The Story of the Allergy-Kid

My middle son has Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EOE for short), multiple food allergies, and asthma. Since six months old, we have been managing his health with the use of various medications, both prescription and homeopathic. When the opportunity presented itself for our family to move to Mexico, we took it! Despite his special needs, we are thus far, successfully living abroad with food allergies.

EOE is an invisible condition. When allergenic foods are consumed, an overabundance of eosinophils (little patches of cells) build up on the walls of the esophagus. Eventually these eosinophils can join together, harden, and in time, close the esophagus. In order to keep the level of eosinophils to a healthy minimum, we have to keep him away from the offending foods.

No problem, right?

Wrong.

The thing is, we don’t yet know exactly which food(s) are causing this build up. He has some obvious allergies that cause hives and/or anaphylaxis such as dairy, seafood/shellfish, legumes, soy, egg, nuts (all of ‘em), etc. The effects of foods causing his EOE are invisible. Their presence in his diet can only tested by upper endoscopy surgery. They’re much trickier to detect.

He also has asthma. This is aggravated by exercise, extreme heat and humidity, cold and dry air, environmental pollutants and illness.

What a bundle of joy, isn’t it?

Living Abroad with Food Allergies

We and the allergy-kid have been dealing with this more or less since birth. I’ve found a few life hacks that have helped us travel freely, and now live abroad with little inconvenience. Here is what I do to ensure my son’s food allergens are kept off his plate and out of his system:

1. Call ahead or review menus online

I love the internet. Honestly. I don’t know what I did before Google. What did anyone do? How did we survive?!? Before venturing out to a new restaurant, I peruse the menu for items that will likely fit into his ‘approved foods list’. Most restaurants are able to prepare veggies without butter or cook foods in specific oils. I know that if they have one of his approved veggies on their menu, likely I can ask for that veggie to be steamed and left plain.

2. Always pack snacks

At any time of day, you can usually find me with a snack or two on hand. As any mom of multiples can tell you, when one kid gets hungry or thirsty, magically, they will all become hungry or thirsty. So, while I can’t carry everything, I can carry a few approved snacks for the allergy-kid in the event of an impromptu snack stop. A juice box and a Ziploc bag of banana chips, all-natural fruit snacks or his new favorite guayaba candy typically keep his disappointment in not getting store-bought goodies to a minimum.

3. Call the airlines to report allergies ahead of time

Whenever I book our plane tickets, I am sure to notate in the ‘special needs’ area that our party has nut allergies. I then follow up with a call to the airline to let them know that it is imperative that they do not serve peanuts on the flight. Now, they cannot control individual passengers, but trust me when I tell you, when a flight of 100+ people simultaneously pop open peanuts in an enclosed cabin it can be a big ‘ol problem! Airlines typically want to avoid mid-air emergencies and 9 times out of 10 will accommodate our request if made in advance.

4. Always carry my allergen-arsenal

I’m that mom who will always have a diaper bag. Yes, the kiddos are all out of diapers, but when you’ve got someone as allergic to life as my allergy-kid, you need to be prepared. My allergy kit consists of: benedryl, asthma inhaler and spacer, epi-pen, hand sanitizer, a change of clothes, an empty gallon size Ziploc bag, and baby wipes. I even have an instructions sheet with his name, specific dosing/emergency instructions, and emergency phone numbers.

5. Be consistently ‘extra’

My husband tells me I’m always ‘doing the most’ but hey, we’re talking life or death here. This momma don’t play! When we enrolled our son in his new school here in Mazatlán, I told his teachers that he cannot eat anything that I don’t pack for him or he will die. Yes, I said that. He.Will.Die. Hey, just keeping it real! Candies that might look innocent enough may have milk or eggs somewhere deep in the ingredients. Homemade treats may contain allergens by way of cross-contamination. I don’t want to take chances. His teachers are very accommodating. They always inform me in advance whenever there’s a school party so I can pack a special treat bag.

6. Learn some key terms

If you learn nothing else of a foreign language, learn how to communicate your food allergies. Learn a basic, “Hello, I have food allergies. I cannot eat the following foods: (insert allergen-causing food list here). Are they in this meal? Or, can this meal be prepared without these ingredients?” Having this written down on paper or saved on your phone can also help. Just whip it out and show it to your server! I have a note written in Spanish in my allergy-kid’s backpack and he knows how to pull it out and show it to someone if they offer him food and won’t take his ‘No, Gracias’ for an answer. Luckily he’s never needed it.

7. Pack it Up

Most airlines allow food in your carry-on or checked luggage. Many countries’ customs agencies allow pre-packaged foods through as well.  *Be sure to check with your air carrier and with your destination country’s customs website before traveling to see what is or is not allowed.*  We often bring through prepackaged snacks and his amino-acid based nutritional formula powder, without a problem. This ensures that the allergy-kid will have some familiar snacks, regardless of what we find at the local grocery stores. This is great for us, because in addition to his allergies, he’s also a picky eater.

Don’t Limit Yourself

As the world becomes more cognizant of the presence of food allergies amongst consumers, many companies worldwide are being more intentional with their labeling. Just like in the U.S., many countries require highlighted allergen labels indicating if any of the Big-8 Allergens are present in their food items. This is making travel abroad easier for many people dealing with food allergies.

Many restaurants are also now more aware of their preparation practices and are taking steps to avoid unnecessary cross-contamination. They are also training their staff to accommodate customer concerns. In my experience, restaurants we have visited with the allergy-kid have been upfront and honest about their ability (or lack thereof) to address our needs. All we have to do is politely ask.

Don’t allow food allergies to prevent you from venturing beyond the border and seeing the world! With a good handle of how to communicate your needs, snacks and an epi-pen in your bag, travel should be an enjoyable experience. By using these tips, along with modification for personal needs, I am hopeful your experiences abroad will be enjoyable and allergy-free!

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