Peanuts, peanuts go away!
Last night was parent night at my son's new school. Tuesday will be his first day of pre-school and I'm a mess, but not for the reasons you might think. My son has a serious peanut and tree nut allergy. For the last two years I've watched his food intake like a hawk, from checking and rechecking food labels to harassing restaurant staff for information on how certain foods are made. I feel like I've done it all.
As vigilant as I've been in keeping him in a peanut-free zone, I've had a handful of mistakes as well. The kind of mistakes that make me stop everything - immediately. Once I realize my mistake, which usually comes in the form of a food processed on equipment that also processes peanuts or tree nuts, I make my son spit out whatever the offending food might be, I give his body the once-over and wait for signs of a reaction. At this point I'm silently freaking out, hoping his mouthful of half-chewed crackers wasn't the batch immediately following the peanut butter lovers blend!
So I woke up at 4am, the same startling way you wake from a nightmare, wondering how to keep my son safe in a non-peanut free environment. Do I dress him in a t-shirt that reads like a medical history (I'm thinking a Sharpie on a white t-shirt, so fashionable, right?!) or maybe a neon lanyard with allergy information on it? He has a medical alert bracelet, but I've found most people don't read them, including his grandmother who recently offered him a bite of her nut covered ice-cream! Agh...
Last night at parent night, I dropped off his EpiPens and alerted the school officials of his allergies, but somehow that doesn't seem like enough. Most people don't realize how many foods contain peanuts and tree nuts, even trace amounts from processing equipment, called cross contact. I know I didn't until my son was diagnosed with an allergy. Luckily, some protection is available though. In June 2006 the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA), requires food allergens, such as peanuts and tree nuts, to be clearly labeled (click here for other federal and state protection benefits). Now if I could just be guaranteed that everyone at his school read the food labels, I might be okay!
Any ideas on how to make this mom survive the first day of school? I'm still leaning toward the Sharpie and white t-shirt!
As vigilant as I've been in keeping him in a peanut-free zone, I've had a handful of mistakes as well. The kind of mistakes that make me stop everything - immediately. Once I realize my mistake, which usually comes in the form of a food processed on equipment that also processes peanuts or tree nuts, I make my son spit out whatever the offending food might be, I give his body the once-over and wait for signs of a reaction. At this point I'm silently freaking out, hoping his mouthful of half-chewed crackers wasn't the batch immediately following the peanut butter lovers blend!
So I woke up at 4am, the same startling way you wake from a nightmare, wondering how to keep my son safe in a non-peanut free environment. Do I dress him in a t-shirt that reads like a medical history (I'm thinking a Sharpie on a white t-shirt, so fashionable, right?!) or maybe a neon lanyard with allergy information on it? He has a medical alert bracelet, but I've found most people don't read them, including his grandmother who recently offered him a bite of her nut covered ice-cream! Agh...
Last night at parent night, I dropped off his EpiPens and alerted the school officials of his allergies, but somehow that doesn't seem like enough. Most people don't realize how many foods contain peanuts and tree nuts, even trace amounts from processing equipment, called cross contact. I know I didn't until my son was diagnosed with an allergy. Luckily, some protection is available though. In June 2006 the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA), requires food allergens, such as peanuts and tree nuts, to be clearly labeled (click here for other federal and state protection benefits). Now if I could just be guaranteed that everyone at his school read the food labels, I might be okay!
Any ideas on how to make this mom survive the first day of school? I'm still leaning toward the Sharpie and white t-shirt!
Tags: allergy, nut-allergy, nut-free, peanut-allergy, peanut-free
Add a Comment
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Comment by KitSinead on August 17, 2009 at 1:15pm -
As a young, 24-year-old writer without children, allergies or any expertise in either field, I would like to offer a suggestion that I hope is able to help relieve at least a little daily stress. Would you be able to find someone in your son’s academic life (ideally his own teacher) who would take ownership of his nutritional intake? If you’re able to completely place your trust in someone who is able to watch him while you cannot, maybe you’ll rest a little easier during the times that you have to be separated.
If that doesn’t work, I hear one can get pretty creative with Sharpie’s colors and sizes nowadays…
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Comment by Jody Simpson on September 16, 2008 at 3:27pm -
Thanks, Jeanne! I've been lucky to not have to use the EpiPen. The first week of school, his school sent out a letter to all parents informing them to not pack or allow children to bring, eat or share any foods that contain or might contain peanuts. This was in response to the 3 students at school who have severe peanut allergies. That made me feel a little better!
I've tried antihistamines before, but the response time seems slow for my son. The allergist told me if it looks like a bad reaction to give him the EpiPen and call 911, don't mess around with waiting for the antihistamines to kick in. Maybe for a slight reaction I'll still try antihistamines. I know it'll be traumatic for him to get the EpiPen. I just hope we can manage without it until he's a little older and can understand what's going on.
Thanks again for your comments!
-Jody
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Comment by jeanne on September 16, 2008 at 3:11pm -
on the positive side, you being very diligent about informing people and especially having the EPIPEN , obviously the most important....I am an allergy nurse and run the dept. in our ENT office...I have been working with allergies for the past 9 years, a very fasinating and yet "scarey" adventure to say the least.....and ...have recently found out that I too am allergic to peanuts...so strange after many years of enjoying them...but then again there is nothing "normal " in the allergy world....the bracelet that you have for him is excellant too, I dont see that used a lot here, and of course teaching him to ask also (without freeking him out) if there are peanuts in his food. I dont know (and I hope not) if you have ever used an epipen...but my experience is that its the best thing I have ever seen or used....I have seen patients have anaphylactic reactions from minor to the worse...and they work great!...does your son use antihistamines??...well anyway you are being a great mom in protecting your son....I have two of my own (MUCH older) and I would probably be much worse than you if they had peanut allergies too....Keep up the good work!!
Jeanne Edwards
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