Allergies at WDW??

[jimmytammy]

Hey folks
My DW has developed a food allergy. She gets red and tingly from shoulders up to tip of her head, has to make frequent stops in bath and her limbs get shaky. At times she gets short of breath but we think that could be attributed to the sudden anxiety, but not sure. It has merited at least one ER visit so far. She has been to holistic allergy specialist but we are prepared realizing these things can take time.

So, with 2 trips to WDW on the horizon and not knowing what the allergy is, how do we ask the chefs to prepare her food?

 

[SanderMC]

I don't mean to sound snarky, but what do you expect them to do if you don't know what your wife is allergic to? My personal opinion is the most prudent thing for your wife to do is to have allergy testing. Then you will be walking into the situation armed with information and the chefs will then be able to help.

 

[rwdavis2]

I don't mean to sound snarky, but what do you expect them to do if you don't know what your wife is allergic to? My personal opinion is the most prudent thing for your wife to do is to have allergy testing. Then you will be walking into the situation armed with information and the chefs will then be able to help.

Exactly, go to a medical doctor who is an allergist and get tested. They should be able to pinpoint exactly what the problem is. If you don't know what causes the symptoms what can WDW do?

 

[cgh]

Yes. Go get tested. She can also keep a food diary. My son has severe food allergies. (ie. passes out and turns blue in 10 minutes) It can be a sensitivity or intolerance also. A food diary is the key.

 

[Allison]

I don't think there is anything you can ask them to do if you don't know what the allergy is as they would have no clue what direction to go and wouldn't want to risk giving her the wrong thing.

 

[space_monkey]

I agree with the food diary option if you are unable to get tested by an allergist. Getting tested is probably the best option as the Allergist will likely put a grid on your back and perform a skin test by placing an allergen in contact and monitoring that site for a reaction. That type of test is the fastest but there are also blood tests and food challenges if needed. It will also let you prepare for reactions by getting an epi-pen prescription if needed in addition to carrying Benadryl.
Not all of my son's allergies were diagnosed at once but we were aware of his reactions and were able to monitor for it and pay attention to what he ate to then follow up with the doctor. For example, we knew my son had dairy and nut allergies but one day he had a severe reaction to something dairy and nut free. He was eating Tahini for snack and he swelled up and exhibited other symptoms such as rashes and a scratchy throat. We took him in and told the doctor what he reacted to and he was tested for sesame which came back positive.
Also there are certain numbers associated with allergies and they can be high or low. My son's numbers for dairy and peanut were very high so we have not done any food challenge for those but his almond numbers were low so we performed a food challenge in the doctors office and he passed for almonds. We still treat him as allergic to tree nuts in general but if it came down to it that almond was the only ingredient, we would now know it's ok for him.
This will be our first trip to Disney with my son and since he has known allergies, when I booked dining, I was able to mark Dairy, Peanut, Tree Nut and Other under the special requests section and then I called in to have Sesame specified as what the allergy under Other is referencing. This will ensure that they are aware in advance as to the types of allergies my son has but we will still ask to speak to the chef personally when we arrive.
I'll know more from experience in November but everything I read is that they are very accommodating to food allergies. It is important to us that not only he be able to eat something but that he'd be able to have choices. We rarely travel because we would have to prep his food somehow with no guarantee we'd find someplace to prepare foods safe from his allergens either as an ingredient or through cross-contamination. The few times we have traveled, it's been typical that whenever we mention my son's food allergies, the servers just assume we mean Gluten-free and we have to explain in detail my son's allergies. In the end, maybe he'll be able to have pasta and sauce or maybe grilled chicken so the prospect of chicken nuggets and fries and other options at Disney will make him very happy.

I've done a lot of research on Disney and food allergies and I still don't know everything and will probably need to look at ingredient books everywhere we stop. We are looking forward to this trip and hoping it will go smoothly with no reaction but the most important starting point for us is that we know what he is allergic to now and can take the appropriate precautions.

Good luck.

 

[KrazeeK120]

Agree with the above. A doctor can perform allergy testing and you'll get the results quickly (within a few days at most).

Disney is great with allergies, but they have to know what the allergy is in order to help.

 

[KrazeeK120]

I agree with the food diary option if you are unable to get tested by an allergist. Getting tested is probably the best option as the Allergist will likely put a grid on your back and perform a skin test by placing an allergen in contact and monitoring that site for a reaction. That type of test is the fastest but there are also blood tests and food challenges if needed. It will also let you prepare for reactions by getting an epi-pen prescription if needed in addition to carrying Benadryl.
Not all of my son's allergies were diagnosed at once but we were aware of his reactions and were able to monitor for it and pay attention to what he ate to then follow up with the doctor. For example, we knew my son had dairy and nut allergies but one day he had a severe reaction to something dairy and nut free. He was eating Tahini for snack and he swelled up and exhibited other symptoms such as rashes and a scratchy throat. We took him in and told the doctor what he reacted to and he was tested for sesame which came back positive.
Also there are certain numbers associated with allergies and they can be high or low. My son's numbers for dairy and peanut were very high so we have not done any food challenge for those but his almond numbers were low so we performed a food challenge in the doctors office and he passed for almonds. We still treat him as allergic to tree nuts in general but if it came down to it that almond was the only ingredient, we would now know it's ok for him.
This will be our first trip to Disney with my son and since he has known allergies, when I booked dining, I was able to mark Dairy, Peanut, Tree Nut and Other under the special requests section and then I called in to have Sesame specified as what the allergy under Other is referencing. This will ensure that they are aware in advance as to the types of allergies my son has but we will still ask to speak to the chef personally when we arrive.
I'll know more from experience in November but everything I read is that they are very accommodating to food allergies. It is important to us that not only he be able to eat something but that he'd be able to have choices. We rarely travel because we would have to prep his food somehow with no guarantee we'd find someplace to prepare foods safe from his allergens either as an ingredient or through cross-contamination. The few times we have traveled, it's been typical that whenever we mention my son's food allergies, the servers just assume we mean Gluten-free and we have to explain in detail my son's allergies. In the end, maybe he'll be able to have pasta and sauce or maybe grilled chicken so the prospect of chicken nuggets and fries and other options at Disney will make him very happy.

I've done a lot of research on Disney and food allergies and I still don't know everything and will probably need to look at ingredient books everywhere we stop. We are looking forward to this trip and hoping it will go smoothly with no reaction but the most important starting point for us is that we know what he is allergic to now and can take the appropriate precautions.

Good luck.

Just wanted to let you know that my brother and his family did a day at the MK over the summer while visiting my SIL's family in FL. My niece has severe allergies to milk & sesame. She can't even touch it or she breaks out. I don't know the exact procedures, but they had a very successful day of dining. I know they had dinner at LTT and there, they brought out a special plate of food for her (and my SIL as she was breastfeeding at the time). My SIL still raves about the service they got and says she wishes every place was like Disney. My niece had no problems there.

Just wanted to share an encouraging story. Good luck!

 

[jimmytammy]

She is trying to get into an allergy specialist, and its a slow process around here. She has been doing a food diary for a couple mos now. For awhile we have been thinking its soy but not sure since she is ok with soy sauce, but soy oil may be a culpritMakes no sense though. Believe me, she has been trying to figure it out and trying to get into a dr. but so far, the holistic dr. has been the only one seeing her quickly. She avoids nuts, peanut oil, soybean oil, etc. Look, as much as anything, would continue loving feedback from anyone wha has ideas, not just on who to approach WDW dining, but if anyone deals with these kinds of things, your feedback is much appreciated.

 

[VAfamily1998]

Figure out what foods she IS ok with, that she has at home with no issues, and then bring them with you. Eat all meals in your room. If you have no idea what is causing the reactions, you have no way of knowing if even foods that are "safe" at home, have been in contact with the allergy-causing foods in a Disney kitchen, causing cross-contamination.

 

[squeezle]

She gets red and tingly from shoulders up to tip of her head, has to make frequent stops in bath and her limbs get shaky.

For awhile we have been thinking its soy but not sure since she is ok with soy sauce, but soy oil may be a culpritMakes no sense though. Believe me, she has been trying to figure it out and trying to get into a dr. but so far, the holistic dr. has been the only one seeing her quickly. She avoids nuts, peanut oil, soybean oil, etc.

Have you considered artificial sweeteners and MSG? I (and other members of my family) have all sorts of odd symptoms from foods containing added MSG and/or artificial sweeteners. Might be something to track in her diary. Just a thought.

 

[Bob Dolewhip]

Disney is very accommodating when it comes to special diets and food requests. When you do find out what the issue is they will most likely be able to serve a meal that will meet her requirements.
During our Disney travels there was only one restaurant in all of WDW that my allergic / special diet/ maybe special snowflake too family couldn't eat at.
Everywhere else was fantastic.
Side note: it may not be a food allergy... my allergist has been helping me with an issue I had attributed to a food allergy, but it turns out that it is something totally different.

 

[jimmytammy]

Have you considered artificial sweeteners and MSG? I (and other members of my family) have all sorts of odd symptoms from foods containing added MSG and/or artificial sweeteners. Might be something to track in her diary. Just a thought.

Never thought about that. Thanks for the input! She doesn't use artificial sweeteners but MSG is a strong possibility. The last big issue she had we ate a local Tex Mex place and that was the night we ended up in the ER