How does a mother help her child to cope if he suffers an allergy?
Some allergies manifest itself by a simple rash or a runny nose, but any of these can take a toll on children. They are embarrassed because they keep on sneezing, they are also miserable, irritated, and lethargic. Some kids even do poorly at school and have difficulty making friends because of severe allergy attacks. Extreme cases of allergy force the child to alter his lifestyle drastically, sometimes not even being able to play outdoor games.
My eldest son has allergic rhinitis. I was hoping that it will disappear as he grows older, but it didn't. He is allergic to the most common allergens in a tropical country, dust mites, pollens, and a myriad of others.
He had his first allergy attack when he was only four years old. He woke up with half of his face all swollen. We really got scared, and brought him to the hospital. We were asked by the doctor what he ate during the day, then we remembered giving him a cake – which we all know has eggs. So, that egg was the culprit! It triggered his allergy attack. After this attack, we brought him to a Pediatric Allergologist for a skin test, and we found out that he is allergic to dust mites, cockroaches, pollens, egg white, shrimp and a lot more.
Even at a young age, I taught him to be aware of what he eats, and this was difficult for him because he really loved to eat cakes. But, I just kept on telling him, “Remember what happened when you ate 2 slices of cake?”
How can we prevent allergies?
Although doctors can prescribe some medicines for allergy, they also say that these treatments only serve to manage the allergies. So, prevention is still the key. My son has grown accustomed to being extra careful when he eats shrimp or eggs. These two cause him great discomfort and his skin really reacts when he eats plenty of these. But through the years, I taught him to slowly eat small portion of shrimps and eggs so that his body can adjust, and so far, he hasn't shown any reaction to these food.
Allergy-proof your home
My son is especially allergic to house dust. So, to help lessen his allergic reactions, I make it a point that the windows and door in his room are always closed. This is to prevent dust from coming in. His doctor also instructed us to observe the following:
- Remove all rugs, curtains, from his room, and his clothes should always be in closets with the door always closed.
- Clean the screens and floor in the room and closet. Wax the floor.
- Change all mattresses and pillows in the bedroom to solid rubber foam.
- Wash blankets, beddings, and covers in hot water at least every two weeks to eliminate any possible allergens.
- Books, stuffed toys should be removed from his room.
- Clean the house daily and a general cleaning weekly. He should not be allowed inside the room during and up to three to four hours after cleaning.
- Use damp cloth or mop to minimize the dust that stays in the air.
- Smoking should not be allowed inside the house.
- Animals should not be in contact with him.
- The filters and fan of air conditioners should be cleaned once a week. Electric fans must be cleaned weekly.
- House plants should also be avoided.
- Avoid using insect sprays.
It could be difficult to live with allergies, but knowing the rules that we should observe, we may somehow lessen the discomfort in our children.
