My son Max, the fourteen year old world traveler, has food allergies.  He is allergic to nuts and seafood.  He has the kind of allergies that send you out of a party and into the emergency room when he takes a bite of the wrong thing. It was bad when he was little.  It has gotten easier to manage as he has gotten older.  He knows to ask questions and he knows what a reaction feels like.  He has gotten older, and much bigger, and I suspect his body can better tolerate the allergens that used to be so scary.  I haven’t had him tested, so we don’t know that for sure.  But now maybe we do.

Max called from Italy yesterday afternoon. What were the first words out of his mouth after my hello? "Mom, I ate fish."  Oh, my goodness.  There was a time when that would have meant a dash straight to the emergency room, trying to get ahead of the closing airway and swelling face that was surely on its way. I know what to do when Max has an accidental exposure to fish or nuts; I have done it more than once.  I know what to look for and how to medicate him.  This is all well and fine, except that we are on different continents.  He had already taken a large dose of Benadryl, a good first step.  I asked him questions and tried to calm him down. I think he had visions of an Italian emergency room in his head! He used his inhaler, proactively, and of course, informed me that he lost his Epi Pen.  I was pretty sure he was going to be okay.  He typically reacts quickly and severely, usually vomiting right away, his body's attempt to expel the allergen.  He had done none of this, didn't have any hives or facial swelling.  I spoke to Linda, his leader, and she couldn't see any visible signs of a reaction.  Luckily, she is a registered nurse so I was confident that she'd notice if Max was reacting. Max said he felt a tightening in his chest, but he thought it might just be his nerves.  Wow, is he maturing and wow, does he know himself!  It sure sounded like he'd be fine, and at 1.oo per minute, we agreed he'd call me back in fifteen minutes to check in.  He did, and he was fine.  It is likely that he has outgrown that allergy.  Wouldn't that be great?!

I have to say I am proud of Max and proud of myself.  He handled himself perfectly when he realized, after two plates of dinner, that the pasta contained tuna.  He did what every concerned and confused kid should do.  He called his mom!  I didn't lose my cool or panic, even though one of my worst fears of sending my son around the world without me was materializing on the other end of the phone. Like mother, like son.  Maybe we are both growing up.