Food allergy cards?

[Leota]

I was thinking about having some business cards made up with my food allergies on one side & what I can eat on the other. I have never bothered with it when it was 5 things to worry about, but know that we have identified fodmaps as an issue, it has become so much more complex. And I have had several times where the Chef or Mgr. didn't write down my allergies & they had to ask repeatedly.

I thought maybe having a card I could give them as reference would be helpful..... At first I thought it would be over the top, but the more I think about it, the more I think if it were me in the kitchen, a written tool that I didn't have to take time to write up would be good.

What do you think? Has anyone done something like that for an adult? I have read about people doing it for their children. Since we are local half the year, we eat at WDW alot. It just seems like this would streamline the process given that there are so many things I can't eat. If it's confusing to me, who lives with it every day, it seems like it would be awfully confusing for someone who is dealing with my issues just one time & has had who knows how many different sets of allergies thruout the day to deal with.......

 

[PinkBudgie]

The FARE site has chef cards you can fill in and print out.
http://www.foodallergy.org/managing-food-allergies/dining-out
Click on "download a chef card".
I made some but haven't used it as I only have two foods. If yours is more complicated, sounds like a good idea to me!

 

[spacecanada]

We use the FARE chef cards as well, printed on bright coloured paper and laminated. We give them to servers and chefs at restaurants every time we go out and they help to reinforce the serious nature of food allergies. I also include alternate names for certain allergens, like filberts/hazelnuts and pignoli/pine nuts on the list, just in case ingredients don't have plain language food labels.

 

[clanmcculloch]

My family has 3 people each with long lists of allergies. I print out cards with our lists. I don't have some kind of template. I just used an excel spreadsheet with the left column being our names and the right column being our allergies. I copy those 6 cells of our spreadsheet enough times to fill a page and just print. I laminate a couple to keep in my purse and I keep a bunch just on the regular paper. The regular paper ones I give to chefs to keep so they can bring it into the kitchen and not have to worry about giving it back to me or getting it dirty.

Here's what they look like (I normally have our names on them but changed them for the purpose of showing you our cards).

 

[Leota]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the link & the example. I really like the excel one & can whip that off quickly. It'll be way cheaper than the business cards I spent an hour designing last night.

I like the FARE one for Non-Disney places where they really need that kind of step by step instruction.

Oh & today the plot thickened.... after my 3rd attack today, the GI told me the gall bladder has to go & quick. So now it's going to be low-fat on top of allergies, intolerances, & malabsorbtion....

I wish someone would have some idea why my guts stopped working on 4/8/11....

 

[PinkBudgie]

Oh no! So sorry to hear that. My food allergies are life threatening, stressful and annoying, but I'm thankful that there are lots of different things I can eat once I determine they are safe. You take care!

I like the idea of using the card to explain what items exactly. For example when I say no fish, I usually get the reply that there is no fish. But when I ask further it may turn out to have Worcestershire sauce which has anchovies. So I always have to list the common ingredient examples I can't have. Now that I think about it, a card would be good for that.

 

[Leota]

No, I'm lucky that my only allergy is peanut & so far, I have not progressed into anaphylactic shock reactions yet. Each exposure is worse tho & my Dr. says eventually, I'll probably need the pen... What never fails to amaze me is ho I react just walking into a room where someone has just eaten peanuts/peanut butter, I'll be 10 feet away & it sets me off. I didn't develop that allergy until about 8 years ago.

Did your allergies come on suddenly or have you had to deal with that since you were a kid? Mine all came on suddenly, after age 40.....

My other food issues are intolerances & malabsorbtion. Not life threatening, just horrible to go thru..... and an exposure can set off a flare that last weeks of not being able to eat & lots of gross body malfunctions.

** Meant to add, with life threatening reactions, I would definitely have a card or something. That is way too scary.

 

[disfan07]

No, I'm lucky that my only allergy is peanut & so far, I have not progressed into anaphylactic shock reactions yet. Each exposure is worse tho & my Dr. says eventually, I'll probably need the pen... What never fails to amaze me is ho I react just walking into a room where someone has just eaten peanuts/peanut butter, I'll be 10 feet away & it sets me off. I didn't develop that allergy until about 8 years ago.

Did your allergies come on suddenly or have you had to deal with that since you were a kid? Mine all came on suddenly, after age 40.....

My other food issues are intolerances & malabsorbtion. Not life threatening, just horrible to go thru..... and an exposure can set off a flare that last weeks of not being able to eat & lots of gross body malfunctions.

** Meant to add, with life threatening reactions, I would definitely have a card or something. That is way too scary.

I usually type up cards in excel because I have about 16 food allergies, 4 of which are known anaphylaxis so CC is a huge problem. The chefs were very grateful for the lists so they could always be sure they had the right allergies.

I know you didn't ask me, but your situation sounds very similar to mine. I developed most of my allergies between ages of 19 and 23. When I was a kid, I was only mildly allergic to peanuts.

I also have major GI problems including malabsorption.

I also had my gallbladder out this past summer.

Do you already have an epi pen? If not, you should definitely get one from your doctor to have just in case.

 

[CarrieR]

I've handwritten index cards. I have a couple of allergies, my bestie has a list, and we sometimes travel with a third friend who has her own list. Not every chef cares, but for 2/3-3/4, it does seem to streamline the process a bit.

ETA: often, the chefs write on them and/or don't return them, so take extra copies.

 

[PinkBudgie]

No, I'm lucky that my only allergy is peanut & so far, I have not progressed into anaphylactic shock reactions yet. Each exposure is worse tho & my Dr. says eventually, I'll probably need the pen... What never fails to amaze me is ho I react just walking into a room where someone has just eaten peanuts/peanut butter, I'll be 10 feet away & it sets me off. I didn't develop that allergy until about 8 years ago.

Did your allergies come on suddenly or have you had to deal with that since you were a kid? Mine all came on suddenly, after age 40.....

My other food issues are intolerances & malabsorbtion. Not life threatening, just horrible to go thru..... and an exposure can set off a flare that last weeks of not being able to eat & lots of gross body malfunctions.

** Meant to add, with life threatening reactions, I would definitely have a card or something. That is way too scary.

Mine came on suddenly last August at age 45. I have not found anyone who also had this suddenly. I'm new to all of this and still learning. Most of what I read online is about children with allergies. I just try to take what applies to me. However, I would much rather have this instead of kids. I can be around people eating fish- at least tuna or Caesar salad. I haven't been around cooking fish yet, so I don't know. The tiniest little crumb will cause a reaction in about 2 minutes which includes my throat swelling up. So far I've been able to stop it with Benadryl but if I accidentally ate a larger amount like a full bite it would probably be worse. But like I said, I'm thankful for what I can eat- including nuts, which I love.

 

[spacecanada]

The tiniest little crumb will cause a reaction in about 2 minutes which includes my throat swelling up. So far I've been able to stop it with Benadryl but if I accidentally ate a larger amount like a full bite it would probably be worse.

This symptom alone is a requirement to use an EpiPen or other epinephrine auto-injector! If you don't have one already, please get two and keep them with you always. (The new AuviQ/Allerject injectors are smaller than smartphones and will fit in your pocket!) It is better to have one and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Benadryl cannot and will not stop an allergic reaction (from food) from progressing. Benadryl is for occasional hives and runny noses. If your throat swelling stopped after taking Benadryl it's pure coincidence. (Some allergic reactions will resolve on their own, after a few minutes or sometimes hours. There's no way to predict how severe a reaction will become and how long it will last.) Epinephrine is the only effective treatment for allergic reactions involving the airways and/or cardiovascular system and must be followed by a trip to the ER, preferably by ambulance, as symptoms can return.

Check out these links:
http://the-clarkes.org/stuff/ana.html
http://www.foodallergy.org/document.doc?id=234
http://www.allergicliving.com

Please take care of yourself and your allergies.

 

[mistysue]

Mine came on suddenly last August at age 45. I have not found anyone who also had this suddenly. I'm new to all of this and still learning. Most of what I read online is about children with allergies. I just try to take what applies to me. However, I would much rather have this instead of kids. I can be around people eating fish- at least tuna or Caesar salad. I haven't been around cooking fish yet, so I don't know. The tiniest little crumb will cause a reaction in about 2 minutes which includes my throat swelling up. So far I've been able to stop it with Benadryl but if I accidentally ate a larger amount like a full bite it would probably be worse. But like I said, I'm thankful for what I can eat- including nuts, which I love.

I think as you talk to more people, it might be more common than you think. I met a woman last fall who had suddenly a few weeks before become allergic to citrus. (the type of allergen I am so glad not to deal with!) I grew up taking boat vacations, surrounded by seafood and in the last few years some sort of shellfish makes my blood pressure plummet. I haven't narrowed down what it is and I'm avoiding all of it rather than test that out.
I also go to a scrapbook retreat with a woman who a few years ago suddenly became allergic to dozens of foods in a short time. Hers include things like black pepper, I would be afraid to leave my house in that situation!

I also want to be sure everyone things about having an epi-pen around. Even if you never expect to use it, it is better to have it unused than to need it and not have it. Plus they seem to always have some sort of discount card that your doctor can get you where it pays a portion of the cost or of your co-pay. We got our last set of 4 Auvi-Q's for free. I love how little they are, and they talk you through using them with a recording that activates when you take the cover off. This would be great if you are panicking or worse yet, unconscious and somebody else has to figure it out.

 

[PinkBudgie]

This symptom alone is a requirement to use an EpiPen or other epinephrine auto-injector! If you don't have one already, please get two and keep them with you always. (The new AuviQ/Allerject injectors are smaller than smartphones and will fit in your pocket!) It is better to have one and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Benadryl cannot and will not stop an allergic reaction (from food) from progressing. Benadryl is for occasional hives and runny noses. If your throat swelling stopped after taking Benadryl it's pure coincidence. (Some allergic reactions will resolve on their own, after a few minutes or sometimes hours. There's no way to predict how severe a reaction will become and how long it will last.) Epinephrine is the only effective treatment for allergic reactions involving the airways and/or cardiovascular system and must be followed by a trip to the ER, preferably by ambulance, as symptoms can return.

Check out these links:
http://the-clarkes.org/stuff/ana.html
http://www.foodallergy.org/document.doc?id=234
http://www.allergicliving.com

Please take care of yourself and your allergies.

Thank you. According the chart, I must be somewhere around 3 or 4. The first time was the worst because I didn't know I was allergic. And I had no epi pen. And I didn't even know I was eating fish anyway. I do carry two epi pens with me in my purse at all times.
I have run across the Allergic Living mag and that had the only articles I could find that pertained to adults. So much of what I find online has to do with children at school.

I think as you talk to more people, it might be more common than you think. I met a woman last fall who had suddenly a few weeks before become allergic to citrus. (the type of allergen I am so glad not to deal with!) I grew up taking boat vacations, surrounded by seafood and in the last few years some sort of shellfish makes my blood pressure plummet. I haven't narrowed down what it is and I'm avoiding all of it rather than test that out.
I also go to a scrapbook retreat with a woman who a few years ago suddenly became allergic to dozens of foods in a short time. Hers include things like black pepper, I would be afraid to leave my house in that situation!

I also want to be sure everyone things about having an epi-pen around. Even if you never expect to use it, it is better to have it unused than to need it and not have it. Plus they seem to always have some sort of discount card that your doctor can get you where it pays a portion of the cost or of your co-pay. We got our last set of 4 Auvi-Q's for free. I love how little they are, and they talk you through using them with a recording that activates when you take the cover off. This would be great if you are panicking or worse yet, unconscious and somebody else has to figure it out.

Yikes, black pepper! I put that on everything! I actually don't even know for certain if I'm allergic to shell fish but I avoid it also because I'm afraid to go for another food challenge. And I don't know for sure if it is every type of fish, but I'm not trying anymore of that either. My blood tests said I had no allergies whatsoever to fish or anything. So I can't go by that.

 

[Leota]

Yikes on the Black Pepper! It's one of the ones I can almost always tolerate. If all else fails, S, P & EVOO I just lost onions & garlic to malabsorbtion.... they are everywhere too.

I think I should probably talk to the Dr. about the epi pen. Esp given the fact that I am often in the Parks eating alone and the ever evolving puzzle that is my body ..... It's probably just dumb luck that I haven't had a bad x-contam along the line.

 

[Leota]

I usually type up cards in excel because I have about 16 food allergies, 4 of which are known anaphylaxis so CC is a huge problem. The chefs were very grateful for the lists so they could always be sure they had the right allergies.

I know you didn't ask me, but your situation sounds very similar to mine. I developed most of my allergies between ages of 19 and 23. When I was a kid, I was only mildly allergic to peanuts.

I also have major GI problems including malabsorption.

I also had my gallbladder out this past summer.

Do you already have an epi pen? If not, you should definitely get one from your doctor to have just in case.

I'm starting to see that there are too many of us out there.... Do you have a DX? Does anyone know why this happened to you? Did your food issues get better or worse after the GB removal?

I'm hoping to someday eat again, I lost about 30 pounds within 6 months & have never been able to gain it back. With ALOT of medication & alternative therapies, I put back on a whopping 5 pounds in almost 3 years. I was on the thin side already, so now I'm rather skeletal. If they get worse, I have no idea what I'll do, or eat!