KFC and Pizza Hut are pretty much a no-no.
On holiday in Ireland a couple of years ago, we asked staff in a pub about the allergy information before deciding on sausage, beans and chips for the twins. Unfortunately, Thing 1 still had a minor reaction, with a runny nose and his face reddening. Someone preparing the food may well have come into contact with egg at some point, and that’s part of the problem – we can’t cover every angle, all of the time. There is always the risk of exposure from third parties, particularly when we have a meal away from the family home.
Managing the allergy will be an even bigger challenge now, as our two little men start out at nursery. Our own GP and other medical professionals have advised us that the nursery will need to become an egg free environment and they seem to be in agreement with that – they’ll have to be.
Unfortunately, that’s not the only health issue our two youngest kids face. Both have suffered from eczema, and Thing 1 had an overnight stay in hospital due to his athsma. Thing 2, meanwhile, encountered some problems with a finger that remained permanently curled up, though thankfully that problem has now (pardon the pun) straightened itself out.
Apart from that, they’re fine.
Dad At The Deep End 