Stress and Food Allergies: What's Coming

I'm back! I've spent the last few months trying to get my health back on track and really focusing on where I want this blog to go. This has been and always will be a mom blog. And, as I mom, life gets in my way and I get distracted for a day or two on other things. Thanks for sticking with me!!

I'm going to start using video on this blog. Let me know what you think. Is this helpful for you instead of reading all of my rants? Listen to the video and I'll talk about what is coming up this week. We'll talk about stress and food allergies but the video will give you a glimpse into who I am and what has been going on with me.

Enjoy!!

My Own Food Allergy Reaction

My Monday post talked about how I sometimes need mental breaks from food allergies. Thankfully I am not the only one! A big thanks to all those of you agreed with me that mental breaks are needed in the life of a food allergy mom.

Today's post is one I have debated writing for well over a year. But this week I decided to expose my own vulnerability on this blog. My intent has never been to hide it from anyone but myself. I also never want to appear that I am blaming my precious Tyler for any of my own problems. All of my emotions bubble over from a deep love I have for my first born child.

But, the last few years have been tough. After Tyler was hospitalized in June 2008 for an anaphylactic reaction, I developed terrible migraines. Had they not started the week after his hospitalization, I might have never made the connection.

In the first year after his reaction, I would develop migraines for about a week at time. They were debilitating but life went on. I would usually have a good week or two before I would get another one. When my husband was diagnosed with tree nut allergies last May, I developed some form of a headache every single day. For 10 months.

I have no food allergies. Yet, my body developed a dramatic reaction to the fact they were (and are) a regular part of my life.

Once the daily headaches started, they became a vicious cycle. I saw a neurologist. He did an MRI and ran other tests and could find nothing clinically wrong. (They did determine there is a brain in my head which is a relief some days!)

I told my doctor all about Tyler and know food allergies were at least partly the cause. I really never expected them to find anything. Yet, life was terribly difficult with a chronic daily headache for 10 months.

I tell you this to say that having a child with life-threatening food allergies is hard. The stress is incredible. It takes a toll on your health.

The headaches are considerably better now. They did not leave without considerable drama, however. I will be back Friday to talk about why I was in the hospital for 4 days in March. As you might guess, I think stress had a thing or two to do with it.

Feel free to share your own experiences in the comments.

I Don't Want to Be "That Mom"

Do you ever wake up and think, "I don't want to be a food allergy mom today!" I feel this way more than I would like to admit.

As you might have noticed, I have been M.I.A. from this blog for the better part of the last few months. There are several reasons that go into this but one of them is the fact that some days I just don't want to be a food allergy mom!

I know some of you might think that since I blog about my son's peanut allergy that I have come to some sort of emotional ability to not get stressed and depressed about it all. But that just is not the case! My emotions come and go in intensity but some days I have a very difficult time with it.

I know most of you know what I'm talking about.

Now, imagine yourself writing a blog about the thing that has your stress level through the roof. Most days I work to make this blog an encouragement to peanut allergy parents. So it seems a bit ironic that I must sit down and write about it on days that I'm struggling with it. I just need a break from all that is involved with being a food allergy parent!

That is one reason I sometimes take a break. I need an emotional break. I need to have times where my mind is not revolving around the food allergies that can bring me to tears some days if I let them.

To combat what I am now terming "food allergy burnout" I plan to write some posts ahead of time so I have something to post when my brain cannot deal with food allergies. Hopefully this will help my absences that sometimes occur on this blog.

You may not blog about your child's peanut allergy but I am guessing you would like a break from food allergies some days, too. For myself, I refuse to feel guilty about this fact. You should not, either.

I have worked the last 4+ years setting up a system that keeps Tyler safe. I can't totally turn my brain off from his allergies but some days when I start to feel emotionally overwhelmed by it all, it is OK to just hit the "Off" button when it comes to worry and anxiety.

Anyone else ever encounter the "I need a day (or week!) off from food allergies" syndrome?

Sign Up for Updates and Special Offers from PA Kid

Just a quick note, particularly to those of you who subscribe via email to the PA Kid posts. I have switched systems and would love for you to sign up for the new system. The new system will allow me to contact you with special offers and other things you may want to know but I may not put on the blog.

When I complete my upcoming ebook, I will offer my email subscribers a special discount that will not be available on the blog. I do not know yet if I can automatically transfer those who used FeedBlitz to subscribe over automatically. So, no matter how you read this blog (email, blog reader, or just typing in the address), I think you will be glad you sign up for this new service.

Another exciting feature of this will be a monthly newsletter of information that will not be on the blog.

The new box is on the blog in the upper right hand corner. I'm pretty sure you can't miss it!

So, what are you waiting for?? :) Sign up!!

P.S. Regular posts are coming next week!!

Help Needed from Food Allergy Parents!

I need your help!! I am in the process of creating a series of ebooks for managing food allergies. The first one I am working on is written for those who will care for a child with life-threatening food allergies for 24 hours or less (i.e. babysitters, parents who host playdates or sleepovers, etc).

I would love to have your suggestions of what you think is important for these type of people to know. So far I have the following sections:

1. Life-Threatening Food Allergies 101
2. What to Do Before a Food Allergic Child Visits Your Home
3. The Food Allergy Action Plan to Prepare for an Emergency
4. Understanding the Epi-Pen
5. Feeding the Food Allergic Child

6. Cross-Contamination - What is It and Why is It Important?
7. Why You are Important in the Life of a Food Allergic Child

OK, food allergy moms and dads, is there something else you would like to see? Please leave me a comment to let me know your thoughts on this. Or, if you prefer, send me an email. I'm working on this right now so I'd love your input this week.

My hope for this book is it will be something you can forward via email (since it will be electronic) to anyone who you trust to care for your food allergic child but want to give them a little education to prep them for the event. It will be filled with pictures and other things that make it entertaining while also being educational.

ThThis is the first in a series of books like this I plan to offer. Although there will be a small fee associated with them, I plan to offer them at a special price to readers of this blog for the first week. (As a big THANK YOU for reading this blog and helping me grow as a food allergy parent.

h

Regular Posting Will Resume on Wednesday

I just want to thank everyone who has told me how much they miss this blog. Me too! I've had some serious health problems and was even hospitalized for 4 days about a month ago. I am recovering and will resume posting on Wednesday.

I attended two different conferences in Las Vegas on food allergies this past weekend. I was able to meet the CEO of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network which was very exciting for me. Unfortunately I neglected to get a picture which I was bummed about!

I have a lot to share from the conference in the coming weeks so stay tuned.

Posting Will Resume...and I Will Announce a Winner Soon!

Hi fellow PA moms. Terribly sorry about the MIA. Between starting a freelance writing business and some health problems, this blog has been inadvertently put on the back burner. I will post a winner of the giveaway tomorrow and am starting a new series called "Taking Care of PA Mom." Once I share my heart, many of you will understand why I occasionally disappear from the blog.

Oatmeal Baths for Eczema

After I wrote a whole series on getting rid of eczema, it made an ugly return to our home in the last few months. Just like any battle, you win some and you lose some. But we are experimenting with a new, natural treatment that seems to be very working.

Allergic dermatitis and eczema can be treated with a simple oatmeal bath recipe that can be made at home.

Oatmeal’s health benefits in a diet are well known. Incredibly, oatmeal is just as good for your skin as it is as a hearty breakfast. With this simple home remedy that can easily made for just pennies, allergic dermatitis and eczema flare-ups can be quickly treated with the simple act of taking a bath...

For the rest this article I wrote, check out: Oatmeal Bath Recipe For Allergic Dermatitis: A Treatment for Eczema

Two Peanut Allergy Kids?!?!

Having a child with a peanut allergy kid can be overwhelming. Having two, well, I just can't even comprehend the level of anxiety that would bring.

Two weeks ago I thought I just might have two of them.

Despite the fact our church is peanut free, someone (who obviously was not aware of the policy) brought peanut butter candy to church and put it candy bowls all over the church. (Yes, I heard a few of you gasp. Trust me, I did, too!)

I have diligently trained Tyler over the years to never take candy without asking. Now that he is 5, he does not.

My younger child, Dylan, is 3. I had him allergy tested last year and his tests came back negative. But the peanut butter candy was there. And he ate it. The nursery worker who was caring for him was terrified when she saw the peanut butter in the middle. She is well-trained on EpiPens due to food allergies in her own family and was prepared.

By the time I arrived, there had been no reaction. I felt relieved. I was glad I did not know it was happening when it was happening. And I was glad there was no reaction. Yeah!

Nine hours later, Dylan broke out in a mysterious rash. I wondered if a reaction could be that delayed. I knew it would be unusual but nut allergies do not follow a text book example.

I took Dylan back in for allergy testing. The poor child had to go through the "back pricking" twice in a year.

I was thrilled there was, again, no reaction. Our allergist is very cautious. He also did blood work so he felt completely confident there was no allergy. Those tests also came back negative.

In the end, I only have one child with a peanut allergy. You can bet we have been doing the "happy dance" over that one!

Staying Organized for a Food Allergy Mom & a Giveaway!

Few things can prepare you for what it will be like when you child is diagnosed with a life-threatening food allergy. Your mind whirls around, wondering how you will ever manage to keep your child safe.

For me the most important thing (besides checking food labels and other related issues) is staying organized. This does a few things for me:

1. It helps me know what is coming up and when I need to have food alternatives.


2. Exactly what safe foods I have in my pantry and in my deep freeze for those last minute frantic food needs.


3. It gives me a feeling of control in a sometimes seemingly uncontrollable situation.

Each week, I examine my calendar of what is coming up and make a list of all that needs to get accomplished in the upcoming week. Although I won't go into all the details here, I have a pretty elaborate (also a little neurotic) system that I use to keep up with my fast paced life.

So what do I use for to stay on top of things so that I make sure that I am always prepared and able to keep Tyler safe?

Carolina Pad products! If you have never heard of them, be prepared to fall in love (as much as you can with paper products!).

They have several lines of products like notebooks, planners, binders, post-it notes, and just about everything else you can imagine that all coordinate together. They are feminine (a big deal for me since I live with all men!) and so functional.

Did I mention that I love this company??

In most areas of my life, I am very frugal. I buy most of my clothes second hand. I buy in bulk when possible and buy generics.

But...when it comes to staying organized, I only use this one brand. In fact, for Christmas my husband, who is fully aware of my crazy obsession with this company went on Amazon and bought several of their products in bulk for me. I was doing back flips when I got them and happily showed him how they matched so many of my other products. (And, he lovingly rolled his eyes!).

So, you can imagine my total excitement when the company asked me to share my experiences with their products in exchange for some samples from their new product lines and to give away some products to my readers!!

One lucky reader will receive the following fabulous products (the picture above is what the reader will receive):

• "Ideal Portfolio" (This is what I use to list my weekly goals and other upcoming events)


• 100 sheet notebook (I use this for my day to day "To Do" list)


• 100 sheet composition book


• Daily Notes Desk Calendar (one year's worth of weekly planning sheets)


• Ultra thin calculator (polka dots...my favorite!!)


• Card case (looks like a billfold but holds 24 business cards)


• Stick on Notes and Flags (similar to Post-It's but waaaaay cuter!)
  

Do you struggle with staying organized so that you are prepared for whatever your child's food allergy throws your way? If not, this package is for you! Trust me, organization is key on keeping you child safe and keeping your own anxiety levels low.

If you would like to win the fabulous package above, just leave a comment. If you wish, tell us what you most challenging part of staying organized as it relates to your child's peanut allergy.

If you like Carolina Products, please join their Facebook group and follow them on Twitter.

Good luck!! The giveaway will end on February 17 at 7 a.m. EST. Please leave your email address in your comment so I know where to contact the winner.