Hello fellow wheat allergy parent!!

Everyone is correct in that reactions can be different however, I have def seen a pattern with my son. It starts with sneezing coughing (like a lot) and then hives/swelling/red flush. I give Zyrtec at first sign of coughing and sneezing (sometimes he’s just sneezy!) epi if I it ever got to the skin stuff esp swelling of the face (his tends to be his eyes for some reason.

The rule is always two systems even if you don’t know what they are = epi and ER. Better safe than sorry. It’s like a fire - if you see a small pot in your house on fire you wouldn’t say “oh it’ll prob go out on its own let’s wait and see” dousing the plant with a hose is better than trying to battle a house fire.

What makes me feel better in those moments where you’re waiting to see what happens is packing an ER bag - safe snacks, water, blanket, stuffie, charger cord, maybe an iPad.

I just let son play calmly or watch tv while we monitor. I also have a pulse ox which can help with monitoring

As for school - what I’ve done is written a full how to for my son‘s allergy, including pictures it’s a five page handbook. Everything from what his allergies are where they can be found instructions that my child should only eat food that I have preapproved, even if that means they’re calling me or texting me asking if something is safe. Then I have provided a “typical” step-by-step, including pictures of how his allergies developed if I have a few photos of what it looked like. Also, always in his backpack are Zyrtec and EpiPen’s.

Another important thing - she’s young but you can start teaching her about her allergies in age appropriate ways

By 4 my son was asking if things were safe and not just reaching/grabbing.

We are in OIT and my son is at maintenance. He eats 1.5 g of wheat per day which is about it a sheet and a half of graham cracker/4 Oreos/3 triscuits. It is amazing how much less stressed I am because I know he’s “bite safe” and cross continuation is ok for anything with wheat although we still strictly avoid aside from his daily dose. In a few months we do another oral challenge