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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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.

[b]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.[/b]

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.

[/quote]

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.

[b]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. [/b]

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.[/quote]

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.”[/quote]

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.[/quote]

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. [/quote]

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.[/quote]

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. [/quote]

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. [/quote]

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. [/quote]

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.[/quote]

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