AAIA Family 2k Scamper

This year, we participated in the Allergy & Asthma Information Association’s (AAIA) Family Scamper, part of their EpiPen-sponsored Take Action event held locally in Whitby. Family and friends donated to help raise money for Allergy and Asthma research and education. One of the participants this year raised over $3000 !

We arrived early to register
and then went to get tea & coffee

The walk was held at Heydenshore Kiwanis Park, located right on Lake Ontario (which was somewhere down there through the fog), and had quite a few participants for the 2k Family Scamper & 5k run.

When we got back, the registration
was in full swing, and Kyle Dine
was beginning to get the crowd going

And then the race was on! The 5k runners started first, and 10 minutes later the Family Scramble started – 1k out and 1k back. Joseph – our oldest – ran out ahead of everyone and blew past the turnaround spot, running an extra kilometer before realizing he’d gone too far. Then when we got back, Joseph realized his keychain had fallen off of his belt loop somewhere along the route; so back he went.

He found it out where he had turned around before, which means Joseph got an 8k run in this morning. As one of my friends remarked, “He’s not allergic to exercise.”

They provided water and Chapman’s popsicles after the event, as well as a full snack table … with allergy-friendly snacks, of course … and gave us bags to fill to take home afterwards. There were plenty of choices, below are some of our favourites.

The sunbutter chewy bar was definitely a crowd-pleaser
and it contains none of the top 8 allergens.

It was lots of fun, and I think we will definitely be participating again next year … who knows, maybe even in the 5k walk?

If you still want to donate even though it’s after the event,
here’s the link to sponsor us (or anyone else, for that matter).
We’re listed under “Liam Elliott”

How much does your child weigh?

The joy of growing children.

After recently updating Liam’s EpiPens with newer ones, our last visit to the allergist informed us that because Liam has grown, the EpiPen Jr injectors that he carries may not be strong enough for him.

So, we’ll need to re-update his pouch to include full, adult-strength EpiPen injectors.

The crazy part is that we’re updating to adult-strength injectors when Liam only weighs 70 lbs. How much does your anaphylactic child weigh?

Information Night

At the end of January the boys’ school hosted an Information Night (specifically, a “Healthy Eating and Student Achievement Parent Workshop”), and the principal asked Krystyne to be there as the resident expert on food allergies for the school.

The information night was held for anyone interested in knowing more about nutrition, allergies, and peanut-/nut- safe foods to bring to school.

In all it was a good night, we answered a few questions from some of the parents, and also in attendance were a health nurse from Sick Kids’ hospital, local co-op farmers – including the CSA that we belong to, Cooper’s CSA Farm & Maze – and John Beatty, one of the members from the Durham District School Board.

The cool part was being referred to as “the resident expert on food allergies” for the school.

Great post on Nut-Free schools

I wanted to share this opinion on peanut bans in schools. It's from a
parent who does NOT have a peanut-allergic child and is ... GASP ...
In favour of her child's school banning nuts, and reasons why in some
cases it's a good idea.

http://notedandblogged.blogspot.com/2010/03/nut-free-oh-we-should-be-so-lucky.html

Fighting False Information

I always find it amazing how in a society that prides itself on tolerance and acceptance, there can be so much hatred directed towards people – and children, no less - with medical conditions that in some jurisdictions are classed as disabilities.

In the latest issue of Chatelaine magazine, you can find an article that dismisses food allergies as an overreaction by “parents and schools [who are] cowering in fear of the tiny peanut”. The article is a parent of a picky eater who has been inconvenienced by her son’s school enacting a ban on peanuts for the sake of safety of another allergic student.

The author proceeds to misquote studies and figures to support her theories. A good take on the article – and the overall reaction by the public and Chatelaine’s editors - can be found here (and yes, that’s my comment as ‘Hi-Lander’). I can understand the editors’ reasoning for publishing the article … it creates controversy, controversy creates sales, and sales create profit.

How often do the people with these negative opinions think about how it affects those of us that have to deal with food allergies on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis? Reading through the comments on both the original and CBC News articles rub salt deep into a fresh wound for me, as we are still dealing with the effects of one such parent at our sons’ school. Krystyne or I now have to be in the classroom from the morning bell until lunchtime to monitor for a possible reaction in hopes to catch Liam before it turns anaphylactic. What’s sad is that before this, Liam had no reactions in the two years he was in school. Since this change (read my last post for the details), Liam has had two reactions within three weeks. This is also the reason the blog has been so quiet lately – the whole thing is physically, mentally, and emotionally draining – as it is still not resolved.

When it comes to peanut allergies, there are varying triggers that require varying precautions.

The trigger with the highest threshold for causing a reaction is when someone actually eats peanuts. This is relatively easy to avoid – one commenter on the Chatelaine article (connieg) relates to this – simply don’t eat peanuts. This has no effect on picky eaters as long as food is not shared. Education of your own child is the key to keeping them safe.

The trigger for the next-lower threshold is in touching something with peanut protein (residue). In this case, the education of others is necessary as well as the child with the allergy. This is the reason that some airlines create “buffer zones” where peanuts are not allowed to be served. As long as the child doesn’t touch anything outside of that buffer zone, there should not be a reaction. In school classrooms, the easiest thing to do is ban peanuts from the room (at least in primary grades, until the child is old enough to manage their own allergy). There is a Kindergarten student at our boys’ school who is touch allergic to peanuts.

Many people believe that using an anti-bacterial hand wash or spray can clean surfaces of peanut residue, but anti-bacterial is not anti-protein. When wiping a surface with peanut protein using anti-bacterial wipes (or sprays, or alcohol-based cleaners), you are merely smearing the protein around. It needs to be washed with ‘regular’ cleaning agents (i.e.: SOAP).

Liam’s trigger has the lowest threshold (rare even in his allergist’s experience). He is in the 1% of peanut-allergic children who are airborne-allergic to peanuts. This means that if you ate peanut butter for breakfast, he can react (and has reacted) to you. With each reaction, the allergy gets more severe, and lessens any chances he may have had of growing out of it later in life. His reaction times have lowered from over an hour (airborne) to within 15 minutes, and from minutes (ingesting) to seconds. This is another reason why many schools put peanut bans in place, and why Liam always carries his EpiPens with him.

With more misinformation, such as in the Chatelaine article and related comments, comes the need for more accurate education. When Anaphylaxis Canada learned that the article was to be published, they penned and submitted a formal rebuttal letter, and started a discussion forum in Chatelaine’s Health section – which has since been buried by discussions on H1N1 concerns.

Education is the key, but like all keys, needs to fit the lock.

First Day Down

First off, I want to apologize for not posting lately. My laptop has been put out of commission and I am taking longer than expected to get things back up and running on an older computer.

Tuesday was the big day. As many parents of peanut-allergic children, we were nervous wrecks the day before and on edge the morning of. But I am happy to report that everything went extremely well.

All of the class lists were posted on the outside walls of the school, and the teachers were mingling about their individual areas of the schoolyard to meet the students and parents. We found each of the boys’ areas and Joseph ran off to play with friends – Grade 6’s won’t wait with their parents :)

Keeghan’s and Liam’s classrooms are across the hall from each other, so we were able to wait in the same area for them to meet with both teachers. When the bell rang, we headed up to Liam’s classroom to help with the morning routine.

The children swapped their outdoor shoes for newer indoor ones and then placed their lunchboxes on a table and shelves outside the classroom.

lunchboxes waiting patiently

Then Liam’s teacher took the class on a tour to show them where the washrooms were – and wash their hands as part of their morning routine – then back to the classroom where Krystyne had prepared a little talk about allergies – we need to get a copy of Allie the Allergic Elephant for Liam. We also had Be a PAL cards (from the PBS Kids’ Hooray for Health activity book) for the teachers to give out. Then Krystyne and I were off to follow up with the Vice Principal.

The really cool thing was that within the novella of take-home notices from the school that night we found the Peanut Alert notice that the Principal drafted based on Krystyne’s letter to parents that she had created for Liam’s Kindergarten class. AND the one-page notice that alerted parents to the fact that there are peanut-allergic students asked (in bold) for cooperation to make the school a peanut-free school.

Liam went through Junior and Senior Kindergarten with no reactions at school – we’re praying that this streak continues … and big brother Joseph has volunteered to be a lunch monitor for Liam’s class again this year, so he’ll help keep his brother safe.

Back to School

We're coming down to the wire for sending our kids back to school. Most parents view this time as - like the Staples commercials suggests - "the most wonderful time of the year". Parents of children with food allergies more often view this as the most stressful time of the year.

Along with the return to classes comes the return of communal lunches, school bus snacking, and field trips with school-provided food. To the parent of a food-allergic child, each of these have the potential for cross-contamination and allergic reactions.

Anaphylaxis Canada has put together a Back to School podcast to help share strategies for returning to school. It can be found under the Anaphylaxis Learning Centre on their website. Below is also a checklist they originally posted for returning to school.

Back to School Checklist:

Educate your child about his/her allergies and review key recommendations:

• Do not share foods or take food from others.
• Read food labels. Avoid any foods with precautionary warnings, such as may contain.
• Always carry an epinephrine auto-injector, i.e. EpiPen or Twinject when age appropriate.
• Wash their hands before and after eating.
• Wear medical identification, such as a MedicAlert bracelet.
• Talk to others about their allergies.

Work with your child's school staff and community:

• Establish open communication when developing avoidance strategies and plans. Strive for allergy-safe, not allergen-free environments.
• Provide completed medical forms and in-date auto-injectors at the start of the school year.
• Advocate for no eating policies on buses and other settings where no adult supervision (for younger children) is provided.
• Help educate the school community about anaphylaxis with credible allergy-related information.
• Consult with foodservice/cafeteria staff to inquire about their allergen management policies for food prepared at school.

Review emergency procedures with staff:

• Anaphylaxis Emergency Plan (download at http://www.allergysafecommunities.ca/)
• How to use an auto-injector (view at http://www.epipen.ca/ or http://www.twinject.ca/

Stay informed

• For information, resources and products visit our website at http://www.anaphylaxis.ca/. Visit our new teen website, http://www.whyriskit.ca/ for useful resources specific to pre-teens, teens and young adults.

Remember, anaphylaxis management is a shared responsibility that includes allergic children, parents, educators and the entire school community. Only by working together can we help keep our kids safe.

We wish you all a happy and safe school year!

Anaphylaxis Canada

I (Shawn) would also like to add a few more resources for you from earlier posts:

• Our Safe Snack letter that we have shared with parents at Liam's school (pdf file)
• Some peanut-free snacks that we have found
• More peanut-free snacks
• School-safe snacks from the Dare cookie outlet
• How to inject epinephrine using both the EpiPen and the Twinject injectors

So Close, and yet So Far

Peanut-Free Snacks!

This is the sign that greeted me last night when I walked into the local grocery store. Hallelujah! Along with all of the Back to School binders and pens and backpacks, here were some school-safe snacks for parents to pick up as well. I wandered over to check out the stash.

Large packs of Mars bars, Tootsie Rolls, Wonka candy, and Dare Bear Paws all stared at me with smiling "No Peanut" symbols. But then, what was that? There's some Cadbury boxes on the shelf. Has Cadbury finally joined the ranks of companies offering peanut-free lines? Is that a Caramilk package I see?


I went in for a closer look. Yes, it was a Caramilk package. I eagerly turned it over, ready to scan through the ingredient list for the may contain warning, newly free of peanuts.

Nope. There it was in bold lettering - may contain peanuts, tree nuts ... Then I saw the Mr. Big package next to it.

Now I knew there was a problem. One of the main ingredients in a Mr Big bar is peanuts. Read the label - there it is. Mind you, the may contain warning only listed "tree nuts", but up just one line from it was the word "peanuts". I grabbed a bag of both and walked to the nearest cashier.

"Is there a Duty Manager I could talk with about the Peanut Free section?", I asked. Now, I know that a 6'4, 350-lb man coming up to you late at night may seem intimidating, so I smiled and made sure to stand a "safe" distance from her. After a second-take and a little blink, she called upstairs and shortly thereafter, the night manager came downstairs.

"First off, thank you for the peanut-free section," I started (It's always good to start and end with praise, sandwiching the concern in the middle - Management 101). "But I noticed there are a few things in the section that contain nuts."

"Oh? Well my understanding is that it's only the one wall that is peanut-free, she replied."

Wait, what? - that part was thankfully only in my head - "Ok, but couldn't that be a bit confusing?", I asked as we walked towards the small corner at the store entrance.

She looked over the layout which was "only supposed" to be peanut-free, and nodded in approval. "Yep, this is the side."


This side mostly contained cookies. The candy bars behind me were apparently a mixed bag of nut and no-nut treats and separated from the safe snacks only by a small block of drink boxes.


"Ok," I calmly retorted, "but again, couldn't this layout be confusing?" I then turned to the Cadbury boxes and pulled out another bag (I still held mine) for her to read the label. "See, it says 'peanuts' right here. If someone picked up one of these, thinking they're peanut-free - because it's in the 'peanut-free' section - and gave it to their child for lunch, and then that child ate it while sitting next to my airborne-allergic son, that would be enough to send him to the emergency room."

"Oh, but ... Oh!" Her eyes went wide as the lights came on, and she grabbed the 'peanut-free' sign and moved it next to the end-cap of the side with the cookies. "I'll get the Grocery department to change this for tomorrow," she apologized (it was almost closing time). "The last thing we want is to send a child to the hospital."

She then picked up one of each bag of candy to check the ingredients. We then spent a few minutes reading the backs of the packages together, discussing shared manufacturing lines and differing label laws for Canada and other countries. She then figured out which ones would need to be moved from the section to make the whole corner "peanut-free" rather than one side of the shared shelving unit. I thanked her and then went deeper into the store to find the oil that I originally went there to buy (100% Vegetable Oil; Ingredients: canola and/or soybean oil).

For those of you pissed off that the food police are at it again, let me say that we're not trying to remove all peanut-containing products, or asking manufacturers to change recipes for a minority of consumers that can't eat their products anyway. We're only trying to make it easier for all consumers to make informed decisions. Not everyone is as used to reading the labels so carefully as the parent of a food-allergic child.

Allergy awareness happens at all times of the day, in all places. My wife or I will probably drop in later this afternoon to check on the section again.

Binky Goes Nuts

Helping a food-allergic child understand their allergy can be difficult. There's also the fear of singling them out and over-protecting them. All three of our boys are allergic to peanuts to some degree, with Liam having the worst of all reactions - analphylactic to trace amounts. His blood pressure drops and, if we don't catch it, he goes comatose. More than enough nights have been spent waking him up evrey 15-20 minutes and waiting for his secondary reaction - projectile vomiting. When this is the option, there really is no such thing as "over protecting".

The makers of the Arthur cartoon series understand a child's need to see that they are "normal", and even included food allergies. One of the main characters - Binky, the school bully - has a peanut allergy, and the show Binky Goes Nuts deals specifically with this.

You can download a number of pdf files in the parent and teacher section of the pbskids website, located here, in their Hooray for Health series. The DVD of the episode is available at Amazon - in Canada here and the US site here. If you want to preview it, I found the episode in two parts on YouTube (I didn't put it there, so don't please yell at me for not respecting copyright):

Binky Goes Nuts, part 1 of 2
Binky Goes Nuts, part 2 of 2

I found a list of other TV characters that deal with food allergies that I posted here. Did you know there are characters in Star Trek: Enterprise and StarGate: Atlantis with food allergies?

Hidden Allergens

There's a commercial for peanut-free Quaker Chewy Bars up here in Canada that shows a mom about to put a cupcake in her child's lunch when all of a sudden a peanut jumps up through the top of the cupcake. The purpose of the commercial - other than to sell the Chewy Bars of course - is to highlight the hidden allergens in some products. At the end of the commercial we see the peanut "in jail" within the box of cupcakes that declares on its side may contain peanuts.

The point is, we can't tell what's in a product unless (a) we make it ourselves, or (b) the manufacturer clearly labels what is present as an ingredient or may be present due to cross-contamination from shared lines. And these allergens can be anywhere. Check out the short list of non-food items that I posted earlier that contain peanuts.

I have also noticed for the past month or so that there have been visits to the blog from someone typing "allergy to freezie" in Google. I don't know if that means that they are looking on behalf of them or a loved one to understand how they can be allergic to a freezie, not realizing that it may be through cross-contamination with nuts or some other allergen. Whatever the reason, my heart goes out to them.

As parents of food-allergic children, we each have lists of "safe" foods that our kids can eat and longer lists of foods to avoid. All we can do is share our discoveries, prayers and experiences with each other. For that reason, I'm listing a few links here in the hope that they help you as they've helped us. I caution you that these lists are far from exhaustive, and as always, may change without warning. Always read the labels, and ask questions whenever possible. Also, note that legislation, labelling and products are different in each region.

Our family restaurant list
Peanut free snacks
Our "safe snacks" letter for schools
A list of "safe foods" from the Toronto Catholic District School Board

Scary Statistics

According to an article in the Fall 2009 Allergic Living magazine, there are many, many, potentially dangerous misconceptions about food allergies. A study done last February surveyed 2000 Americans about their knowledge surrounding food allergies.

The numbers …

• 46% thought there is a cure for food allergies
• 66% thought daily medication can prevent allergic reactions
• 50% thought a milk allergy is the same as lactose intolerance
• 51% didn’t know allergies run in families
• 41% were aware that egg allergies are common in children
• 33% felt allergic children should have separate lunch tables

With the new school year fast approaching, it is imperative that we as parents of food-allergic children find a way to raise awareness on the seriousness of food allergies. The difficulty is in not becoming militant in our concern for our own child(ren)’s safety and in so doing, alienate and anger those with whom we need to cooperate.

The survey also showed that while most people believe that schools should have food-allergy policies, two-thirds thought it would be unfair if their own child could not bring a peanut-butter sandwich to school. Scary stuff.

Happy Anniversary

Three months ago today my wife and I started this blog … interestingly enough, on our wedding anniversary. We thought it would be a good way to help other parents of children with food allergies – peanuts specifically, but since we all have to read labels and work at helping family, friends, and caregivers understand the hidden dangers of food allergies, all are welcome.

As an anniversary post, I’d like to offer links to some of the most-visited pages since May …

How to inject epinephrine
Peanut Free Snacks
Harmful Cure
Allergies on TV
Sticks and Stones aside …
Restaurant List
A Kindred Spirit
Reaction Watch
“Allergy Moms” Newsletter
It’ll drive you nuts

Thanks for a great three months so far. Hopefully these posts have been – and will continue to be – informational and helpful for you in learning to live with food allergies – whether in yourself, or in your child.

Complacency in Food Alerts?

I read an interesting article last night regarding alerts sent out from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and how the increasing number of alerts may result in consumers being overloaded and desensitized to them.

Here are some of the statistics quoted in the article:

Since 2004, the CFIA has issued 696 alerts

• 56% of those were food recalls
• 41% were allergy alerts
• 3% contained other food-related advice

Of the recall notices, 67%  were due to suspected bacterial contamination …

• 22% from listeria
• 19% from salmonella
• 10% from E coli

So do you think we’re being overloaded on food notices?

Communication is the Key

The boys are at Vacation Bible School (VBS) this week. I know from other parents of children with allergies that this fills them with anxiety. Thankfully, the VBS is being hosted at my sister-in-law’s church, and she has been hard at work to ensure that the week is peanut-free – not just for her nephews, but for other allergic children as well. Also Krystyne is hosting a class on baking with the kids so she is right there in the kitchen, keeping an eye on all of the snacks for the week.

Our boys’ involvement in this week’s VBS stresses the importance of communication – communication with organizers, with school staff, with camp staff, anyone. If you’re longing to send your peanut- (or other allergen) allergic child to a camp, or are looking towards the coming school year with trepidation, let me encourage you to open a dialogue with those who will be responsible for your child in your absence.

Another method of helping your child have some of the “normal” experiences you remember as a kid is to offer to volunteer time, information, snacks, or anything else to help. The first time the boys went to VBS at their aunt’s church, Krystyne volunteered to provide the snacks to ensure they were peanut-free. The other volunteers were spoiled with homemade chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and other such goodies.

We just got back after spending some time at Grandma’s trailer (she bought it for the grandchildren to enjoy, and since none of them can drive yet we get to tag along), where the boys were able to attend a children’s program every weekday. The staff there were so supportive and a couple of times asked Krystyne to check the snacks up-front. Krystyne also attended a staff meeting to teach everyone how to use an EpiPen, just in case. During one of the days home to do laundry Krystyne baked a LOT of chocolate chip cookies to take back to the staff as a thank-you.

Open the door to communication, and keep it open.

Young Children with Peanut Allergies

Here’s a good article on helping your young child learn to live with their peanut allergy!

http://www.allergyuk.org/art_peanutallergy.aspx

From the article …

With good management and practical solutions peanut allergy can be managed and risks can be minimised, however younger children may need some extra help! As independence is gained your child has to learn to deal with many new situations.

Other articles to help you and your child …

But How do They Feel?
10 Things Children with Food Allergies Want You to Know
What It’s Like (penned by 11-year old PA-son, Joseph)

No-Nonsense No-Nuts policy

A news article was posted today announcing that the Las Virgenes Unified School District board has adopted new policies surrounding peanut allergies that should bring a sigh of relief to many parents of peanut-allergic children in this area west of Los Angeles, California.

According to a local online paper, There were safety standards in place for some schools within the district, and these have now been extended to all of the schools in the area. From the article …

For starters, if a highly allergic student attends an LVUSD school, all parents will be asked not to bring items in a particular food group— say peanuts—to the school.

As well, substitutions will be made in school breakfasts, lunches and other food provided after school or during field trips.

If you don’t live within the area and are concerned about sending your peanut-allergic child to school in September, let me encourage you to start a dialogue with the school administration as early as possible and in a calm manner. Don’t expect to dictate your concerns to them, as this is definitely the wrong way to go about it. We found that offering assistance, as well as being available for questions from staff, is the best approach.

If you want a copy of a letter that Krystyne made that can be distributed to parents, you can download a copy (pdf file) here. It outlines anaphylactic symptoms and alternative choices for peanut-free snack ideas as well. The principal at our boys’ school has asked to include it in their official policies package for this September.

How to inject epinephrine

Last week I ordered a demo kit of the Twinject auto-injector from Paladin Labs (They’ve just been released in Canada). It arrived yesterday afternoon. After trying it out for a while I thought that I would include a demonstration of how to use this and the EpiPen epinephrine auto-injectors for the curious.

Liam carries two EpiPens in his pouch because each dose gives us 10 minutes to get to the nearest hospital. In all cases of anaphylaxis, ensure you seek medical assistance immediately after administering epinephrine (adrenaline).

How to use an EpiPen

Remove the EpiPen from its protective case.

Pop off the safety lock at the top

Jab the EpiPen hard into the outer thigh.
Hold it there for 10 seconds to ensure the dose is administered.

Once you have used the EpiPen, carefully place it back in its case and call 911. Massage the injection site to help disperse the epinephrine into the bloodstream. Be sure to give the used EpiPen to the attending paramedic or triage nurse at the nearest hospital for safe disposal.

How to use a Twinject auto-injector

The Twinject has just been released in Canada. It contains two doses of epinephrine in one container. There is a secondary syringe inside the main injector to be used if the anaphylactic symptoms don’t improve within 10 minutes of the initial dose.

Remove the Twinject from its protective case

Pop off the protective caps at both ends. Keep your hands away from the red tip – that’s where the needle is.

Jab the Twinject hard into the outer thigh.
Hold it there for 10 seconds.

Once the initial dose has been administered, call 911 and massage the injection site to help disperse the epinephrine into the bloodstream. At this point, you should prepare the second dose in case your symptoms don’t improve after 10 minutes.

Unscrew the red cap from the Twinject and carefully remove the syringe – the cap is loosely spring-loaded, so be ready for it.

Pop the yellow collar off of the syringe plunger

If your symptoms do not improve or worsen after 10 minutes, administer the secondary dose.

Inject the syringe into the outer thigh and fully push the plunger.
Hold it there for 10 seconds to ensure a full dose. Massage the injection site to help disperse the epinephrine into the bloodstream.

Whether or not the secondary dose has been used, place the syringe in its protective case and give it to the attending paramedic or triage nurse at the nearest hospital for safe disposal.

If you would like to order your own EpiPen or Twinject demonstrator, you can do so online through these sites:

Twinject Patient Resource Center
EpiPen Resource Center

Mere Hysteria?

I read a blog post tonight that pulled from an article published in the British Medical Journal. The original article is by a Harvard professor who argues that the precautions that we – as parents of children with deadly allergies – and our children’s schools put into place are overreactions and only lead to more anxiety. The article was published back in December, but never fails to dredge up dark feelings. Read them for yourselves and ask if you think that this is all mere hysteria ….

Linking anorexia and autism, and peanut butter an overblown danger
http://calorielab.com/news/2009/06/21/anorexia-autism-peanut-allergy-hysteria/

This allergies hysteria is just nuts
http://christakis.med.harvard.edu/pdfs/BMJ_081213_Nuts.pdf

The More You Know ...

Early on in the life of this blog, I added a post highlighting some TV characters that were depicted as having peanut allergies. Tonight Krystyne and I were watching an episode of The Listener, which is a show that has a paramedic named Toby for the main character.

During this episode - "Some Kind of Love" - Toby and his partner were walking down the street when a lady sitting on a park bench started having an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts in the food she was eating. Toby's partner Oz ran over to help her, and proceeded to administer an Epi-pen into her thigh. The cool part was that they showed both the anaphylactic reaction and the proper administration of an Epi-pen. That's a question that we've been asked by a few people when we've been out as a family and they see Liam's pouch and its allergy warning badge.

And to borrow another phrase from TV, The More You Know....

Allergy information in school

The other day, the principal at our boys’ school sent Krystyne an information package regarding the school’s peanut policy. She wanted to know if there was anything that needed to be added or changed.

First off, this was amazing that she came to us first. Second, it shows the importance of up-front communication with the teachers, school staff and administration. Liam’s years in Junior and Senior Kindergarten were stressful, yes, but they also ensured a safe environment thanks to very understanding and co-operative parents. His teacher went above and beyond as well, even so much as giving up eating peanuts altogether for the school year. Krystyne recently wrote a letter for all of Liam’s classmates’ parents praising and thanking them for helping to keep him safe this year.

And as for the school’s policy? Krystyne gave the principal a copy of the package that she put together when Liam started Junior Kindergarten, along with an updated copy of her “safe snack list”, which the principal will be using within the package going out to all parents for the start of the next school year. WOW!

If you want a copy of Krystyne’s package that she created for your child’s school, you can download a copy here.

There were two paragraphs from the school’s policy that were worded very well too, so I’ll include them here ….

Is there a cure?

No, the only treatment is avoidance of all products containing peanuts. Individuals that are allergic to peanuts and require an epi-pen must have one at school and/or carry it with them.

How can the school community help?

Peanuts tend to leave residue on utensils, containers and tabletops. It only takes a tiny amount of  peanuts particles or residue to cause some people to react. Therefore, it is critical that everyone helps to avoid a life-threatening reaction.