Peanut Allergy

[weregoingtodw]

I think what she was talking about is that meat is fine to take in a lunch that you will definitely eat that day, but that people with blood sugar issues typically keep non-perishable foods on hand to head off a crash and that peanut butter is the best option there is for us. I'm not diabetic, I'm hypoglycemic. I also keep peanut butter crackers in my desk when I am working, in the jockey box in my car, etc. They can stay there safely for months until/unless I need them.

I'm not arguing the rest of your point, just saying that I don't think she contradicted herself. She was talking about two different applications or needs. One is a meal you know you will be eating the same day, another is something you need to have on hand just in case, which works best if it is not perishable and does not require refrigeration.

AHA. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Michelle67]

AHA. Thanks for the clarification.

You're welcome.

 

[livndisney]

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[Kae]

I think I read somewhere that kids that grow up with pets are less likely to be allergic to them. So I think that might go along with the idea that exposure builds an immunity.

In our house that would be a no. DS is Allergic to Cats & has lived with a cat since birth 11 years.

Kae

 

[LisaR]

B
Again, I would ask if those who are discussing this have actually experienced and/or witnessed true anaphylaxis (and I don't just mean breaking out in hives either). If so, I think the responses would be very, very different. I've seen the before & after reactions enough myself to think that people might indeed change their minds.

I have had the unfortunate experience of watching my son have an anaphylactic reaction and I have to say it was one of the scariest things I have ever witnessed. However, it doesn't change my mind at all when it comes to what the OP suggests (making the ENTIRE school peanut free because of their child's allergies). I am 100% against it.

 

[BRDof3]

It is easier to be against something outright than to consider it objectively. Your statement is the same response handicapped individuals used to get when they asked for accommodations to public buildings. Just food for thought.

 

[LisaR]

It is easier to be against something outright than to consider it objectively. Your statement is the same response handicapped individuals used to get when they asked for accommodations to public buildings. Just food for thought.

Maybe I am not following but how is making the entire school peanut free based on one child's allergy being objective?

Honestly, if my son didn't have multiple, severe food allergies, I think I would be more open to banning one food item. I would just figure he could do without the PB&J and it wouldn't be a big deal. I think what put me over the edge was reading a couple years ago about a mom that was trying to get strawberries banned in her kid's preschool (she wasn't successful). My son has a VERY restricted diet due to multiple food allergies and this person wanted to take one of his safe foods and tell him he couldn't have it? That might work for someone that only has one allergy but when you are allergic to 7 of the 8 top foods, I don't think so.

 

[Mandychelle79]

This is the problem with banning nuts. A child DIED from a milk allergy. If we allow nuts to be banned, we will need to ban milk eventually. My son is epi pen dependent due to severe nut, milk, egg, soy and shellfish allergies. How would parents feel if I insisted all of those items be banned from the school? If nuts can be banned, why not eggs and milk? Why not all soy products? Pretty soon they are going to have to skip eating!

For the record, I homeschool my son. I do not do so because of his allergies. I was already homeschooling one child that is allergy free so homeschooling my son with all the problems only made sense. That said, he attends many different classes, co-ops, etc. I never ask for special accommodations. I check it out ahead of time and if I feel he will be safe, he goes. I always supply his own food.

We keep the food he is allergic to in our house for my daughter to eat. I WANT him to be exposed to these items on a daily basis so I can see how he reacts. If I keep him in this safe bubble, what would happen when he goes to the grocery store or a birthday party? I think the more exposure he has, the better. He is going to have to live in society with all of these allergens and his system will be more shocked if I keep him hidden from everything.

I am very much against banning foods. I believe if they are going to ban one potential life threatening food, they need to ban them all, which would be ridiculous.

Thank you, thats what I have been trying to say. And yes I am the one who said I would fight tooth and nail about banning peanuts... but I also would no matter what they were banning, unless they were going to ban the top 8. I do not think one childs allergy should be "more speacial" than another one. And yes to another poster I have been in anaphylactic shock due to a bee sting. I dont remember my parents asking our school to outlaw out side gym or recess because of my allergy to bees. I took the neccessary precautions and had my epi pen available if I happened to get stung.

 

[BRDof3]

Thank but I also would no matter what they were banning, unless they were going to ban the top 8.

I dont remember my parents asking our school to outlaw out side gym or recess because of my allergy to bees.

You can't remove the top 8, but you can remove peanuts. Other food allergans provide nutrition for those who are not allergic, and they are needed. Peanuts provide nothing that cannot be found in other foods, and are loaded with fat and salt. Commercially prepared peanuts are a nutritional negative.

The bee/outside gym analogy is so non-relevant that it doesn't bear comment.

If we can't help ALL of the people, we will fight tooth and nail not to help ANY of them. Not my preferred attitude. I do hope you don't find yourself ever needing the help of someone, only to find that attitude yourself.

 

[Laura]

You can't remove the top 8, but you can remove peanuts. Other food allergans provide nutrition for those who are not allergic, and they are needed. Peanuts provide nothing that cannot be found in other foods, and are loaded with fat and salt.

No, they are NOT needed. My best friend is a vegan (no meat--so no fish or shellfish--no eggs, no dairy). She's allergic to soy, wheat, and peanuts on top of that. So out of the top 8 allergens, only tree nuts are left for her to eat. She can find plenty of nutrition in other foods. So your argument that the peanut is the only one of the top allergens that has a nutritive substitute is incorrect.

 

[BRDof3]

your argument that the peanut is the only one of the top allergens that has a nutritive substitute is incorrect.

I didn't say that peanuts are the only ones that have a substitute. Most any food has an alternate that can be substituted. I would not recommend that a 6 y/o child live on tree nuts, however. There is a big difference between the needs of a developing child and those of an adult.

Your friend is, however, proof that what I am considering is neither unreasonable nor impossible.

So far the only arguments have been that other children have food preferences, and their parents get offended being told they must do something in order to look out for someone else's needs. Some of us do that every day. Maybe more of us should.

 

[LisaR]

You can't remove the top 8, but you can remove peanuts. Other food allergans provide nutrition for those who are not allergic, and they are needed. Peanuts provide nothing that cannot be found in other foods, and are loaded with fat and salt. Commercially prepared peanuts are a nutritional negative.

The bee/outside gym analogy is so non-relevant that it doesn't bear comment.

If we can't help ALL of the people, we will fight tooth and nail not to help ANY of them. Not my preferred attitude. I do hope you don't find yourself ever needing the help of someone, only to find that attitude yourself.

Really? My 11 y/o has managed to survive most of his life without any dairy, eggs, soy, shellfish, tree nuts and peanuts. For a very long time he managed to live without any wheat, as well. He is a happy, healthy, normal boy. Those items are not at all necessary for survival. If my kid can do it, so can all the other kids so we should ban them all.

Let me ask you this, OP. What if you are successful in getting the peanuts banned from your child's school and in 6 months from now, she develops another serious allergy? Will you feel as if the school should stop allowing that item?

Trust me, I understand the fear you are facing, I really do. But you must be able to see that there are other allergies that are just as serious as a peanut allergy and we can't ban them all. My son couldn't even touch an acorn when he was little without a reaction. Now he can touch any type of nut and he will be fine unless he consumes them. If he gets even the slightest bit of dairy, he has violent vomiting while his face swells to twice the size. His milk allergy is horrendous. I am far more concerned about a dairy reaction then a peanut reaction in him. But because my son has a problem doesn't mean all the other kids have to stop drinking milk.

 

[weregoingtodw]

I have had the unfortunate experience of watching my son have an anaphylactic reaction and I have to say it was one of the scariest things I have ever witnessed. However, it doesn't change my mind at all when it comes to what the OP suggests (making the ENTIRE school peanut free because of their child's allergies). I am 100% against it.

Whoa whoa whoa... I have not said I think schools should be peanut-free. In fact, I'm reasonably sure that I've stated somewhere in the thread that I wouldn't support it. If not, I'm stating it right here. Not that it's a bad idea per se, but for many reasons, it's a false sense of security. I feel that education is the answer, not outright banning.

MY point was that I don't think people on the other side of the coin realize the severities of anaphylactic reactions. I freely admit that until I had one, I didn't realize it. People die from anaphylaxic. Even people who have epinephrine on hand. It's a sad but true fact.

My goal in even participating in this thread is to educate, not start a crusade. I think we're on the same side here.

 

[BRDof3]

But you must be able to see that there are other allergies that are just as serious as a peanut allergy and we can't ban them all.

In the end, all you say is "If we can't help all of them we won't help any of them." Peanuts are easy to lose and would never be missed at school. Eat them morning and night and all weekend as well. They are your arteries. Just don't bring them to school. Hardly an imposition.

My kids end up eating the hot lunch more than half the time. By the time you factor that into it all, you are not being restricted to any significant degree.

But then again, if we can't help all of them we won't help any of them. I do believe that this has become the new battle cry of America.

 

[Aristomommy]

It is easier to be against something outright than to consider it objectively. Your statement is the same response handicapped individuals used to get when they asked for accommodations to public buildings. Just food for thought.

I think you are comparing apples to oranges. The OPs child is able to attend school, the only thing they have noticed that his/her levels are higher. That could be due to a million different reasons, or no reason at all. These levels fluctuate from one test to another. Allergies are a "bucket effect" for most kids. It's not usually one trigger, but an accumulation of several things that finally pushes them over the edge. Seasonal allergies, pets, dust, chemicals, other food triggers etc. all contribute to lowered resistance against another allergen.

If you look at peanut allergies objectively, there are so many other options than banning peanuts that many experts consider superior. I also feel that banning one food group due to allergies and not others would be discriminatory. Are we now choosing which allergy is more important? I have children with allergies and other chronic health conditions and I would like nothing more than all children to attend school safely and allergy free. Banning peanuts is not the way to do it.

 

[lovemygoofy]

I have no dog in this fight as I don't have children but I have several questions.


WHY is his sensitivity increased so dramatically over the past 6 months? Is it to just the peanut and its dust particles or whatever you call it? Are you sure it's not to anything else that is corrupting the results?


I have several allergies and at the right time like the fall season they all blend together and cause crazy test results.

You want the whole school to be peanut free? You don't feel like others are helping with other's needs? The classroom snacks are peanut free. There are peanut free tables. Is it possible to separate the lunches that include peanut products in another area? Keep them away from your child all together?

How is the school being peanut free going to help your child? The children will still have access to peanut products before and after school and could have interaction with your child. Doesn't your child go to the mall or walmart? To the doctor's office? Trick or treating? To a birthday party?

Maybe I'm not tracking very well because I don't understand how eliminating all things peanut from the school will help because your child would still encounter them in the world. Is it possible to stress the importance to your child and to the classroom? Find some compromise that doesn't signal the child out and still allows the peanut products in the school?

I understand allergies are very very scary as I do have them myself. However, your child could very well develop more allergies and also your child has to go out in the world and will encounter these things. I do hope you can find some happy medium.

 

[Laura]

I didn't say that peanuts are the only ones that have a substitute. Most any food has an alternate that can be substituted. I would not recommend that a 6 y/o child live on tree nuts, however. There is a big difference between the needs of a developing child and those of an adult.

Your friend is, however, proof that what I am considering is neither unreasonable nor impossible.

So far the only arguments have been that other children have food preferences, and their parents get offended being told they must do something in order to look out for someone else's needs. Some of us do that every day. Maybe more of us should.

Now you seem to be taking back what you wrote. You stated that you cannot remove the top 8 allergens (which would indeed be incredibly unreasonable), and that the other allergens aside from peanuts are needed, nutrition-wise. My friend does not "live on tree nuts", of course, and I did not suggest that children do. She is not allergic to dairy, eggs or meat, she merely chooses not to eat them. Children do not need to eat dairy, eggs or meat either.

Do I think it's unreasonable for a school to ban peanuts? Not particularly. I do see the point that if you ban one of these top allergens, why not ban all eight? What also hasn't been addressed is the issue of when these highly sensitive children leave school and enter the real world, which cannot be made peanut-free. Should we have peanut-free college campuses? Peanut-free workplaces?

 

[BRDof3]

You want the whole school to be peanut free?

I did, indeed, write it that way in the original post, but I have since corrected that. We are consdiering that as one of many options, I simply was looking for history and effect. Has it ever been done, and did it help the situation? I do not intend to spend time and effort on something that is not helpful, but I can't know that it helpful or not until I have seen the results of others' work in this area.

Most of the banter that has been on this thread has been rather meaningless. However, there has been some good dialogue here and that was what I was hoping for. I simply am astounded that most people seem to react with the thought that they would only be willing to help if it meant NO change to their own life. My 11 y/o reacts better than that.

 

[mirmartinez]

OT slighty,
Is there any credible research being done to diminish the allergy or prevent it?

My children do not have any severe or deadly allergies. I could only imagine the extremes I would go to protect them (esp under the age of 10).

Our middle son's classmate has a peanut allergy, by choice, I do not feed him peanut butter before school. I also pack him peanut free lunches, so he can join his friend at the lunch table.

Though, I would be ok with a peanut free school, I can understand why many are not.

 

[LisaR]

Whoa whoa whoa... I have not said I think schools should be peanut-free. In fact, I'm reasonably sure that I've stated somewhere in the thread that I wouldn't support it. If not, I'm stating it right here. Not that it's a bad idea per se, but for many reasons, it's a false sense of security. I feel that education is the answer, not outright banning.

MY point was that I don't think people on the other side of the coin realize the severities of anaphylactic reactions. I freely admit that until I had one, I didn't realize it. People die from anaphylaxic. Even people who have epinephrine on hand. It's a sad but true fact.

My goal in even participating in this thread is to educate, not start a crusade. I think we're on the same side here.

Sorry, I know you didn't call for a ban. I was referring back to the OP.

In the end, all you say is "If we can't help all of them we won't help any of them." Peanuts are easy to lose and would never be missed at school. Eat them morning and night and all weekend as well. They are your arteries. Just don't bring them to school. Hardly an imposition.

My kids end up eating the hot lunch more than half the time. By the time you factor that into it all, you are not being restricted to any significant degree.

But then again, if we can't help all of them we won't help any of them. I do believe that this has become the new battle cry of America.

But if we ban the top 8, that WILL help my child and many other children. If we ban birthday parties and holiday parties, MY son will not feel left out because he has NEVER, EVER in his entire lifetime had a piece of cake or a cookie that someone besides me has made. He can't participate in pizza day or ice cream day. It isn't an imposition for me to make things without dairy so why can't the rest of the country do that? His milk allergy is currently 100 times worse than his peanut allergy. If I would have worked hard to ban peanuts because my kid couldn't even touch an acorn when he was little, I would have to go back now and say, "oops, sorry about that whole peanut ban thing. Turns out my kid can now touch peanuts without any problem so everyone feel free to start eating them again. However, let's talk about milk. He is ultra sensitive to that now. His hands swelled up about 3 months ago when he was doing a project at a co-op that involved pouring milk. Time to ban that."

The effort that you put into banning ONE food item would really be better spent educating the school and classmates about peanuts. Trust me, allergies change all the time. They get better and worse. Eliminating peanuts from the classroom is just a false sense of security. Our library yesterday had a display set up in the children's section to learn about trees. They had a table with walnuts, almonds, acorns, etc all sitting out in the open. You just never know where they will pop up.