Lucas gets so stressed by just even the thought of getting his blood drawn. Well, today was a day for him to get his blood drawn. The reason for the blood drawn today is to check his vitamin d level and for his levels for several food allergies. He seemed “ok” until we got there then his anxiety hit the roof!
Previously, it started with just scratch testing, but his allergies are so severe. The severity of his allergies caused his doctor to move to blood draws. A few years ago, the frequency of the bloodwork increased as he started to do food challenges. They have been annually for the past 3-4 years. The bloodwork tells us if he is ready to attempt a new food challenge and if the severe ones are worse or the same. It is all very stressful. It is so hard to know the balance to continue attempting food challenges or just letting it be. He will always have to be diligent with carrying his EpiPen’s, forever. He doesn’t understand that with each food allergen that he conquers creates a safer world for him. But his tears are just so painful for me in the moment. He was brave, he did it! There were some tears, but he pulled it to gether. He was brave! We will have deeper discussions as we continue to move forward with the next food challenge. Lucas is a brave kid whether he decides to continue with more food challenges. They are not fun and the process until you are deemed no longer allergic to something takes years. I couldn’t be prouder of his bravery through the years!
2 Comments
Christina Huizar
3/29/2021 11:24:50 pm
Wow, thank for opening my eyes to the challenges of food allergies and what it takes to overcome them. I had no ideas. Your son does sound like a brave one to go through that time after time. I wish you both a safe journey ahead.
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AuthorI have worked in social work for over 25 years. The past 19 years have been within an elementary school setting. Archives
March 2022
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