Life After a Successful Egg Challenge - Answers and Questions

Eggs have re-entered our home and there is rejoicing all around.  We have made brownies, pancakes and scrambled eggs.  I am sorry for those of you still egg less ones, but eggs really do make things easier for the cooking impaired such as myself.  The brownies actually taste ok, and don't double as a stepping stone for the garden.  The pancakes can be removed from the pan without a chisel, and actually resemble a pancake.

However I am still uncertain about this whole egg thing.  Previously Conor had never really reacted to cooked egg.  He ate lots of things with egg cooked in it and I never noticed anything before.(not that I was a little bit slow on noticing these things before).  He seemed to really react to raw egg, or things like meringue powder that I put into icings.  How do I know if he will react to these things now, and what if he does???  And if he gets some eczema, how do I know if it is exacerbated by the eggs???

Now here is my other really stupid thought.  He used to be allergic to eggs, and now he ate one.  How do I know he is still allergic to peanuts.  Sure I remember a few years ago when he ate on and his head blew up to the size of a basketball, but how do I know he still is.  I am thrilled that he has not had a peanut reaction since, and it means we are doing a good job keeping him safe, but the part of me thinks denial is a river in Egypt wonders if I am just being paranoid in my anti-peanut crusade.

Don't worry, I know he is still allergic to peanuts.  We will navigate the waters of our own journey with eggs one egg and one day at a time.  We got some new answers I really like, but why do I still have so many new questions.

It's Eggcellent!!! - A Successful Food Challenge

Things are calming down a bit here.  We are much poorer, but have a new computer, and a spiffy new rental car while the minivan is in the shop.  The second car has had its breaks replaced, and life is returning somewhat back to normal.

On Monday we made our way to the Allergist for our Egg Challenge.  This was a long time coming, and our third attempt at actually making it to the Dr. to do the challenge.  The first time Conor got sick, and we spent all sorts of time at the Dr and the emergency room, but not for an egg challenge.  The second time the Dr. had an emergency and her not so wonderful office staff failed to inform me and this unfortunate discovery was made when I arrived at the Dr. office, eggs in hand to a locked door and a note.

But Monday was the third time, and the third time was the charm.  We arrived at the Dr. bright and early.  Conor was not hacking and the door was open, so we figured so far so good.  We had never done a food challenge before, and although I had read about it, I was not sure what to expect.

We got taken back to a room which was to be our home for the next few hours.  I had brought all sorts of entertainment to keep Conor out of trouble, and I have to say, he really behaved quite well.  They started off with a skin test of just a histamine and egg, and of course Conor failed it miserably.  Although he failed, they said they pretty much just like to poke little children for fun, and would go ahead with the challenge anyways.  HHHMMM just how accurate are those tests anyways???

Then they started with a hard boiled egg, and just rubbed Conor's finger on it.  The nurse set a timer for 10 minutes, and when all was well, they proceeded to rub it on his lips.  He found this highly amusing, and kept saying he had on egg lipstick.  He still tells everyone how the nurse at the Dr. office gave him some egg lipstick and now he is not allergic to eggs.  Ten minutes later they had him lick the egg.  Ten minutes after that, he took a small bite, another ten minutes, another bite, and finally a big chunk of egg.  After each ten minute period the nurse came in, took all his vital signs and looked him over.  I of course just sat there staring at him, waiting anxiously to see if hives would pop up, or his face would start to swell.  In order to get him to eat the egg I had to bribe him with some left over Halloween candy, and I had one small scare, when I thought lollipop leftovers were hives covering his chin.   

There was a lot of waiting and looking, but in the end, Conor passed without a hive or swell in sight. We ended up spending almost 5 hours in the office by the time it was all over, and even got a flu shot to boot.  

I Have a Dream...of Eggs

Is this my dream of eggs?

Square eggs??? AHHHHH!!!! No, not really, but that would be quite an interesting dream. This is posted on the site below along with lots of other interesting things made square including a turtle, a flower and a cat.

http://www.worth1000.com/contest.asp?contest_id=9092&display=photoshop

Is this my dream about eggs???

Yikes, I hope not. What would happen to a baby hatched out of an egg if they were allergic to eggs??? Don't worry, this is a photoshop tutorial so you too can make your own cracked egg to hatch out anything your heart desires. Yes, I do have too much free time on my hands.

http://www.photoshopnerds.com/2006/03/page/2/

I have a different sort of dream about eggs. I dream of the day where I can make pancakes, cakes and cookies using real eggs instead of trying to creatively come up with a way to make it taste ok, not stick to the pan (a big problem with pancakes), and not come out like a brick 1 in every 5 attempts. I dream of the day my quick and easy cake does not involve a can of soda and a pre-packaged box of cake mix. I dream of the day we can eat at Round Table Pizza even though they use egg in their pizza crust. (assuming they are still nut free of course) I dream of the day where I can eat an omelet at home at my kitchen table. Yes, I have a dream.

In a few weeks Conor is going to the Allergist to get re-tested for his egg allergy. Even though I know he will probably fail it, the allergist got my hopes up. She said since it has been a year since he has had any egg, maybe he has out grown it. She seemed so positive and hopeful I allowed myself to dream - just a little bit, what it would be like to re welcome the egg into our world.

I don't have the same anger towards the egg that I do to the peanut. Conor's reactions have never gone beyond hives, and minor facial swelling. The egg does not have the extreme fear and danger that is tied into the peanut for us. The egg is not evil, but merely misguided. If Conor comes across a teeny tiny bit of it, he probably won't explode. (and if he does - hey, I have an epi-pen) The egg also does not have any pretenses such as wearing a top hat, monocle and shoes, and is a nice comforting oval shape. Maybe I don't hate the egg, because people generally don't fight for their right to eggs like they do for peanuts. (this is a generality, and if I am wrong other egg allergic people please let me know, and I will help you vilify the evil egg) Eggs are not handed out in little packets on airlines, and made into a paste that is so addictive some children can not go without it for 5 meals a day while at school. I don't hate the egg, I just miss the egg, and getting the egg back in our diet would be one less thing to worry about.

Wow, all this dreaming about eggs has made me tired. Time to go to bed. I wonder what I will dream of tonight.

Wow, Vegan, Egg Free Mayonnaise that Tastes Good!!

When we discovered Conor was allergic to eggs, we removed most egg products in our home. In that list of egg products that must go was the ever eggy mayonnaise. I had accepted that we would just never have mayo at home, and we were dealing with it in a valiant and brave manner. There were a few dishes we were unable to make, but for the sake of our child we were willing to forgo them.


Then one day, a friend who is vegan told me about an amazing product. There was a mayonnaise that was vegan, and so had no eggs, no dairy, no animal byproducts. And even more amazing, it really tasted like mayonnaise. This amazing product was called Vegenaise.

http://www.followyourheart.com/

Apparently in order to be called mayonnaise in the United States, you must have eggs in your recipe, so instead Vegenaise was born. It comes in four varieties, original, grape seed oil, organic, and expeller-pressed.

So I ran out to the local store that carried this mystical product. To me mayonnaise and eggs had always been synonymous. I took home a bottle of the grape seed oil Vegenaise and we opened it for everyone in the house to have a taste test.

Everyone loved it, even those that had never tried mayonnaise before. Mick and I thought it tasted easily comparable to real mayo, and excitedly started planning all the things we (or he...I am not the best cook) could do with it. Jan is from Thailand, and not that familiar with American mayo, but seemed to like it. The young folk all willingly tried it, and even the extremely picky princess begrudgingly agreed it wasn't bad.

So last night for dinner, Mick made his Aunt Kate's really yummy mayo, crab toasted sandwich things that I really love, and we have not had for years.

Vegenaise Rocks!!!!

Now does anyone know of an egg free quiche???

Food Allergy Cookbooks - My Review

Ok, I am back, and this should be pretty short and sweet because I only own one cookbook out of my entire long and (might I say) impressive list of cook books. I do however like to hear myself type, so you never know how long I am able to talk about this one single food allergy cookbook that sits on a shelf surrounded by cookbooks unlimited in their ingredient lists.



First off let me preface this by saying I didn't cook unless you count heating things up in a microwave cooking. Of course all that changed when our friend Mr. Food Allergy entered the picture.

Mr. Food Allergy

He was an unpleasant sort of guy who kind of snuck up on us, behind our backs when we were least expecting it. He is quite the bully and has no regard for the terms share and take turns. The type of guy you never want to meet in a dark alley, or in that dark area under the slide at the playground. He can be mean and nasty, and downright dangerous. But he had a message for me, a message I had been trying to avoid for all of my 30 plus years................you must now learn to cook, or at least bake - for the sake of your child.





So off I went, in search of some guidance on how to do this. Not only do I not bake or cook, I must now do it without one of the main ingredients required in most baked goods!!!! Eggs!!!! Which came first the baking or the eggs???? The baking!!!! So the panic began. My child needs a safe cake or cupcake! What am I to do, and there are 5 birthday parties coming up in the next week!!! Help!!!!



I never really got a cookbook when I thought we were only allergic to peanuts. It is pretty easy to cook without peanuts, just don't use them. Eggs however were quite a different story. In a panic I disregarded my need for instant gratification and ordered the book Bakin' Without Eggs by Rosemarie Emro. I am so happy I did.


Rosemarie Emro is the mother of a child allergic to eggs and peanuts. I felt an instant camaraderie with her, since her child has exactly the same food allergies as mine. So, I opened the book and scanned the recipes. I am not good with recipes that go on for longer then a page, and have more then 15 or so ingredients. I tend to get confused easily, and add the wrong amount of some sort of ingredients. I once tried to make a cake for a friends wedding from a long and wieldy recipe (before I had this book of course), and kept putting in 3 tablespoons of baking soda instead of teaspoons. Yuck!! Not tasty. Three cakes and lots of crying, screaming, and a tantrum on the floor later, I finally realized my mistake. (The 4th cake came out great though :) )




Anyways, most of the recipes in this book are direct and to the point. The ingredients lists are not too long and unwieldy, and the instructions are easy to follow. I have made many of the recipes in the book, and only had two real disasters which for me is a major accomplishment.(And let me say, they were not pretty - can you say brick???) The recipe for chocolate chip cookies is absolutely wonderful, and I think even tastes better then other homemade chocolate chip cookies with eggs. I have baked many of the cakes, and they too are great. There are also wonderful recipes for scones, pancakes and brownies that have been a great hit at many a party where people did not even suspect they had no egg in them. I was even able to make the brownies in a Christmas tree mold over the holidays, and ta da! unique , fun desert.

So anyways, what I am trying to say in this long (but witty) review, is that this is a great book, and a useful tool for anyone trying not to crack while avoiding eggs.

This is a Test of the Emergency Broadcasting System, This is Only a Test........ I Think

OK, Here I am, I think I am doing it. This is a test post on my new and exciting blog.

This is my blog with comments and musings on my life as a stay at home mother to 5 year old twins, and an almost 4 year old. My wonderful husband works in the biotech industry. My youngest son has life threatening allergies to peanuts, is allergic to eggs, and has eczema, asthma, and more allergies to everything that grows then I care to remember. He is also allergic to cats, dogs, dust, penicillin, and many many many many many other things we have not discovered yet. We have an Au Pair from Thailand that lives with us, who is a wonderful help. She has even taught me how to say help in Thai.

I just got interrupted there for a minute by some chaos on how Jan (our Au Pair) somehow stepped on Michael's (one of the 5 year old twins) nose. I had to stop for a few minutes to discover
1) Is he OK?? and also...
2)What was his nose doing in a place Jan could step on it.

Ok, back to me. I also run marathons, go to Weight Watchers on an endless pursuit to lose weight. (yes you can run a marathon and still be "chubby"), and just try to make it through the day without pulling my hair out