Talking Allergies

Very tragic news:





http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sectio ... id=7854968

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 8627.story
http://www.examiner.com/headlines-in-ch ... -at-school


Michele

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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

Was this her first reaction or was she known to have allergies to peanuts?
Was the epipen administered at the school?
The teacher spoke with the restaurant several times to make sure peanuts were not used in the dish yet peanut oil was used.

So sad and so unnecessary. This was not part of a lesson plan or the school cafeteria making a mistake. This was food brought in for a party. This was someone with minimal training (so far as I can tell) making life and death decisions for all.

Time to get the food out of celebrations!

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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

TRAGIC!!! Why on earth do school's need full meals to celebrate events. My thoughts are with her parents and family. This story makes me shudder and brings tears to my eyes.

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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

Chinese food - omg.

Why, why do they serve with an allergic teen present?
Why, oh why would she eat?

Probably trying to 'fit in'.

Hug your kids - and teach them well.

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Timeline from the Chicago Sun-Times:

- Katelyn was taken to hospital at 1:30 Chicago time on Friday.
- Transferred to Children's Memorial (big allergy section at this hospital).
- Pronounced dead at 5:40 p.m.

http://www.suntimes.com/2966858-417/all ... -bond.html

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

From the Huffington Post:

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

This must be absolutely terrifying for the friend with pa, to have witnessed this.

I know many people are questioning why this or why that. But in reality, a lot of people do think the oils are safe, and a lot of people do eat may contain items. I wonder if, like BJ's parents, she and her parents thought it was a minor allergy....not life threatening.

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self: allergy to sesame seeds and peanuts
3 sons each with at least one of the following allergies: peniciilin, sulfa-based antibiotic, latex, insect bites/stings

What a tragic and unnecessary loss of life. I still am not sure if the epipen was ever given to her at the school.

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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

I always think when I see things like this - does someone take the time to go look this up or what?-
middle schools here have 4-5 hundred kids, the high school + 1000 and these are small schools.
I also think about that letter I got from the school that had something about teachers being educators not medical practictioners. I wasn't neither...but I learned.

Michele

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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 totally agree but I have to add that if you have a sesame allergy to also avoid ALL Chinese food unless made at home. My mother in law, any relatives (in law) and my husband (before our son was born) added sesame oil to pretty much every single dish/soup etc. they were cooking. Let alone they love throwing the seeds onto everything! Sesame oil isn't fully refined and does contain sesame protein.
With woks it is also believed the flavor builds up by not washing them. A few of my husbands family members had restaurants. The cross contamination is just about 100% guaranteed.

I can't imagine that this young girl ever ate Chinese food out before having a peanut allergy. Why , why, why now eat it. As Gwen said, was it to fit in? Although questions don't do any good when the outcome is so horrific.

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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

Michelle, Yes - sesame - adding that to my quote / caution to readers now!

Only one thing that you say I don't agree with:



I'm sure it will feel like that right now for Katelyn's parents, but when I heard it was a 13-year-old girl who died, right away I though of Sabrina Shannon, and of her mom, Sara Shannon.

Sara always notes that while she or we can't bring back her beautiful daughter, the lessons we learn, the education we do following such a death may just save other teenagers. Obviously no one wants any of these kids to be examples, but I think Sabrina's has been a little shining star of allergy influence across North America. And I know that's caused awareness, and bet it has saved lives.

Unfortunately, there will still be some deaths. Maybe Katelyn, who by all accounts was a smart, wonderful girl, will now cause many allergic teens to think twice rather about taking ANY risks with food.

Or maybe this is just me needing to be an optimist that something good can come out of such an awful and preventable demise. What do you guys think?

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Also Lisa Ferlaino wrote this article for AL, which paints a picture of Katelyn, pulls together all that's known so far. Plus comment from Sara Shannon:

http://allergicliving.com/index.php/201 ... cago-teen/

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Thanks for writing that Gwen. I felt like the questions that have been going through my head since reading this article were inappropriate to have when someone has died from their allergy. Kind of like that by having questions I was (and I'm not) directing blame. I know that everyone probably did what they thought was in her best interest, no one wants to see a child sick or hurt. Accidents will happen but when something seems to have been preventable it makes you ask so many - WHY's !!!!
I appreciate you saying that questions are a good thing.

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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

My heart breaks for this family.

Sometimes we questionned our daughter's allergist's recommendation to avoid even a trace of a nut -her reasoning is that she may be okay this time but you never know about the next time. We don't question it anymore.

At the huffington post site's article about this tragecy, it is disturbing is the number of people who have said that students are NOT allowed to carry their epi-pens. That must change. I hope that parents will stand up for their children and have them carry the epi with them and then let the school board fight them on it.

I have wondered if epi-pens are more expensive in other countries or not covered as much by extended medical because in many stories it seems that people did not have an epipen.

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me: allergic to crustaceans plus environmental
teenager: allergic to hazelnuts, some other foods and environmental