Somethings are different...

Somethings are different 'In the life of Gabriel.'  Sure, he needs some regular medicines, and yes, he has a specific diet, but believe it or not there's lots more involved!  Today, someone suggested I get some Spray and Wash for the new stain on my white shirt.  My first through was "nope, not in my house."
What laundry detergent do you use?  How do you treat stains?  We wash our clothes with Dreft, the fragrance free, allergen free detergent developed for newborns.  No fabric softener, because its made from soy, and no all-natural-organic-made-with-orange detergent when you're allergic to oranges.  Gabriel has suffered from the most painful, raw, bleeding rashes, that hurt me just from looking at them.  Imagine your worst burn, or maybe case of poison ivy-  we don't imagine 'skin' to cause us pain, but it can cause pain worse than you'd imagine.  It causes pain that seems to paralyze you because any movement makes it hurt more!    We make lots of accommodations, from how we wash our clothes, to how we schedule breakfast, in order to keep Gabriel healthy.


What are your most prized kitchen possessions?  I love my good knives.  My kitchen investment, useful, sharp, and my favorite kitchen tool.  Pots and pans, china, knives... No matter what your prized kitchen possession is, I bet it recommends hand washing, doesn't it?  Though out of convenience we use the dishwasher for most everything, theres usually a few nonstick, sharp, or fragile tools that we handwash to make them last as long as possible.  Everything in my house must go through the dishwasher.  My best pans? yup.  Sharpest knives?  of course.  When the dishwasher is full and you need the plate these in the sink?  no exceptions.  Sure it seems like a fairly simple accommodation, but whether were visiting family, or at home, in a rush or not, EVERTHING must take a trip through the hot dishwasher before its safe for Gabriel.  The doctor explained it like this..."handwashing leaves xxxx (thousands)parts per million on each dish, but the dishwasher will only leave xx(tens) parts per million, so everything that touches Gabriels food must run through the dishwasher."  This may shorten the lives of my pots, pans, knives, and tupperware, but its keeps Gabriel safe!

While we're in the kitchen... how many sponges do you have?  If you were to use a sponge to clean a counter you'd need 2 separate ones.  One Gabriel safe, and one to remove Gabriels allergens.  Don't forget what you clean with.  Some chemicals or cleaning products can make him sick.  Almost always, I eat what Gabriel does.  Why wouldn't I?  You eat with you're family, right?  I pack frozen meals, cookies, and yogurt in my lunch for work, because I like to take advantage of my time not with him.  Never, ever, can anything in my kitchen touch or smell like anything with nuts or shellfish.  Ever.  No reeses, no shrimp pasta.

Bath time.  Gabriel bathes only once a week.  While he's four, and still not smelly, I follow doctors orders and protect his skin.  Gabriels sensitive skin can only take to soap very rarely.  Even then, I use special soaps, and keep baths short to protect his skin from cracking and bleeding.



Outside play is very limited.  Gabriels allergist told us to avoid grass completely.  Now, Im not sure if this doctor has looked outside lately, but theres grass everywhere, and Gabriel's four years old.  I limit Gabriels outdoor play to 30 minutes or less.; monitored, of course, very closely.  When we're outside, often that 30 minutes is cut short because Gabriel begins coughing more than Im comfortable with.

Oh how Id love a vacation.  Im still working on finding a nice tropical vacation spot that doesn't require us to enter a restaurant (because of being near to shrimp), or play in grass.  Camping is off limits as well; grass, dust, smoke from fires, etc, are all asthma and allergy triggers.  Right now, we settle for day trips where we pack a cooler full of food, to last us all day long.  Luckily, Gabriel's nebulizer machine that administers his breathing treatments comes in a portable version.  Atleast twice a week we plug it into the lighter outlet in the car, or use the rechargeable battery.  Although breathing treatments restrict some patients to their homes, I try my best to keep Gabriel's life 'normal' as well.

In a rush?  No sandwiches to pack for the car.  No frenchtoast sticks, or poptarts to grab as we run out the door.  Every meal of Gabriel's requires preparation.  I cook all of his school lunches in the morning or late, the evening before to pack in his lunch bag.  Imagine cooking supper twice everyday?  In n Out seems to be the only place around that we can swing by a drive through, because they use cottonseed oil for their french fries, and ass nothing but potatoes.  What a lifesaver!

Housecleaning.  Gabriels allergies include frequent dusting, vacuuming, washing his sheets, blinds, and keeping his room free of stuffed animals.  Allergic kids are sensitive to dust, dust mites, mold and mildew.  His bed and pillows are covered in allergen proof, plastic lined pads that are also washed in hot water weekly.  At the end of the week, when this hard working single Mom feels like slacking  bit, I need to remember to keep the house allergy- safe.

Bedtime is rest time!  Just like at another house, we lay down and close our eyes.  I always keep one ear open.  Often, Gabriel wakes me up with his coughing to tell me he needs another round of medicine.  I stay up late to listen that he's quiet, and never drift into that deep sleep so that I can always listen.

At school, Gabriel sits at a separate table for lunch.  He eats by himself, and yells to his friends across the room.  Gabriel isn't allowed to play with play-doh, because its made from flour, and he cant make Mommy a necklace out of  pasta, because he's allergic.  Gabriels preschool also has a 'bin of beans' to play with, pour and measure, etc, and because of Gabriels bean allergy, that game is also off limits.  Im lucky Gabriel is such a smart boy, and knows all of his allergies.  It makes me rest a bit easier when he is away at school.

Gabriels frequent doctors appointments are part of our schedule as well.  Gabriel can name his allergist, pulmonologist, gastroentologist, and pediatrician, and is familiar with is geneticist, orthopedic, and cardiologist as well.  When Gabriel is not doing well, we visit doctors often, and when he's doing well we follow up monthly.  Either way, Gabriel is familiar with being poked, x rayed,  listened to, and prodded.

Gabriel's life is our life.  we're accustomed to the accommodations.  Often we cant safely play with our friends, or visit a family member with  a cat,  but there are the rules we live by, and I am always proud of how healthy and strong Gabriel is growing.  The accommodations we make may seem challenging, or not quite as easy as we'd like, but this is how we keep Gabriel safe.