Fear and Allergies in the Lunchroom

Garn:
Spoken like someone who's never had to wonder if your child is going to live bc someone was careless with nuts. How selfish! It's not a small percentage every class in my child's school has one child allergic to nuts of some kind.

I never said anything about not finding out what's causing food allergies. My point is, why should my kid, or anyone else for that matter have to walk on eggshells because a very small percentage of kids may be allergic to peanut butter, milk, eggs, etc?

Garn. No, you may not have any allergies in your family today but tomorrow you could be on your death bed after eating a meal. Allergies are becoming more prevalent in those that never have had them before. Not your problem? You are wrong! It a problem for all of us. Anyone at anytime can develop a life threatening allergy. Shouldn't we find out why this is happening?

No, I don't need to educate myself regarding food allergies. I don't have food allergies, my wife doesn't and neither does my son. Translation, it's none of my business, nor is it my problem.

I must respond to those who feel that others with food allergies are being "catered to" and that it's "not my problem." No doubt neither of you has watched as your child was intubated to prevent death from anaphylaxis. Ten years ago my son, then 14, suffered anaphylactic shock after eating poultry, which until then had been a mainstay of his diet. After 5 years, that allergy abated and a shellfish allergy began. It appears this will be lifelong problem for him. Those of us close to someone who suffers from true, life-threatening allergies ask that the public be aware of and educated regarding this.

Does this have anything to do with all of the genetically altered food? I was at Whole Foods and there are some vegetables like corn that they don't even sell anymore because there is no corn grown now that isn't genetically altered. As a nurse, it just seems very odd that all these children have all these allergies. Not one kid I ever went to school with had a nut allergy, now my son has 2 in his classroom alone.

When you really think about it - food allergies matter all day, every day. Taking care of my son, who had trouble breathing, had head to toe rashes, and did not talk before diagnosis, has been a challenge - not just for our family, but for our extended families, too. So, thanks for the article because what I (we) really need is support and for someone to take our children's health to heart. I know other parents out there will identify with the fact that it took six doctors before we found a doctor who didn't pass the buck or only treat our son's symptoms (one even had the audacity to say that he wheezed as an infant because he liked to). Patients come from all over the world to be seen our son's doctor, Jeremy Baptist, and who knew he was down the street in Overland Park, Kansas all this time. My advice to parents - don't give up, find a doctor who listens and, above all, "believes" in food allergies. Thanks to his diet and weekly shots, my 3 year old can now tell you a great deal about how real they are.

I guess as long as people have someone else to blame...frightening...must be hard being perfect, surrounded by all of these allergy-causing parents.

My problem is my child's school. For many reasons unrelated to food allergies, I pay a fortune that I don't have to send my kids to an independent school. With all of the personalized everything, there is little understanding or empathy for food allergies. Accommodations vary on a classroom by classroom basis. The school nurse is useless. The allergy is treated like a burden or inconvenience.

And you know what. The allergy is a burden and an inconvenience. It turns your life upside down and inside out. It s**ks -- especially for the child. But it IS. These schools need to get with the program. Accommodation and teacher training need to be standardized and mandatory. And these insensitive and ignorant parents of non-allergic children need to be taught by the schools that pbj and trail mix for lunch isn't an entitlement. I'm sorry if your little one can't live without his favorite food for lunch -- mine can't live with it!

My child's school seems to take apathetic comfort in the fact that since none of the food-allergic children there have never had a life-threatening reaction while at school that all is well. Truth is they're not really prepared for one. Luckily, my child has a fabulous, informed, interested, aware homeroom teacher this year. But this leaves us searching for alternatives for next year.

Sad.

I agree with the comment about GMOs. 85% of the soybeans grown in the US are GMO and they contain up to 5 times the amount of the soy protein that soy allergic people react to compared to non-GMO soybeans. That huge increase makes even the slightest accidental ingestion so much more likely to cause a serious reaction. Unfortunately, it's all about money! GMOs make money for the corporations that developed the technology. It's pretty scary to use the word "technology" when discussing food! Money is also the reason why certain airlines (not all, some have appropriately reacted to the allergy crisis) still serve peanuts. It's hugely irresponsible but it is still done because it's cheap.

I lead a support group in Long Island called Protect Allergic Kids (google our site). I think we need to take a stance on the fact that pediatricians should not be allowed to do allergy testing or treat for asthma. Children need to see specialists to be properly treated. My 7 year old almost died at 18 months old from an anaphylactic reaction to milk. We didn't have an epi pen and he couldn't hold down the Benadryl. To this day our pediatrician says no child should be tested under the age of 3 (knowing there is a family history). My son has an aid at school and on the bus to prevent accidental exposure (under the 504 plan). Call me a neat freak but my son can have a reaction from touch, smell or even a kiss. I worry more about the other kids around him. He knows not to share food and to keep his hands clean. I myself had 2 anaphylactic reactions to fish as an adult (which I outgrew 16 years later). A child should not have to administer the epi at such a young age. I am happy NY Food Allergy guidelines will come into action next year. But what about all the allergic kids in daycares and preschools? And why are the airlines still serving peanuts on flights? Cuz it's cheap! We don't ask for sympathy, just empathy. Imagine if it was your child who had a life threatening allergy to food. I am tired of hearing about the picky eater. Teach your children who don't have food allergies to eat something other than pbj. Our kids are limited (not by choice).

Protect Allergic Kids is a non profit food allergy organization based in Long Island, NY. We have over 130 Members in our group. Our mission is to raise awareness through education in order to keep kids safe until there is a cure. My name is Cristina Stainkamp and my 7 year old is anaphylactic to milk. He has gone into shock 3 times from the slightest exposure. He has an aid under the 504 plan at school and on the bus. He never goes on a playdate without me so why shouldn't he be protected in school? The aid is there to prevent accidental exposure. There is no standardized individual health plan out there so I posted his on the site under Resources/Sample Letters. Daycares and pre schools should be forced to follow food allergy guidelines. And the airline industry needs to stop serving peanuts on flights. It's unfortunate this article didn't address GMOs. I definitely believe there is a link to our food proteins being genetically modified to the rise of food allergies. Food allergy parents need to band together to put a stop to our foods being altered. I also want to address the fact that Pediatricians in the country should not be allowed to do allergy testing or treat for asthma. My son almost died at 18 months old because my Pediatrician told me he was too young to be allergy tested. We didn't have an epipen when he went into shock. He could have died. I don't want my child or any other for that matter to be a statistic. Hope you join our group. It's free!

As a naturopathic physician I work with many adults and kids with allergies and food sensitivities. I believe that the causes are not that we are too "clean" but rather too toxic. The amount of new chemicals and fertilizers over the past several years along with vaccinations beginning earlier and adding more of them has contributed more to allergies then any other factor that I am aware of. Dr. Shaun Dyler

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The article points out that the actual number of allergies are less than what families claim. Contrarily, there are more allergies than people claim to have. I've recently discovered my son to be allergic to eggs; However, his symptoms are not the typical so called "allergic reactions" through eczema or anaphylactic, he showed signs of autism. Once I removed eggs from his diet, his behavior became totally normal. Allergic reaction can manifest in different forms. They are just very hard to identify if the reaction is not those typical ones that can be readily seen.

The article points out that the actual number of allergies are less than what families claim. Contrarily, there are more allergies than people claim to have. I've recently discovered my son to be allergic to eggs; However, his symptoms are not the typical so called "allergic reactions" through eczema or anaphylactic, he showed signs of autism. Once I removed eggs from his diet, his behavior became totally normal. Allergic reaction can manifest in different forms. They are just very hard to identify if the reaction is not those typical ones that can be readily seen.

I wish the article would have mentioned the word EOSINOPHILIC DISEASE. They were obviously talking about a boy who has it.