Ok, so I have worked with my now five year old with his many allergies. He has a peanut and shellfish allergy and is starting school this year. Honestly I am scared soooooo much for him and am so worried about his school dangers. How do parents do this!!!!! I know I cannot shelter him forever, but worry about so much from accidental ingestion to bullys tricking to ingestion. I don't want to dwell on the negative but am so worried. Please help me help both him and myslef to move forward without so much fear.......
Before school starts, have a meeting with faculty and staff and inform them your facts and concerns, see their reaction and their suggestions. Everything will be fine and remind every day your son to eat only what is given to him by you, that is very important, and if he eats something else he will get very sick. Wishing you all well and solved. God bless you.
My son was diag. when he was two years old with multiple food allergies. He had moderate to severe eczema as well. The rash and itching was the result of the food allergies. He used to be allergic to egg, wheat, milk, soy. Can you imagine how hard it was to feed him along with those allergies the peanut tree nuts and fish. The peanuts tree nuts and fish he still has. THe RAST blood test and skin ***** testing showed high allergic reaction to peanuts and fish and a few nuts . Allergist said to stay away from all fish and nuts for now. My son is now 6 years old. He went to kndergarten last year and is in first grade presently. It is scarey I know! I make his lunches and he is just now starating to ask me for some normal looking lunches.The other kids inquire about his lunch box stuff. Today he wanted to make a sunflower butter sandwich and asked for jelly. I think he may be getting picked on a bit cause all the other kids eat school lunch. But anyway, the allergies did get a bit better from the standpoint that now we manage fish peanuts and tree nuts and don't have to think of the milk,egg,soy and wheat....He is on rice milk since two with supplements . Multi vitamins everyday.He is a very picky eater and doesn't like to try foods at all. Difficult in that department.
Thank you Ladies! It is going very well and I have to say it is easier than expected since the school is SO very on top of food allergies! He carries his epi with him and one is in the office so that helps to know if something was to happen they are all prepared. The school and staff can REALLY make a difference and I hope that other schools can follow this type of prevention and intervention. We all want our children to be healthy, happy and in the same environment with nobody feeling isolated for something that is out of their control. Keep up the hope too that some solution can come about as to why our children are getting such horrible food allergies!
Oh one more thing...Make sure you check the ingredients on the gummy vitamins for kids. They do haave some brands that have shellfish/tuna. Sometimes the labels are wrong and they have recalls so I am also signed up for those alerts on food allergy and asthma sites.Read all labels all the time -- manufacturers change ingredients alot.....!
Hi! I came across this doing some research on the internet and thought I would give you some advice. I am 15 years old, which is kind of young to be interested in this kind of thing but I definitely am. And before you take my age into consideration please read the rest. I am working on becoming an food allergy adviser for my state. The program I am working through I will be the youngest adviser partially because I am the youngest to ever show interest. I will talk to schools/programs/etc about food allergies whenever a parent requests through the program. The first thing you absolutely need to do is talk to EVERYONE your child may come in contact with. Start with the principle, go to the teacher, and then talk to either the teacher about you talking to the class or they talking to the class and informing them about how vital it is to keep the allergen away from your child. Make sure they are informed about and know how to deliver your child's medication. Also I also work with another program Angel Service Dogs (copyrighted) who trains allergy alert dogs for kids with anaphylactic food allergies. I am currently raising and training a young pup who will graduate in the upcoming October and will go with a young boy with peanut and tree nut allergies. These dogs are trained to detect and alert to the allergen. Obviously this is going to cost some money but with most parents that I have talked to, no matter their financial situation the price is very small as compared to their child's life. You may want to check this out if your child's allergy is sever enough to where he can't do a lot of things/ go a lot of places. The website is angelservicedogs.org. Hope some of this helped and things go great with you son!
Thank you so much for all your energy put towards helping children with allergies. I would just like to point out that my tree nut and peanut anaphylactic preschooler also has a very bad dog allergy. Bringing dogs into schools would certainly keep her from joining the rest of the kids you are advocating for. Dogs are everywhere and it is almost harder than the food allergies!
You should volunteer for your child's class. I know some of the mom's seem like they are there everyday. Also. try and see if your child's teacher can have an epi pin in class, or carry one. I know lunch time can be a big trigger, so see if as he gets older an aid or he himself could carry one on him. It doesnt sound fun but carrying one could save his life. Also, see if your principle can ban peanut butter and jelly at the entire school. Some parents get mad but who cares. I know other schools have done it. It's not like they can't eat it at home. Good luck
PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS, IT WILL HELP COMPLETE MY LIFE IF I CAN FINALLY MEET SOMEONE WHO HAS NUT ALLERGIES. hi i am very glad i found this site, i am 22 and have been severely allergic to all nuts since basically i was born. @MOMMYTLC, it will be very hard i imagine to try and not shelter your child but you must do your best to make him/her prepared without completely smothering them, all you can really do is prepare him and the people around you about his allergies. i suggest telling every single adult around your child to know of his allergy and how to use an EpiPen. read every single label on food you will buy for your child, pack their lunch but if you cant, go to the kitchen at his school, read everything, alert them, etc. as soon as you think he is ready and realizes the seriousness of this allergy (nuts/ made in factory that processes nuts is EVERYWHERE) make him read everything and tell him what to look for, at every restaraunt tell them to ask how everything is prepared and you should be fine. ONE VERY IMPORTANT THING. when he/she hits puberty and wants to start kissing girls, MAKE THEM ASK THEIR PARTNER IF THEY HAVE EATEN ANYTHING WITH NUTS THAT DAY (bad experience), it is one of my biggest fears of my allergy after i got into the habit of doing my day to day reading of labels and asking restaraunts and making people alerted, and also, drinking off other people's drinks, etc. i have made it this far with very very loving/understanding parents and i hope your son/daughter can too, i wish you the best of luck, it will be hard, but if you love your son/daughter like it sounds you do, everything shall be fine :)
@tohelp, I HAVE JUST HEARD ABOUT THESE NUT SNIFFING DOGS a year or two ago, yet i heard it costs a lot of money to get a dog trained..can you give me more information?
one more thing, IF ANYBODY WITH A NUT ALLERGY IS READING THIS PLEASE POST OR SEND ME A MESSAGE, i really need someone to talk to
@tweeznap- Thank you for your advice and input. It sounds like you are a pnut allergy savvy woman and so glad to hear that! I hope to have an older person like yourself talk to my child when he gets a bit older so he can see someone that is or has gone through what he is and understands the real issues he will face. I wish you all the best and keep up the hard work to keep you safe!
I've been searching online for a food allergy support group for a while, and about came to tears when I read your post. It was like I wrote it. Those are my exact feelings and I've been looking for someone to share this with. My 5 year old son has a severe peanut allergy (class 6) and will be starting school in a few months. Schools in our area are NOT peanut-free. They have a special table for him to sit at with a friend. I'm so worried that he will be teased for having to sit at a different table, but I'm more worried that cross-contamination will cause a life-threatening reaction. Simply touching the same book or door knob as another student that ate PB for lunch will cause anaphylactic shock for him. I met with the faculty as other parents suggested, but they say they've never had a problem before so they are not willing to cut PB off the menu or adjust their practices at all. Right now kids that eat PB for lunch are "asked" to wash their hands after lunch. I don't feel great about 5-12 year olds remembering to do that every time. He carries an epi-pen with him everywhere and he is trained well to ask before he eats anything, but we can't control what everyone else eats.
When we suggested they cut PB off the menu, they came back with the response that kids need a protein option if they don't want the hot lunch. I DESPISE that remark. There are other forms of protein that won't kill my child and if a child is hungry enough, they will eat what is put in front of them. So many people we talk to are not just uneducated about food allergies, but just plain ignorant. We've had people accuse us of exaggerating the consequences of cross-contamination. That is so hurtful and they wouldn't feel that way if it were their child. I wish there were a public education program available to send my friends/family/school/etc.
I appreciate support groups like this where everyone can share their experience and just provide a listening ear. I struggle with anxiety over my child's food allergies every day, and it's nice to hear that I'm not alone.
I am SOOOOO sorry when I hear of others having such a hard time with schools and ignorant people! Sometimes I get so angry! I wish all schools would come around and serve soybutter instead of peanut butter...would solve SO many issues. My son's school does not serve it and has "graduated tables"where the PA child sits on the very end and as the kids sit the last ones are those who bring PBJs from home. I still look at the clock every day at his lunch time and take a deep breath and hope the rest of his day goes without an event....I had a mother tell me how we (parents of PA kids) blow the whole allergy thing out of proportion! Why should others "suffer" when it is my "special needs child" only!!!
I have to compliment his school as they are in tune to the serious nature of his allergy and both the teacher and nurse are on top of class treats and lunch issues. I feel better that he has become a better advocate for himself during his first year in school as I drill him ALL THE TIME on everything allergy related!I send you a supportive hug and am here if ya need to talk! What state do you live in?
I didn't read all the posts so hope I'm not repeating. You can ask the school for a 504 plan which should include an emergency plan for your child. (The right to breathe is the basis.) This insures that you all are aware that it is a civil right to a free public education and that the school must do everything possible to insure that happens. Of course, there are no full-fledged guarantees that no reaction will ever happen because 5 year olds eat with their hands, etc. but it alerts the school, staff etc of the emergency plan and that they are required by law to follow it. It requires the teachers, administrator, and parent must have at least one face-to-face meeting a year. Ask nicely but firmly for a 504 plan. You can look up 504 plans so you go in prepared. I am a grandmother of a 5 year old peanut allergic child and a teacher. I have already requested one be set up. Good Luck.
Does anyone live in NJ and know of schools that have "no food" policies for birthday celebrations?