Thursday, October 23, 2008

What I Would Like For You To Know

If you stopped in to read my Thursday Thanks Tank, I am thankful to be sharing about David's peanut allergy as a part of Shannon's "What I Would Like For You To Know" series. Please head on over to "Rocks in My Dryer" and read my allergy post.


For anyone that ended up on my blog from Rocks in My Dryer, please check out the wonderful Allergy websites I have listed on the left side of my blog. Also, just this week I added "Allergy" labels to the posts that I have written about David's allergy. I think I labeled them all and they are listed in the sidebar as well. Thanks so much for stopping by!

17 comments:

Andrea Frederick said...

Jane, I feel for you. My son has a severe bee allergy and we are also carrying an epipen everywhere we go. At least bees aren't around nearly as much in the winter...we kind of get a break. As a teacher, I am on constant guard for a certain child during a class party etc. It's exhausting, I can't imagine what your day to day life is like. Thanks for sharing!

Tara said...

My girlfriend has a little guy with a peanut allergy. The first time she used a clorox type spray on my kitchen table I was only mildly offended. When I realized that she was only doing it because she was protecting her child and not that she wasn't trusting that my house was clean I relaxed! ;) I, too, am on the short list of people who she trusts to take care of Ian. I also found a homemade recipe for the clorox spray and saved her a ton of money!

How is it for you when someone bakes something and saves the boxes for you so you can check them? I do that usually. In my experience it's appreciated, but can people go overboard in telling you the precautions they've taken to help you protect your little guy?

Elaine at Matters of the Heart) said...

Thank you so much for sharing your post on allergies today. Very well said. I have a two year old severly allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. We are still in the first year of our finding out. So nice to meet other people dealing with this.

Have a blessed day.

Jane Anne said...

To answer Tara's question- It is absolutely wonderful when someone saves the box (or container or whatever) so I can check the label. That is a tremendous help! If a cake mix is used and I can check the ingredients, I can make an educated decision. I don't want to seem like I don't trust people. Allergy warnings on food labels are not standardized. I cannot expect someone to read the label with the same diligence that I would. Great question! Thanks.

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed your post on food allergies. My son has a food allergy to tree nuts and shellfish. We have a hard time explaining to friends and family that he does not have to digest these foods to have a reaction.

RLR said...

I posted this at RiMD as well, but wanted to be sure you saw it!

Thanks, Jane Anne, for sharing! I'm a parent of a nut- and egg-allergic preschooler, and an older child with no food allergies. Since "our" diagnosis, we have all adopted my daughter's allergen-free diet. It has been learning experience, for sure - label-reading, educating others, etc - and I appreciate you sharing your experience with others. While I've blogged about it, I'm going to be linking to Rocks In My Dryer as a refresher for my readers!

I've found that other people (family, friends) really do not understand that a shared equipment warning means a food is off limits in our home, and my daughter has had reactions to food where someone has 'read the label' but missed that important warning. Halloween is especially nerve-wracking for me. This year, we'll be attending a costume party at a friend's home, and I'm providing all of the candy. It's a great arrangement for me, and the kids still get to have a good time!

Thanks again for the great post!

Kelley said...

All three of my children (ages 11,10,8) have food allergies - tree nuts, peanuts, and (here's the kicker) chocolate (and yeah - birthday parties are a big challenge....as well as parties at school). You are so right when you say most people don't understand.

On May 9th two of my three children went into shock which required the Epi and many hours in the ER hooked up to heart monitors.

We were at a banquet and was assured by the hotel chef that nothing on the buffet had nuts...apparently he forgot about the "counut-peanut" sauce over the shrimp. And my two boys love shrimp.

After it was all over, one friend told me that she really thought I was always making it a bigger deal that it was - until she saw my boys that night. Never again will she question a mother over food allergies...too bad it too a look at two very sick boys to change her mind.

loni said...

Jane, I came over here from Shannon's. I have a daughter with peanut and tree nut allergies.

So many times I have heard someone tell me, "She's had it before." or "It doesn't have nuts in it." You and I know that is just not enough.

Thank you so much for sharing your story. You did a great job explaining what it's like for us. :)

Lori said...

Just dropped by from Rocks in My Dryer. Thank you for sharing your story so beautifully.

Michelle said...

OH THANK YOU for posting about the allergies! I found you from Rocks in my Dryer and I found her from another blog. My son is 9 and has been allergic to peanuts since he was 1. He recently ate the new Cocoa Puffs Combos and they are made with peanut flour, which I didn't know it had. The regular Cocoa Puffs are safe and we just thought these would be too. I saw the ingredients 2-3 days after he had eaten them. He never had a reaction. We actually believed he had grown out of the allergy to peanuts, had him re-tested and he is still SEVERLY allergic to peanuts. But we did find out he is no longer allergic to tree nuts. The doctor said that 2-3 more bowls probably would have caused a reaction. He has had no exposure since his first reaction when he was 1. The doctor thinks his body built up antibodies against the peanuts and now that it has been reentered into his body, it is once again severe, maybe more serious than before. I do want to encourage you that as he has gotten older it has gotten lots easier. He is really good about asking before he eats anything.
Once again thanks for sharing and I am looking forward to checking your blog out more. Nice to meet you!
Michelle

Anonymous said...

Bless your heart. I taught Preschool and learned all about the allergies. And I think I had a time or two like your incident where we had a very close call.

And thanks for this great Overnight Coffee Cake! :) Sounds great.

Feel free to visit and join in on my Win It Wednesday Giveaway! :)

Trisha said...

Oh, have allergies been a big part of our world as well! Your post couldn't have captured my feelings any better. My little boy who is two has allergies to eggs, peanuts, oats, dogs and cats.

Thanks so much for sharing! I can't wait to look around your blog. We are just in the beginning stages of this so there is so much I want to learn. I'm going to add you to my blog if you don't mind.

Anonymous said...

Loved your post! One of our sons has lifethreatening food allergies to milk, egg, and peanut. He has had anaphylaxis twice in his life but not recently thankfully.

Our family eats the same foods as my son can. It's just easier and safer that way. It was a challenge to give up milk and egg but so worth it.

Halloween is always interesting. We do a "trade" for unsafe candy. And we also have a terrific street of neighbors who keep a seperate bowl of pre-approved "safe" treats for my son to choose from! What a blessing they are!

It's a daily thing for our family and it's always great to see others out there educating people on food allergy! Thanks! :)

Jeanne said...

Awesome story & thank you for sharing, from one FA mom to another! My 2 y/o son has a peanut allergy as well as an egg allergy. I'm sending a link over to family & friends who still need constant reminders.

Jessica said...

I tried a few times to leave a post yesterday and for some reason I couldn't. I wanted to Thank you for the awareness you've given me. Thank you for speaking from your heart and letting us see a peek at how David's allergy affects your family.

Anonymous said...

Your words were great. My daughter is 7 and has food allergies. Peanuts/Treenuts being the most severe. It is so hard to get others to realize that we are just trying to protect our kids. I get so upset when someone tells me we are just being too protective. Yes, maybe, but.... I have seen what happens to my daughter, and well, I really don't want to see that again!
Thanks again for sharing your words!

Marjorie said...

Thank you so much - for sharing our perspective as FA moms and for giving me food for thought so I can sort out my feelings on this issue.