Allergies and experiences

madhouseof4

Hmmmm, my son has multiple food allergies (dairy, soya, eggs, almost all nuts including peanuts and wheat). My ds was put on a strict avoidance diet in March 2006 for a minimum of 2 years. At first, I was very cross that restaurants could't cater for him, people eating in parks etc, etc, but really, there is no point. Now we just get on with life as best we can. We take food with us if we go out to eat. If they can cater for him, great, if not, it's no skin off our nose. We actually found the best bet for eating out was going somewhere with a carvery. Macdonalds is also another favourite and the only fast food place we can take a child with so many allergies. If you think it is difficult to shop for a child with a nut allergy, imagine how painstaking my shopping was at first.

I wholeheartedly agree with the part at the bottom of The Waltons post. Allergies in children are not fair, but life is unfair. It will not help if you keep looking at the negative aspects of your child's life because of allergies. My son is a happy, healthy little boy (he's 3). He is just coming to understand that his food is differnt, but to him, it has always been that way. That doesn't mean it doesn't stab at my heart when I see children eating icecreams, but in the grand scheme of things, I would rather be extra vigilant and keep him safe than whine at the injustice of it all.

Oh and just read the post above mine, brilliantly put, well done!

blue_monkey_2

The other thing I was going to say - there is not only Piriton available, Piriton makes children drowsy so speak to your doctor and ask if there is another one available, my daughter has a different type. If your daughter is off to a picnic or party you might find giving her a spoon of the Anti-histimine before she goes will mean she might be covered for any eventuality that she comes into contact with nuts will makes the reaction not so severe - like hay-fever suffers do by taking a tablet each day. I find that when I am taking my hay-fever tabs I can eat fruits! I can't take it every day of the year as I would build up an intolerance but I make the most of it when I have hay-fever and eat the fruits that do not affect me so much then. I even have to watch out for the fruits that yogurt, ice creams, etc... contain as even small amounts can set me off.

Like I said, you will find a way of adapting.

madhouseof4

I can say with certainty that Piriton does not make all children sleepy, it makes my son hyper, lol!

TheWaltons_3

Very good advice given by Blue Monkey.

blue_monkey_2

LOL madhouse. I did not know it made kids sleepy until my doctor said 'Piriton will make her drowsey' ad then proceeded to tell me that she gave it to her kids if they would not go don for the night. I sat in shocked silence not knowing whether she was serious or not. I think she was. I was very shocked, LOL!!

impy78

Hiya,

I am allergic to live bacteria (Anti-biotics, Yoghurt, fromage frais, creme freche, sour cream, pro-biotic foods) and food additives, and as a kid it was very difficult to understand and accept it.

I know that the nut allergy is a lot more serious than mine, though I have had a couple of anaphalactic shocks as a younger child (and I almost had one last year after I got served a drink in a cup that had had a smoothie it - it had been washed too!!!!), but I think the best attitude to take is one of acceptance. There isn't anything that you can do to make huge multi national companies change their policies and as annoying as it is when people treat you like an escaped loon when you ask for a list of ingredients for all sauces and desserts in restaurants, you learn to live without the foods that aren't entirely safe.


Just keep carrying the epi-pen and looking on the bright side - there are a lot worse things your child could have.

dawnybabes

My LO is allergic to eggs and shellfish - he is gradually growing out of the egg one and can eat a little yorkshire pudding but strangly gets exema on his left ear lobe the next day .... We have trained him as soon as we realised and got it confirmed at the hospital that he "can't like that" and its not a problem at all for him - hes 5 in a few weeks and if anyone puts cakes etc in fornt if him he politely tells them he can't like that. Because he's never had these sort of things hes never been bothered and isn't worried at all.

If he does eat anything by mistake he immediaty starts making a stupid coughing noise and dad or I jump into action, but its rare as he just will not touch anything he thinks is suspect. Got caught out a few weeks ago with Lemon Curd - never even considered it might have eggs in - doh !!

Personally I HATE Morrisons bakery - I have asked time and time again about the ingredients in doughnuts etc and they never seem able to tell me. Sainsburys on the other hand go in the back and bring out a huge folder with the ingredients of everything they sell in the bakery and have spent ages with me going through the book.

benood

We're relatively lucky on allergies - hayfever only, but I think that companies could do better on labelling - just today (this is my chance to rant a bit) we were out having tea and the single servings of butter were labelled: Butter, Allergy advice: contains milk - it's overkill like that which must make reading labels so difficult. Or perhaps someone can put me right!

blue_monkey_2

No, it is because people will sue if something happens to them and it was what I was saying before. It covers the company for and eventuallty of liability. Should someone give this to their child and then the child has an allergic reaction the company can say 'well the package was labelled it is not our fault'.

Sad as it is - this is the country as we have made it with claims for everything that happens however slight. Common sense seems to have gone out of the window these days sadly, everyone is after a fast buck and this is why the country is like it is and why we have silly warnings on everything.

Allergies are a fact of life now - rather interestingly I wonder if anyone can answer me this - is it just your 1st child that has allergies? Every family I know that has someone with severe allergies it is just the first born child that is affected - and there are quite a few, siblings and often parents, are fine. I wonder if it that for a first child we are so concnered with everything being spotlessly clean we kill any immume system the child is trying to build. By the time you have another you have given up with having to care for 2 kids and the children get the anti-bodies they need. it is a thought though, I know a fair amount of people who's children have allergies and in every single family it is the first born only that has allergies. How interesting is that? And in all of them the parents are fine with having anything other than hayfever (including my family!!!).

madhouseof4

Hehehe Blue Monkey, we like to be different! My first born is fine, no allergies that we are aware of. No eczema, hayfever, nothing. DS2 however got everything. Started with severe eczema, then food allergies and a little hayfever as well as other health issues. Also interestingly, ds1 I breastfed for 16 weeks, ds2, until he turned 3. In our case, I think it was pretty random as you would have thought it would be the other way around.