Small World

All day I had been contemplating whether or not to go to Max's football practice tonight. Lucy usually gets cranky about half way through and I still needed to pack a few things for our trip to VA tomorrow. In the end, I decided that the weather was just too gorgeous to stay inside so Lulu and I made the trek to the field. It was definitely work it.

About five minutes after we arrive, another mom asked if I was the parent whose child had food allergies. We started talking and it turns out her youngest son has EE. We spent the rest of the evening comparing recipes, sharing info on docs and bonding over mutual experiences. When people ask about Max's allergies, I tend to give very little information anymore. Mostly, I am just tired of hearing "Oh, he'll grow out of it" or "He looks fine to me." A part of me just grew tired of trying to explain a disease that sometimes I don't even understand. I don't know why he can tolerate eggs one day and the next they make him sick all night. Or, why he can have soy flour but not soy milk. Or countless other things that just don't add up. Coupled with the fact that doctors are still learning about the disease and can't provide many answers either, it is sometimes just easier to let things go.

It was very comforting to find another mother who felt the same way. Ever since Max was diagnosed three years ago, I have found an online message board of parents to be our biggest source of support. We all vent together when things are tough and we all cheer for each other's kids when they pass a food trial. It was nice to finally meet a fellow EE mom in person.

The biggest coincidence of the whole night was that we go to the same pediatrician. For a year, our pediatrician has been telling me about another family that was recently diagnosed with EE. It is very rare to have more than one child in a practice with EE since it is still a relatively uncommon (or at least, undiagnosed) disease, occurring in less than 1 in 10,000 children. The other mom said she had been hearing about us as well. I guess it is a small world afterall! We exchanged email addresses - I have a feeling there will be quite a few recipes and shopping pointers shared over the coming weeks.