Talking Allergies

I had my 2 year old in yesterday for allergy testing. It was negative for the peanut but positive for the mixed nuts. I don't get to take him in for another 3 months to have the peanut done again, straight peanut I think she called it, and to try and narrow down which of the 6 nuts in the mix nut category he is allergic to. We know the pistachios are one that he is allergic to since that is what tipped us off to the fact that he was allergic, he had a pretty big reaction back in March from pistachios, vomitting and then hives covering his body within minutes of having the pistachios in his mouth. I am overwhelemd by the amount of information and it worries me that there are so many foods out there that may have nuts in them that I won't even know. As I read the thread in here about nut safe donuts I started to cry because I had no idea that donuts even had traces of nuts in them. I am so scared that I am going to inadvertently give my son something that contains nuts and is going to hurt him.

Terribly sorry to hear that.

As for learning, it takes us all a while to learn how to avoid the allergens. At times, it may seem impossible, but if you're at a birthday party or something, and you don't know what's the in cake, don't eat it. <Example

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^Allergy to peanuts. Apparently not allergic to nuts anymore, avoiding anyway.^

"A" - first off - take a breath. There's not one of us here who didn't feel at least slightly overwhelmed by the diagnosis. It is a life-changer, you do have to be careful.

But the common line with food allergy is: 'be careful not fearful'. We all want to the kids we talk about in this forum to have full, happy lives. As an adult with multiple food allergies - I want and have found ways (with small exceptions such as Chinese and Thaid food restaurants) to have a full life. I don't miss out on much.

We just have more seatbelts and bike helmets as people with allergies, if I can use that as a analogy.

My advice is: take it a little slow. This is all new. Read all the food labels, carry an auto-injector for your child, but don't try to read every article or every post on this site right away. It's takes a little bit to absorb the information and to learn what adjustments will be needed to your family's lifestyle.

Cut yourself a little slack. You'll get it, it just takes a little time.

One last thing: who need donuts anyway! If you want to read something, look under Shopping and Recipes. You'll see forum members posting lots of great nut-free products and ideas.

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

A,

I've grown up allergic to peanuts, nuts, and legumes (except soy) and I lead a very normal and happy life. You will be able to provide the same for your son. The fact that you are concerned means that you obviously care about him and his safety. But you would be surprised at how much you are NOT restricted. Whenever I meet new people and tell them about my nut allergy they always so, "oh, so, like, you can't eat chocolate eh?" There are a lot of misconceptions about what is safe and what is not. There are a lot of companies who are starting to be more allergy conscious....something that I didn't have when I was little. You will find that there are quite a few companies who are going nut and peanut free and many others who are more than willing to answer any questions you might have.
Although it is always a shock to hear, this is definitely manageable so do not be discouraged or worried.

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Associate Editor at Allergic Living.
Allergies to all nuts and legumes except soy and green beans.

Thank you all for your replies. I didn't realize I would be this overwhelmed by it all. We have known for a few months that he did have allergies and we went about removing all nuts from our home so I thought ok get the testing done for confirmation and get the epipen and we'll be fine, but once we got the confirmation and the epipen it all really hit home how these things can be severe. Of course the worst fears come out and I know that everyone goes through them but it is still so hard to quash them.

I'm so glad that so many companies are becoming nut free and making it easier to buy safe products. I just wish understanding what names are used to identify nuts in foods was easier. I know I'll get it all eventually and that we'll be okay, the last 3 months haven't been that hard. I'm just scared now which I know is normal too but gah it's hard!

I think I will have to slow down and wade in a bit slower, I went into info overload today and it really threw me for a loop.

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Sean - 2 years old- allergies to pistachios and possibly other nuts, need to get further testing to determine which specific ones

~A~, we're not going anywhere.

Take your time. Break things down into manageable pieces. Share the work with your husband.

It takes a year to really get a good handle on all of the issues because each season brings more challenges. But it can be rewarding, too. You will get to see how much friends and family care by all the little things they do to keep your son safe.

You will learn about food, consumerism, education systems, laws, the internet and how to be an advocate. Eventually. Right now, just make the house safe and take a deep breathe.

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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

Thank you Susan. I have had to learn to advocate for my older son, not allergy related, so I guess it will be much of the same thing learning and sharing and pressing my points home when nescessary. I am doing much better today as I realized that jumping in the way I did was a bad idea. I read too much, learned too much and just scared myself more. For now I am going to do exactly as you said, ensure my house remains nut free and breathe. I am still going to be around reading new topics but I think for awhile I will stay away from reading through all the old ones. Try to keep my sanity intact and stop crying into my friends ears on the phone every 10 minutes.

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Sean - 2 years old- allergies to pistachios and possibly other nuts, need to get further testing to determine which specific ones

I understand, Karen used to tell me not to borrow trouble. Once you have your home safe enough that you can relax, you can deal with immediate issues and prepare for the next big event.

If he's two, you don't need to think about dating just yet.

When your ready to deal with an issue, use the search button or ask a question.

I think your doing a great job.

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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

I was quite overwhelmed at first too. I have a rule now. If there is no ingredients list my son doesn't eat it.

Because he was really little when we discovered some of his allergies I made Onesies that said "Please Don't Feed Me, I Have Food Allergies" for when we were at parties or other gatherings. I later made T-Shirts for him that said the same thing.

Luckily it is so much easier these day with so much more awareness and companies doing there part in becoming peanut/tree nut free. I don't know how my MIL handled have a severely peanut allergic son back in the 60's!!!

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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.

A, there was a great article in a recent issue of Allergic Living that dealt with talking to kids. We had a kid at school who was allergic whose parents did not make a thing about it, but toward the end of the year, the child suddenly clued in and started getting really sensitive about it, asking about food brought into the classroom etc. One thing the article said that really stuck out for me was using something like fire safety as an analogy for them. The liklihood that they will die from their food allergy is small because there are steps one can take to treat a reaction if it occurs. It IS serious, but it is also for the most part manageable. In the same way, it is unlikely that the house will burn down because you take certain safety precautions and you have a plan to handle an emergency if it does occur. But the fact that it is unlikely does not mean you don't make sure that everyone knows how to get out if a fire happens.

My own allergens range from 'easy enough to avoid' to 'very difficult to avoid and I should expect a reaction if I am in a situation where I cannot control the food.' So I always make sure to have stuff with me just in case, and if something does come up, I can take care of it before it gets out of hand.

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Asthma and eczema
Drug allergy (succinylcholine)
Food (corn, raw apples, green beans, tree nuts, flax)
Misc (pollen, grass, mold, dogs, cats)