Pros and Cons

Back in May I commented about a positive food challenge for Matthew. Unfortunately, that was the last positive challenge he has had. We’ve continued to try different recipes with different bake temperatures, different numbers of eggs and different bake times. But Matthew has reacted every time. Sometimes he reacts to one bite. Sometimes he is fine with one bite but reacts after eating a full serving. The length of time before he reacts differs as well. We had one theory about higher baking temperatures and another about longer bake times. All of them seemed logical and none of them panned out. He even reacted to a recipe he ate with no reaction a couple months back. We don’t want to give up on baked goods with eggs, but honestly, we had no idea what to do next.

On the other hand, he is eating eggs in waffles with no problem. We eat waffles at least once a week and he gets first dibs on any leftovers. It has been really fun because we’ve tried a myriad of different flavors of waffles and have discovered about a dozen different recipes that we love. It keeps weekly waffle eating interesting. Matthew has even gotten comfortable enough to feel safe reheating waffles in the toaster. That’s a big deal for him. It means he isn’t concerned about cross contact with the egg in waffles and the other things he toasts.

As I’m sure you can imagine, those juxtaposed experiences have led to a good deal of confusion. With a spreadsheet full of data and no idea how to proceed, we figured it was time for some bloodwork and a visit to the allergist. His appointment was today, and we got the guidance we were looking for. Allergies are a finicky thing, which we already knew, but his doc gave us an idea of what to do next. The egg white is where his allergy currently resides so we can start using just the yolks. After a bit, we can introduce the egg whites a little at a time. The hope is that with a slowly increasing amount of whites, his body will learn to accept them without reacting. It’s the same idea behind oral immunotherapies.

We will start doing that at some point, but honestly, now that we have the info, I think we’re going to just stick with waffles for a bit. Mentally, he’s not ready to go back to weekly food challenges. It is scary and stressful. And it’s not like his entire life is stress filled right now. He’s been a trooper and has learned to deal calmly with the reactions, but it has been difficult and disappointing to have so few positive results. Add to that the huge challenges Covid has thrown at us and he has a lot to deal with right now. As do we all.

On the upside, we did have some very heartening news. Matthew has always had a really high IgE. High enough that his first allergist used him as an example of a “highly allergic individual” when she was training new medical workers. Today his doc told us that it is completely normal for IgE to go up at his age and to continue to climb until about age 20 when it generally plateaus. It makes perfect sense. He is growing rapidly at this age and will reach his adult size and stop growing around age 20. The interesting thing is that Matthew’s IgE is actually going down. The lowering IgE is why he’s been able to introduce some new foods to his diet. If his reactivity were still as high as it has been in the past, there would be no way he could tolerate eggs in any form. But it’s dropping. Unexpectedly.

I call it a little bit of a miracle. Matthew calls it a big miracle. I think he’s right.

Fighting for Freedom

Our 4th of July celebration happened in a different order this year. Instead of starting with breakfast and ending with fireworks, we did things in reverse order. We ate our celebratory dinner and set off our fireworks on July 3rd because Nathan was scheduled to work the evening of the 4th. Then we did our patriotic pancakes and tri-colored beverages for lunch on the 4th because Daniel worked that morning. Having grown up children means things are changing in our little world, but it is good change. It means our children are growing up to be well adjusted, responsible people who are not only willing to work, but want to work. Guess Kev and I must have done something right.

Parenting assessment aside, this year’s celebration was different than normal. That will come as no surprise at all. This whole year has been different than normal. Nevertheless, and despite the many struggles in which our country is currently drowning, I’m incredibly grateful to live where I do. But the many freedoms we enjoy don’t come without effort or cost. Our forebearers in many generations have struggled, fought, worked, and even died to ensure the freedoms we have. And often, I think we take these freedoms for granted. A few weeks ago, Elder David A. Bednar spoke at the BYU Law School Religious Freedoms Annual Review. He spoke about religious freedom in relation to the crisis of Covid-19 and it was eye opening. He addressed the fact that in an instant, the government took away our freedom to gather as religious groups. It was for good reason, but none of us even questioned it. He spoke of the need for us to be aware of what is happening and to be willing to act to protect our religious freedom. It is one of the essential building blocks of our country’s government and we can’t let it slip away due to negligence on the part of all of us.

Elder Bednar made me think. So much so that we used his address as the topic of one Sunday’s SCONES lesson. We are living in perilous times, in the last days, and I suspect things are going to get harder in the future. So what am I willing to do to maintain my right to practice my religion, to gather with others who share my faith, and to live according to my own conscience? I think that’s a question we must all ask ourselves. Church leaders have counseled often of late that the time to straddle the line is passed. We have to choose a side. We have to take a stand. What then, am I going to stand for? Am I willing to fight to preserve my religious freedom? It seems like a daunting task if I’m standing alone, but when we all stand together, we can be a powerful voice for good. That, in fact, is one of the many reasons we, and those of every faith, must be allowed to gather with others of our religion. It is an essential freedom we must be willing to work to preserve.