Talking Allergies

Hi all, name's Dawne - and as my name suggests, I kind of "do it all". I'm an avid crafter, love baking, Girl Guide leader, and don't have enough time to do every thing I want to do!

I've just recently been diagnosed as being anaphylactic to peaches, plums and cherries, and at risk to being ana to potatoes (brand new one over Christmas). The fruits started this past spring. I've always eaten the fresh fruits as they've come into season, but this year, I had a very nasty reaction to a fresh peach, and slightly lesser reactions to the plums and cherries. I also now react to the cooked fruits as well. My reactions to potatoes threw me for a loop - I never really knew one could be allergic to spuds!

I also have seasonal allergies to birch pollen and grass - and with the birch pollen, I also get the oral allergy syndrome to most tree fruits (raw).

On top of my allergies, my 5 1/2 yr old has ana risk to mosquito bites. So, the both of us are epinephrine carriers (she just gets to hang hers up for 1/2 the year).

I am slowly getting used to the reality of my food allergies, but it is hard. The potatoes one is especially hard. The rest of the family LOVES potatoes, and I can't even prepare them - let alone eat them. I am also having a hard time with some people around me "understanding" that NO I can't have even just a little bit of potatoe or peach. How do you deal with people who try to insist??

Thanks
Dawne

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Dawne - Ana to all pitted fruits, POTATOES, strawberries, kiwis, pumpkin, apple, pear; + asthma, hayfever, migraines, fragrance sensitive
dh -nil
DD (1999) - asthma, hayfever, latex/red dye sensitive
DD (2003)- ana to mosquitos (risk all stinigng insects)

Glad you found us Dawne! I like your positive attitude.
You can offer information but you can't make people absorb it! Ultimately, you are responsible for keeping yourself safe. If they don't believe you, don't eat their food! Try to use humour and know that there is a huge learning curve. We live this 24/7, others don't.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

Hi Dawne - Welcome, glad you found the AL Forum.

Re:

I try not to get ruffled, since they just don't get it. You can't give a whole long allergy explanation every single time this happens, so my shorthand version goes something like:

Well, some people may just get a few hives and itchy. But for me this is serious, I have a very strong reaction and it affects my breathing. I think you can appreciate that I don't want to end up in the ER all night over eating a little bit of ....

FYI, we're working on a good article about OAS in the upcoming Spring issue of AL mag.

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Hi and welcome to the site! I'm Krista.
My youngest son and husband are also allergic to potatoes!
My youngest son's potato allergy makes his eczema flare up something nasty! My son is allergic to potatoes, citrus fruits, pineapple, tomatoes, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, and peanuts.
My husband is allergic to potatoes, peanuts, tree nuts, chocolate, wheat, dairy, eggs, fish, and shellfish. Some of their reactions are anaphylactic, others make their eczema flare up, and others give them hives. Different foods produce different reactions.
My oldest son has seasonal allergies.
My middle son is allergic to a lot of sunscreens (skin rash) and mosquito bites (swells up).
My daughter seems to only be bothered by acidic foods (like tomatoes) touching the skin around her mouth, that's it.

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Married mom of 4 living children and a baby girl in Heaven.
Between myself, my husband, and our children we have way too many allergies to list.

Hi Dawne,
My son has deveIoped food allergies and we are just learning how to deal with the "insisters" within the family and have received some good advice here and other places.
A consistent truth is that those who don't live it,don't get it. You know the people who really want to know your situation and who don't.
I find it's easier and people get it more when it's a smaller social setting. One person, one coffee at a time has been my motto. I already find that I'm not being put on the spot as much in larger gatherings the more people that know about it.
As far as larger settings...people are out for a relaxed, fun time. Not all of them want to hear about something so dire while sat around the table and the rest of them can't concentrate because of the others. If I'm being offerred anything that is not on our diet and don't want to deal with the ignorance or spotlight I will usually use diversions and say, "not going there again" (in reference to the reaction, not the diet) and distract them by making a big deal about getting another food on the table.
Remember when it gets frustrating - sometimes ignorance can still be love, stick to your guns and get a good slippery back to let the rest slide off!!! Hope it helps.

Hi Dawne
I know what you mean about the ignorant "insisters." I am severly allergic to all nuts and horses. So people are just don't get it I think all the other members are right just explain it to them and if they keep insisting then just walk away. Its hard when it is your family too when the joke around and not take you seriously but sometime you got to be very persistent with them . Good luck

For those insisters. If it is someone that trully cares for you sometimes they just need to be told bluntly that you can't have just a little because it could kill you. It is possible that they just hadn't processed that yet and hadn't thought it through. I've found that this works well with family members particularly grandmothers. Deep down they don't want anything to happen to you its just hard for the brain to process how a nutritious food could be so harmful.

Evelyne

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Mother of two.
One year old with allergies to flax, dairy, eggs, wheat, barley, rye, oats, legumes, kiwi. Outgrew soy!
Four year old with a peanut allergy.