Talking Allergies

Kid (9) is going to her first party without parents tonight...I'm trying not to stress, but my face is breaking out for no other reason...
Neighbour is only 5 houses away, totally gets food allergies, is trained and has administered an epipen before on her job.
I know I have nothing to worry about...((breathing in)) ))breathing out((

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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

Susan, I think you have trained you daughter well enough. I know my parents were anxious the first few times they left me alone as well but I never forget what they taught me. I am positive your daughter is smart about her allergies and having this new freedom will be good for her. It'll make her believe she can take care of herself too.

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

The hardest part of being a parent is letting them grow up. Now I know how Rapunzel's mom felt!

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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

Just put to bed one very sleepy 'big girl'.

The party was fun although she didn't eat anything and was famished when she got home. The host mom had purchased safe chips etc but she was just too anxious and excited to eat any.

She won Best Costume which was a Twilight t-shirt but would have preferred a finger lazer. She knew the t-shirt was worth more (finger lazer's $1.00/4 pack) so she didn't want to cause a fuss.

When the loot bags came out and it was all candy (wrong type-she couldn't eat any of it) and the other kids started eating it right away...frustration, hunger and tiredness swept over her like a tidal wave and we had much tears.

In the end, I found a couple of candies and promised more tomorrow (another party! ). After a bite to eat and a glass of soy milk, she had relaxed enough to be sleepy.

Thank goodness for Karate because she's too heavy for her daddy to carry but mommy just scoops her up with one arm and carries her things with the other.

We passed a milestone today.

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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

Can you feel the anxiety?


Won Best Costume!

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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

What a cutie! Winning best costume must have been great for her. Really too bad about the candy. I remember having MANY similar experiences. You develop a tough skin after a while and it doesn't get to you as much. It's funny, it was always the same for me: they would put aside all the chip bags for me to read and they were always safe. But when it came to the candy/chocolate, one or two was always questionable or unsafe...

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

She'd have been fine if she wasn't so tired.

Candy I've watched her at a Santa Claus parade when candy was being flung into the crowd. She'd stand there with a poker face and the candy would bounce off her winter coat!
Those are the moments when you feel proud and sad at the same time. I guess food allergies is where her poker face comes from...from never totally letting her guard down once she leaves the house. Childhood is supposed to be carefree. (expression is right/words aren't)

Anyway, she is an amazing person and so much more mature than any other kid I know (I'm sure all of our kids are-I just don't know them as well). She has an brilliant wit and she is well recieved by her classmates.

I realy can't ask for anymore.

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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

Susan, DD looks adorable. Great costume! As soon as I read your post last night I couldn't help watching my own clock, thinking about you. I hope it wasn't too hard waiting at home, (watching the clock, holding the phone). She is so mature for her age and you have taught her well, I guess 'GULP' we all must come to a point where we have to trust in what we have taught them 'GULP' let them have experiences on their own.

You did great and DD did great! As long as she had fun then she will view it as a positive experience - regardless of the candy.

Now you can breathe and grab a cup of coffee and relax. I only hope I am as calm as you when our first 'first' comes.

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DD 12 yrs -no allergies
4 yr old DS - asthma/eczema Anaphylactic to Peanuts, all tree nuts, sesame , all pea/lentil legumes, gelatin.
Allergic to trees, grass,ragweed, feathers, dander, mold and dust.
Outgrew eggs, fish, shellfish

What a great costume! She wears it wonderfully!! No wonder she won 1st prize.

Good job Momma!!

I must admit, I kinda watched the clock too.Can't stay up late enought to watch the clock for mine anymore. Thinking good calm thoughts your way. I promise - it does get easier.

My DD was out last nite too - A group of them were going into the city last nite to see "Rocky Horror Picture Show" beginning at midnight. She was bravely dodging toast I would imagine and throwing rice. I'll ask her about posting a pic of them when she gets home later today.

Michele
p.s. I so know that poker face - it will serve her well later on.

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Myself - Seasonal, cats
dd-asthma (trigger - flu) anaphylactic to eggs, severe allergies to bugspray and penicilin,pulmicort
ds-Seasonal, cats and OAS
dh-allergy cats, bugspray and guava, outgrew egg allergy

I'm feeling the I don't want to even think about dating!


Re Rocky Horror Picture Show...if she brought an umbrella, she could use it to keep the toast off her!

It was either sit on the computer or snap at dh over petty things. When I'm stressed like that, others can really annoy me. So much for a quiet evening, just the two of us. He was stressed out too.

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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

What a cutie!! I'm glad things went reasonably well, and she stayed safe. But the candy thing makes me so sad/mad. I've had it happen on more than one occasion, and it's heatbreaking.

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DSs 7,7,9 all PA

Joel had his first party a couple of months back (mum sat in the car out the front!!-but it was important for me and him to prove that he could do this!).
Because he's got a couple of unusual allergies -and because people we know and trust have made mistakes!-we now have a rule that at parties that are not at our house that he takes everything that he will eat-it all goes in a carry bag and he just helps himself-he has lots of treats and a cupcake for when the cake comes out and his own bag of candy-he finds this fine to do.
Weve found this works really well-much less stress-he's not anxious about food someone else has prepared and the stress levels for me go right down. It also means that he doesnt have to remember what is 'ok' to eat and what has his allergens in them-that is what we find very difficult to manage-we find everything has to be ok otherwise its just not worth the risk.

With regards to the candy that is thrown around at celebrations-we have an exchange system (the candy thrown is in plastic wrappers so not concerned about contact with allergens)-whatever he collects is substitued with safe ones-he goes in as hard as any other kid grabbing candy and knows he still comes out on top with candy that is ok for him.

your daughter looks great in her costume.

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twin boys-
c-eosinophilic oesophagitis
j-avoids peanut, sunflower, pineapple all ana-sensitised to maccadaemia.pecan.Passed barley (previous ana) last year...out grew egg ana and peanut at 3 years..became re sensitised with ana at 6 years to peanut.

Susan, Your daughter looks adorable - what a great costume. So glad to hear that your daughter was comfortable enough to go to her first party alone. We haven't done this yet, but we know it's coming soon. Our son is in grade 3 now, so parents don't really stay anymore. I'll be the mom sitting in the driveway while the party is going on

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14 yr old daughter: no health issues
11 yr old son: allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish, sesame, sunflower, mustard, poppy seeds, green peas, some fruits, instructed to avoid all other legumes (except soy & green beans), pollen, cats, horses

I would have sat in the driveway too if it wasn't for the fact that the house was 5 doors down! We had conversations prior to the party:
-I have checked the chips, but anything that she is not comfortable with,she can call and have the label read to me.
-Party host's mom is trained on how to administer the Epipen
-If any ambulance pulls into the parking space, they have to pass our house and I would be over there with instructions for daddy to bring along my shoes! Well, and her DS, some safe foods and some books, toys to keep us busy.

She went to a birthday party the next day (build-a-bear) and told me to wait on the bench in the mall. I was allowed to come to the restaurant afterwards for the pizza and ice cream. I brought her own pizza and ice cream. I also brought some rockets and starburst candies for the loot bag (I'm still learning!)

There were 2 other children at the party with food allergies (one with egg allergy and one with celiac) I spoke to their moms and switched out the candy in the loot bag for safe candy. I also offerd our ice cream to the girl with the egg allergy who didn't have a safe dessert. Her mother was appreciative but the girl didn't like the ice cream (she might not have felt comfortable with it). That's OK. They don't have to eat it; they just have to be able to eat it.

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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

You moms are all great(dads are too)! Let me tell you, your kids appreciate everything you do, even if you don't realize it now. Trust me, now that I'm "all grown up" I tell my parents all the time how the planning and sacrifices they went through made my life as carefree as can be as a kid with allergies.

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