Managing peanut allergy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Ah, puerile name calling and ad hominem attack. Always the best way to strengthen an argument.

People assert themselves for their own benefit all the time. “Excuse me, I believe I was before you in line.” Why should a person with a life-threatening allergy be expected to remain silent because many, even most, people think of peanuts as a tasty, filling, low carb snack? The people we’ve occasionally asked for an accommodation have always been very gracious.

You can definitely do that. The point is that will not exert perfect control over your environment, which is clearly what you are after. I think the reason you could be expected to remain silent is because a person several seats away from you minding their own business and eating something of their choosing is not affecting you at all, despite what you have convinced yourself. Unless they are a toddler and about to smear it near your kid or approach your child directly, approaching adults eating food and telling them to stop is obnoxious.

Somebody several seats or tables away in a lunchroom is worlds different than one row ahead on a sardine can economy class airline who is actually aerosolizing their food while they eat it.

And “obnoxious” is a far better label than “victim.”

I'm genuinely curious if there is any case on record of a person having an allergic reaction based on a nearby plane passenger eating peanuts. I have an allergic kid. This never crossed my mind to worry about this.

Doesn’t fully answer your question but read on:
https://simpleflying.com/delta-air-lines-passenger-removed-flight-shellfish-allergy/

It doesn't answer the question but interesting story and speaks more to the culture these allergies have created. What airlines will do to avoid getting sued is different than reality of what actually might happen. This is why all bakeries now just label everything as might have nuts. They are covering their ass. And I don't blame them.

[Anonymous]

Do not want to carry EpiPen around? Do the OIT. Seriously, it's one of the reasons we did. The main reason was we hated using the EpiPen on our kid (at least twice).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do not want to carry EpiPen around? Do the OIT. Seriously, it's one of the reasons we did. The main reason was we hated using the EpiPen on our kid (at least twice).

For what it's worth you are still supposed to carry around the epi-pen and the OIT does not mean they can just freely eat peanuts. It makes them "bite proof" and it's supposed to deal with accidental trace exposure. The allergist will tell you that. We did OIT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

I get it if your kid has a severe allergy, but I don't view mine as a severe (at least based on what our allergist has said, lack of accidental exposures, freely eating out at restaurants, etc.) I will be more vigilant and carry the epi-pens, but I'm not planning on going overboard like making people around me stop eating peanuts. My kid knows to be careful.

LOL, OK. So your kid has been making sure to have an epi-pen kit with her at play dates, takes it to every restaurant, and talks to servers and restaurant managers about her allergy? Wow. Impressive! At such a young age.

It’s also amazing that your kid understands that even mild allergies can become severe with no warning, especially when there are exposures over time. It’s wonderful that she realizes that even though she has not had a severe reaction as of yet, it could be a severe reaction at any time. Interesting that she knows that when you didn’t seem to know that.

Um, why are you so angry? I didn't say any of the above. All I meant is my kid knows she's allergic to peanuts, not to eat peanuts, and to ask questions if she doesn't know if something has peanuts or not. She doesn't eat at restaurants without us and yes we tell the servers that she's allergic. It's worked out fine for 6 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Ah, puerile name calling and ad hominem attack. Always the best way to strengthen an argument.

People assert themselves for their own benefit all the time. “Excuse me, I believe I was before you in line.” Why should a person with a life-threatening allergy be expected to remain silent because many, even most, people think of peanuts as a tasty, filling, low carb snack? The people we’ve occasionally asked for an accommodation have always been very gracious.

You can definitely do that. The point is that will not exert perfect control over your environment, which is clearly what you are after. I think the reason you could be expected to remain silent is because a person several seats away from you minding their own business and eating something of their choosing is not affecting you at all, despite what you have convinced yourself. Unless they are a toddler and about to smear it near your kid or approach your child directly, approaching adults eating food and telling them to stop is obnoxious.

Somebody several seats or tables away in a lunchroom is worlds different than one row ahead on a sardine can economy class airline who is actually aerosolizing their food while they eat it.

And “obnoxious” is a far better label than “victim.”

I'm genuinely curious if there is any case on record of a person having an allergic reaction based on a nearby plane passenger eating peanuts. I have an allergic kid. This never crossed my mind to worry about this.

Doesn’t fully answer your question but read on:
https://simpleflying.com/delta-air-lines-passenger-removed-flight-shellfish-allergy/

It doesn't answer the question but interesting story and speaks more to the culture these allergies have created. What airlines will do to avoid getting sued is different than reality of what actually might happen. This is why all bakeries now just label everything as might have nuts. They are covering their ass. And I don't blame them.

Culture that allergies have created: You mean keeping people alive.....? Reasonable accomodations are a real thing Barb. Maybe not with this admin but they sure used to be. It is reasonable to not have life threatening aerosol allergies in a small box.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

What is the peanut-contaminated item? If the "peanut-contaminated" item is a trashcan where someone might have thrown out the remnant of their peanut butter sandwich, seems kind of anxiety driven. If it's a plate smeared with peanut butter and it's a young child who doesn't have a lot of awareness yet, makes more sense.

People can be very bad at risk assessment. I guarantee your kid does a bunch of things daily that are a lot more risky than being around a trash can with a peanut butter sandwich in it.

I don’t think it is “anxiety driven” for a person with a life threaten allergy to want to avoid accidentally getting contaminated and then transferring the contamination to where they might ingest it. Because people touch their mouths, etc., and don’t always surgery-scrub beforehand. That other life risks exist is irrelevant. One avoids what one reasonably can. What would be your view if the concern was a chemical that might find its way somewhere, as in the case where somebody carelessly threw a rag soaked with turpentine or anotherindustrial solvent into a trash can?

I agree with this. The part I don't agree with is the assessment that someone throwing their peanut butter sandwich in a trash can could somehow transfer to you (or your kid) and you might ingest it. To give the benefit of the doubt, you are envisioning a world where the peanut butter is dragged down the inside of the trashcan and then you (or your kid) subsequently touch or hold onto that same side of the trashcan. That's the scenario? I'm just not operating in that head space that I think that is happening.

I can't really respond to equating a peanut butter sandwich to a turpentine soaked rag.

The peanut butter actually is more dangerous to an allergic person. But getting that across is, as the discussion here demonstrates, extremely difficult. People seem incapable of comprehending that their tasty treat could kill someone. And peanut butter is like baby poop — once it’s on one thing it’s everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

What is the peanut-contaminated item? If the "peanut-contaminated" item is a trashcan where someone might have thrown out the remnant of their peanut butter sandwich, seems kind of anxiety driven. If it's a plate smeared with peanut butter and it's a young child who doesn't have a lot of awareness yet, makes more sense.

People can be very bad at risk assessment. I guarantee your kid does a bunch of things daily that are a lot more risky than being around a trash can with a peanut butter sandwich in it.

I don’t think it is “anxiety driven” for a person with a life threaten allergy to want to avoid accidentally getting contaminated and then transferring the contamination to where they might ingest it. Because people touch their mouths, etc., and don’t always surgery-scrub beforehand. That other life risks exist is irrelevant. One avoids what one reasonably can. What would be your view if the concern was a chemical that might find its way somewhere, as in the case where somebody carelessly threw a rag soaked with turpentine or anotherindustrial solvent into a trash can?

I agree with this. The part I don't agree with is the assessment that someone throwing their peanut butter sandwich in a trash can could somehow transfer to you (or your kid) and you might ingest it. To give the benefit of the doubt, you are envisioning a world where the peanut butter is dragged down the inside of the trashcan and then you (or your kid) subsequently touch or hold onto that same side of the trashcan. That's the scenario? I'm just not operating in that head space that I think that is happening.

I can't really respond to equating a peanut butter sandwich to a turpentine soaked rag.

The peanut butter actually is more dangerous to an allergic person. But getting that across is, as the discussion here demonstrates, extremely difficult. People seem incapable of comprehending that their tasty treat could kill someone. And peanut butter is like baby poop — once it’s on one thing it’s everywhere.

I'm not sure if you are the same poster above who seems super anxious, but can you give some more context as to where your views are coming from? Did you know someone who died from a peanut allergy? Does your kid get a reaction from just being in the same room as someone with peanuts or other allergen? I understand being careful and putting the right protocols in place, but a peanut allergy isn't exactly a death sentence. Sure, kids unexpectedly get severe allergic reactions but I'm sure it's not that common (especially death). There's a difference between being careful and freaking out about it. Do you also not like to drive on highways in case you get killed in a car accident?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do not want to carry EpiPen around? Do the OIT. Seriously, it's one of the reasons we did. The main reason was we hated using the EpiPen on our kid (at least twice).

For what it's worth you are still supposed to carry around the epi-pen and the OIT does not mean they can just freely eat peanuts. It makes them "bite proof" and it's supposed to deal with accidental trace exposure. The allergist will tell you that. We did OIT.

Not for our case. My daughter passed the peanut food challenge (8 grams) after completing the OIT. I don't remember about whether to continue carrying the EpiPen, but she was told by the allergist to freely eat peanut. She's been on maintenance dose ever since.

Before OIT, she went to the ER twice due to anaphylaxis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

What is the peanut-contaminated item? If the "peanut-contaminated" item is a trashcan where someone might have thrown out the remnant of their peanut butter sandwich, seems kind of anxiety driven. If it's a plate smeared with peanut butter and it's a young child who doesn't have a lot of awareness yet, makes more sense.

People can be very bad at risk assessment. I guarantee your kid does a bunch of things daily that are a lot more risky than being around a trash can with a peanut butter sandwich in it.

I don’t think it is “anxiety driven” for a person with a life threaten allergy to want to avoid accidentally getting contaminated and then transferring the contamination to where they might ingest it. Because people touch their mouths, etc., and don’t always surgery-scrub beforehand. That other life risks exist is irrelevant. One avoids what one reasonably can. What would be your view if the concern was a chemical that might find its way somewhere, as in the case where somebody carelessly threw a rag soaked with turpentine or anotherindustrial solvent into a trash can?

I agree with this. The part I don't agree with is the assessment that someone throwing their peanut butter sandwich in a trash can could somehow transfer to you (or your kid) and you might ingest it. To give the benefit of the doubt, you are envisioning a world where the peanut butter is dragged down the inside of the trashcan and then you (or your kid) subsequently touch or hold onto that same side of the trashcan. That's the scenario? I'm just not operating in that head space that I think that is happening.

I can't really respond to equating a peanut butter sandwich to a turpentine soaked rag.

The peanut butter actually is more dangerous to an allergic person. But getting that across is, as the discussion here demonstrates, extremely difficult. People seem incapable of comprehending that their tasty treat could kill someone. And peanut butter is like baby poop — once it’s on one thing it’s everywhere.

I'm not sure if you are the same poster above who seems super anxious, but can you give some more context as to where your views are coming from? Did you know someone who died from a peanut allergy? Does your kid get a reaction from just being in the same room as someone with peanuts or other allergen? I understand being careful and putting the right protocols in place, but a peanut allergy isn't exactly a death sentence. Sure, kids unexpectedly get severe allergic reactions but I'm sure it's not that common (especially death). There's a difference between being careful and freaking out about it. Do you also not like to drive on highways in case you get killed in a car accident?

This type of person will just double down. There is no way the kid is not absorbing all of this manic energy too.

When a kid dies from peanut exposure, it is so rare (and frankly click bait worthy) it is immediate news. The most recent story was a girl who ate a gluten free brownie and they had used peanut flour. I talked to my kid about this who is now a teen. I've seen stories of kids being given something on the playground or at recess and eating and dying. I've had an allergic kid for 15 years and I've never seen a death story that does not involve a person full on ingesting a peanut. I've honestly never read a story about someone dying from trace physical contact, but certainly possible it's happened.

I have yet to see the story of the person sitting the row behind a man with a bag of peanuts dying from a peanut allergy. And I am not saying that to make light of it. If it's happened, it would be covered in the media so please post it if it's happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do not want to carry EpiPen around? Do the OIT. Seriously, it's one of the reasons we did. The main reason was we hated using the EpiPen on our kid (at least twice).

For what it's worth you are still supposed to carry around the epi-pen and the OIT does not mean they can just freely eat peanuts. It makes them "bite proof" and it's supposed to deal with accidental trace exposure. The allergist will tell you that. We did OIT.

Not for our case. My daughter passed the peanut food challenge (8 grams) after completing the OIT. I don't remember about whether to continue carrying the EpiPen, but she was told by the allergist to freely eat peanut. She's been on maintenance dose ever since.

Before OIT, she went to the ER twice due to anaphylaxis.

\

Wow, that's great! Does she eat peanuts then (PBJs etc)? I didn't realize OIT could lead to being able to freely eat it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

What is the peanut-contaminated item? If the "peanut-contaminated" item is a trashcan where someone might have thrown out the remnant of their peanut butter sandwich, seems kind of anxiety driven. If it's a plate smeared with peanut butter and it's a young child who doesn't have a lot of awareness yet, makes more sense.

People can be very bad at risk assessment. I guarantee your kid does a bunch of things daily that are a lot more risky than being around a trash can with a peanut butter sandwich in it.

I don’t think it is “anxiety driven” for a person with a life threaten allergy to want to avoid accidentally getting contaminated and then transferring the contamination to where they might ingest it. Because people touch their mouths, etc., and don’t always surgery-scrub beforehand. That other life risks exist is irrelevant. One avoids what one reasonably can. What would be your view if the concern was a chemical that might find its way somewhere, as in the case where somebody carelessly threw a rag soaked with turpentine or anotherindustrial solvent into a trash can?

I agree with this. The part I don't agree with is the assessment that someone throwing their peanut butter sandwich in a trash can could somehow transfer to you (or your kid) and you might ingest it. To give the benefit of the doubt, you are envisioning a world where the peanut butter is dragged down the inside of the trashcan and then you (or your kid) subsequently touch or hold onto that same side of the trashcan. That's the scenario? I'm just not operating in that head space that I think that is happening.

I can't really respond to equating a peanut butter sandwich to a turpentine soaked rag.

The peanut butter actually is more dangerous to an allergic person. But getting that across is, as the discussion here demonstrates, extremely difficult. People seem incapable of comprehending that their tasty treat could kill someone. And peanut butter is like baby poop — once it’s on one thing it’s everywhere.

I'm not sure if you are the same poster above who seems super anxious, but can you give some more context as to where your views are coming from? Did you know someone who died from a peanut allergy? Does your kid get a reaction from just being in the same room as someone with peanuts or other allergen? I understand being careful and putting the right protocols in place, but a peanut allergy isn't exactly a death sentence. Sure, kids unexpectedly get severe allergic reactions but I'm sure it's not that common (especially death). There's a difference between being careful and freaking out about it. Do you also not like to drive on highways in case you get killed in a car accident?

People die regularly from allergy-related anaphylaxis. Just read the news. They’re not dropping like soldiers at D-day but it certainly is not heard of. I recall a bee-related case not long ago in the news, and another that I think was food related. In the latter case epinephrine reportedly failed. Maybe they got it into the person too late.

I think accusations of “anxiety” are actually projections by people who don’t want to accept that they may have ignored a precaution they easily could be taking.

I drive on highways all the time. I also bought a car with high safety ratings, use the safety devices, keep it in good repair, and took accident avoidance training to improve my skills.

There’s a vast difference between avoiding known dangers and “freaking out.” Just as there is a vast difference between prudent risk assessment and Pollyannish refusal to acknowledge potential dangers.

[Anonymous]

https://people.com/tx-college-student-with-peanut-allergy-died-after-restaurant-changed-its-recipe-8751893

https://www.nationalfoodallergydeathregistry.org/rachel-cole

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/stew-leonards-peanut-cookies-death/story?id=106679296

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do not want to carry EpiPen around? Do the OIT. Seriously, it's one of the reasons we did. The main reason was we hated using the EpiPen on our kid (at least twice).

For what it's worth you are still supposed to carry around the epi-pen and the OIT does not mean they can just freely eat peanuts. It makes them "bite proof" and it's supposed to deal with accidental trace exposure. The allergist will tell you that. We did OIT.

Not for our case. My daughter passed the peanut food challenge (8 grams) after completing the OIT. I don't remember about whether to continue carrying the EpiPen, but she was told by the allergist to freely eat peanut. She's been on maintenance dose ever since.

Before OIT, she went to the ER twice due to anaphylaxis.

\

Wow, that's great! Does she eat peanuts then (PBJs etc)? I didn't realize OIT could lead to being able to freely eat it.

I am not this poster but the poster previously whose kid did OIT but wouldn't keep up with maintenance. Our allergist gave the option to keep updosing to very large amounts of peanut so the person could basically freely eat peanuts. But you have to keep going with OIT longer and your kid has to obviously like peanuts and the maintenance dose is higher. That was my experience at least. The dose my daughter got to was one peanut a day and we were told to keep carrying an epi-pen. Great that it worked out for this kid and family!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

What is the peanut-contaminated item? If the "peanut-contaminated" item is a trashcan where someone might have thrown out the remnant of their peanut butter sandwich, seems kind of anxiety driven. If it's a plate smeared with peanut butter and it's a young child who doesn't have a lot of awareness yet, makes more sense.

People can be very bad at risk assessment. I guarantee your kid does a bunch of things daily that are a lot more risky than being around a trash can with a peanut butter sandwich in it.

I don’t think it is “anxiety driven” for a person with a life threaten allergy to want to avoid accidentally getting contaminated and then transferring the contamination to where they might ingest it. Because people touch their mouths, etc., and don’t always surgery-scrub beforehand. That other life risks exist is irrelevant. One avoids what one reasonably can. What would be your view if the concern was a chemical that might find its way somewhere, as in the case where somebody carelessly threw a rag soaked with turpentine or anotherindustrial solvent into a trash can?

I agree with this. The part I don't agree with is the assessment that someone throwing their peanut butter sandwich in a trash can could somehow transfer to you (or your kid) and you might ingest it. To give the benefit of the doubt, you are envisioning a world where the peanut butter is dragged down the inside of the trashcan and then you (or your kid) subsequently touch or hold onto that same side of the trashcan. That's the scenario? I'm just not operating in that head space that I think that is happening.

I can't really respond to equating a peanut butter sandwich to a turpentine soaked rag.

The peanut butter actually is more dangerous to an allergic person. But getting that across is, as the discussion here demonstrates, extremely difficult. People seem incapable of comprehending that their tasty treat could kill someone. And peanut butter is like baby poop — once it’s on one thing it’s everywhere.

I'm not sure if you are the same poster above who seems super anxious, but can you give some more context as to where your views are coming from? Did you know someone who died from a peanut allergy? Does your kid get a reaction from just being in the same room as someone with peanuts or other allergen? I understand being careful and putting the right protocols in place, but a peanut allergy isn't exactly a death sentence. Sure, kids unexpectedly get severe allergic reactions but I'm sure it's not that common (especially death). There's a difference between being careful and freaking out about it. Do you also not like to drive on highways in case you get killed in a car accident?

I dont think you understand the magnitude of your dismissal. Ill link a pdf here with bulletpoints https://www.foodallergy.org/sites/default/files/2024-07/FARE%20Food%20Allergy%20Facts%20and%20Statistics_April2024.pdf

With that said, its not rare to die from an allergy now that we have epis, however, you can die even if provide an epi or two or even three or four. There's actually new knowledge about allergy "buckets" which shows that heat, stress, exercise, environmental exposures, etc. can increase the likelihood of an anaphylactic event in a person with allergies who hasnt experienced anaphylaxis prior or in some cases, where 1 epi works but now requires 2 or 3 because of the allergy bucket being overfilled.

Youre being very blase about an extremely stressful situation that parents have to navigate. Its super alarming and reinforces that I cant trust people because "like who dies from eating peanuts" stupidity. :roll:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://people.com/tx-college-student-with-peanut-allergy-died-after-restaurant-changed-its-recipe-8751893

https://www.nationalfoodallergydeathregistry.org/rachel-cole

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/stew-leonards-peanut-cookies-death/story?id=106679296

Yes. Stories about people eating peanuts. I don't think anyone is debating it's bad to eat peanuts if you are allergic. (Is anyone?)