Cashew Nut & J. I'm STUPID.

Both kids had very little amount cashew nuts about 2 years ago. They were fine.

Today, I gave J and L each a cashew nut. L ate half when I ran back and snatched it out of his hand. I allowed J to eat because he had never had anaphylactic reaction before. Within minutes he complained of pain on his tongue and then sore throat. He started crying. I gave him 1 tsp of Benadryl to which he started having sleepy side effects almost immediately so I took him up to bed. He had hives that literally traveled from his arms, to his body, down to his feet. He kept scratching for about an hour until V came home. V and I chatted when J suddenly vomited strongly. Vomit came out through his nose too and he really looked miserable. There was a short minute lull after the first round, and as we started cleaning up, he threw up again. After the final vomiting, his legs gave out. He made heaving sounds. I thought he couldn't breathe so I bent him over and started pressing against his stomach and thumping him hard on his back. Again, he went rag-doll limp. When I tried to put him upright, his eyes rolled back. I was so scared. My heart beat went up and I bent him over and continued to thump hard. No response. I yelled V to call 911. Right at that moment, J opened his eyes and asked, "What's that?" He had had a bowel movement and none of us even realized. V hung up after the first ring but 911 called back.

I spoke to a 911 person (paramedic?) and he said that they were on their way. We unlocked our front door and V waited while I cleaned J up.

They examined J in my lap in the hallway. Lungs were pronounced clear and hives were no longer visible. They asked if I wanted to send J to the hospital but I didn't. I felt Jin would be more comfortable at home . They asked if I was okay with J in that state. I said yes. I woke him up and asked if he could breathe. He nodded his head. I asked his name and he answered, "Jin."

Vagus nerve manages blood flow to the gut. So ... when a person is vomiting or pooing with great effort, the vagus nerve that joins the digestive system to the brain could become over-excited and pulls more blood out of other organs to send to the gut. The brain experiences a sudden drop of blood pressure so the body faints. This might have happened to J.

Another reason I was so scared was that he could've been asphyxiating from his own vomit. I really thought it was happening to him. That was the second time I experienced such terrifying fear. I thought I was losing him, just like the time when L reacted violently to peanut butter. It all happened so fast.

I cried hard after all that.

I should not have let him eat the cashew nut. Both kids have witnessed each other's allergic reactions and they are always learning. J kept telling me he didn't want to vomit because he didn't like the pain. In response, I assured him he would not but I was wrong. He knows now. Both boys know how dangerous wrong foods are to their highly sensitive bodies.

I hope that they will remain close and look out for each other because NOBODY understands them better than their own brother.