Book Review- Flourishing With Food Allergies

I was offered the exciting privilege of reviewing a book about food allergies.  Flourishing With Food Allergies, by A. Anderson, proved to be a great resource for information on living with food allergies.  Living with food allergies, especially when it is your child, proves to carry a huge weight of worry and anxiety.  The first part of this book provides snippets from other people’s experiences.  It helped me to feel like I was not alone, or crazy for that matter. 

What I like most about this book is that it  is very thought provoking about the cause of food allergies.  I know that there has been great effort in searching for a cure, but I have always felt that finding the cause is more important.  If there is something that is causing such havoc on our biological system, it should be stopped!  What about autism and ADHD?  Could these be the results of the same culprit?  Do you realize how many extra chemicals go into our food supply? 

Many people take for granted that we live in a well protected society and that this protection includes our food supply.  Maybe you have noticed all the press on things such as BPA in our plastic, hormones and antibiotics in our milk, and pesticides contaminating our produce, just to name a few.  Ms. Anderson does a great job in her book shedding more light on some of these kinds of questions.

Food Allergy Reaction

This topic is always my biggest concern.  Obviously, I am always thinking about how to help Little R live a normal life while avoiding a potential food allergy reaction, especially a life threatening one.  He has had a few sporadic reactions over the years since his first one that almost took his life.  None of them required an Epi-Pen, but my biggest concern with this is that it can cause us to become complacent.

A lot of people are under the impression that all food allergy reactions will be like the first one.  They think that all symptoms will be the same, or that because the first reaction was not life threatening, that a life threatening one is unlikely. 

I cannot say it any clearer that THIS IS NOT TRUE!  I don’t know how many people I have talked to that have food allergy children, or care for one, and they inevitably make the comment that “They just get red around the mouth.  They have never had a life threatening reaction.”  Or, “Their reactions are NEVER anaphylactic.”  I believe that this is what makes death due to a food allergy reaction HIGH RISK!  I have read, and heard it said at FAAST food allergy meetings, that the number one cause of death from a food allergy reaction is FAILURE TO USE THE EPI-PEN IN TIME!  If you care for a food allergy child, you must first believe that any reaction could be potentially turn life threatening and be prepared to use the Epi-Pen! 

Ask any family who has lost a child due to a food allergy reaction.  I would bet that none of these families were the ones who were what most people would call “overprotective” when it came to their child’s food allergy.  I do not mean any disrespect to these parents.  I know how easy it is to live in denial or ignorance about food allergies.  Doctors just do not do a good enough job educating about them.  But, I just know too many other parents and care givers who live in this fog, and I wish for them to wake up, so to speak.

Read the story of  BJ Horn, or Emily Vonder Meulen.  Both of these children were loved by their parents, but ended up dying from food allergy reactions (namely peanut allergy) because the volatility of their allergy was not understood completely.  Click on their names to read their stories, and pay attention to the part where their parents basically say, “We didn’t know/believe that their allergy would be truly life threatening.”

Nobody wants to believe that they could lose their child, especially because of  food.  But, if your child has a food allergy, you MUST start taking this seriously!  If your child has a peanut allergy, you especially need to be on alert as peanut allergies appear to be the MOST volatile.

*BJ Horn link is from Allergy Moms blog.  Gina does a great job educating about food allergies.  I recommend reading her website and blog.

*Emily Vonder Meulen link is from Food Allergy Angel website.  Paul has developed this website to help share Emily’s story in an effort to educate others about food allergies.

Biocides???

Have any of you heard of this? Apparently nanosilver is used in many kinds of products as some kind of anti-bacterial/anti-fungal agent. It is a biocide. For instance, it might be added into toys, cutting boards, or sippy-cups to aid in killing bacteria and fungus.

I came across this information while I was reading the site The Campaign For Safe Cosmetics. While the idea of protecting us from harmful bacteria and such seems like a great idea, there is also a lot of belief that using things like the nano-silver is preventing our immune systems form developing properly.

This reminds me of the “too clean” theory, and how many people believe this is what has led to the burst of food allergies. I always thought the “too clean” theory was a bunch of hoo ha, because I mainly thought it was linked to how I kept house, for instance. Don’t get me wrong, I do not live in dirty or trashy home, but I am not what I would consider to be obsessed with cleanliness… I have nothing but boys in my house for crying out loud…LOL!

My point is that there are obviously other factors in our daily lives that many of us do not even realize exsist. These things are affecting our health, and we don’t even know it! A lot of concerning statements have been in the news recently, like the danger of BPA. So, it is not surprising to me that there are other things as well.

I guess I am upset about all of this because I have been in the dark, so to speak. I think we take it for granted that we are being looked out for on these kinds of issues. It has become apparent that we have to look out for ourselves.

Some things can be avoided- eating unprocessed food, eating organic food, avoiding the use of other products with too many chemicals. But, some things are not so easy avoid. The use of the nano-chemicals is used in many things we would never think about. There is also know way of knowing it is present. The ONLY way to protect ourselves is to speak out!

Surf Sweets-Product Review

Mmmm… Who doesn’t like their sweet stuff every once in awhile? I know I sure do, and so do my kids. My biggest problem with this habit is what goes into some of this sweet stuff. I have always been leary of Red Dye, for instance. In fact, you can read about my concern here. High fructose corn syrup is another. I am always on the lookout for better things to fulfill our sweet tooth cravings.

Recently, I was contacted by Surf Sweets to test and review their product. Surf Sweets makes a variety of different gummy candies and jelly beans. They are all certified organic, and safe of at least our allergens (peanuts, tree-nuts, and eggs.) I was very pleased to learn that their products do not use any artificial dyes.

The true test, however, is in the taste. I can assure you that this was the best part of my experience. I thought the gummy candies and jelly beans tasted great! My children were very quick to agree.

You can visit www.surfsweets.com to learn more about the product and where it can be found.

The other evening, we put together a very impromptu get together with some neighbor friends.  What was a bad experience, turned into a great one!

Earlier that day we were at a family gathering for a graduation party.  These kind of get togethers are always a little nerve racking for me because of Little R’s food allergies.  As you can imagine, there is always a lot of food around with so many people to feed.  My family has gotten pretty good at thinking and planning ahead so that Little R can have a safe visit, but this visit turned ugly!

There were a lot of kids visiting at this gathering, so one of my uncles had planned for a fun activity for them.  The first red flag, or what should have been for me, was when he gathered the kids and had them go search for pine cones.  Yeah, you know where this is going.  I was busy socializing with other relatives, having my own fun, so I was not paying much attention.  The next thing I know, Little R came up to me with a very frightened look on his face and told me that all the kids were playing in PEANUT BUTTER!  You can imagine the skipped beat that my heart experienced at that moment!

I couldn’t believe my eyes!  Little R, with a very sad face, walked off to the other side of the yard and told me he would just play alone until they were done.  BUT, that was NOT good enough!  Peanut butter is not easy to clean up!  I knew that no matter how much effort was placed in hand washing, there would still be peanut butter lingering.  This party was no longer safe for Little R.

I very quickly decided that we HAD to leave.  What was worse was that Little C was covered in said peanut butter!  I had my mom take him inside to wash up as best as she could until we could get home for a real shower and change of clothes.  Little R was NOT happy about my decision to leave.  So, I very quickly came up with a change in plans… our own backyard bon-fire!

I quickly called my hubby to send him out for a fire-pit.  I then called some of our friends in the neighborhood.  We ended up having a GREAT time that night roasting marshmallows and making S’mores.  In spite of the horrific experience earlier in the day, it just goes to show what a positive attitude can do.  (And, no, my attitude was not positive at first, I must confess…)

I am sorry for the long post, but I had to get all of that off my chest!  You are probably wondering why I am sharing so many details.  I think it is important for our friends and family members to get a clear picture of what it is like living with these horrible food allergies.  Thanks for listening.

Little R enjoying one very yummy S’more!

ALLERGY ALERT!

You may have heard by now, but just in case you have not…  Beware of your flower seeds this year.  Apparently, Target has some for sale that has ground up peanuts inside!  For more of the story, visit The Nut-Free Mom’s Blog.

He Passed!!!!

Well, all except for tree pollen. But, we can handle tree pollen! Tree pollen isn’t life threatening. Tree pollen only causes a little bit of a runny nose. Claratin works great for that problem. We will take it! Little C went for the official allergy test this morning. He did a great job sitting through all of the skin pricks and waiting in between. He passed all of the top eight food allergen tests with flying colors! In fact, we went out for breakfast afterwards and he ate pancakes! I have to say, though, that I felt very strange and even a little on my guard watching him chow down. I think that comes with the territory of being a food allergy mom who has once witnessed anaphylaxis in full swing. I am so happy for little C! He just kept saying over and over, “Hee, Hee! I am not allergic to eggs!” I just hope little R is okay with this. I guess this will make for great lesson in handling envy

Hives, OH MY!!!

Just a few days ago, my little C broke out in hives!  We have always treated him as if he has the same food allergies as little R because we have never been 100% sure that he doesn’t.  He did have a breakout of eczema from head to toe about three years ago after eating eggs (after his allergy test was negative…)

Friday morning, after breakfast, little C started getting these random hives on his body.  There were only about three of them to start, but they were rather large- about the size of a silver dollar!  I gave him Benadryl, and they disappeared pretty much right away.  It was later in the day, when they started reappearing and would NOT disappear with Benadryl that I got worried!

I called the pediatrician, and they eventually told me to bring him in.  The doctor who saw him was stunned at the size of the hives.  He said that he had never seen hives that large before in person!  He checked his breathing and felt confident that we didn’t have to worry about anaphylaxis.  Though, part of the reaction did include very red, itchy eyes, and a nose that was like a drippy faucet!

I took him home, and proceeded to get him ready for bed.  However, as I was taking his clothes off to put on pajamas, I about fell over at the sight of his hives!  They were enourmous!  One of them stretched form the middle of his waist down to his knee!  I am not kidding!!!  In fact, I will post a picture for  you to see.

I took some time to think about what could have been the cause of all this havoc.  Luckily, the hives started within the first h0ur of the morning, so I didn’t not have a whole day to sift through.  The only conclusion I could come up with was the yogurt little C ate for breakfast.  He has had yogurt plenty of times, but this was a new kind.  I won’t mention the brand name, but it did have some ingredients in the list that I don’t believe he has had before.  They included chickory root, and carmine.  I did some research on both, and was shocked to find a ton of information on the carmine!

Carmine is used for red food coloring.  It comes from dried, ground up beetles.  Yes, I said beetles!  Apparently, it is very commonly found in yogurts, ice cream, popsicles, and even candy.  There have been a large number of allergy reactions to carmine reported, so the FDA has passed a law that by 2011, carmine has to be listed on all ingredient labels. 

If you don’t believe me, you can read about it on the FDA website.

Food Allergies in the Social World

I know, the title is a bit strange.  I just need to write about something that has been on my mind. 

I have written previously that my son with the life threatening food allergies started kindergarten this year.  I have been amazed at how wonderful his teacher has been about following our guidelines in regards to keeping him safe.  She has called me several times with questions when she wasn’t sure about something.  I think this is great.  It makes me feel like she is really on top of things.

It is not really anything to do with the school that bothers me.  It is that meeting new people with children at the school who are new to the world of food allergies. 

I didn’t realize until recently that I have been living in a “safe” world of friendship for quite awhile now.  A few years ago when we moved into our new house, I went through the exhausting task of teaching our new friends in the neighborhood about little R’s food allergies and explaining to them how his life can be truly threatened in a matter of minutes.  They have all come to truly understand the situation and are very supportive.

Just recently, through school, we have started making new friends.  They are wonderful people.  I really enjoy the company of these moms, and my son likes playing with their children.  I have found, though, that I have had a hard time making it clear that little R’s food allergies are pretty severe.  There are many other children at the school who have peanut allergies and they do fine there.  I think that it is too easy to get lumped in a group in which it seems easy to assume that we are all the same.  As a food allergy mom I know that each child’s situation is different, though.  What may work for these other children may not work for us.  It is hard to explain that to someone on the outside.

I have made the final decision to homeschool starting next year.  Though the food allergies play a part in my decision, there are many other reasons as well.  The point is that I have made the decision known, and I think some of these other moms may fell I am being overprotective.  I am sure that looking in from the outside, it may appear to look that way.  But, when it comes to my dear chlidren, I feel that my ultimate job as a parent… before anything else… is to keep them safe.

I know that parents in the food allergy world will understand where I am coming from.  I guess that is why I needed to write this post.  I sometimes feel very alone in this world of food allergies, and right now I could use some words of encouragement.

Food Residue Really IS Everywhere!

In regards to my sons food allergies, I worry all the time about the food residue that might be lurking around unseen.  When we attend a party or other gathering that includes food, my anxiety level is hightened because the offending food is within eyesight.  After reading Heather Legg’s article, Allergens Are Everywhere, Arn’t They? I discovered why I am still feeling unsettled in other settings. 

There are countless times when food residue may be present but invisible!  Heather mentions places like the grocery cart at the store and door handles at school where the “peanut free zones” do not apply.  This reminded me of an experience we encountered just yesterday.  I took my son to a local high school play.  During intermission many people visited the snack bar and brought some of their snacks into the theatre for the remaining performance.  Just after we sat down, my son grabbed my arm and said, “Mom!  That girl (sitting next to him) is eating candy and it IS NOT SKITTLES!”  I explained to the girl why he was worried, and I had him move to the other side of my seat.  I, of course, started wondering if his new seat might not have the presence of something he is allergic to.  While people with mild food allergies may not be as frightened by these scenerios, my son has a severe peanut allergy and will have a potentially life-threatening reaction witin seconds if the offending food residue were to enter his system! 

It was kind of refreshing for me to read Heather’s story because I have been struggling with this thought for a while now.  There are many people out there who do not truly understand the subject of food allergies.  Some of these people have claimed to be doctors and have even written articles claiming that food allergies are a hoax!  This causes people like me, the parent of a food allergic child, a lot of stress for a host of reasons.  The reality is that food allergies DO exsist, and every food allergic child is different.  Some children will experience only mild symptoms during a reaction, and others more extreme and life threatening.  I witnessed my son almost lose his life during his first reaction.  This was only after a pea-sized taste of peanut butter!  I guess I will never be able to get that image out of my mind. 

I have finally come to terms with the fact that I am a parent of a child who is severly allergic to peanuts.  I have made the choice to follow my gut instinct when it comes to protecting him and to stop worrying about what the rest of the world thinks.  After all, isn’t that our number one goal as parents… keeping our children safe?