So, your child has a nut allergy

[utopian]

My five-year-old son is severely allergic to peanuts (as well as all tree nuts), a fact we discovered when he was two. We let him have a small taste of peanut butter, and he spent the day in the emergency room with an IV in his arm. I'm telling you this because I'm appalled by many of the insensitive responses to the thread about the girl in Florida, including snide suggestions that such children should be home schooled (as if this is even an option for most people) or otherwise isolated. The suggestion is that the parents' right to serve peanut butter sandwiches somehow trumps a single child's right to a public education.

When we discovered Owen's allergies, we had to refashion our lives in many ways. We cooked more at home, and we shopped very carefully, reading all labels for the dreaded words “produced on shared equipment with peanuts and tree nuts.” You'd be amazed how many labels contain some version of that warning. Still, Owen is not the Bubble Boy that many posters suggest the child from Florida should be. In that case, some very freaked out parents and an over-reactive school administration went too far.

Owen thrives in Kindergarten now, and we take measures to ensure his safety. First, and most importantly, we have instilled in him a healthy fear of nuts, and he is very careful. He knows not to share food with the other kids, and he always brings his own lunch. He will be the first to ask if a food is “safe.” In case of an emergency, the school office keeps an epipen on hand, and all of Owen's teachers have been advised of his allergies. By the way, he is not the only one. There are several kids at his school with the same problem, a problem that, for reasons unknown, is increasing.

The other kids' parents, too, have been informed, and many opt to avoid peanut butter. Who wants to be the parent that caused a kid to go into anaphylactic shock? Amazingly, Owen's school serves PBJs in the lunchroom every day. I wish they didn't, but we know, with the proper precautions, Owen should have no problems, and if one should occur, everyone is prepared.

Incidentally, to the folks who wonder how such a person will function in the world, I say “how the hell do you think?” Obviously, by the time the typical allergic person is an adult, he or she will have developed many strategies for avoiding reactions. Whether to food or to bee stings or to fragrances, plenty of people live with allergies.

So, to reiterate, the incident in Florida is not typical; rather, as so many of the sensationalistic stories about public schools can be, this one is an isolated example. Please adjust your opinions about people with allergies accordingly.

Thank you.

[Dappleganger]

1. Nevermind.

Found the article. As a parent with a child who has severe allergies, my heart goes out to you (they aren't nut or shellfish allergies). Our children's elementary school was a strict no-peanut (allergic child) and no shellfish (allergic teacher) zone. At first people complained about the no peanut butter sandwich problem but eventually they got used to it. No other extenuating measures were taken such as hand washing or mouth-wiping after lunch, however. Washing hands is a no-brainer, but IMO wiping a child's mouth with a Clorox wipe is not safe either.

Life is always exciting(!!) when your child has a life-threatening allergy or asthma (such as we had). We were always thankful to have understanding teachers and school nurses. My belief is that accommodations should be made but within reason--when they interfere with regular instruction to the point which the other school is experiencing, then it's time to bring in a tutor so the child can homeschool or wrap the child up so they aren't in contact with the environment.

[Pacifist Patriot]

9. It's in Volusia County

http://www.wftv.com/news/27152881/detail.html

[Atman]

2. I have a nut allergy.

Bachmann, Palin, Beck, Hannity and Limbaugh make me break out in hives.

[TahitiNut]

3. So... it's not that they don't like me ... it's an allergy?

Whew!!! :dunce:

[madinmaryland]

38. I'm not allergic to tahiti nuts!

:P

[tabatha]

4. I have deepest sympathies with those who have allergies.

A sibling when growing up had them (not peanuts) but others. Spring was hell.

[driver8]

5. Great post. I was amazed at some of the responses that I read.

I have a niece with a severe peanut allergy -- if she eats peanuts she will end up at the hospital, too.

Her family is very, very careful about what she eats...and everyone in the family has learned that we need to be careful, too.

[KittyWampus]

6. Hope Owen navigates a nut-strewn world successfully. I know several people who carry

epipen for various reasons.

Sorry if DU'ers seemed insensitive.

My issue is trying to restrict kids from bringing PBJs to school because of allergy sufferers. It's not fair to the kids or the school. Kids that are that severely allergic need to eat somewheres else.

[Chorophyll]

7. My son is allergic to peanuts too.

We've known since he was two; he's now almost ten. Fortunately being "near" peanut butter has no effect on him, but we weren't sure about that first. Nevertheless, we always figured the onus was on us to keep him safe, and he's become very responsible and proactive about the situation. Our school district has enacted certain precautions for allergic children, but nothing extreme (they do serve PBJs every day as an option) and we have never suggested that they do anything extra.

As Utopian says, a little understanding would be nice. Kids don't ask for food allergies.

[Poll_Blind]

8. Does your child have the level of allergy as reported in the story HERE:

But Tracey Bailey, the girl's mother, told Fox her daughter has a life-threatening peanut allergy and could die if she comes into contact with any trace of the nut.

According to a letter issued by the school, she could have a severe reaction just from sitting next to a pupil who had eaten peanuts.

Mrs Bailey said: 'We're not talking about she will break out in a rash. We are talking about she will die, stop breathing.'

Please read that carefully. It's very little text and it is very important in understanding why you're seeing some of the reactions you are, to the story.

I've known probably a half a dozen people with nut allergies and at least one, a lady about my age, had a severe nut allergy. Of course I'm sure I worked and went to school with many more who were also allergic to nuts, but didn't know it because it is not that big a deal.

Ok, but that's NOT the level of allergy that the story reports.

Nobody with that level of allergy should be in public school, period.

PB

[Pacifist Patriot]

12. I know people with severe nut allergies, but have never encountered one...

who could die from sitting next to someone who had eaten something with peanuts. If I had a child that allergic I'm not sure I'd let him or her out of the house.

[Dappleganger]

14. With that kind of severity, why take the chance?

[Mojorabbit]

19. I'd like to see the child's doctor's statement

confirming that the child would die sitting near someone who had eaten peanuts.

[utopian]

22. I was thinking the same thing

n/t

[utopian]

20. The same is true of Owen

The operative word in that statement is "could." Nonetheless, this is not an insurmountable problem if precautions are taken. The child is entitled to reasonable accomadations and a public education. Frankly, considering the possible consequences, a no peanut rule would be more than reasonable. There is a whole world of other foods.

At any rate, I see this article as a typical hit piece on public edcuation. Every time a individual school over-reacts to something, we're invited to generalize about education as a whole.

[KittyWampus]

26. Sorry, but a "no peanut rule" puts the onus on schools, parents and kids all of whom

may not even realize they are bringing nuts in contact with someone severely allergic.

[K8-EEE]

28. My daughter's school now has a "no nut" rule

And yes she was bummed she couldn't take her fave snack (trail mix) any more but my God, what a tiny sacrifice. She learned to like sunflower seed-butter sandwiches just as well. Sometimes it's the right thing to do to give something up for your fellow human beings, that's a lesson as important as any taught in school and one too many parents aren't teaching.

[Poll_Blind]

30. Let me get this straight: Your child could die from sitting next to a person who ate peanuts?

I quoted only 3 sentences and asked you to read them carefully. You replied that the same thing is true of your son's condition.

Is that really correct?

PB

[utopian]

35. Yes

Any kid with a severe nut allergy could potentially have a reaction from sitting next to a kid who ate nuts. It's highly unlikely, as I suspect it is for the Florida girl, but the potential is there. Owen can have a reaction from the tiniest particle of peanut and go into anaphylactic shock. He can never set food in Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

[Chorophyll]

33. Yep. Agree about the hit piece.

All children are entitled to a public education. Accommodations are made for children with other kinds of health problems, why not for allergies?

Also, people should be aware that food allergies are changeable things: they can be outgrown, or they can become more severe over time. And anyone can develop a food allergy at any age.

That said, parents do tend (understandably) to fly into panic mode when their child is diagnosed. The internet is flooded with scare stories. Perhaps the child in question is not quite as sensitive as her parents believe her to be.

[MedicalAdmin]

41. We have had great success with allergies by treating the digestive system.

It seems counter intuitive, but with iGg and some iGe allergies, the digestive systems efficiency can have a huge impact on the severity of the reactions.

Having said that, this advice may not be applicible in cases like that in the OP.

[Stinky The Clown]

21. You should be ashamed of yourself.

How insensitive.

[Ikonoklast]

60. I would not let my child risk death if he was that allergic.

Accidents happen, you cannot 100% control your environment, and if sending him to school each day I risked killing him, I wouldn't.

The parents of that severely allergic child is willing to abdicate the resposibility for the health of their child to the school system.


Not me.


And whatever happened to the idea that 'your rights end at my nose'.

I have no right to impose upon strangers, or make their behavior conform to something that suits me.

[WinkyDink]

24. Because PEANUT BUTTER IS now REQUIRED in PUBLIC SCHOOLS?? Is it like New Math?

[tammywammy]

27. I think wiping down children with bleach is asinine.

What if another child didn't eat peanuts, but something processed in a plant that also processes peanuts? Should that be banned as well? There are other steps a school should take for a severely allergic child before they start wiping down students with bleach. If she's that severely allergic, they should tutor her one-on-one.

[K8-EEE]

31. Agreed because some people are sensitive to bleach!

I would think plain wipes would be enough?

[tammywammy]

34. How about because you shouldn't be wiping down your face with bleach.

Especially children, what if they accidentally swipped the cloth across their eyes? Sorry, bleach and face just don't mix at all.

And I would think plain wipes would be enough as well. :)

[utopian]

36. Slippery Slope

Sorry, but your argument doesn't hold water. Simply banning nuts is precaution enough.

[tammywammy]

39. I don't know what exactly you're replying to

I have no issue with banning nuts. I have an issue with wiping down students faces with bleach.

I wonder if they're start banning products produces in a plant that processes peanuts, I mean if this girl is that allergic, would that be harmful as well?

[utopian]

42. Sorry, I misunderstood

I read your post as a "what are they gonna do next?" thing. My apologies.

I agree that bleaching children is stupid and dangerous. It is also, ultimately, ineffective. Bleach won't change the molecular struture of the protein.

As far as the shared equipment issue goes, more and more companies are making their products completely nut free, and many of those that aren't are improving their labeling.

[MedicalAdmin]

44. Bleach? WTF?

Bleach is supposed to be used on inert surfaces. Not kids. It is a URT irritant, a skin irritant, can cause chemical burns to broken skin and eyes. What a stupid idea.

[tammywammy]

45. Yep

See the other thread on this
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x670196

[unblock]

48. the problem with severe peanut allergies is that you can't predict the next reaction

it's not like your body has a highly specific response to any peanut exposure, because fundamentally your immune system is going haywire. so in response to a slightly different exposure in a slightly different location under slightly different circumstances, your next reaction might be quite different from your previous reaction.

my son's face swelled up and it took half a day in the er, several doses of epi, steroids, and benadryl to get him finally going in the right direction before they let him go home (his face still wasn't remotely normal, the swelling had just started to go down).

the next reaction could be to a smaller exposure than his first time, but it could kill him. prior to his first reaction, i packed a peanut butter sandwich for lunch at work every day, and we used to feed our dog peanut butter from time to time, and we sometimes had a jar of peanuts. i'm quite certain he had incidental exposure at some point without a reaction.

until he did have a reaction.

kids grow, their bodies change, and their immune responses change. theoretically, he might grow out of it (although testing suggests this is quite unlikely). more likely, the next exposure would be more severe.

we can't take chances, but we wouldn't be doing him any favors by keeping him prisoner in our house forever, either.



having the school and other kids avoid peanuts during school hours is a TINY price to pay to keep a fellow student alive. i understand it's an inconvenience and mrs. unblock and i are constantly showing appreciation to everyone who cooperates. but seriously, it's WELL within the concept of "reasonable accommodation".

[utopian]

58. Well said

n/t

[ProgressiveProfessor]

56. The reports indicate an very intense allergy or a very strong over reaction

It is not clear which.

[elleng]

10. Thanks. Sorry you have to go through this.

Haven't read Florida story, but daughters, when working as counselors/teachers during summer programs in their former pre-and elementary school, learned how to use 'epipens,' as part of their training.

[Lucinda]

11. Great post.

I have developed a severe reaction to peanuts for some reason.

Just a few years ago I used to go to a local restaurant that served a big basket of peanuts to munch on while you waited for your meal...and I never had any problems breathing. Now it becomes dangerously hard to barely breathe if I get anywhere near them. There are breathing treatments that I cannot use because they use a peanut derivative base. I wish they could get to the bottom of the issue of all these severe reactions. In the meantime I do what I can to stay safe. Common sense isn't overrated. Neither is compassion.

[Aryo]

13. My young cousin has a horrific allergy to peanuts

It really is amazing how many different foods, especially highly processed, contain some kind of peanut product. Boggles my f-ing mind.

[benld74]

15. From Saint Louis,,,

My oldest attended a private school with a child having peanut, milk and soy allergies. The child carried a medical bag on his belt the entire time. There were 26 in the class and over 200 in the school. I know this is small, BUT, when a child is concerned everyone helps.
NO peanut butter table in the cafeteria. NO purchased items for parties in the home room.
It all worked out.
They all survived AND learned some humility as well. Every child is different and must be treated as such, all it takes is placing yourself in their shoes,,,

[KittyWampus]

29. and if someone mistakenly brings something with peanuts? Or unwittingly?

[tammywammy]

32. Or processed in a plant that also handles peanuts

Should that be banned as well?

[utopian]

37. Then it happens

That's what the epipen is for. But that doesn't mean precautions shouldn't be taken.

[hifiguy]

16. There has to be a reason for why this is now common

and wasn't back when I was growing up (born during the Ike admin). I met kids who were allergic to cats or dogs or penicillin but never to food during my childhood and teen years. I had never even heard of such allergies until the last 10-15 years.

What could be causing this?

[WinkyDink]

25. Peanut allergies, autism, brain cancers: Never heard/knew of one case in my first 40 years.

[K8-EEE]

40. Because you never heard of it doesn't mean

it didn't exist.

[Chorophyll]

43. Brain cancer has most certainly been around for a long time.

Some forms of autism were probably misdiagnosed years ago. People were also more commonly institutionalized back then.

I'll give you peanut allergies, though. My guess is that it's a product of agribusiness. The peanuts are not what they once were.

[hifiguy]

53. An allergy like this is so obvious, though,

if it is triggered. I certainly agree that there was misdiagnosis or non diagnosis of things (I was dx'd Asperger's six years ago, and that finally allowed me to make some sense of my life, so believe me, I know) but a food allergy that severe would be awfully hard to not notice. It's a long ways from little Johnny always sitting and playing by himself at recess.

I, like a poster downthread, suspect rampant food processing has something to do with this, as well as germophobic parents' terror of exposing their kids to ANYTHING these days circumscribing the development of healthy and robust immune systems.

[MedicalAdmin]

49. Overprocessing of foods.

Artificial or fake foods had to be labeled as such. Unfortunately the federal law that mandated that artificial foods be labeled as such was removed in the late 70s and during the 80's a beyond we saw much of what had been food replaced with stuff that looks like food but isn't really in the grocery stores.

The problem is that the human animal hasn't evolved to process these new designer foods and so there are some long standing and cummulative effects that build up over time. OR at least that is one theory that is gaining both evidence and credence. More and more people are finding that a whole foods diet can reverse some of these effects.

Both fucntional medicine doctors, some naturopathic and some chiropractic doctors can be helpful with this. We run an integrated practice and find that most of these "allergies" or food intolerances can be successfully dealt with via diet changes and getting your basic immune system operating more efficiently.

PM me if I can be of further help.

[TorchTheWitch]

62. food allergies have been around forever

Just because you think you never heard of anyone years ago that had any kind of food allergy doesn't mean no one did. It just was never something that was discussed. You just didn't eat those things you were allergic to and no one noticed.

Also, very often most food allergies arrive as we age. I never had a single food or environmental allergy until I go older. Some time in my mid-20's I started getting both food and enviromental allergies I never had while growing up. One of my brothers at the age of 50 is just now having reaction to diary products he never had before. Some people develop an allergy very early, some later in life, and even some very much later in life. Food allergies just tend to work that way most of the time.

If you're noticing a difference in the last decade or so I think it has a lot more to do with people discussing their medical issues far more than they ever did before. I also think with many people they claim to have a medical issue like allergies in order to get people to stop doing something they just find annoying.

[sarcasmo]

17. Our 8 year old niece has the same issue and we take every precaution when she

spends time at the house.

[lapislzi]

18. Didn't mean to sound insensitive.

It was an honest question. I've known kids with peanut allergies, and our school district has a "no peanut product" policy, which I think is a good idea. I also think that epi pen use should be taught to every person, and refreshed regularly.

But the idea that the child could go into anaphylaxis simply by being in a room with someone who had eaten peanuts sounds extreme. This is a level of allergy I've never heard of. The basic common sense avoidance techniques the OP has obviously adopted would be entirely insufficient in this case.

Seriously. If the child cannot be anywhere in the proximity of a peanut, nearly all public life will be closed off to her. Supermarkets. Movies. Peanuts are everywhere.

I would never suggest that some parent's perceived "right" to serve a peanut butter sandwich in any way trumps what is obviously a serious health concern.

Does the news story (and, by extension, the parents) exaggerate? If the story is accurate, I fear for the life of the child. She won't make it to 21. You cannot guarantee zero percent exposure to an allergen.

[MedicalAdmin]

50. Peanut and potato are pretty pervasive.

Did you know that common table salt has potato starch added to it as an anti-clumping agent. And it's not on the label because it isn't considered part of the food... WTF? EVERYTHING should be on the label.

[Dappleganger]

61. Our son is allergic to uncooked potato peels

He blows up into a balloon if he has any contact w/them and had to be given another project to do when they grew potatoes at school. I'd never even heard of that allergy before he had a reaction one thanksgiving while helping in the kitchen.

[MedicalAdmin]

63. Allergies, especially non anaphylactic ones are more

common than most folks think. Initial studies seem to indicate that there is a correlation between many chronic conditions and allergies but whether they are resultive, causitive or a combination is still up to debate.

[tammywammy]

23. There's being cautious and then there's wiping down students with bleach

One of my nephews is allergic to peanuts. Yeah we're cautious, but at the same time, we're not wiping down everyone at family functions.

If the other child is so severely allergic that she cannot be in the same room as someone that ate peanuts, it's an entirely different level than what you've posted or what we deal with for my nephew.

[Yo_Mama]

46. That's too dangerous

I have allergies myself, so I am highly sympathetic. Allergies have different levels. This child's allergy is extremely severe. It's a contact allergy.

But if you have to spend 30 minutes a day cleaning each kid to try to reduce the chance of contact with peanut particles, I question whether the allergic child is safe at all.

It's one thing to exclude peanut butter from the school. It is another thing entirely to try to enforce this level of peanut-free environment.

If I were that child's parents, I ask for home-schooling. And if I were a parent of another child at that school, I'd be paranoid for fear that I would somehow be the person who sent their kid to school with peanut particles on their clothing. Especially with younger kids, and with the pervasiveness of nuts in processed foods, I think this is a terribly difficult endeavor. If I washed one of my kid's clothes and there was peanut butter (like a Reese's cup) in one of the pockets, I'm not sure if the clothes would dangerous to her. So many things have peanut in them!!

Anyone who's had younger children knows what I'm talking about.

And the danger is real. A contact allergy is very different from an ingestion allergy. Kids have died from contact allergies before.

[MedicalAdmin]

51. That is a very true post. Thanks for pointing that out.

Contact iGe reactions, especially the severe ones like anaphylactic, are a different catagory that iGg reactions (ingestion). They are more acute, but not necessary less dangerous over time.

Chrohns disease is an example of an iGg type disease that can lead to severe health consequenses including death. But it happens slowly like getting nibbled to death by ducks.

[Yo_Mama]

52. Yes, that's why I know this

I have allergies, and I got Crohn's by the time I was nineteen. They had been dosing me with steroids since I was sixteen. First I developed vicious asthma in my early teens and almost died from that.

Fortunately, a fellow college student whom I barely knew came up to me one day when I was nineteen. Her younger brother had been diagnosed with Crohn's and she told me about a book. I got it, read it, and have been following the recs ever since. It is severe. Rotation diet and the whole nine yards, but I was so relieved to get off the steroids!!!

So I know what it takes to really do this. There is no way this kid can be safe if that's how serious it is. Not in that environment. I was never even CLOSE to that bad, but I still have to be careful.

Fortunately most peanut allergies aren't that severe, but this kid is in big trouble. If they don't completely isolate her from the allergen, she may develop multiple allergies. And kids do die from contact allergies. There was a tragic case of a teenager rather recently who did. The likely way would be that she would touch something with a bit of peanut on it, and then touch her face or rub her eyes. And she's in first grade. No way in the world you can teach her the proper precautions at that age.

I can't imagine trying to keep a first-grader safe in that environment. Peanuts are oily, so the residue is hard to clean. Suppose a kid has a backpack with a bit of PB on it, and uses the bus. Think of all the candy bars out there with peanuts in them. And the poor child with the allergy gets on the bus the next morning, and sits on the seat. There's a thousand ways she can be exposed. A child could be walking to school and step on a candy bar, track some the residue into the school, she could step on it, and later get in direct contact when she takes off her shoes.

I think the school is legally required to provide isolated schooling, and for a child this age, the safest thing would be at the home.

If I were a parent at that school, I'd be trying to get the school to really take it seriously.

[MedicalAdmin]

59. It's amazing what the right diet can do, isn't it.

We don't all need surgery or prescriptives that only function as supressives.

Feel bad about that kid. I heard on the DU upthread that some other parents had taken to smearing peanut butter on their kids backpacks. WTF?

[madmom]

47. If she is that severely allergic does that mean that

all the other families of students have to start reading labels and not buy things containing or coming in contact with things in the peanut family? I really sympathize with them on this, but hardly think that is fair to everyone else if true. I agree with above poster who said if she is that allergic then she is indeed in deep trouble because there are traces of this particular ingredient everywhere in the outside world.:shrug:

[utopian]

57. I totally agree

I just think it's a big "if". The article provides no evidence aside from a vague generalization given by the school. The child "could" react from sitting next to someone who has eaten peanut butter. As I say above, my child "could" react as well. That's why he sits at a nut-free table.

I suspect that if the child is this sensitive to nuts, she most likely would not enroll at school at all, and the school and the parents over reacted. If not, then they should seek suitable alternatives.

[mstinamotorcity]

54. If there was a poster child for bubble boy

I might be it. Growing up I was the child who was always falling,allergic to something,or would hell have an anxiety attack for no apparent reason. With age I out grew some of my allergies. The doctor felt it was because I had been exposed to some of the environmental things in small doses as a part of just living. The only major one is still with me. I have learn what to avoid and what to do in case of emergency. My whole family will always provide me with alternative choices because of my allergy. Life is do-able with allergies. I wish your son the best of luck. And it doesn't matter what children who have allergies can still grow up as healthy adults. Hats off to you for being pro-active in your son's school.

[Skidmore]

55. What a coincidence. We have a grandson who is a few years

older and is also named Owen and who is allergic to peanuts, eggs and mustard. His 3 sibling are all allergic to peanuts/nuts. He has one sister who can't eat fish and a little brother who is also lactose intolerant. I know my daughter works overtime to make certain that they do not get their hands on anything that could put them into the hospital. All of them, even the 3 yr-old know how to use an epi-pen and one accompanies them on all visits. The kids have learned to ask if the food contains the ingredient they are allergic to. If someone offers them something and doesn't know exactly what is in it, they refuse, no matter how tempting the goody. They also have been taught the list of prepackaged foods they are allowed to have, and those are few and far between. Their teachers know about the allergies as does the school nurse, who has been left epi-pens at school for them. My daughter volunteers for PTA and for events for school that involve food, she has spent hours and hours making egg and nut-free treats so that her children and others like them can participate without fear of becoming ill. She also calls food producers to ask about their kitchens and any hidden ingredients. It is work but she is a firm believer that children like this need to learn how to navigate the world around them because mom and dad will not always be around. I'm so proud of her and them.

[aikoaiko]

64. If schools and parents didn't overreact, there wouldn't be such pushback.

Except in the rarest cases (which the Florida girl could be one) mere presence or superficial contact will not cause a severe reaction.