Food Allergy Brain Dump
This whole, being a parent to a food-allergy kid is rough man. Thankfully Little M is only allergic to peanuts, but her allergy is so severe I have enough to worry about. She will go into anaphylactic shock if she ingests peanuts. And if she just touches them, she will break out into a rash. She accidentally touched a dog treat that had peanuts in it and she broke out in a rash within minutes. I try to stay as calm and nonchalant as possible about it...but honestly? Her allergic scares the crap out of me most days.
We've become experts on reading labels and I'm constantly looking up foods with hidden peanuts {like Chinese food} We never leave the house without Little M's mini medical bag with her benedryl and epi pens. My anxiety level goes up every time we're out of the house and around food.
It can even get a little frustrating at home sometimes too. Like last year when Little M randomly broke out from eating Thousand Island dressing. Or the time she got a rash after eating croutons. Neither of which contain peanuts, or are even made in a facility that makes peanuts. And she has since eaten each of these with no problems. Then there was last week when randomly one night she broke out bad on her face and arms. She had been eating a pear just before it happened, so we thought maybe that was it? {though we didn't know how} But then the next days it flaired up again after she was playing with some toys. So I then spent the rest of the day bleaching and cleaning all her toys. Did someone eat something with peanuts and then come over here and touch her toys? Can a transfer like that even happen? And no, I still have no idea what happened last week or what caused the rash. Thankfully though it didn't flair up again!
I have to say that Halloween is probably one of the most stressful days as a food-allergy mom. Do you know how many chocolates may contain peanuts?!?! Yeah all of them pretty much {not really, but it feels that way} Strangers dropping unknown candies into her bucket, all mixing together? Sends my blood pressure through the roof. The second we come home from trick-or-treating I quick go through all her stash and pull out anything that might have peanuts in it. Sadly it's normally abut half her bucket, so we always keep extra "safe" candy at home to replace it with for her. The whole thing isn't that bad now...it's when Little M is much older and trick-or-treating with her friends by herself that freaks me out.
And don't even get me started on the fact that she will be starting pre-school next fall. What do you mean I have to hand her over to strangers every day and trust they will watch over her? Maybe those home-schooling people have the right idea. As a teacher I always had a few epi-pen kids in my classes. And while I was always diligent about keeping an eye on them and following all the protocol, I was no where near as diligent as I am as a mom. And that scares me. I worry about how most school keep the epi-pens in the nurses room, and not on the child themselves. I worry about her having to sit at a peanut-free table and kids making fun of her. I worry about whether or not I should get a medical alert bracelet for her.
I know we're so lucky that Little M doesn't have a serious disease. And she's lucky that so far she is only allergic to peanuts. And as much as I try and downplay the whole thing, sometimes I get very overwhelmed and scared about the whole thing. This food allergy thing is rough man.
So all you other food-allergy parents..do you feel the same way, or is it just me? Any tips on how to prepare for her going off to school next year?
We've become experts on reading labels and I'm constantly looking up foods with hidden peanuts {like Chinese food} We never leave the house without Little M's mini medical bag with her benedryl and epi pens. My anxiety level goes up every time we're out of the house and around food.
It can even get a little frustrating at home sometimes too. Like last year when Little M randomly broke out from eating Thousand Island dressing. Or the time she got a rash after eating croutons. Neither of which contain peanuts, or are even made in a facility that makes peanuts. And she has since eaten each of these with no problems. Then there was last week when randomly one night she broke out bad on her face and arms. She had been eating a pear just before it happened, so we thought maybe that was it? {though we didn't know how} But then the next days it flaired up again after she was playing with some toys. So I then spent the rest of the day bleaching and cleaning all her toys. Did someone eat something with peanuts and then come over here and touch her toys? Can a transfer like that even happen? And no, I still have no idea what happened last week or what caused the rash. Thankfully though it didn't flair up again!
I have to say that Halloween is probably one of the most stressful days as a food-allergy mom. Do you know how many chocolates may contain peanuts?!?! Yeah all of them pretty much {not really, but it feels that way} Strangers dropping unknown candies into her bucket, all mixing together? Sends my blood pressure through the roof. The second we come home from trick-or-treating I quick go through all her stash and pull out anything that might have peanuts in it. Sadly it's normally abut half her bucket, so we always keep extra "safe" candy at home to replace it with for her. The whole thing isn't that bad now...it's when Little M is much older and trick-or-treating with her friends by herself that freaks me out.
And don't even get me started on the fact that she will be starting pre-school next fall. What do you mean I have to hand her over to strangers every day and trust they will watch over her? Maybe those home-schooling people have the right idea. As a teacher I always had a few epi-pen kids in my classes. And while I was always diligent about keeping an eye on them and following all the protocol, I was no where near as diligent as I am as a mom. And that scares me. I worry about how most school keep the epi-pens in the nurses room, and not on the child themselves. I worry about her having to sit at a peanut-free table and kids making fun of her. I worry about whether or not I should get a medical alert bracelet for her.
I know we're so lucky that Little M doesn't have a serious disease. And she's lucky that so far she is only allergic to peanuts. And as much as I try and downplay the whole thing, sometimes I get very overwhelmed and scared about the whole thing. This food allergy thing is rough man.
So all you other food-allergy parents..do you feel the same way, or is it just me? Any tips on how to prepare for her going off to school next year?
I went to school (k-12) with a boy who had the same thing same little M. everyone and I mean everyone knew that jeremy was allergic. When we had parties he went first to pick his food then everyone else.
ReplyDeleteOur school had the kids school pictures up in the staff room so other staff knew that those kids had allergies and such. As educators we had trained so very well in allergies and what to do if something happens.
my advice? next year, go in to M's class and just talk to the kids about allergies, introduced them to the epi-pen and do a "G-RATED" version of what to do if M eats peanuts (i.e epi-pen, how to put in it,) This is also a great reminder for the teachers! i don't think a 3 year old will inject it!
you can ask (or demand) everyone (teachers/kids) wash their hands after snack.
if they don't, maybe send out a letter to each parents the first week of school explaining to them how severe her allergy is and kindly ask that peanut products not be brought to school and if they have peanut products before they come, they MUST BRUSH TEETH AND WASH HANDS!
hope that helps!
sorry for the novel!
I have a friend who's son wears his dpi pen in a little pouch around his waist, like a tiny fanny pack. He has been self-carrying since he could walk, and it's just like another part of him now, he doesn't play with it and he won't let other kids touch it. But anyways, it IS an option you could look in to!
ReplyDeleteMy brother is allergic to peanuts too. I think my Mom first had him tested somewhere between one and two? He's been allergic for as long as I can remember. Peanuts is his primary allergy, but he's allergic to all nuts. So I kind of know what you mean about the allergy thing. Obviously I know on a MUCH lower level since Matt is my brother and not my child. But I remember the stress of making sure he didn't eat things he wasn't supposed to and having to check labels for everything! Plus visiting the allergy doctor every year and having epi-pens all over the place. And last year my Mom nixed the idea of taking him on a cruise bc the idea of him possibly eating something he wasn't supposed to and not being able to get to a hospital right away was a little nerve wracking! The good news is that it gets easier as they get older and more aware of their allergy! My brother knows to check the labels on his own and has known for a long time now! And he's really good about making sure he always has his epi-pens with him, which is surprising for a fairly irresponsible teenage boy! Ha! My Mom even keeps a list of what he's allergic to taped to the cabinets in the kitchen! When we were little I don't remember peanut butter in the house, but that could just be because I preferred jelly and butter sandwiches! :) But as he got older it was in the house, he just knew not to eat it and we knew to keep it away from him. Although there was the one year that my Grandparents put some sort of a nut sauce on the turkey on Thanksgiving! That was horrible! My Mom was furious (with every right) and my poor brother had to eat chicken that my Mom grabbed from a deli! :( They just didn't realize he was allergic to all nuts and not just peanuts! But I do remember my Mom being nervous about school and making sure that she made a BIG deal to both the office and his teacher every single year about his allergy so that they understood to watch for it and be aware of it. Don't downplay it! And don't be afraid to be a little annoying with all of your reminders about his allergy! And make sure that you make her aware of her allergy and what it means and how she needs to make sure that she is protecting herself! My Mom always made sure my brother knew his allergy was a big deal and that he needed to always ask if nuts were in whatever he was eating. I think making them aware of their allergy young really helps!
ReplyDeleteMy sister in law just found out too that my niece is allergic to cashews after she had a huge reaction to only half of a cashew and they spent hours in the ER! So at the very least (at the end of this novel) I can tell you that you aren't alone! I promise! :)