NUT ALLERGIES

[fishfinder]

I just asked on the Tasmanain gathering thread if people could be aware of my daughter with a nut allergy, which made me think to start a new topic.

On many occasions if it be at a party, watching sports or around a camp fire quite often people will bring out a bag of nuts and, if I have my daughter with me I would stand back and assess the people whether to ask if it is possible for them not to eat nuts, and explain the situation or just get up and walk away. I mostly ask but feel very uncomfortable in doing so, and in doing so people respect that.

So the reason of this thread ( moderators could you make it a sticky ) rather than assume every one around you has no problems with sharing some nuts or if you choose to eat them your self, rather than just open up the bag, ask the people around you if it is OK first, by doing so makes people happier that people are aware of this growing epidemic which is affecting our children now days, and it also makes them feel comfortable not having one of those "awkward" moments in asking or walking away.

Just thought I would put it out there, if you choose to practice this is totally your choice but would be great to have people out there caring and by doing so will make other people do the same thing .   

[DSzuke]

Hi fishfinder... I assume you carry one (or more) Epi-pens.

We have a few kids in our club with allergies and make it well known.

We even spent some time around the campfire teaching others how to use the Adrenaline which most unaware people were grateful for.

[fishfinder]

one in both cars one at the school and one at home - its good to see people educating others as some people have no idea of how extreme this is people are so surprised after telling them that even the smell of nuts can trigger off a reaction, my girl being one of them .

[qlddsl]

people are so surprised after telling them that even the smell of nuts can trigger off a reaction, my girl being one of them .

Don't go to Kingaroy then

[DSzuke]

I just read the thread on the Tassie meet.

You are all over it! ?

Relax and have a great time!

[Kit_e_kat9]

.

[Bird]

One of my ex's had Peanut allergy.. The looks you get when you go out for dinner and ask what they cook food in, some people were offended they started abusing like you thought they were cooking in old sump oil, until you told them to **** themselves as you walk out and its about allergies not the food.
Chinese was out Italian was usually safe! 

She also had an allergy (cant remember if it was the same part) to baked beans and few other things.

Remember pulling up at one of those driver reviver things one night, and she picked up couple of bikkies, and touched her tongue with it and she instantly knew.

Its amazing how common it is.

Good topic to bring out to peoples attention.

[gronk]

Unfortunate how ( unlike the animal kingdom ) we are breeding a piss poor society....or is it really the ability to treat a lot of the " killer " diseases that yrs ago would have " selected " the unfortunate  ??

Funny how complex the body really is......and we still can't fix a simple peanut allergy, but we are almost at the stage of curing most cancers ??

[Mace]

How are we supposed to know this ... if we aren't told?  Public knowledge is growing thanks to threads like this
Why aren't these things made public? They are, but more prominence given in schools and educational facilities where young are present
Do I have to stop eating nuts in public now?No, but be aware/considerate if the presence of a hyper allergic person is made known

more info at:

http://www.allergy.org.au/patients/about-allergy/anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis Management is becoming a popular first aid course add on.  All our first Aid officers are so trained.

From the above link:

Reality: The frequency of allergic disease has approximately doubled in the past few decades. In Australia and New Zealand, around:
 1 in 3 people will develop allergies at some time during life;
 1 in 5 will develop atopic dermatitis;
 1 in 6 will have an attack of hives (urticaria);
 1 in 10 people have asthma;
 1 in 20 will develop a food allergy (usually transient); and
 1 in 100 will have a life-threatening allergy known as anaphylaxis.

 

[Mace]

Unfortunate how ( unlike the animal kingdom ) we are breeding a piss poor society....or is it really the ability to treat a lot of the " killer " diseases that yrs ago would have " selected " the unfortunate  ??

Funny how complex the body really is......and we still can't fix a simple peanut allergy, but we are almost at the stage of curing most cancers ??

Some beleive that our "sterile" society is a causal factor, with infants being unable to develop anti-bodies against the full range of "bugs, etc" out there.  The courts are still out on this one.


List of foods with Possible Peanut Content which could cause a reaction for Fishfinders daughter:

Baked goods Biscuits Cereals
Asian food
Crackers
Egg rolls Ice creams Health bars Indonesian dishes
Kebabs
Marzipan
Mixed nuts Pastries Peanut oil "Natural" flavourings
Peanut butter
Sweets
Spaghetti sauces Soups Thai dishes Vegetable fats and oils
Pesto
Arachnis oil
Bouillon/Worcestershire sauce Nougat Muesli Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
Chocolates
Cosmetics, moisturisers, massage oils (nut oils)
Vegetarian dishes Animal and bird feeds (contain seeds) Lotions, shampoos & creams, toothpaste, cosmetics, sunscreens Promethium (progesterone cream derived from peanuts)

[JCOJ]

My son too has a peanut allergy and we have epipen with us at all times.

At previous SA MySwag Meets I have let people know in advance that he has a nut allergy and that if they have anything then please don't share with him nor touch him - and people have been excellent and not brought anything at all which is much appreciated.  I think people understand that these allergies occur and can do without their Satay sticks or Snickers bars for a couple of days.

I too felt very nervous and apprehensive about mentioning it for the first time, but after the responses I got after that first time, this soon went away.

[cruisindub]

I'm aware there are some life threatening allergies....

If I pulled out a bag of nuts for instance and as usual, offered them around, rather than you walking away which I would find strange and a little insulting, if you just simply politely explained teh situation, those nuts would be put away faster than any smell could get out.

I would find that more suitable, and of course would respect that more than walking away.

Im not about to stop eating nuts, peanut butter etc, in the off chance that someone might be allergic, rather being explained the situation, we would all understand and be more than accomodating.

No big deal, the nuts would last another day to be eating at a later time.

dont feel uncomfortable or embarrassed, just simply be polite and explain the situation......

everyones happy!!!

[Bunyip]

Thank goodness none of my kids have any food allergies, although the middle child was lactose intolerant when he was younger.

Our best mates have a child with a nut allergy. Her grandmother gave her turkey stuffing with nuts in it at Christmas dinner!! They spent the night in A&E.

I know some airlines stopped serving nuts because of the risk of legal action should an allergic have a reaction to an open packet of nuts.

Very serious condition and thanks for raising it fishfinder.

Bunyip

[Bird]

Some beleive that our "sterile" society is a causal factor,

We have a client that wants testing done on rubber gloves she used once to mix her baby food...  She feels a rat may have pissed on them at some stage.

Kid will. be in a glass house for ever and 12.2 days.

[Kit_e_kat9]

Thanks Mace.

[sonny]

2 of our 3 sons struggle with allergy related problems.  We nearly lost the youngest on two occasions due to Anaphylaxis but he is allergic to drugs (pennicillin, eurethroymacin, NSAIDS, aspirin) and consequently at the age of 23 can still only take baby panadol - a bit easier to control then severe food allergies.  Dr has told him if he ever takes an aspirin it will probably kill him. 

2nd son was very allergic and a very bad asthmatic and as a small child was allergic to a lot of foods.  His grandparents were of the opinion I was just "an overly protective mother" until they gave him twisties and he came out in welts like he had been whipped all over and he went absolutely nuts and destroyed their suitcase when they were staying with us.  They were very sheepish when I "nicely" explained to them that it was all their fault and if I said he wasn't to be given something then they better listen. 

I always found the biggest problem was other people's ignorance or choice to believe that they know better than the child's parent.  We were very lucky to have a Specialist who believed that the child's parent is the real expert and supported us and listened to our opinions.

Good luck to all the parents of younger children out there dealing with this very serious issue.

[KingBilly]

Hey fishfinder, sorry to hear about your daughter.  That must be real tough for her and your family.

Just out of curiosity (and please, I'm not being smart) but how is she going to survive as an adult when you're not around to be able to control her surroundings?  There are nuts everywhere and I'm not referring to those she will have to work with    JKohn says that if somebody has been handling nuts they shouldn't touch his son.  Gee, life is going to be hard for these kids.  Do they just stay home or is there some cure on the horizon?

KB

[Mace]

I certainly dont mean to be speaking for Fishfinder, but once an adult she will be responsible for her own "duty of care".  At the moment, FF and wife are  the main proponent of her DOC requirements, but I bet she is learning to think for herself.

At present the aim of all schools and educational facilities is to give juvenile Anaphylaxis "sufferers" the same duty of care they get at home. This doesnt allways happen, but it is certainly the aim. All will require an Anaphylaxis Management plan to be lodged with the school, with copies distributed to relevant staff.  Photo's of Anaphylaxis/allergy "sufferers" are usually put up on the walls in school canteens so staff know who "not to serve" certain goods. "No Nuts" codes are common.

Having had a daughter who suffers from asthma, I can only imagine the higher duty of care requirements required for an Anaphylactic.  Not trying to make fun of the situation, but think about it, when camping, one of the parents will have to remain sober at all times in case an emergency dash is required!

[weeds]

i'm with cruzindub..........

my oldest boy's best mate allergies as long as your arm including being gluton intolerant whichis his biggest concern.......he was 11 when he first came to our place and he quickly educated us, even though his mum and dad gave us a heads up.......it does play n your mind a little bit when he is around if anything went wrong but he seems to have it all under control

[noel_w]

Gotta agree with cruzindub as well.
A couple of things..


Used to share a house with a girl who was allergic to eggs. Of all things her parents owned an egg farm. We had a dickhead mate who didn't believe her allergy and tested her out with a minute quantity of egg in a supposedly egg free cake. Quick trip to the hospital 30 minutes later.


I grew up on a wheat farm with a bad case of allergy related asthma and in my case I was allergic to grass, pollen and wheat dust. I spent a lot of time at the doctors and a couple of times it was a close call....   


I would have no qualms at all in mentioning it at first chance. People do understand mostly and if they don't they should be "educated" just like my dickhead mate was....

[chisel]

My daughter was allergic to peanuts for a couple of years.  Very luckily she was one of the 20% that eventually gets over it and is no longer allergic.

The current advice for parents is to expose very young babies to possible allergens as early as possible.  eg. from 4 months or whenever they start on baby food.  I'm not saying this is the best approach or makes a difference - just that it is the current AMA/ASCIA advice.  Check with your GP for more info or a reference.

[JU5T1N]

I to agree, walking away doesn't fix the issue. Your daughter would still be in danger. The last thing I would want is to be the cause of this danger so yes the nuts would be put away and sealed for her safety. As my family don't have any allergies I always have cashews, macadamias, eggs, milk, cheese and many other allergy related products on trips away and if no prior notice is given they would be out at very least in my camper. I wouldn't imagine any one on here would have any different opinion the safety of any persons child.

I think another good idea would be to have a sticker on the your car and ct stating that you have an Epi-pen just like the medical kit or first aid stickers. It would prompt those that seen it camping near you to ask and also if some other child near by had a reaction it would be known that the Epi-pen was available in the same way as medical kits or first aid officers work.

[TheOtherLeft]

As someone who is allergic to nuts I am very conscious of the foods I eat. At restaurants I ask if there are any nuts in the food and I tell them I am allergic. If there then I change my order...simple as that.

When offered food I ask if there any nuts in it. I think it's a bit rude to expect others to stop eating because of MY allergies. If they offer to stop eating then that's all well and good...but to expect others......

[heath74]

Must be terrifying to have a child with such a severe allergy. I feel for you and your family.  Certainly if i was camping with you I'd want to know about it ASAP I'd want to explain it to my kids, and assist by keeping an eye out. I've seen anaphylactic reactions. Very frightening for the child and for all around.

If anyone wasn't prepared to go without nuts for a couple of days camping, when they presented such a serious risk to a child, I'm not sure I'd be interested in camping with them. Hardly a big ask.

Good thread, awareness is the key. It really is weird that this type of allergy is becoming more common.

[Nomad]

I know my kids school does not allow any nut products on the grounds at all, don't ask how my kids area allowed to be there. It must be a very frightening thing to be allergic to something so common and widely used.

My sister is allergic to an antibiotic, can't think of the type atm, but if she has it again it will probably cause her a lot of damage.

We feed our kids nut and fruit mix, but will be very careful from now on if we are around others.

And if I am around and we pull the nuts out just tell us to put them away.....no jokes Jeepers.