Managing peanut allergy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to carry at least two Epi pens everywhere, in case one malfunctions or the ambulance is delayed in coming. As soon as the child is able they need to carry two themselves. Be sure they know how to use them. Practice regularly with the trainer.

We always also have albuterol and Benadryl.

Ask the allergist when to use. One PP said use upon two symptoms. Ours said use upon confirmed exposure even if asymptomatic.

If you use epinephrine the person needs to go by ambulance to the emergency room.

Epi pens are not magic talismans. They don’t always work. They sometimes need to be repeated.

Your child needs to learn to self-advocate about allergies as soon as possible. Teach them to read every label every time. Ingredients change. No unlabeled or homemade outside snacks. Send your own treats to school. Be very particular in restaurants. Be aware of potential language issues — we were assured that a bakery product contained no nuts. Then informed “only nut flour” when we asked a second time.

They need to be aware of environmental contamination. Like the kid in class who brings a peanut butter sandwich and then uses a finger to scrape out and eat the peanut butter. Or the contaminated trash in a cafeteria trash can. Or the person one row away in an aircraft who is eating peanuts.

I believe there is a sensitivity-reducing shot and desensitization treatments. We are not there yet, so I leave it to others with knowledge to discuss them.

I have a 12 year old peanut allergic kid and agree with most of this with a couple caveats and can add some info about OIT.

As to bolded, some kids really are not this sensitive to peanuts in their environment. Mine isn't. We eat peanut butter in our household. My kid has zero sensitivity to being near peanuts. I understand some kids do. But this is an added level of hyper-vigilance that isn't necessary for some kids.

We did the OIT and it worked. The part I didn't anticipate is my child HATES HATES HATES the taste of peanuts. This makes sense. Her body is trained to really dislike the thing that is going to make her sick. However, when you get to the end the maintenane is eating some amount of peanut daily. We tried all vehicles. The peanut, some peanut butter, a peanut m&m, a reeses pieces. She hated all of them. She was about 10 at the time we did this. It was a nightly battle and we just gave up. I could not see sustaining forcing her to eat something she hated. I think with an older kid it could be eaiser.

As to the follow up bolded, without claiming any scientific/literature based special knowledge, I suggest it is extremely dangerous to be casual about any level of potential exposure. I don’t think it is “hyper vigilance.”

The example given was someone in the next row on an airplane eating peanuts and "contaminated" trash in a trashcan at school. What is your plan for these scenarios? Wear a hazmat suit in the plane and tell your child not to dumpster dive in the trash?

I think a reasonable warning is to say if your friend is eating a peanut butter sandwich, be aware and don't share any utensils or plates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to carry at least two Epi pens everywhere, in case one malfunctions or the ambulance is delayed in coming. As soon as the child is able they need to carry two themselves. Be sure they know how to use them. Practice regularly with the trainer.

We always also have albuterol and Benadryl.

Ask the allergist when to use. One PP said use upon two symptoms. Ours said use upon confirmed exposure even if asymptomatic.

If you use epinephrine the person needs to go by ambulance to the emergency room.

Epi pens are not magic talismans. They don’t always work. They sometimes need to be repeated.

Your child needs to learn to self-advocate about allergies as soon as possible. Teach them to read every label every time. Ingredients change. No unlabeled or homemade outside snacks. Send your own treats to school. Be very particular in restaurants. Be aware of potential language issues — we were assured that a bakery product contained no nuts. Then informed “only nut flour” when we asked a second time.

They need to be aware of environmental contamination. Like the kid in class who brings a peanut butter sandwich and then uses a finger to scrape out and eat the peanut butter. Or the contaminated trash in a cafeteria trash can. Or the person one row away in an aircraft who is eating peanuts.

I believe there is a sensitivity-reducing shot and desensitization treatments. We are not there yet, so I leave it to others with knowledge to discuss them.

I have a 12 year old peanut allergic kid and agree with most of this with a couple caveats and can add some info about OIT.

As to bolded, some kids really are not this sensitive to peanuts in their environment. Mine isn't. We eat peanut butter in our household. My kid has zero sensitivity to being near peanuts. I understand some kids do. But this is an added level of hyper-vigilance that isn't necessary for some kids.

We did the OIT and it worked. The part I didn't anticipate is my child HATES HATES HATES the taste of peanuts. This makes sense. Her body is trained to really dislike the thing that is going to make her sick. However, when you get to the end the maintenane is eating some amount of peanut daily. We tried all vehicles. The peanut, some peanut butter, a peanut m&m, a reeses pieces. She hated all of them. She was about 10 at the time we did this. It was a nightly battle and we just gave up. I could not see sustaining forcing her to eat something she hated. I think with an older kid it could be eaiser.

OP here - interesting, that makes complete sense. Every time my kid sees something with peanuts in it she kind of recoils so I can see her hating it too.

I would love to hear about your experience with OIT. Was it a smooth process? Any advice or things to be aware of? How were all the years before OIT - did your kid have any accidental exposures?

Doing OIT is very time intensive. It's a couple hours at the doctor's office for about 6 months while you updose. Toward the end of the dosing at home when it was the larger doses, you are mixing peanut powder with food. For probably the last month of doses, she was even resisting this. Hated the taste of it. It went smoothly in that she never had any side effects and the treatment was definitely working. I would still do it again and don't regret it. I'm glad we tried. I was very frustrated she wouldn't continue the maintenance. But it was seriously just a total nightmare and she refused. You can't physically force a person to eat something, let alone nightly.

My child had one accidental exposure since we figured out she is peanut allergic in the years leading up to it that luckily led to just an itchy mouth. I was with her when it happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to carry at least two Epi pens everywhere, in case one malfunctions or the ambulance is delayed in coming. As soon as the child is able they need to carry two themselves. Be sure they know how to use them. Practice regularly with the trainer.

We always also have albuterol and Benadryl.

Ask the allergist when to use. One PP said use upon two symptoms. Ours said use upon confirmed exposure even if asymptomatic.

If you use epinephrine the person needs to go by ambulance to the emergency room.

Epi pens are not magic talismans. They don’t always work. They sometimes need to be repeated.

Your child needs to learn to self-advocate about allergies as soon as possible. Teach them to read every label every time. Ingredients change. No unlabeled or homemade outside snacks. Send your own treats to school. Be very particular in restaurants. Be aware of potential language issues — we were assured that a bakery product contained no nuts. Then informed “only nut flour” when we asked a second time.

They need to be aware of environmental contamination. Like the kid in class who brings a peanut butter sandwich and then uses a finger to scrape out and eat the peanut butter. Or the contaminated trash in a cafeteria trash can. Or the person one row away in an aircraft who is eating peanuts.

I believe there is a sensitivity-reducing shot and desensitization treatments. We are not there yet, so I leave it to others with knowledge to discuss them.

I have a 12 year old peanut allergic kid and agree with most of this with a couple caveats and can add some info about OIT.

As to bolded, some kids really are not this sensitive to peanuts in their environment. Mine isn't. We eat peanut butter in our household. My kid has zero sensitivity to being near peanuts. I understand some kids do. But this is an added level of hyper-vigilance that isn't necessary for some kids.

We did the OIT and it worked. The part I didn't anticipate is my child HATES HATES HATES the taste of peanuts. This makes sense. Her body is trained to really dislike the thing that is going to make her sick. However, when you get to the end the maintenane is eating some amount of peanut daily. We tried all vehicles. The peanut, some peanut butter, a peanut m&m, a reeses pieces. She hated all of them. She was about 10 at the time we did this. It was a nightly battle and we just gave up. I could not see sustaining forcing her to eat something she hated. I think with an older kid it could be eaiser.

As to the follow up bolded, without claiming any scientific/literature based special knowledge, I suggest it is extremely dangerous to be casual about any level of potential exposure. I don’t think it is “hyper vigilance.”

The example given was someone in the next row on an airplane eating peanuts and "contaminated" trash in a trashcan at school. What is your plan for these scenarios? Wear a hazmat suit in the plane and tell your child not to dumpster dive in the trash?

I think a reasonable warning is to say if your friend is eating a peanut butter sandwich, be aware and don't share any utensils or plates.

The plan for the airplane was to ask the person to stop and put the product away or get rid of it. And we did exactly that with good result when it happened.

As for the trash the real concern was that DC’s school had students in groups to clean up after lunch. We asked for an assignment that didn’t involve food residues or trash.

[Anonymous]

You’re…”surprised” that people who have kids with potentially FATAL allergies are so vigilant? That takes you by surprise? WTAF?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to carry at least two Epi pens everywhere, in case one malfunctions or the ambulance is delayed in coming. As soon as the child is able they need to carry two themselves. Be sure they know how to use them. Practice regularly with the trainer.

We always also have albuterol and Benadryl.

Ask the allergist when to use. One PP said use upon two symptoms. Ours said use upon confirmed exposure even if asymptomatic.

If you use epinephrine the person needs to go by ambulance to the emergency room.

Epi pens are not magic talismans. They don’t always work. They sometimes need to be repeated.

Your child needs to learn to self-advocate about allergies as soon as possible. Teach them to read every label every time. Ingredients change. No unlabeled or homemade outside snacks. Send your own treats to school. Be very particular in restaurants. Be aware of potential language issues — we were assured that a bakery product contained no nuts. Then informed “only nut flour” when we asked a second time.

They need to be aware of environmental contamination. Like the kid in class who brings a peanut butter sandwich and then uses a finger to scrape out and eat the peanut butter. Or the contaminated trash in a cafeteria trash can. Or the person one row away in an aircraft who is eating peanuts.

I believe there is a sensitivity-reducing shot and desensitization treatments. We are not there yet, so I leave it to others with knowledge to discuss them.

I have a 12 year old peanut allergic kid and agree with most of this with a couple caveats and can add some info about OIT.

As to bolded, some kids really are not this sensitive to peanuts in their environment. Mine isn't. We eat peanut butter in our household. My kid has zero sensitivity to being near peanuts. I understand some kids do. But this is an added level of hyper-vigilance that isn't necessary for some kids.

We did the OIT and it worked. The part I didn't anticipate is my child HATES HATES HATES the taste of peanuts. This makes sense. Her body is trained to really dislike the thing that is going to make her sick. However, when you get to the end the maintenane is eating some amount of peanut daily. We tried all vehicles. The peanut, some peanut butter, a peanut m&m, a reeses pieces. She hated all of them. She was about 10 at the time we did this. It was a nightly battle and we just gave up. I could not see sustaining forcing her to eat something she hated. I think with an older kid it could be eaiser.

As to the follow up bolded, without claiming any scientific/literature based special knowledge, I suggest it is extremely dangerous to be casual about any level of potential exposure. I don’t think it is “hyper vigilance.”

The example given was someone in the next row on an airplane eating peanuts and "contaminated" trash in a trashcan at school. What is your plan for these scenarios? Wear a hazmat suit in the plane and tell your child not to dumpster dive in the trash?

I think a reasonable warning is to say if your friend is eating a peanut butter sandwich, be aware and don't share any utensils or plates.

The plan for the airplane was to ask the person to stop and put the product away or get rid of it. And we did exactly that with good result when it happened.

As for the trash the real concern was that DC’s school had students in groups to clean up after lunch. We asked for an assignment that didn’t involve food residues or trash.

NP. You feel comfortable telling strangers to stop eating peanuts in the row in front of you? Yikes. How do you even know they are eating peanuts?

I have been on a plane once where there was an announcement that there is a peanut allergic person on the plane and to refrain from eating peanuts. If I was inclined to be this vigilant, I would suggest going this route with the airline rather than approaching passengers individually.

Also, from this site:
https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/

MYTH:
Just being in the same room as peanuts is life threatening for my child.
FACT:
Touching, smelling, or inhaling particles from peanuts does not usually
cause a severe reaction. It typically requires ingestion to cause serious allergic
complications. Since reactions are unpredictable, every allergic individual
should maintain a food allergy action plan to help keep them safe

[Anonymous]

WRT the epi pens, please make sure that anyone who will be alone with her knows how to use the epi pen. In elementary, my dd was good friends with someone with a peanut allergy. Before the mom left her kid at my house, she showed me how to use the epi pen. They also had a special pouch for it that was always near the child so it would be easy to find if needed. Fortunately I never needed to use it but the family was very diligent and prepared.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to carry at least two Epi pens everywhere, in case one malfunctions or the ambulance is delayed in coming. As soon as the child is able they need to carry two themselves. Be sure they know how to use them. Practice regularly with the trainer.

We always also have albuterol and Benadryl.

Ask the allergist when to use. One PP said use upon two symptoms. Ours said use upon confirmed exposure even if asymptomatic.

If you use epinephrine the person needs to go by ambulance to the emergency room.

Epi pens are not magic talismans. They don’t always work. They sometimes need to be repeated.

Your child needs to learn to self-advocate about allergies as soon as possible. Teach them to read every label every time. Ingredients change. No unlabeled or homemade outside snacks. Send your own treats to school. Be very particular in restaurants. Be aware of potential language issues — we were assured that a bakery product contained no nuts. Then informed “only nut flour” when we asked a second time.

They need to be aware of environmental contamination. Like the kid in class who brings a peanut butter sandwich and then uses a finger to scrape out and eat the peanut butter. Or the contaminated trash in a cafeteria trash can. Or the person one row away in an aircraft who is eating peanuts.

I believe there is a sensitivity-reducing shot and desensitization treatments. We are not there yet, so I leave it to others with knowledge to discuss them.

I have a 12 year old peanut allergic kid and agree with most of this with a couple caveats and can add some info about OIT.

As to bolded, some kids really are not this sensitive to peanuts in their environment. Mine isn't. We eat peanut butter in our household. My kid has zero sensitivity to being near peanuts. I understand some kids do. But this is an added level of hyper-vigilance that isn't necessary for some kids.

We did the OIT and it worked. The part I didn't anticipate is my child HATES HATES HATES the taste of peanuts. This makes sense. Her body is trained to really dislike the thing that is going to make her sick. However, when you get to the end the maintenane is eating some amount of peanut daily. We tried all vehicles. The peanut, some peanut butter, a peanut m&m, a reeses pieces. She hated all of them. She was about 10 at the time we did this. It was a nightly battle and we just gave up. I could not see sustaining forcing her to eat something she hated. I think with an older kid it could be eaiser.

As to the follow up bolded, without claiming any scientific/literature based special knowledge, I suggest it is extremely dangerous to be casual about any level of potential exposure. I don’t think it is “hyper vigilance.”

The example given was someone in the next row on an airplane eating peanuts and "contaminated" trash in a trashcan at school. What is your plan for these scenarios? Wear a hazmat suit in the plane and tell your child not to dumpster dive in the trash?

I think a reasonable warning is to say if your friend is eating a peanut butter sandwich, be aware and don't share any utensils or plates.

The plan for the airplane was to ask the person to stop and put the product away or get rid of it. And we did exactly that with good result when it happened.

As for the trash the real concern was that DC’s school had students in groups to clean up after lunch. We asked for an assignment that didn’t involve food residues or trash.

I think this level of vigilance is about your own anxiety level and wanting to assert a level of control over your environment that you don't really have. And I think it makes your kid anxious too.

Read labels, speak up, teach the kid to advocate for themselves. Hammer it home early and often. In particular, do not eat unwrapped candy or baked goods where you don't know the origin. Carry the epi pen at all times. The rest of it, you can't control other people. People around you can and will eat peanuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to carry at least two Epi pens everywhere, in case one malfunctions or the ambulance is delayed in coming. As soon as the child is able they need to carry two themselves. Be sure they know how to use them. Practice regularly with the trainer.

We always also have albuterol and Benadryl.

Ask the allergist when to use. One PP said use upon two symptoms. Ours said use upon confirmed exposure even if asymptomatic.

If you use epinephrine the person needs to go by ambulance to the emergency room.

Epi pens are not magic talismans. They don’t always work. They sometimes need to be repeated.

Your child needs to learn to self-advocate about allergies as soon as possible. Teach them to read every label every time. Ingredients change. No unlabeled or homemade outside snacks. Send your own treats to school. Be very particular in restaurants. Be aware of potential language issues — we were assured that a bakery product contained no nuts. Then informed “only nut flour” when we asked a second time.

They need to be aware of environmental contamination. Like the kid in class who brings a peanut butter sandwich and then uses a finger to scrape out and eat the peanut butter. Or the contaminated trash in a cafeteria trash can. Or the person one row away in an aircraft who is eating peanuts.

I believe there is a sensitivity-reducing shot and desensitization treatments. We are not there yet, so I leave it to others with knowledge to discuss them.

I have a 12 year old peanut allergic kid and agree with most of this with a couple caveats and can add some info about OIT.

As to bolded, some kids really are not this sensitive to peanuts in their environment. Mine isn't. We eat peanut butter in our household. My kid has zero sensitivity to being near peanuts. I understand some kids do. But this is an added level of hyper-vigilance that isn't necessary for some kids.

We did the OIT and it worked. The part I didn't anticipate is my child HATES HATES HATES the taste of peanuts. This makes sense. Her body is trained to really dislike the thing that is going to make her sick. However, when you get to the end the maintenane is eating some amount of peanut daily. We tried all vehicles. The peanut, some peanut butter, a peanut m&m, a reeses pieces. She hated all of them. She was about 10 at the time we did this. It was a nightly battle and we just gave up. I could not see sustaining forcing her to eat something she hated. I think with an older kid it could be eaiser.

As to the follow up bolded, without claiming any scientific/literature based special knowledge, I suggest it is extremely dangerous to be casual about any level of potential exposure. I don’t think it is “hyper vigilance.”

The example given was someone in the next row on an airplane eating peanuts and "contaminated" trash in a trashcan at school. What is your plan for these scenarios? Wear a hazmat suit in the plane and tell your child not to dumpster dive in the trash?

I think a reasonable warning is to say if your friend is eating a peanut butter sandwich, be aware and don't share any utensils or plates.

The plan for the airplane was to ask the person to stop and put the product away or get rid of it. And we did exactly that with good result when it happened.

As for the trash the real concern was that DC’s school had students in groups to clean up after lunch. We asked for an assignment that didn’t involve food residues or trash.

NP. You feel comfortable telling strangers to stop eating peanuts in the row in front of you? Yikes. How do you even know they are eating peanuts?

I have been on a plane once where there was an announcement that there is a peanut allergic person on the plane and to refrain from eating peanuts. If I was inclined to be this vigilant, I would suggest going this route with the airline rather than approaching passengers individually.

Also, from this site:
https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/

MYTH:
Just being in the same room as peanuts is life threatening for my child.
FACT:
Touching, smelling, or inhaling particles from peanuts does not usually
cause a severe reaction. It typically requires ingestion to cause serious allergic
complications. Since reactions are unpredictable, every allergic individual
should maintain a food allergy action plan to help keep them safe

NP. Do you understand the difference between “asking someone” to do something, and “telling someone” to do something? This is a yes or no question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to carry at least two Epi pens everywhere, in case one malfunctions or the ambulance is delayed in coming. As soon as the child is able they need to carry two themselves. Be sure they know how to use them. Practice regularly with the trainer.

We always also have albuterol and Benadryl.

Ask the allergist when to use. One PP said use upon two symptoms. Ours said use upon confirmed exposure even if asymptomatic.

If you use epinephrine the person needs to go by ambulance to the emergency room.

Epi pens are not magic talismans. They don’t always work. They sometimes need to be repeated.

Your child needs to learn to self-advocate about allergies as soon as possible. Teach them to read every label every time. Ingredients change. No unlabeled or homemade outside snacks. Send your own treats to school. Be very particular in restaurants. Be aware of potential language issues — we were assured that a bakery product contained no nuts. Then informed “only nut flour” when we asked a second time.

They need to be aware of environmental contamination. Like the kid in class who brings a peanut butter sandwich and then uses a finger to scrape out and eat the peanut butter. Or the contaminated trash in a cafeteria trash can. Or the person one row away in an aircraft who is eating peanuts.

I believe there is a sensitivity-reducing shot and desensitization treatments. We are not there yet, so I leave it to others with knowledge to discuss them.

I have a 12 year old peanut allergic kid and agree with most of this with a couple caveats and can add some info about OIT.

As to bolded, some kids really are not this sensitive to peanuts in their environment. Mine isn't. We eat peanut butter in our household. My kid has zero sensitivity to being near peanuts. I understand some kids do. But this is an added level of hyper-vigilance that isn't necessary for some kids.

We did the OIT and it worked. The part I didn't anticipate is my child HATES HATES HATES the taste of peanuts. This makes sense. Her body is trained to really dislike the thing that is going to make her sick. However, when you get to the end the maintenane is eating some amount of peanut daily. We tried all vehicles. The peanut, some peanut butter, a peanut m&m, a reeses pieces. She hated all of them. She was about 10 at the time we did this. It was a nightly battle and we just gave up. I could not see sustaining forcing her to eat something she hated. I think with an older kid it could be eaiser.

As to the follow up bolded, without claiming any scientific/literature based special knowledge, I suggest it is extremely dangerous to be casual about any level of potential exposure. I don’t think it is “hyper vigilance.”

The example given was someone in the next row on an airplane eating peanuts and "contaminated" trash in a trashcan at school. What is your plan for these scenarios? Wear a hazmat suit in the plane and tell your child not to dumpster dive in the trash?

I think a reasonable warning is to say if your friend is eating a peanut butter sandwich, be aware and don't share any utensils or plates.

The plan for the airplane was to ask the person to stop and put the product away or get rid of it. And we did exactly that with good result when it happened.

As for the trash the real concern was that DC’s school had students in groups to clean up after lunch. We asked for an assignment that didn’t involve food residues or trash.

NP. You feel comfortable telling strangers to stop eating peanuts in the row in front of you? Yikes. How do you even know they are eating peanuts?

I have been on a plane once where there was an announcement that there is a peanut allergic person on the plane and to refrain from eating peanuts. If I was inclined to be this vigilant, I would suggest going this route with the airline rather than approaching passengers individually.

Also, from this site:
https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/

MYTH:
Just being in the same room as peanuts is life threatening for my child.
FACT:
Touching, smelling, or inhaling particles from peanuts does not usually
cause a severe reaction. It typically requires ingestion to cause serious allergic
complications. Since reactions are unpredictable,every allergic individual
should maintain a food allergy action plan to help keep them safe

Pretty weak authority. I’m guessing you/yours don’t have the allergy.

I was quite comfortable asking the person on the aircraft to stop. They did. If they hadn’t I’d have escalated to the flight attendants and gotten the kid further away in the meantime. The material was obviously peanut products based on appearance, smell and inquiry of the person with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to carry at least two Epi pens everywhere, in case one malfunctions or the ambulance is delayed in coming. As soon as the child is able they need to carry two themselves. Be sure they know how to use them. Practice regularly with the trainer.

We always also have albuterol and Benadryl.

Ask the allergist when to use. One PP said use upon two symptoms. Ours said use upon confirmed exposure even if asymptomatic.

If you use epinephrine the person needs to go by ambulance to the emergency room.

Epi pens are not magic talismans. They don’t always work. They sometimes need to be repeated.

Your child needs to learn to self-advocate about allergies as soon as possible. Teach them to read every label every time. Ingredients change. No unlabeled or homemade outside snacks. Send your own treats to school. Be very particular in restaurants. Be aware of potential language issues — we were assured that a bakery product contained no nuts. Then informed “only nut flour” when we asked a second time.

They need to be aware of environmental contamination. Like the kid in class who brings a peanut butter sandwich and then uses a finger to scrape out and eat the peanut butter. Or the contaminated trash in a cafeteria trash can. Or the person one row away in an aircraft who is eating peanuts.

I believe there is a sensitivity-reducing shot and desensitization treatments. We are not there yet, so I leave it to others with knowledge to discuss them.

I have a 12 year old peanut allergic kid and agree with most of this with a couple caveats and can add some info about OIT.

As to bolded, some kids really are not this sensitive to peanuts in their environment. Mine isn't. We eat peanut butter in our household. My kid has zero sensitivity to being near peanuts. I understand some kids do. But this is an added level of hyper-vigilance that isn't necessary for some kids.

We did the OIT and it worked. The part I didn't anticipate is my child HATES HATES HATES the taste of peanuts. This makes sense. Her body is trained to really dislike the thing that is going to make her sick. However, when you get to the end the maintenane is eating some amount of peanut daily. We tried all vehicles. The peanut, some peanut butter, a peanut m&m, a reeses pieces. She hated all of them. She was about 10 at the time we did this. It was a nightly battle and we just gave up. I could not see sustaining forcing her to eat something she hated. I think with an older kid it could be eaiser.

As to the follow up bolded, without claiming any scientific/literature based special knowledge, I suggest it is extremely dangerous to be casual about any level of potential exposure. I don’t think it is “hyper vigilance.”

The example given was someone in the next row on an airplane eating peanuts and "contaminated" trash in a trashcan at school. What is your plan for these scenarios? Wear a hazmat suit in the plane and tell your child not to dumpster dive in the trash?

I think a reasonable warning is to say if your friend is eating a peanut butter sandwich, be aware and don't share any utensils or plates.

The plan for the airplane was to ask the person to stop and put the product away or get rid of it. And we did exactly that with good result when it happened.

As for the trash the real concern was that DC’s school had students in groups to clean up after lunch. We asked for an assignment that didn’t involve food residues or trash.

I think this is a parenting miss. Tell your kid if they have trash duty or clean up duty, be aware of not touching any food residue. Tell them what to do if they accidentally get any food residue on their hands. You're not going to be able to manage everything forever. Teach them how to look out for themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to carry at least two Epi pens everywhere, in case one malfunctions or the ambulance is delayed in coming. As soon as the child is able they need to carry two themselves. Be sure they know how to use them. Practice regularly with the trainer.

We always also have albuterol and Benadryl.

Ask the allergist when to use. One PP said use upon two symptoms. Ours said use upon confirmed exposure even if asymptomatic.

If you use epinephrine the person needs to go by ambulance to the emergency room.

Epi pens are not magic talismans. They don’t always work. They sometimes need to be repeated.

Your child needs to learn to self-advocate about allergies as soon as possible. Teach them to read every label every time. Ingredients change. No unlabeled or homemade outside snacks. Send your own treats to school. Be very particular in restaurants. Be aware of potential language issues — we were assured that a bakery product contained no nuts. Then informed “only nut flour” when we asked a second time.

They need to be aware of environmental contamination. Like the kid in class who brings a peanut butter sandwich and then uses a finger to scrape out and eat the peanut butter. Or the contaminated trash in a cafeteria trash can. Or the person one row away in an aircraft who is eating peanuts.

I believe there is a sensitivity-reducing shot and desensitization treatments. We are not there yet, so I leave it to others with knowledge to discuss them.

I have a 12 year old peanut allergic kid and agree with most of this with a couple caveats and can add some info about OIT.

As to bolded, some kids really are not this sensitive to peanuts in their environment. Mine isn't. We eat peanut butter in our household. My kid has zero sensitivity to being near peanuts. I understand some kids do. But this is an added level of hyper-vigilance that isn't necessary for some kids.

We did the OIT and it worked. The part I didn't anticipate is my child HATES HATES HATES the taste of peanuts. This makes sense. Her body is trained to really dislike the thing that is going to make her sick. However, when you get to the end the maintenane is eating some amount of peanut daily. We tried all vehicles. The peanut, some peanut butter, a peanut m&m, a reeses pieces. She hated all of them. She was about 10 at the time we did this. It was a nightly battle and we just gave up. I could not see sustaining forcing her to eat something she hated. I think with an older kid it could be eaiser.

As to the follow up bolded, without claiming any scientific/literature based special knowledge, I suggest it is extremely dangerous to be casual about any level of potential exposure. I don’t think it is “hyper vigilance.”

The example given was someone in the next row on an airplane eating peanuts and "contaminated" trash in a trashcan at school. What is your plan for these scenarios? Wear a hazmat suit in the plane and tell your child not to dumpster dive in the trash?

I think a reasonable warning is to say if your friend is eating a peanut butter sandwich, be aware and don't share any utensils or plates.

The plan for the airplane was to ask the person to stop and put the product away or get rid of it. And we did exactly that with good result when it happened.

As for the trash the real concern was that DC’s school had students in groups to clean up after lunch. We asked for an assignment that didn’t involve food residues or trash.

NP. You feel comfortable telling strangers to stop eating peanuts in the row in front of you? Yikes. How do you even know they are eating peanuts?

I have been on a plane once where there was an announcement that there is a peanut allergic person on the plane and to refrain from eating peanuts. If I was inclined to be this vigilant, I would suggest going this route with the airline rather than approaching passengers individually.

Also, from this site:
https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/

MYTH:
Just being in the same room as peanuts is life threatening for my child.
FACT:
Touching, smelling, or inhaling particles from peanuts does not usually
cause a severe reaction. It typically requires ingestion to cause serious allergic
complications. Since reactions are unpredictable,every allergic individual
should maintain a food allergy action plan to help keep them safe

Pretty weak authority. I’m guessing you/yours don’t have the allergy.

I was quite comfortable asking the person on the aircraft to stop. They did. If they hadn’t I’d have escalated to the flight attendants and gotten the kid further away in the meantime. The material was obviously peanut products based on appearance, smell and inquiry of the person with it.

My child has a peanut allergy. I don't agree with your approach. Which is ok. The point of this thread was to educate the OP about managing a peanut allergy. There are more ways than the way you are doing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to carry at least two Epi pens everywhere, in case one malfunctions or the ambulance is delayed in coming. As soon as the child is able they need to carry two themselves. Be sure they know how to use them. Practice regularly with the trainer.

We always also have albuterol and Benadryl.

Ask the allergist when to use. One PP said use upon two symptoms. Ours said use upon confirmed exposure even if asymptomatic.

If you use epinephrine the person needs to go by ambulance to the emergency room.

Epi pens are not magic talismans. They don’t always work. They sometimes need to be repeated.

Your child needs to learn to self-advocate about allergies as soon as possible. Teach them to read every label every time. Ingredients change. No unlabeled or homemade outside snacks. Send your own treats to school. Be very particular in restaurants. Be aware of potential language issues — we were assured that a bakery product contained no nuts. Then informed “only nut flour” when we asked a second time.

They need to be aware of environmental contamination. Like the kid in class who brings a peanut butter sandwich and then uses a finger to scrape out and eat the peanut butter. Or the contaminated trash in a cafeteria trash can. Or the person one row away in an aircraft who is eating peanuts.

I believe there is a sensitivity-reducing shot and desensitization treatments. We are not there yet, so I leave it to others with knowledge to discuss them.

I have a 12 year old peanut allergic kid and agree with most of this with a couple caveats and can add some info about OIT.

As to bolded, some kids really are not this sensitive to peanuts in their environment. Mine isn't. We eat peanut butter in our household. My kid has zero sensitivity to being near peanuts. I understand some kids do. But this is an added level of hyper-vigilance that isn't necessary for some kids.

We did the OIT and it worked. The part I didn't anticipate is my child HATES HATES HATES the taste of peanuts. This makes sense. Her body is trained to really dislike the thing that is going to make her sick. However, when you get to the end the maintenane is eating some amount of peanut daily. We tried all vehicles. The peanut, some peanut butter, a peanut m&m, a reeses pieces. She hated all of them. She was about 10 at the time we did this. It was a nightly battle and we just gave up. I could not see sustaining forcing her to eat something she hated. I think with an older kid it could be eaiser.

As to the follow up bolded, without claiming any scientific/literature based special knowledge, I suggest it is extremely dangerous to be casual about any level of potential exposure. I don’t think it is “hyper vigilance.”

The example given was someone in the next row on an airplane eating peanuts and "contaminated" trash in a trashcan at school. What is your plan for these scenarios? Wear a hazmat suit in the plane and tell your child not to dumpster dive in the trash?

I think a reasonable warning is to say if your friend is eating a peanut butter sandwich, be aware and don't share any utensils or plates.

The plan for the airplane was to ask the person to stop and put the product away or get rid of it. And we did exactly that with good result when it happened.

As for the trash the real concern was that DC’s school had students in groups to clean up after lunch. We asked for an assignment that didn’t involve food residues or trash.

I think this level of vigilance is about your own anxiety level and wanting to assert a level of control over your environment that you don't really have. And I think it makes your kid anxious too.

Read labels, speak up, teach the kid to advocate for themselves. Hammer it home early and often. In particular, do not eat unwrapped candy or baked goods where you don't know the origin. Carry the epi pen at all times. The rest of it, you can't control other people. People around you can and will eat peanuts.

I suspect you don’t have an allergy either.

Nobody in their right mind eats peanuts on public transit any more.

As for the lunchroom, you’re suggesting not handling peanut-contaminated items is anxiety-driven? Please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to carry at least two Epi pens everywhere, in case one malfunctions or the ambulance is delayed in coming. As soon as the child is able they need to carry two themselves. Be sure they know how to use them. Practice regularly with the trainer.

We always also have albuterol and Benadryl.

Ask the allergist when to use. One PP said use upon two symptoms. Ours said use upon confirmed exposure even if asymptomatic.

If you use epinephrine the person needs to go by ambulance to the emergency room.

Epi pens are not magic talismans. They don’t always work. They sometimes need to be repeated.

Your child needs to learn to self-advocate about allergies as soon as possible. Teach them to read every label every time. Ingredients change. No unlabeled or homemade outside snacks. Send your own treats to school. Be very particular in restaurants. Be aware of potential language issues — we were assured that a bakery product contained no nuts. Then informed “only nut flour” when we asked a second time.

They need to be aware of environmental contamination. Like the kid in class who brings a peanut butter sandwich and then uses a finger to scrape out and eat the peanut butter. Or the contaminated trash in a cafeteria trash can. Or the person one row away in an aircraft who is eating peanuts.

I believe there is a sensitivity-reducing shot and desensitization treatments. We are not there yet, so I leave it to others with knowledge to discuss them.

I have a 12 year old peanut allergic kid and agree with most of this with a couple caveats and can add some info about OIT.

As to bolded, some kids really are not this sensitive to peanuts in their environment. Mine isn't. We eat peanut butter in our household. My kid has zero sensitivity to being near peanuts. I understand some kids do. But this is an added level of hyper-vigilance that isn't necessary for some kids.

We did the OIT and it worked. The part I didn't anticipate is my child HATES HATES HATES the taste of peanuts. This makes sense. Her body is trained to really dislike the thing that is going to make her sick. However, when you get to the end the maintenane is eating some amount of peanut daily. We tried all vehicles. The peanut, some peanut butter, a peanut m&m, a reeses pieces. She hated all of them. She was about 10 at the time we did this. It was a nightly battle and we just gave up. I could not see sustaining forcing her to eat something she hated. I think with an older kid it could be eaiser.

As to the follow up bolded, without claiming any scientific/literature based special knowledge, I suggest it is extremely dangerous to be casual about any level of potential exposure. I don’t think it is “hyper vigilance.”

The example given was someone in the next row on an airplane eating peanuts and "contaminated" trash in a trashcan at school. What is your plan for these scenarios? Wear a hazmat suit in the plane and tell your child not to dumpster dive in the trash?

I think a reasonable warning is to say if your friend is eating a peanut butter sandwich, be aware and don't share any utensils or plates.

The plan for the airplane was to ask the person to stop and put the product away or get rid of it. And we did exactly that with good result when it happened.

As for the trash the real concern was that DC’s school had students in groups to clean up after lunch. We asked for an assignment that didn’t involve food residues or trash.

NP. You feel comfortable telling strangers to stop eating peanuts in the row in front of you? Yikes. How do you even know they are eating peanuts?

I have been on a plane once where there was an announcement that there is a peanut allergic person on the plane and to refrain from eating peanuts. If I was inclined to be this vigilant, I would suggest going this route with the airline rather than approaching passengers individually.

Also, from this site:
https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/

MYTH:
Just being in the same room as peanuts is life threatening for my child.
FACT:
Touching, smelling, or inhaling particles from peanuts does not usually
cause a severe reaction. It typically requires ingestion to cause serious allergic
complications. Since reactions are unpredictable, every allergic individual
should maintain a food allergy action plan to help keep them safe

NP. Do you understand the difference between “asking someone” to do something, and “telling someone” to do something? This is a yes or no question.

Yes.

I would neither ask nor tell someone to stop eating a food near me or my kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to carry at least two Epi pens everywhere, in case one malfunctions or the ambulance is delayed in coming. As soon as the child is able they need to carry two themselves. Be sure they know how to use them. Practice regularly with the trainer.

We always also have albuterol and Benadryl.

Ask the allergist when to use. One PP said use upon two symptoms. Ours said use upon confirmed exposure even if asymptomatic.

If you use epinephrine the person needs to go by ambulance to the emergency room.

Epi pens are not magic talismans. They don’t always work. They sometimes need to be repeated.

Your child needs to learn to self-advocate about allergies as soon as possible. Teach them to read every label every time. Ingredients change. No unlabeled or homemade outside snacks. Send your own treats to school. Be very particular in restaurants. Be aware of potential language issues — we were assured that a bakery product contained no nuts. Then informed “only nut flour” when we asked a second time.

They need to be aware of environmental contamination. Like the kid in class who brings a peanut butter sandwich and then uses a finger to scrape out and eat the peanut butter. Or the contaminated trash in a cafeteria trash can. Or the person one row away in an aircraft who is eating peanuts.

I believe there is a sensitivity-reducing shot and desensitization treatments. We are not there yet, so I leave it to others with knowledge to discuss them.

I have a 12 year old peanut allergic kid and agree with most of this with a couple caveats and can add some info about OIT.

As to bolded, some kids really are not this sensitive to peanuts in their environment. Mine isn't. We eat peanut butter in our household. My kid has zero sensitivity to being near peanuts. I understand some kids do. But this is an added level of hyper-vigilance that isn't necessary for some kids.

We did the OIT and it worked. The part I didn't anticipate is my child HATES HATES HATES the taste of peanuts. This makes sense. Her body is trained to really dislike the thing that is going to make her sick. However, when you get to the end the maintenane is eating some amount of peanut daily. We tried all vehicles. The peanut, some peanut butter, a peanut m&m, a reeses pieces. She hated all of them. She was about 10 at the time we did this. It was a nightly battle and we just gave up. I could not see sustaining forcing her to eat something she hated. I think with an older kid it could be eaiser.

As to the follow up bolded, without claiming any scientific/literature based special knowledge, I suggest it is extremely dangerous to be casual about any level of potential exposure. I don’t think it is “hyper vigilance.”

The example given was someone in the next row on an airplane eating peanuts and "contaminated" trash in a trashcan at school. What is your plan for these scenarios? Wear a hazmat suit in the plane and tell your child not to dumpster dive in the trash?

I think a reasonable warning is to say if your friend is eating a peanut butter sandwich, be aware and don't share any utensils or plates.

The plan for the airplane was to ask the person to stop and put the product away or get rid of it. And we did exactly that with good result when it happened.

As for the trash the real concern was that DC’s school had students in groups to clean up after lunch. We asked for an assignment that didn’t involve food residues or trash.

I think this is a parenting miss. Tell your kid if they have trash duty or clean up duty, be aware of not touching any food residue. Tell them what to do if they accidentally get any food residue on their hands. You're not going to be able to manage everything forever. Teach them how to look out for themselves.

I did. They asked for a different job and got it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to carry at least two Epi pens everywhere, in case one malfunctions or the ambulance is delayed in coming. As soon as the child is able they need to carry two themselves. Be sure they know how to use them. Practice regularly with the trainer.

We always also have albuterol and Benadryl.

Ask the allergist when to use. One PP said use upon two symptoms. Ours said use upon confirmed exposure even if asymptomatic.

If you use epinephrine the person needs to go by ambulance to the emergency room.

Epi pens are not magic talismans. They don’t always work. They sometimes need to be repeated.

Your child needs to learn to self-advocate about allergies as soon as possible. Teach them to read every label every time. Ingredients change. No unlabeled or homemade outside snacks. Send your own treats to school. Be very particular in restaurants. Be aware of potential language issues — we were assured that a bakery product contained no nuts. Then informed “only nut flour” when we asked a second time.

They need to be aware of environmental contamination. Like the kid in class who brings a peanut butter sandwich and then uses a finger to scrape out and eat the peanut butter. Or the contaminated trash in a cafeteria trash can. Or the person one row away in an aircraft who is eating peanuts.

I believe there is a sensitivity-reducing shot and desensitization treatments. We are not there yet, so I leave it to others with knowledge to discuss them.

I have a 12 year old peanut allergic kid and agree with most of this with a couple caveats and can add some info about OIT.

As to bolded, some kids really are not this sensitive to peanuts in their environment. Mine isn't. We eat peanut butter in our household. My kid has zero sensitivity to being near peanuts. I understand some kids do. But this is an added level of hyper-vigilance that isn't necessary for some kids.

We did the OIT and it worked. The part I didn't anticipate is my child HATES HATES HATES the taste of peanuts. This makes sense. Her body is trained to really dislike the thing that is going to make her sick. However, when you get to the end the maintenane is eating some amount of peanut daily. We tried all vehicles. The peanut, some peanut butter, a peanut m&m, a reeses pieces. She hated all of them. She was about 10 at the time we did this. It was a nightly battle and we just gave up. I could not see sustaining forcing her to eat something she hated. I think with an older kid it could be eaiser.

As to the follow up bolded, without claiming any scientific/literature based special knowledge, I suggest it is extremely dangerous to be casual about any level of potential exposure. I don’t think it is “hyper vigilance.”

The example given was someone in the next row on an airplane eating peanuts and "contaminated" trash in a trashcan at school. What is your plan for these scenarios? Wear a hazmat suit in the plane and tell your child not to dumpster dive in the trash?

I think a reasonable warning is to say if your friend is eating a peanut butter sandwich, be aware and don't share any utensils or plates.

The plan for the airplane was to ask the person to stop and put the product away or get rid of it. And we did exactly that with good result when it happened.

As for the trash the real concern was that DC’s school had students in groups to clean up after lunch. We asked for an assignment that didn’t involve food residues or trash.

I think this level of vigilance is about your own anxiety level and wanting to assert a level of control over your environment that you don't really have. And I think it makes your kid anxious too.

Read labels, speak up, teach the kid to advocate for themselves. Hammer it home early and often. In particular, do not eat unwrapped candy or baked goods where you don't know the origin. Carry the epi pen at all times. The rest of it, you can't control other people. People around you can and will eat peanuts.

I suspect you don’t have an allergy either.

Nobody in their right mind eats peanuts on public transit any more.

As for the lunchroom, you’re suggesting not handling peanut-contaminated items is anxiety-driven? Please.

Wrong again. You think people respond in this level of detail if they don't have an allergic kid? Why would a person be on this thread?

You're a fool if you think people have stopped eating peanuts in public. They haven't. The world does not revolve around our peanut allergic kids. I think more people are aware of nut allergies than ever before and many kid-based settings are really good about it. But in the general population? No.