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My journey in raising happy, healthy, organically-grown kids

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Food Allergies in the Hospital

March 4, 2015 By Kerry 9 Comments

Finn recently spent 80+ hours in the hospital. For a child who has been incredibly healthy his entire 5 1/2 years, this was a miserable experience for him.

After waking up Monday morning with a swollen knee which he would put no weight on, a low fever, and looking like he hadn’t slept in days, we knew we needed to do something. Our family doctor couldn’t see him until the following day so we shipped off to the walk-in clinic, a first for our kids.

Walk in

After 5 hours at the walk-in clinic, we were sent to the OR/ER at a local hospital for further evaluation. What we thought was a twisted knee or some type of viral inflammation wasn’t.

Long story short, Finn had a bacterial infection in his knee. He was put through a lot. This was not his jam. At one point he even screamed, with clenched fists and neck veins popping, “you already took my bloooooood! No more blood until heaven!” Heart crushing.

Night 1

After an x-ray, numerous blood draws (lots of screaming), conscious sedation to test the fluid causing the inflammation (terrible reaction to that medicine), full anesthesia to go in and drain/flush the knee which included stitches and a wrap, Finn was mad. He didn’t understand what was happening (nor did we fully), and simply wanted to go home.

Every bit of natural healing desire in me struggled with what was happening, but I understood this was one example of a situation when western medicine was very important. We wanted our happy Finn back and trusted the doctors had his best interests at heart. I have to say, the doctors and nurses we encountered (and there were lots) were really fantastic at answering questions and explaining what was happening. I am grateful to them as I had lots of questions!

When the orthopedic surgeon who did the flush came for Justin and I in the waiting room to tell us Finn did great and they were able to flush out all of the infection, I couldn’t speak. I just hugged him and then lost it… again.

Day 2

One of the things that most bothered me in the hospital was the food. What was offered was abysmal, at best.

The first night, Finn was sent chicken broth and this drink. The order didn’t come from us, so I’m not sure who sent this.

Drink1

I instantly thought this looked like a strange drink. Artificial flavor? What else was in this? It looks like a weird apple juice, right? Turn the box…

Drink3

Oh yes, sugar, more processed sugar, and dairy followed by “natural” and artificial flavors and a long list of other ingredients I can’t pronounce. My eyes bugged out of my head! Not only was this not appropriate for my dairy-allergic son, the list of ingredients would not be helpful to a single person, regardless of allergy concerns. A sugary, chemical-filled drink to help make a sick person well?

Drink

It was almost 48 hours before Finn was able to eat. He was hungry and he wanted food. I opened the hospital menu and again, my eyes bugged out of my head. (Hospital logo covered with images below.)

Not only were less than a handful of items safe for him to eat, nearly zero items were healthy. When I asked the nurses what other options there were, they shrugged their shoulders with that look of, “sorry, this is all there is.”

Essentially, we were then responsible for bringing food in that would be OK for Finn.

Menu1

We did order a sliced apple for Finn. He pushed almost half of it aside and said, “ewe,” as there were chunks of brown, bruised apple.

Menu2

I couldn’t help but think of some of the families I met on the floor.  Some had been there weeks and would be staying weeks longer.  What if those kids had special diets? What if those families came from hours away for treatment and were staying at the hospital with their child? In addition to the day-to-day stress of being in the hospital, the stress of what lies ahead for your child, and the stress of the forthcoming bill, you are having to navigate food options. Perhaps that means running to the grocery store on a regular basis or finding a location to make real food, because as any allergy or real food parent knows, you can’t eat out of boxes and cans long-term for health.

Food. A simple piece of daily life that all the sudden becomes a major concern in a hospital, of all places. We can’t get healthy, and we certainly can’t heal quickly, when we don’t have quality nutrients pouring into our bodies.

My heart sank as I thought of all the friends and family (and YOU, as readers) who would be in such a terrible position if something like this came up. I felt sick thinking about the reality of it for people like my goddaughter who cannot eat dairy, soy, gluten, dyes, and so on. What would they do if they were 2 or 3 hours away from home for anything more than a day or 2?

I asked all of you about it on Facebook (Feb. 19) and read so many stories of things you’d already experienced. What is happening is not ok.

Thankfully, we are home and on the mend. Getting into our own house quickly changed Finn’s demeanor and the healing could officially begin.

HOME

 

But for all those other families, ugh.

Have you dealt with food allergies in the hospital? Real food issues? What have you done about this? What can we do about this? 

 

Review: The Food Babe Way

February 10, 2015 By Kerry 2 Comments

When Finn was first diagnosed with a dairy, egg, and peanut allergy in 2010, I was stunned. My world was literally rocked.

“How could this precious little body reject food? Why does he break out in hives, vomit, and start an anaphylaxis reaction when certain foods enter, and sometimes simply touch, his body? I don’t understand!”

We visited an allergist who gave the standard reason for food allergies, but it didn’t sit right. And so I started reading and researching and studying. Justin thought I was losing my mind because I would stay up so late with my nose inches into books and research. What I learned turned my shell-shock into a mama-bear-sized anger.

We had been duped. We had been lied to. We had been sold garbage about the health of our “food” in the name of pure profit. And it hurt my son.

Along the way I found some amazing allies in this fight for clean food, including Vani Hari, best known as the Food Babe.

Vani

I remember feeling freedom and relief as I read through her posts. I remember not feeling so alone in these “strange” beliefs that our food system had contributed to the food allergies of my sweetest first-born. And most importantly, I was reassured I had a voice and that is was important, just like yours is important and needed in this fight for real, clean food.

Fast forward five years and Vani’s first book, The Food Babe Way, is out!

FBW

Two major mainstream media outlets have already indicated they can’t promote the book because of their advertisers. Unfortunately, I’m not shocked. This simply reinforces the power of money in this country and the stronghold that Big Food has on what we understand of our food system.

The Food Babe Way contains the 21 essential habits that Vani used in order to take control of her health. She used to be an overweight, pill-dependent, sick young woman. True story. But changing her diet changed her life.

Pre Health

In this book, Vani will walk you through the simple changes you can make in your life to live a more energetic and vibrant life. This isn’t a “diet,” it’s a lifestyle.

Hyman

The book features ways to:

  • Avoid the top 15 ingredients that wreak havoc on your weight, beauty, and health
  • Spot manipulative marketing and manufacturing techniques the food industry uses to get you to eat processed foods or hide questionable ingredients
  • Replace the foods that make you fat, look older, and zap your energy with healthful, delicious substitutes
  • Prepare dozens of additive-free meals with easy and delicious recipes

The book walks you through the ways we’ve been duped, the chemicals in our food and what they are doing to our bodies, healthful food habits, tips to navigate the grocery store, and offers dozens of additive-free recipes.

Eat Organic

I most resonate with Vani on her endless work to expose the chemicals used by Big Food and how the FDA has turned a blind eye to what has transpired. The word technology and inventions should not be used in the same sentence as food. Food is food, not a science experiment, not a petri dish concoction that needs testing.

The FDA allows roughly 10,000 chemical additives to be used in our food. And yet, there are no credible studies to show that these additives are beneficial, or more importantly, not harmful.

“We do not know the volume of particular chemicals that are going into the food supply so we can diagnose trends,” says Michael Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Food at the FDA.

Taylor continues, “We simply do not have the information to vouch for the safety of many of the chemicals…”

And yet, we’re told again and again by our doctors that our food is safe and has nothing to do with food allergies, intolerances, asthma, and a host of other health concerns on the rise, particularly among our children.

The Food Babe Way is a must-read! Add it to your book list now and dig in. You won’t be disappointed.

The Food Babe Way is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Park Road Books (signed copy), Books A Million, and Indie Bound.

Pumpkin Picking with the Kids

October 8, 2014 By Kerry 8 Comments

We spent our 4th fall picking pumpkins as a family at Wills Family Orchard this weekend.

During our first visit in 2011, we were still a family of 3.

Evie was an unhappy peanut in 2012. It was chilly and she’s missed a nap.

Last year we visited twice: to pick apples and to pick pumpkins. Those pictures just one year ago blow my mind. Evie’s hair is SO short and she looks so small!

So much can change in the matter of year.

One thing that doesn’t change is our love for this land. We visited another orchard a few weeks ago and we all walked away saying there was just no comparison. Wills Family Orchard remains our family fall spot!

It was the perfect chilly fall morning.  Our previous plans with friends fell through so we took the surprise open morning to do something we love.

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Evie, in classic Evie style, wanted to pick what she wore. The tutu is an infant picture tutu that my friend Jennie was going to donate to Goodwill. Evie saw it and GAME OVER. She wears this thing like it’s attached to her skin: mall, grocery shopping, and now pumpkin picking. To each their own!

IMG_7894

It was a chilly morning, perfect for wearing all things fun. Like mother like daughter 🙂

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Finn was very into picking this year. He ran through the vines looking for the perfect pumpkin for each of us.  He was all in helping Justin cut them away from the vine and desperately wanted to lift the pumpkins into the wagon. Maybe next year since he and Justin found a TWENTY-EIGHT-POUND beast. They were so proud. Like father like son 🙂

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After a brief bonding moment…

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… we were off with our loot!

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But not before stopping to look at the gourds. This is often my favorite spot. I love the shapes and colors!

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I loaded the pumpkins up the vehicle while Justin and the kids made their way through the corn maze. Justin asked before going in, “now, am I going to get lost?”

Thankfully they made it out and met me in the Country Store where we picked up our fair share of organic apples, fresh made jams, local honey, and Apple Cider Donuts.  The kids LOVE these donuts, as do J and I. We were able to chat a little with Maury Wills, “Farmer Wills” as Finn calls him.  He is a good man and has raised a great family. Supporting his family by visiting the orchard is well worth your time this fall.

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Once the donuts were gobbled, Evie demanded an apple. Happy to comply, my dear…

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After a visit down the way to visit the chickens and goats, we headed home to put our favorite fall finds on the porch.

FullSizeRender

It is officially fall in the Wise house. Nothing better! What are your fall traditions?

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Meet My Wise Mom

The world encourages a certain way of life for our kids. Lazy bodies, chemically laden nutrition, and poor manners. I'm a mom on a mission to teach my kids more. This is my journey in raising happy, healthy, organically-grown kids. [Read more]

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