I put out bowls of cut-up cantaloupe with warm, homemade
chocolate chip cookies just as my husband and son were pulling up. My son was
having a rough day, so I thought it would be nice to surprise him with his
favorite cookies and fresh cantaloupe to cheer him up a little when he got home
from an appointment. Well, that was a major fail.
As soon as Joseph started eating the cantaloupe, he looked
at me in fear. He said his mouth was feeling extra itchy and his lips felt
funny. Then he realized it was the same way he felt when his mouth and throat
got itchy after eating strawberries a year ago. He has also reacted in the same
way to watermelon.
The reaction to these fruits is different than the more
serious, life-threatening anaphylaxis that Joseph, 12, has experienced with
other foods to which he is allergic. Instead the fruits on his list of
allergies are part of his Oral Allergy Syndrome (OAS), common in pollen allergy
sufferers, especially those allergic to birch, ragweed and grass pollens. A
reaction occurs when “the immune system treats proteins similar to those in
pollen that are sometimes found in fruits or vegetables the same way. This
‘cross-reactivity’ is a result of the immune system recognizing that the
proteins in these foods are similar (although not exact) and an allergic
reaction is the result,” according to the Asthma and
Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).
Each allergic reaction is unique, even for the same person
to the same food. There’s no guarantee that the next reaction won’t be more
serious, even with OAS. While most OAS patients suffer itchy mouth, scratchy
throat or hives, there are patients for whom an anaphylactic reaction to those foods
is possible, according AAFA.
Although OAS is usually considered less severe, it does not
take away the fear when he bites into a food that previously was safe for him
to eat and his body starts to react. At the moment he starts feeling the
tingling in his mouth and throat, he doesn’t know whether this food will send
his body into an anaphylactic reaction. All he knows is it doesn’t feel right.
Once the fear of a larger reaction passed, the
disappointment set in. Cantaloupe is yet another food that Joseph now must
avoid, in addition to peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, egg, soy, sesame,
mustard, watermelon and strawberries. His list of food allergies seems to keep
growing and the fruits that have been added in the past few years as part of
OAS are in some ways tougher for him to accept. He has enjoyed those fruits
before so he knows what he’s missing, unlike the other allergens that he never
had. He’s never tasted a hot slice of pizza from the local pizzeria, a peanut
butter and jelly sandwich or a treat from the ice cream truck. But homemade
strawberry shortcake? Yes, that he will miss.
As I looked at all of the fabulous ways people are using
watermelon on National Watermelon Day yesterday, I was reminded of a blog post
I wrote five years ago titled “Watermelon
Smiles” . In that post I heralded the joys of the juicy, sweet fruit as a
wonderful, natural allergy-friendly food. Well, the salad I mentioned making so
often back then had three fruits that Joseph can no longer eat.
The bounty of fruits available during the summer has lost a
little bit of luster as Joseph looks at each fresh fruit as a possible OAS
offender that might join his growing list of allergies. Still, there are still
plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits that he enjoys, and Joseph always uses
his wonderful sense of humor to put a witty spin on any disappointment. But the
next time I want to give him a treat to lift his spirits, perhaps I’ll just
stick to his favorite homemade chocolate chip cookies.
No comments:
Post a Comment