DING!!

DING!! FPIES DONE! In the past week, I have talked to two different friends and fellow FPIES moms on opposite sides of the country. Both of them were told by medical professionals that FPIES ends at 2, so they just needed to bide their time until their child would be able to eat a normal diet. This train of thought is not in keeping with the latest medical research and information. There is no guaranteed age where FPIES magically disappears.  But if these medical professionals are correct, and not just sadly behind on their reading, then why are so many FPIES kids still reacting well beyond their second birthday?

Carter is 26 months old. He’s 2 years and 2 months old. We aren’t showing any improvement or tolerance for new foods.  And then it hit me, Carter’s FPIES timer must be broken!! I haven’t heard it go off, so that must explain why he doesn’t fit into the normal FPIES category. So I searched the internet for a new FPIES timer. You can find anything on the internet. No luck! It looks like they don’t make FPIES timers. So then I thought we could fix his because it is obviously broken. My husband is pretty darn handy. He can build computers, fix cars, construct gazebos; certainly he can fix a silly little timer.

Well, I can’t seem to find Carter’s FPIES timer. I’ve looked everywhere! It’s not in his bed or mixed in with the toys. It’s not in the car or the diaper bag. Perhaps I accidently threw it out with the thousands of diapers and formula containers. Maybe it got mixed up in the bundles of vomit soaked clothes and blankets. I might have left it at the hospital or the doctor’s office. That’s only 9 different lost and found boxes I’ll need to check.

Still no luck. No timer.

Wait, did you hear that? A DING! I am sure I heard a ding! Maybe it was the timer! It must be buried here in the couch cushions or hidden behind the pots and pans in the cupboard! Finally our FPIES journey is over! The timer is going off!!

Oh, wait, it wasn’t the FPIES timer. It was only the microwave. Looks like my coffee’s ready. It’s not the end of FPIES, just the beginning of my caffeine fix.

So, if you want to know when Carter will outgrow his FPIES, I can honestly say I have no idea. But if you see a timer laying on the side of the road, could you stop and pick it up? It might just belong to Carter or Sam or Brendan or Kara or Ellie or Hayleigh or Maya or Bridget or Gracie or Olivia or Bronsen or all the other FPIES kids who’ve reached their second birthday and have yet to hear the DING.