Like an unprovoked kick to the nuts or texting while crossing the street — BOOM! I didn’t see that coming.
A suspected allergic reaction to Parmesan Cheese.
Say what now? He’s never been allergic to anything his entire life!…(Til now).
I sprinkled my pasta with the majestic tastiness of the jewel in the bolognaise crown. Indy sat beside me at the table and after a couple minutes, complained of itchy lips. The kind of itch that forced him to rub his shirt collar along it like a woodsman sawing timber at the Lumberjack Olympics. He asked what it was I’d sprinkled on and regaled him of the zesty glory that is, Parmesan Cheese.
He asked if he could try some. My eyebrow raised aloft. Torn between interest that he wanted to experience a taste explosion of immeasurable joy, and dread that it would be one less mouthful for my own tastebud pleasure. But hey, how can I resist those eyes. He tried some and I nodded slowly in anticipated delight, “So, what do you reckon?”
Doesn’t taste like anything.
Gaaagh! I reached for the metaphoric dagger plunged deep into my heart. I thought you were my son? Anyhow, 15 minutes later…
His top lip started to swell like a botoxed Instagram model. I ducked to the chemist for some Telfast antihistamine medicine and when I returned 15 mins later, his lips had ballooned like Scott Morrison’s disapproval ratings. I called the Nurse On Call and she recommended a trip to the Emergency Department.
Fortunately, there was no swelling of the tongue or airways so the Doc was pretty sure it was an allergic reaction and not anaphylaxis. Medical staff administered steroids and observed him for 3 hours before discharging him. We dodged a bullet there (and an Epipen). Thankfully, he had his trusty sidekick to keep him company. Those two are closer than Marty Feldman’s eyeballs.
To cap it all off, while eating a biscuit in the hospital, he lost his 3rd tooth! Which he was quite excited about. More coins from the Tooth Fairy for our trip to Bali.
It was a good result for us, but what surprised me most was how much the ordeal affected me on an emotional level. Even though I was presenting a cool, calm exterior, I could feel my voice quivering when I was talking to the medical staff and even relaying the story to close friends and family the day after. Indy told us when we got home that he was worried he was going to die. I wish he’d told us that at the hospital so I could have allayed those fears for him in the moment. But truth be told, it was one of my fears too.
In 2016, Australia led the world in anaphylaxis deaths, mostly from bee stings than food allergies. But still, those numbers are on the rise every year. We’ll be following this up with an allergy test to confirm. We were lucky this time, many families are not.
I’ll remember this moment every time someone takes a picture of my kids and asks to say “cheese”.
Just don’t say, Parmesan.
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