The nurse line last night advised us to see the pediatrician within the next 3 days, so this morning I called and made an appointment. The verdict (without testing, but by virtue of elimination) is a wheat allergy. Which terrifies me, because there is wheat hidden in everything. I actually thought I was going to have to eliminate wheat from my diet, but the doctor said that wasn’t necessary since it hasn’t caused any problems. I am so relieved! The bad news is that I have to be hyper-vigilant about reading food labels. Anything that contains wheat is a big no-no for her. Since they hide wheat in everything (even “single grain” baby oatmeal!) this is really scary for me. That means Cheerios and Goldfish are out, two things which have been staples in my house with children who are learning to self-feed. Not to mention a million other things that I’ve never thought twice about. Pasta, bread, baby puffs, crackers, cereal, etc…all things I’ve given my kids when they were small that I have to find substitutes for.
The good news is that she might outgrow this. The bad news is that she might not…and that introduces a lot of problems for her later on. She won’t be able to have the snack at church. She won’t be able to eat the food at school. We may have to carry an EpiPen because it’s likely that wheat is only the first in a list of foods she’s allergic to. Alternative foods are expensive and hard to find in a small town like this. It’s going to require a lot more thinking when it comes to grocery shopping and meal planning. And worrying. A LOT of worrying.
I have been reading and am still not clear if gluten free foods are safe…a gluten sensitivity (aka celiac disease) is not the same thing as a wheat allergy. Gluten sensitivity is generally a digestive issue. Violet appears to have a much more immediate reaction, which is more serious. So is it enough to eat gluten free foods? I’m not sure, and this is where I’m going to be doing lots and lots of research over the next few days. At this point I’m praying she grows out of it, but preparing for the changes we’ll have to make if she doesn’t. I guess that’s all we can do at this point!
