Bringing sandwiches onto plane a no-no?

[ducklite]

I don't want to stir trouble, but am curious. When did people start getting peanut allergies? I know when I was in school every third kid (at least) ate PB&J every day. And no telling how many peanut snacks were packed in the other two-thirds. I had never even heard of peanut allergies until my DD was born. Why is it so common now?

I ate peanuts a LOT for 44 years, until one day I got hives after eating them. I've been tree nut allergic my entire life, and was told I shouldn't eat peanuts, well, I didn't listen until I actually ended up covered in hives.

My allergies--both food and environmental--have been confirmed by serum testing done this past March after a related illness almost killed me.

Anne

 

[gigi1313]

Any allergy at the 1% incidence level (which is where peanut allergies are) is not "common."

It just seems so because the small universe of parents with affected children can be -- understandably -- quite vociferious about the risks it presents, and the fact it -- unlike many other allergies --- often forces blanket bans in public facilities like schools. That and the "passion" of the families affected draw an almost inordinate amount of attention to what is by any objective standard a niche allergy - and one which in many cases is not objectively diagnosed by a licensed physcian: our pediatrician has mentioned to us how often he deals with parents who state their child has a peanut allergy, but subsequently admit they have never had a controlled blood test done -- which is the only way to confirm the allergy exists (by vrtue of the presence of specific levels of antibodies).

may i ask where the 1% statistic came from? in my son's class of 22 students, there were 4 w/peanut or tree nut allergies... real, confirmed, epi-pen carrying allergies... not sensitivities...

we've had the whole battery of allergy testing done once he suffered the near-fatal reaction... he has other "sensitivities" but only a peanut/tree nut ALLERGY

 

[Mrsduck101]

We usually pack sandwiches (like turkey & cheese) in a cooler bag with an ice-pack, but I don't think the ice-pack will be allowed because it's filled with a gel substance (like blue ice). So, I'm concerned about packing lunchmeat like turkey and having it go bad because I plan to carry it for several hours before eating it. Any comments on the ice-pack?

I've seen small cooler bags that you freeze the bag itself, no gel pack needed, and it stays just as cool if not cooler than using a gel pack.

If you go to the buybuybaby website and look for the babyage cooler bag you can see one. I'm thinking maybe sporting goods stores would have something like it?

 

[NotUrsula]

The "freeze the bag" bags contain the gel, it is layered into the fabric. I don't know if TSA would catch onto that at this point, but just so you know.

One other packable to think twice about is a salad; the dressing packet will not be allowed. I understand that a whole lot of FA's got caught initially by this one last week, as FA's are a big market for salads. (Now that they have tweaked the liquids rule, FA's can still bring salads, but the rest of us cannot unless they are pre-tossed.)

My personal theory on the incidence of peanut allergies (TOTALLY a guess based on what may well be coincidence) is that the incidence started going up around the same time that good prenatal and neonatal medicine started getting widely available. My theory is that there are just more kids out there with kind of wonky immune systems who in the old days might never have made it past toddlerhood.

The thing about nut allergies that makes them an issue, even though they are rare, is that peanuts are a common snack food, and people carry them around and eat them in all kinds of places. Most other equally deadly food allergens are things that are much more easily avoided, unless you live in someplace like Maine and have to dodge people packing lobster rolls. (BTW, I have heard the announcement, and every time I have heard it, it has been on the MCO route.)

 

[bicker]

may i ask where the 1% statistic came from? in my son's class of 22 students, there were 4 w/peanut or tree nut allergies... real, confirmed, epi-pen carrying allergies... not sensitivities...

The Mayo Clinic indicates that there are 1.5 million people in the United States who are affected by peanut allergies. That's actually 0.5%, not 1%.

 

[beachblanket]

may i ask where the 1% statistic came from? in my son's class of 22 students, there were 4 w/peanut or tree nut allergies... real, confirmed, epi-pen carrying allergies... not sensitivities...

Per the below sources, your son's class is way, way off the chart. Actual incidence of confirmed peanut allergies among children is below 1%.

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/artic/allergy_statistics_niaid.htm

http://www.allerg.qc.ca/peanutallergy.htm#prev
Quote from survey conducted by above site:

"Peanut or TN allergy was self-reported in 164 individuals (1.4%). . . the prevalence of reported allergy in adults (1.6%) was higher than that found in children under 18 years of age (0.6%)."

Whatever the exact number (which per the prior Mayo reference and these sources is clearly in the 1% or less range overall), a 23% incidence in a particular class of children is abnormal and cannot be taken as representative of the general prevelance of this allergy.

 

[molly2004]

Ditto here - no announcement, 68,000 miles year to date.

Also never heard the 'we have an animal in the cabin, so if you have pet allergies be advised.' They don't make that announcement either, FYI.

I"ve never heard the peanut announcement, but I have heard about the animal in the cabin. It was a few years ago, from BOS to San Fran (I believe). I don't recall.

 

[bicker]

And of course, self-reported numbers are a bit off the chart as compared to validated cases of the allergies.

 

[beachblanket]

And of course, self-reported numbers are a bit off the chart as compared to validated cases of the allergies.

Bingo, and was the basic point our pediatrcian was making (if I had a nickel for everyone I've ever encountered who claimed they were "allergic" to cats -- but had no professional diagnosis to prove it -- I could have retired years ago!)

 

[gigi1313]

thanks for the info/sources on peanut allergies, all...

oh, and i'm one that "claims" to be allergic to dogs and cats... i'm psychologically allergic as i don't want one of either to clean up after

 

[ducklite]

Bingo, and was the basic point our pediatrcian was making (if I had a nickel for everyone I've ever encountered who claimed they were "allergic" to cats -- but had no professional diagnosis to prove it -- I could have retired years ago!)

Fortunately I'm not allergic to pet fur, only featers, and my titers show fairly low with them--as long as I'm not sleeping on a feather pillow or with a down comforter I seem OK except around ducks who are molting heavily.

Anne

 

[gigi1313]

i read deeper into the pages at the mayo clinic site on peanut allergies and found this statistic... so, while it may only effect 0.5% of the entire population, the numbers are higher for children...

<<Peanut allergy affects 1 percent to 2 percent of young children and is the most common cause of anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction.>>

 

[HappyCamperToo]

Jelly pre-spread on bread is ok, but not if it's in a packet???

I wonder if people will start making Crest or Colgate sandwiches?

 

[SuzanneSLO]

I hate to interrupt the OT portion of this thread, but someone on another board stated that they were announcing at MCO that bagels with cream cheese were prohibited. Another person posted that he was also prohibited from bringing jelly donuts through security. By that logic, p-nut butter and jelly sandwiches may also be prohibited, as could sandwiches with mayonnaise, mustard or ketchup.

-- Suzanne

 

[canwegosoon]

may i ask where the 1% statistic came from? in my son's class of 22 students, there were 4 w/peanut or tree nut allergies... real, confirmed, epi-pen carrying allergies... not sensitivities...

we've had the whole battery of allergy testing done once he suffered the near-fatal reaction... he has other "sensitivities" but only a peanut/tree nut ALLERGY

ITA ...my friends class this past year had 16 students 7 of which had peanut allergies...also WAY ove the national average. Seems to be a real epidemic...which is bad for the true sufferers. People claiming that their children have nut allergies(and they are out there) are going to do a lot of harm for the ones that truly do have a life-threatening allergy. I know several mothers that tried to get epipens for their kids without a true allergy(the Dr's. would not do it!). I truly hope they finish that vaccine that was to help the peanut allergy sufferers. I think it will be so helpful. Sorry to go so far OT!!!

 

[ducklite]

I know several mothers that tried to get epipens for their kids without a true allergy

What on earth for? That's mad crazy!!!

Anne

 

[seashoreCM]

Ice packs when thawed will be either liquid or gel, both of which would be disallowed. But if fully frozen solid they would be OK to bring on board.

If you make your own ice packs from plain water in a plastic bag, should they be partially melted and rejected by security, it is no great loss to discard them.

Gel filled cold packs will thaw revealing soft consistency just as rapidly as plain water ice packs.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[bavaria]

But if fully frozen solid they would be OK to bring on board.

Actually, on flyertalk.com there are reports that this too was not allowed through security. The traveller did point out that it was a solid but was denied.

 

[beachblanket]

i read deeper into the pages at the mayo clinic site on peanut allergies and found this statistic... so, while it may only effect 0.5% of the entire population, the numbers are higher for children...

<<Peanut allergy affects 1 percent to 2 percent of young children and is the most common cause of anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction.>>

More conflicting statitsics - the NIH website says incidence level among children under 18 is only about .6%. Again, whether the actual figure is .5% or 2% is irrelevant, any allergy within that range of incidence is not common. I'm not trying to diminish the risk to those who have it, but to emphasize that those who are mentioning 20% or 50% incidence in some population they're familiar with (like a school class) are sharing extreme, unrepresentative examples. Or put another way, this allergy is not the raging epidemic it's sometime made out to be.

Also, like many allergies it is not always permanent. Talk to any dermatologist, and they in particular will tell you that people can both develop allergies at any age which they did not previously have, and also lose them during or after childhood. Again, the exact statistics vary, but some sources I've read suggest something in the range of 20% of children diagnosed with peanut allergies eventually lose them.

 

[PattnFmly]

Well I for one, would just wish that all airlines would announce the peanut allergy thing before starting the boarding process. (I see some airlines did.) On our flight to Orlando last year, they did not announce the peanut allergy thing until we were all boarded and taxi-ing out to the runway. I had two extremely whiny, grumpy, starving little boys when we arrived in Orlando. Of course, being little kids they live on PBJ as does their father, and that is what I brought. As a treat, they were each allowed to pick a candy bar from the store before we left and of course, their favorites are peanut M&M's and Snickers. All they could have was the water I brought on board to go with their lunch. Boy was it a hard, long flight with them! I was pulling out my hair by the time we arrived! Of course, this year, I'm trying to plan on no peanuts just in case the same thing happens, and now I'm constricted by all these regulations! I suppose I could just bring them plain bread, but no water - I'll probably end up with starving, grumpy kids again!