Peanut allergies

[Mandychelle79]

Again, there are alternatives to all of those things that could be served. And lets remember we aren't talking about just an allergy, we are talking about a life threatening allergy that can cause anaphylaxis by exposure to skin or by inhalation. What are the stats on those allergies mention compared to peanut allergies? How many students in the school have LTFA that way to milk, wheat, fish, etc. How many to peanuts. There is a "reasonable" way to come to the decision to ban any type of food, it doesn't have to just be a knee jerk reaction.




I don't think comparing a restaurant and comparing a school cafeteria or classroom is vaild. My child has to be in school 5 days a week, they don't need to go to Panera.

It is possible for a child to be allergic to just about any food, but a short list of foods accounts for the vast majority of allergies. The most common food allergies in children, and the percent of children who have them, are:

Milk (2.5%)
Eggs (1.5%)
Peanuts (1.4%)
Tree nuts (1.1%)
Wheat (0.4%),
Soy (0.4%)
Fish (0.1%)
Shellfish (0.1%)
Sesame (0.1%

So more kids are allergic to milk then peanuts. And anyone with a food allergy knows that it can be life threatening at any time.

 

[Christine]

And Ice cream is messy and sticky and people can react to touching it too. So little kids ( and Ive had my kids be ear to ear ice cream when eating it) eating ice cream would pose the same risk to someone who is allergic to milk as someone eating pb would be to allergic to it.

And I have came inside with a bee on my shirt so it could happen that one sneaks in with the class.

Actually, despite your attempts to make this the same seriousness, it's not. And yes, my son went to a daycare will a little girl died from a milk allergy. A preschooler knocked over his carton of milk and it went ALL OVER the girl--from chest, to lap, and she died.

There is documentation, you can find it online, that the the allergen, specifically in peanut butter does not go away with a simple wipe up. It requires a strong cleaner to break down the residue and remove it from a hand or a desktop. Milk, ice cream, etc, can be removed with a wet paper towel--no cleaner necessary.

I believe you've come in with a bee on shirt. I've had one fly into my home. How does that compare even to several young children getting peanut butter on their hands? It is really not the same.

As rare as an accidental contact peanut reaction still is, what you speak of is extremely, extremely rare.

 

[disneyshakeygirl]

My point is, realistically, if someone is THAT allergic there is no way they function society.

How do you avoid peanut residue amongst the general population? How do you avoid peanut residue in the super market, at the playground, in Disney World? You have no idea what the 10 million people that were there before you touched, or ate, or carried with them.

...and the reason that it is unenforceable is this. You can search every kid's lunch and snack and remove peanut products. You can ASK that people not serve peanut products at home, but there is no way to enforce that they actually comply. If a child is THAT allergic that she will have a deadly reaction from just contacting peanut residue, then a "peanut free" school is offering a very false sense of security. A school cannot police what people do in their own home

...and, yes, their are other allergens that do have a severe contact reaction. It's just that the people who suffer from them are not as vocal about their lobbying. Peanut allergies have become the "in" thing lately.

My ex's daughter had a severe shellfish allergy. She got hives from touching any shell fish. We never considered even suggesting anyone had to "ban" anything. She understood her allergy from a very early age, and knew what she couldn't have contact with. We would inform people of her allergy, but we would never consider telling others what they could or couldn't eat, or have.

If you read over the thread there are quite a few people who have said that they, or someone they know, has a severe contact allergy. It's not that it doesn't exist, it's that those allergies aren't as popular or news-worthy right now.

In all honesty, if my kid were THAT allergic to something that merely touching something that someone else who has touched peanuts would cause that severe of a reaction I couldn't, in all good conscience, send them to school. I know it's not realistic to assume that everyone is going to live their home lives catering to my child's allergy.

It's really just offering a false sense of security.

Realistically, it is possible to survive. I am proof of that. The only person I expect to take care of me is me. I survive by being careful and my allergies are life threatening.

However, I agree with you whole heartedly that it is not realistic to live their lives to cater to me.

 

[luvmy3]

It is possible for a child to be allergic to just about any food, but a short list of foods accounts for the vast majority of allergies. The most common food allergies in children, and the percent of children who have them, are:

Milk (2.5%)
Eggs (1.5%)
Peanuts (1.4%)
Tree nuts (1.1%)
Wheat (0.4%),
Soy (0.4%)
Fish (0.1%)
Shellfish (0.1%)
Sesame (0.1%

So more kids are allergic to milk then peanuts. And anyone with a food allergy knows that it can be life threatening at any time.

I am very much aware of what can happen with food allergies, my ds is allergic to 3 on that list. One of them already proven to cause anaphylaxis. You, at least I think it was you mentioned something about being reasonable, I gave you examples on how a ban on a particular allergen can be decided by being reasonable.
FTR, I would never ask for a ban on anything he is allergic to, I just wouldn't get myself in a tizzy over a parent asking for it for their own child.

 

[Christine]

It is possible for a child to be allergic to just about any food, but a short list of foods accounts for the vast majority of allergies. The most common food allergies in children, and the percent of children who have them, are:

Milk (2.5%)
Eggs (1.5%)
Peanuts (1.4%)
Tree nuts (1.1%)
Wheat (0.4%),
Soy (0.4%)
Fish (0.1%)
Shellfish (0.1%)
Sesame (0.1%

So more kids are allergic to milk then peanuts. And anyone with a food allergy knows that it can be life threatening at any time.

Yes, but while all allergies to anything *can* be deadly, certain ones by nature of their proteins seem to be famous for deadly anaphylaxis. I believe those are peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish. Bee stings, while not a food, are right up there.

 

[Mandychelle79]

Actually, despite your attempts to make this the same seriousness, it's not. And yes, my son went to a daycare will a little girl died from a milk allergy. A preschooler knocked over his carton of milk and it went ALL OVER the girl--from chest, to lap, and she died.

There is documentation, you can find it online, that the the allergen, specifically in peanut butter does not go away with a simple wipe up. It requires a strong cleaner to break down the residue and remove it from a hand or a desktop. Milk, ice cream, etc, can be removed with a wet paper towel--no cleaner necessary.

I believe you've come in with a bee on shirt. I've had one fly into my home. How does that compare even to several young children getting peanut butter on their hands? It is really not the same.

As rare as an accidental contact peanut reaction still is, what you speak of is extremely, extremely rare.

Have you ever been treated by emergency room staff without a parental signature, because you were stung by a bee, lips swollen 3 times their normal size, difficulty breathing and blood pressure of 60/40? I have.

Have you ever spent a night in ICU because you were walking from your car to the house and got stung by a bee? I have.

Have you ever taken your 6 month old to the ER with hives and swollen lips because she came into contact with something containing milk ( this was before she was dx). I have.

Have you ever had to teach your children what to do if mommy gets stung by a bee ( administering my epipen, dialing 911). I have.


I am sick of the general public thinking that a peanut allergy is more life threatening then other allergens and people who suffer from them deserve special considerations that other allergens do not.

 

[Mandychelle79]

Yes, but while all allergies to anything *can* be deadly, certain ones by nature of their proteins seem to be famous for deadly anaphylaxis. I believe those are peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish. Bee stings, while not a food, are right up there.

Someone asked what the likelihood of someone having a LTFA to milk. If dairy wasnt considered a LTFA epi pens would not be prescribed for them.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Yes, peanut butter is sticky and little kids could transfer it to one another. Peanut free does not stop at peanut butter and that's where people start to feel things go overboard. Any products with a peanut warning would also be banned. Parents are then forced to shop for their own children as if they have the peanut allergy. Its easy to get frustrated when you can't buy the school snack you want because of someone else's issue.

Add to that the fact that only a tiny percentage of people with a peanut allergy would have a life threatening reaction from peanut contact and it all seems out of control.

Yes, I can understand wanting your child to be safe. There has to be give and take though and realistic look at what the child really needs to be safe.

 

[Talking Hands]

I can guarantee you that a diabetic child has more options than PB and could survive an alternative for ONE meal a day (as would the child with a different food allergy). The peanut allergic child however could end up hospitalized because of exposure..where should the greater emphasis be here? The kid who has to have an alternative or the kid who could become critically ill or die?

I can guarantee that if that diabetic child is having an insulin reaction and needs to have their sugars brought up and peanut butter crackers are what works best for them it is no less serious than a peanut allergic child having a reaction to peanut. the two best foods for leveling out an insulin reaction are milk products and peanut butter. Drinking a soda or eating candy is only a short term solution and can in many cases cause a rebound reaction where the sugar levels drop even lower. Protein has to be added so you don't rebound. In my case it is peanut butter crackers as I am very allergic to milk and milk products. So tell me or the parent of a diabetic child that your child's peanut allergy is more dangerous than their need to treat an insulin reaction. Insulin reactions can kill too.

 

[Christine]

Have you ever been treated by emergency room staff without a parental signature, because you were stung by a bee, lips swollen 3 times their normal size, difficulty breathing and blood pressure of 60/40? I have.

Have you ever spent a night in ICU because you were walking from your car to the house and got stung by a bee? I have.

Have you ever taken your 6 month old to the ER with hives and swollen lips because she came into contact with something containing milk ( this was before she was dx). I have.

Have you ever had to teach your children what to do if mommy gets stung by a bee ( administering my epipen, dialing 911). I have.


I am sick of the general public thinking that a peanut allergy is more life threatening then other allergens and people who suffer from them deserve special considerations that other allergens do not.

Wow, you're really upset about this.

If dairy allergies were as problematic as peanut allergies they WOULD receive the same attention. By me saying that does NOT mean that I am belittling the reaction that your child has. And I think I told you above that a girl in my son's preschool died from having milk dumped on her.

Having said that, unfortunately, across the general population the dairy allergy is not as life-threatening statistically as peanut, treenut, shellfish, and throw latex in there too. That does not mean that it cannot be life threatening. Sure, more people are allergic to dairy but it is less likely to cause anaphylaxis in most of its sufferers than some of the others because of the nature of the protein. Peanut protein, for one, remains quite intact and stable through the digestive tract while dairy proteins, egg proteins, wheat, and soy start to break down as they sit out in the air or if they have heat added to them.

I'm not sure why we have to have these one-up-manship stories but here goes:

I have had to go to the ER for a cat allergy, a bee sting, and ibuprofen. Not anaphylaxis thank God, but swelling and hives.

My son is allergic to peanut, treenut, and shellfish. He used to be allergic to eggs and dairy but has since outgrown them. He has had anaphylaxis to peanut and crabmeat.

 

[sookie]

I think when the peanut allergy folks get honest and actually admit what truthfully needs done to keep their child safe people will take them seriously and go along with it. But the general over reaction to the allergy has made people put their backs up and refuse to cooperate.

It seems with many that when in inconveniences others it is ok but when it does them then it doesn't matter. Like the girl in the Texas Road house. It was inconvenient for the rest of the class and that was OK but when it came to the Mom being inconvenience-not being able to go to a restaurant she wanted to - it suddenly was OK for her to be around peanuts.

Like not wanting someone to eat a peanut butter sandwich on a plane when they are 50 people away from them is unreasonable, asking for 100 people to not open peanut packets and release peanut protein into the air is reasonable and understandable.

See, a situation like that is complete BS.
My daughter hasn't seen the inside of a steakhouse that serves peanuts - well, not since she can remember, since she anaphylaxed around age 1. A chinese resturant? Never. A thai resturant? Forget it.
See, this is why people don't take those who have a real allergy seriously....

And sadly - peanuts and peanut butter is one of my favorite foods. I really do think my daughter has her allergy because I ate peanut butter every single day while I was pregnant with her. There was no recommendation against that when I was pregnant. I think there is one now... and I didn't eat any during my pregnancy with my son. He has no issues.

And to those who have other cases of anaphylaxis (milk, etc). Yes, you can have anaphylaxis to almost any allergen. It is just less likely to happen with some other allergens - but any allergen you can get anaphylaxis with. Does that make sense? Peanuts get all the attention because it is 1) so severe 2) more likely.

 

[mhsjax]

Well children with severe peanut allergies react to the point of a life threatening reaction to touching residue or airborne exposure. That is why they are (and should) be banned..most especially when we are talking about young children who are not mature enough to understand that their dirty fingers are putting the life of another at risk.

When you have a high allergen item that can cause a life threatening reaction simply by someone being near it/in the same room or touching something with oils/residue on it then you have to ban it because it only takes 1 kid who still has PB on their hands or who wipes it on the table/clothes to cause a serious reaction or death for another.

Your DD touching milk is not on par with such a reaction and you are not making a remotely valid comparison by stating all high allergens should be banned as it doesn't compare and there is no valid reason to ban them like there is for peanuts/nuts.

As someone with food allergies and a family history of it I would love to see those documented cases of an airborne reaction to milk (as I am trying to figure out how that could even work aside from powdered milk and who has that at school/in their lunch?).

Don't know if this is exactly what you are talking about and it didn't happen at school but a dear friend of mine had a child with a life threatening milk allergy. His little brother laid his bottle down and a few drops dripped out. The child with the allergy laid his head down o the ottoman than the milk had dripped on and his cheek immediately become swollen and red. She called his allergist and was told to watch him and give him high does of benedryl. The Dr told her that this was what was happening on the outside, imagine what would happen on the inside of his body of he costumed it.

 

[Talking Hands]

I don't blame Mandychelle 79 for being angry about this. What many of the peanut allergy parents don't get is that anaphylaxsis is dangerous no matter the allergen. It doesn't matter that peanut allergy anaphylaxis is more prevalent that milk. It is not more important. Just like treating an insulin reaction in a person with diabetes is not more important than your child's exposure to peanuts. They all can lead to trips to the ER and even death. All are life threatening. We all have to deal with our own issues and in the long run nobody's issues are more important that another's.

 

[Christine]

I don't blame Mandychelle 79 for being angry about this. What many of the peanut allergy parents don't get is that anaphylaxsis is dangerous no matter the allergen. It doesn't matter that peanut allergy anaphylaxis is more prevalent that milk. It is not more important. Just like treating an insulin reaction in a person with diabetes is not more important than your child's exposure to peanuts. They all can lead to trips to the ER and even death. All are life threatening. We all have to deal with our own issues and in the long run nobody's issues are more important that another's.

This peanut allergic parent gets it. I was just arguing the statistics of things and why it doesn't get as much attention or importance placed on it.

It's sort of like cancer. I have a cancer that has a good survival rate. People do die from it and it is not a pleasant cancer to deal with AND it requires lifelong monitoring. I don't get an "all clear" after 5 years. Yet, there are no pretty ribbons, special walks, fancy T-shirts, or catchy bumper stickers for it. It gets very little attention. Why? Because, as bad as it can be, it's not as bad as the others. For the percentage of folks who DO die from it, it *is* as bad as the others. I compare that to the dairy/wheat/soy allergy (and many other things). It is a big deal to the number of kids that have severe anaphylaxis to it. However, there numbers have not reached the point that they start to alarm the public. As such, it won't get the attention and hype that another allergy might.

I do believe, in cases like Mandychelle's daughter, that she most definitely should have some accommodations at made for here that are serious. But I'm sorry to say that until a ton of kids have serious reactions and that gets out there, it won't have the fanfare of the peanut allergy. Again, my cancer feels like a second-class citizen so I know how you feel.

 

[disneyshakeygirl]

I don't blame Mandychelle 79 for being angry about this. What many of the peanut allergy parents don't get is that anaphylaxsis is dangerous no matter the allergen. It doesn't matter that peanut allergy anaphylaxis is more prevalent that milk. It is not more important. Just like treating an insulin reaction in a person with diabetes is not more important than your child's exposure to peanuts. They all can lead to trips to the ER and even death. All are life threatening. We all have to deal with our own issues and in the long run nobody's issues are more important that another's.

And this nut allergy sufferer, as well as her parents and grandpa, understands it and agrees whole heartedly.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

OP here I am so sorry I did not mean for a simple question to blow up like this and I did not mean to make it seem like other allergies are less important.

 

[pigletgirl]

What it comes down to is that, allergies are allergies and the person affected by them (or the parent, depending on circumstance), must be prepared. Avoid the places where that allergen is promenent (like steakhouses with peanut shells on the ground).

 

[Mandychelle79]

I do believe, in cases like Mandychelle's daughter, that she most definitely should have some accommodations at made for here that are serious. But I'm sorry to say that until a ton of kids have serious reactions and that gets out there, it won't have the fanfare of the peanut allergy. Again, my cancer feels like a second-class citizen so I know how you feel.

Luckily she outgrew her allergy by the time she went to school. And for my bee allergy it has been so long since I have been stung by a hornet I do not know how I will react the next time ( but I still have my epipen just in case)

When I send in treats for the class I ask about allergies in the class and send in safe treats so no one feels left out.

My kids typically buy the school lunches and usually take lunch meat when they do pack.

I think the big issue with milk allergies is that people who are lactose intolerant say they are allergic to milk and then are seen eating ice cream with no issue. When a pt tells me they are allergic to milk ask if they eat butter, ice cream, cheese and they usually say yes.

 

[PeterPan09]

What it comes down to is that, allergies are allergies and the person affected by them (or the parent, depending on circumstance), must be prepared. Avoid the places where that allergen is promenent (like steakhouses with peanut shells on the ground).

I grew up with a nut allergy "back in the day". I though I was the only kid in the universe who had one. There were no peanut free classrooms-the ONLY place that made any accomodations for me was Disney, which is why my parents became such fans. I was taught from the time I started school that it was MY job to watch out where I sat to eat lunch, to clean the area with the Wash and Dry Mom packed in my lunch box. I knew NEVER to take any food from anyone, I politely turned down cookies, cupcakes, anything that I wasn't 100% sure of the ingredients. I knew that I did not want a reaction, so I obeyed the rules.

My allergist said once that he was concerned about today's kids with nut allergies because they aren't learning how to cope with a world that contains their allergen by being isolated from it.

 

[Hannathy]

My allergist said once that he was concerned about today's kids with nut allergies because they aren't learning how to cope with a world that contains their allergen by being isolated from it.

I agree 100% with your allergist.

What are these kids going to do when they hit High School or College, let alone when they have to go out into the world alone.