Review of "The Peanut Butter Jam"

Synposis of the Story

Sam has a peanut allergy and is unable to participate in the bird feeder class project since it involves peanut butter. A classmate, Jack, begins to tease Sam, saying he is afraid of the peanut butter. Sam reaches his breaking point from the peer pressure his allergy causes. He reasons that he has not had a problem with his peanut allergy in years, therefore it would be safe for him to participate in the project.

He quickly walks over to Sam's desk, picks up the peanut butter saturated bird feeder. Mr. Maglio, his teacher, immediately sends him to the sink to wash his hands. It's too late. His face begins to swell and he starts to cough. Mr. Maglio rushes Sam to the nurses office. The nurse gives him his epinephrine shot and antihistamine. Then, the ambulance arrives.

Once at the hospital, his mom arrives and he sees his allergist, Dr. Greene. He explains why he touched the bird feeder. Dr. Greene reminds him that he risked his life when he touched the peanut butter.

Dr. Greene suggests his family join a support group with other children who have food allergies. She feels meeting other children like him will help him not feel so alone in his allergy. His mother agrees.

In the end, Sam and Jack become friends. Jack apologizes for making fun of Sam. Jack confesses that he has an allergy to cats. Sam discovers he and Jack are more alike than he thought.

My Observations

This book is rather intense. Amazon recommends it for ages 4-8. I think the age beginning age should be around 6 or 7. It would even be approriate for children up to 10 or 11.

This book deals with two very important issues that any elementary schoool aged child needs to come to terms with: peer pressure as it relates to their allergy and what happens during a reaction. As parents, we want to shield our child from both of these but we can't. Instead, we can read a book that's a little intense with them and then discuss it. This book makes it very easy.

The pictures in this book are a little disturbing. The facial swelling and hives (not mentioned in the book but shown in pictures) are sometimes hard to look at.

This book would be good for a child that doesn't really believe they have an "bad allergy" or doesn't understand what happens during a reaction.

My husband read this book to Tyler before he realized I had not approved it. His observation was "It's disturbing." Yes, for the younger crowd, that is certainly true. But for a child in elementary school, this book would be a great conversation starter. It's would also be great to educate friends and family so they fully understand the ramifications of a peanut allergy.

If you are looking for a book for a slightly younger child and/or a little less intense, read my review on "The Peanut Free Cafe."

**Purchasing these products through this blog helps support it.**

A Trip to the Cider Mill

Fall in Michigan means apples. Lots and lots of them. One popular thing to do this time of year is visit a cider mill. You can purchase several kinds of fall fruits aned veggies, including, naturally, apples. The highlight however is fresh apple cider. It's so good you feel like you could drink a gallon of it.

This past Friday some of our extended family got together visited one. This particular one is famous for their donuts. I considered not going because I knew I would not feel comfortable with Tyler indulging on one of these. They serve all kinds of nuts in the mill and that always makes me a little nervous.

Instead of totally backing out, I decided to bring something else for Tyler to eat that was even more appealing than the donuts. I brought fruit snacks, Oreos, safe mini candy bars and a peanut free granola bar (the last two I bought on my trip to Canada). He got to pick two.

Tyler was so excited about his special treats that he held the bag I put them in until we got to the cider mill. Even if I had discovered the donuts were safe (I didn't even ask), I don't think he would have wanted them. He was so excited to have something special for just him.

Here is Tyler with my other son, Dylan, and his cousin Kamryn. You'll note the other two are happily eating donuts while Tyler munches on fruit snacks. I thought the other two might want Tyler's snacks so I brought plenty. Nope. Everyone actually enjoyed what we gave them. Imagine!!


This was the first time Tyler knew I was allowing Dylan to eat something he couldn't have. (I usually am sneaky about it.) I wasn't sure how he would handle it. I warned him beforhand that Dylan would be eating donuts, as I wanted to test the waters a little because this will happen many times in the future. Amazingly, he didn't care a bit!!

An Update

I just want to thank those of you that expressed kind thoughts and prayed for me during my recent knee surgery. Slowly, but surely, life is returning to normal. I do not recommend knee surgery when you have a 1 & 3 year old but my family was absolutely wonderful about helping me.

I wrote up several posts before surgery so that I would not have to write while on painkillers. Sitting at the computer has been difficult since my knee had to be elevated. Thankfully, the laptop we are purchasing from a relative arrived last night so I can blog from the couch or even bed!! I'm very excited to be mobile!!

In the next few days, I will catch up on all of my e-mails those of you have sent me. I will also get back to writing posts.

One funny story about my surgery, of course, involves Tyler's peanut allergy. Now that he is nearly 4, he understood that I was going to the hospital and the doctor was doing something involving my knee. When I got home, he asked if I got shots. I told him I had. (Actually, they gave me a shot to numb the area they were giving me the IV...why don't they always do this?!?!) Then, he asked me if I had eaten peanuts. I realized his one hospital experience was for eating peanuts. I tried explaining my situation but it was no use. He became convinced for the first couple of days that I had eaten peanuts.

In the end, I decided it wasn't worth correcting him. I want him to fear eating peanuts and know the consequences if he does. In his little mind, I wonder how my knee works into the whole equation. Who knows!

Thanks again for your kind thoughts and prayers. Soon, I will be back to my regular blogging self!!

Linda Coss Speaks Out on Food Allergies

As many of my readers know, I am a big fan of author Linda Coss. When I reviewed her first first book, she contacted me directly to thank me for my review. Since then, I have heard from her a couple of times. It's always exciting to talk to another mom that deals with food allergies and is really doing something to make a difference.

Yesterday, she e-mailed me to tell me she was recently on a local show talking about food allergies. It's kind-of a "Food Allergies 101" for the general public while it also offers advice to those of us who are living in the trenches of food allergies every meal and snack of every day.

Check out what she had to say:

Here is Linda's newest cookbook:

Linda's other book are:

Read a review on "How To Manage Your Child's Life-Threatening Food Allergies."

McCormick's is Safe!

In the last couple of weeks, I have been on a quest to find "safe" cake flavorings for the cakes and frosting I am making for my cake decorating class. Let me tell you, it has not been an easy or quick task. Eventually, I will post each item that I use so that you can use the same items if you wish to make your child's cakes and want to save yourself the research time.

Last week, I was happy to receive an e-mail from McCormick's. They sell cake flavorings, as well as many, many other products. I asked them about the safety of their products and here is their response:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We appreciate your interest in our products and welcome the opportunity to be of assistance to you.

We are happy to inform you that all of our McCormick products are free of peanuts and tree nuts. McCormick does not use peanuts or tree nuts in any of our products.

We are aware of special allergies and intolerances to certain ingredients such as the following:

Peanuts Fish Soy proteins Sulfites
Tree nuts Eggs Wheat proteins Yellow No. 5 & 6
Shellfish Milk Red Pepper

As a responsible food company, our company follows the U.S. Food Drug & Cosmetic Act regulations to ensure consumer safety concerning food allergens. We declare these ingredients on our label in the ingredient statement. Federal regulations require us to list sulfites if they are over 10 parts per million, so we use that as our label declaration limit. Because we are constantly improving our products, we encourage you to read the ingredient statement on our packages at the time of your purchase.

In addition, we follow good manufacturing practices at our plants. Our employees are trained in the importance of correct labeling and the necessity of performing thorough equipment wash-downs to eliminate cross-contact of ingredients.

Although we cannot guarantee our products to be 100% free of allergens not listed on the label, we want you to know that we take this situation seriously and have taken extra precautions to eliminate the possibility of mislabeling or cross-contact.

We invite you to join our "Friends and Flavor Club" and receive our newsletter, and personalized recipes and cooking tips. You can join by clicking on "Friends and Flavor" at www.McCormick.com.

If we can be of further assistance, please call us at 1-800-632-5847, Monday through Friday, 9:30AM to 9PM, and weekends 11AM to 7PM Eastern Time. If you wish to respond to this note by e-mail, please include your name and e-mail address.

We hope to have the continued pleasure of serving you.

Sincerely,

Wanda Goodman
Consumer Affairs Specialist

This was great news! It can be a little confusing though. They have an "almond flavoring." How in the world could that be free of nuts? Remember these are "artificial flavorings." They do not need to use the actual nut to get the almond flavoring. While this would be safe for someone with a tree nut allergy, I still don't advocate using it. It would be confusing to everyone involved and that is the last thing you want.

You will also note at the bottom of the response, she states she cannot "guarantee" their product's safety. Keep in mind nearly every company you encounter will give you that disclaimer for legal reasons. Since they don't use any nuts in their products, I think it is safe to assume there will not be any in any of their products.

It is nice to know you can buy McCormick with confidence. There are not a lot of companies out there that I feel that way about. I have only tried their clear vanilla flavoring but I plan to buy more flavors on my next grocery store trip.

What Did You Say Mommy?

I've had a bit of a quandary in my house with words lately. I'm married to a pastor and we both feel it is important for ourselves and our children not to use certain language in the home. Words termed as "cuss words" weren't an option even before we had kids.

I have a bad habit of using the word "crap." OK, this is not a terrible word but I heard Tyler repeat it recently and it didn't sound pretty. I told myself I need to find a different word to express frustration around the house.

A few weeks ago, we were watching some cartoon (I can't even remember what it was now) and one of the characters said, "Nuts!" I didn't make a conscious effort to start using this word but it certainly was better than what I had been saying. Soon, I found myself using the word "nuts" to replace that other word.

I found myself using the term regularly and was pretty proud of myself that I had found a suitable alternative. Then, I was reprimanded by Tyler. The first time I said it around him, his eyes got very wide and he said, "What did you say Mommy?" I tried explaining myself but it was no use. I was busted. Now, I get a reprimand each time it flies out of my mouth!

If we don't allow any nuts in the home, I guess that includes the word for Tyler. You can't help but laugh at the irony of it all! So I'm stuck again. I need a good nut-free word that expresses frustration that I'm not afraid for my kids to repeat. My mother-in-law suggested "rats" but that word kind of freaks me out. Rats are absolutely disgusting. Any other ideas out there??

This Week In PA News

Lots of food labeling stuff out on the Internet in light of the FDA's hearing on Tuesday. If you missed my links to those great stories, click here.

Gina over on Allergy Moms had a sad story that reminds us why we need to carry two Epi's instead of just one.

An article in the Toronto Sun about some daycares turning children away with severe food allergies. I'm not really sure what the answer is in this situation. Do we really want people to care for our children if they are not willing to educate themselves about life-threatening food allergies?

I stumbled across this great online store this week that sells treats that are free of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and dairy. If you deal with all of these allergies, you have to check out Home Free Treats.

Where Did the Peanuts Come From?

A reader recently sent me a story that sent chills down my back. I obtained her permission for sharing it but want to caution my readers that this child has a very severe case of a peanut allergy (including air borne reactions). I've heard from some of you who say my blog sometimes scares you. Please, please don't feel that way!! I want it to be one of many educational tools you use to keep your PA kid safe. For me, knowing the whole scope of this illness, helps me to make wise, informed decisions.

While this story scared me, it doesn't mean I will bandage Tyler up from head to toe if he gets a scratch. It just helps me, and hopefully you too, think of every possible way a child could have a reaction. Someday if Tyler has a mysterious reaction, this will be a story I think of.

So, please, don't read this and leave the blog scared. Just feel much more educated at your child's PA and ways you can help them stay safe.

My child's last PA reaction was in October of last year at school. I was called to school because he had hives on his knees. I left work thinking it usually starts on his face and this was probably nothing. I got to his school and he had welts the size of dollar bills going down his leg and his knee was distorted and very swollen. I called his allergist and he recommended Epi and 911.

By this time, his hives were traveling up his body. We rushed him to ER. My allergist also recommended oral steroids so I gave him that before the ambulance got to school. By the time we got to the hospital he was doing better. They watched him a couple hours and he started getting hives on his elbow. The doctor said he thought he was just leaning against it and he would be fine. I told him it looked like hives and I was not comfortable taking him home because his last 3 reactions he has had biphasic. The doctor didn't even know what "biphasic" was. I was SHOCKED!

We reluctantly went home and I called the allergist with my concerns. He said to keep a close eye on him. By 6pm he was welting all over his body again. His throat was feeling funny and scratchy too. I again called the allergist and he said rush him back to ER and call his pediatrician and have him admitted. When he got to the hospital, his oxygen levels were 91. They had him on oxygen, heart monitors and admitted him. He was in the hospital for 3 days. The allergist did not practice at the hospital my son was at but he had been keeping contact with us each day.

Our allergist really wanted to figure out how he could have such a severe reaction without ingestion. I told him he had an open scrape on his knee (like boys have all the time from falling) and he said that is why it was so bad. In fact, it went straight to his bloodstream. He must have rubbed on something at school like a book bag or chair or something. With each reaction we learn something new. From that we learned that scrapes are now alway covered with band aids. My son has refused to wear shorts to school for fear of another reaction because he was wearing shorts that day.

Again, this child has a very severe case. But, I think this story reminds us how important Band-aids can be for a PA kid. I never would have thought that something as simple as a scratch could have life-threatening consequences.


If you would like to share your PA story on PA Kid, please e-mail me at the address on the sidebar.

FDA Hearing News?

As most of my readers know, the FDA held a hearing on food labeling on Tuesday. There appear to be no definitive answers yet, as I didn't expect there would be so quickly. But the fact the FDA even held a hearing on this subject is wonderful news. I really hope there will be mandatory labeling for cross-contamination in the coming years.

The FDA is still accepting comments from the public until January 2009 (this is a change from the original date I saw of July 2009). This means that it is not too late for you to get your comment submitted. They seem to really care about those of us who are affected daily by these labels.

There are a few articles that talk about the hearings that you can read:
Washington Post
ABC News
Web MD

If anyone else has found any other information, please share in the comments or through e-mail. I'm still recovering from knee surgery and am a little loopy on pain killers and may have missed something else that has been written on Tuesday's events.

Survey on Food Labeling Laws

A reader sent me a website to take a survey from "The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America" (AAFA). It deals with the labeling laws that PA parents are affected by everyday. The information will be used to help provide insight into how consumers view allergen advisory labeling. We've discussed this before on this blog and hopefully we will get some answers from the FDA soon since they held the hearings Tuesday that we all wrote them about last month.

The survey only takes a few minutes and gave me a good feeling after I was done. I'm not sure how far reaching their results will be but anything can help in our quest for better labeling laws. You can take the survey here.

If You're Sick, Who Will Care for Your PA Kid?

This week has just been one of those weeks. You know the ones that no matter how hard you try to stay caught up, you're always more behind than before. Yep, that's me right now. Just when I thought things might settle down on Monday, I found out I will be having knee surgery....today!

This whole issue has reminded me how important it is that we train those around us to care for our PA kids if we are unable to do so. Obviously our spouse (if you have one) should be someone we trust for the welfare of our PA kid. (If you are newly diagnosed, it will come in time.) In my case today, my husband will be with me. So what do I do with Tyler? Oh yes, I have another child, too! He will need care, too, although not as vigilant with foods.

I am lucky enough to have a mother-in-law that I trust completely. She has two other grandchildren with life-threatening tree nut allergies. She's familiar with the Epi and only feeds Tyler what I tell her. She totally understands the severity of his allergy. He's in excellent hands. However, this came on us so quickly and she is a busy lady, I worried the first few hours she would not be able to do it. Then what would I do?

There are several people at church that watch him on a regular basis. Yet, I'm always very close if a problem ever arose. I got very anxious initially about the kids' care for today. I did not realize how much comfort I find in being so close at church. I know if anything happened, I could be there within minutes. (That is still too long not to teach others how to use the Epi, so his caregivers are trained.)

Are these people capable? Yes! Do they understand the severity of his allergy? Yes! Are they careful in what they feed him? Yes! So, what's the problem? Me.

As PA parents, it's important to train several people (if possible) to care for our PA kid. We need to get to a point where it doesn't cause us a great deal of anxiety. Then, we need to trust those we have trained.

We never know when an unexpected surgery might come up. Or a terrible car accident. I'm sure I don't need to list all of the possibilities for you. There may be a day when you can't care for your PA kid, at least for a day or two. Your spouse may be with you if you are in the hospital. There needs to be a backup plan!

For the newly diagnosed, don't beat yourself up too much if this scares you to death. But, there needs to be day when you eventually trust a few others in the unpredictable event you can't care for your child. Think how much more anxiety I would have had if no one else was trained to care for Tyler! I would be ten times more nervous about surgery than I already am!

**************

For those of you that e-mailed me recently and I have not responded: I am so sorry! I had a crazy weekend. Then the surgery came up and I'm running around like a madwoman trying to get things done around the house. My surgery is outpatient and I will be retuning e-mails soon. In fact, sitting at the computer may be all I will be able to do!!

Yummy Homemade Caramel Corn

Saturday was one of those icky rainy cool fall days. My hubby had a rough week and was looking forward to some Michigan football. (If you are a Notre Dame fan, we do not need you to remind us of the score, we are trying desperately to forget it!)

I went shopping and wanted to get some great snack food. I looked through the trail mix and caramel corn and found nothing that I felt comfortable with Tyler eating. Then it hit me...make something!!

I scoured allrecipes.com and found a recipe for caramel corn. I've never made it since it's so cheap to buy. I tried it and it was WONDERFUL!! I've never tried any caramel corn that was this good. Seriously...try it!!

Here' the recipe from allrecipes:

Caramel Corn

* 1 cup unpopped popcorn (I used lowfat microwave and it worked great)
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 6 tablespoons butter
* 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. In a large pot, heat oil over high heat. Add the unpopped popcorn. Moving the pan constantly, pop the corn. Remove from heat, place in a large baking pan, and keep warm in the preheated oven. (Or, stick a bag in the microwave like my lazy self did.) Discard unpopped kernels.

3. Mix sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt into a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture starts to boil. Continue cooking for 5 minutes without stirring.

4. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour over the popped popcorn. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove from pan and put into a large bowl to cool.

I explained to Tyler that this was corn with candy on it. He was so excited to try it and loved it. The only problem was that I ended up eating most of it after he went to bed. I know, I'm a bad PA Mom!! Seriously, I had to do something to get over Michigan's crushing loss!!

Is PaPa John's Safe with the Addition of Their New Dessert?

A reader gave me permission to share the following question:

We have been eating at Papa John's for some time (actually once a week we have pizza night!) and felt it a safe choice. I recently saw an ad that they are now selling Chocolate Pastry Delights, which are made with Nestle Tollhouse chocolate morsels. Their FAQs/Allergen link on their website indicates that "the chocolate morsels used in/on this item, are produced in a facility that processes peanuts."

I called our local PapaJohn's...unfortunatly the manager on duty (who
sounded to be a teenager) couldn't give me much information. When I asked if they were sold as a sealed/pre-made product, he indicated that they are pre-made but that they do bake them in their ovens, but on different pans than the pizzas are baked. Hmmm...I'm not sure how I feel about the possibility of cross-contamination...just curious what your thoughts might be?

This is totally a comfort zone thing. Here are my thoughts but always do do what you feel comfortable with. If there is a may contains in a restaurant, it doesn't bother me too much. If they are using separate pans, I really don't feel nervous about it. Now, if they served a PB dessert pizza, I would say no way. If they used the same pans and didn't wash in between, I might be a little uncomfortable, too.

They have done studies on "may contains" and there is only a 7%-25% chance (depending on what study you read) that the food actually contains peanuts (and a tiny speck at that). That is way too high of a risk to risk feed your child that food. But if there is safe food that is around something that has is a "may contain" food, the chances of the "may contains" even having peanuts is small. The chances of that peanut speck (if it even exists) of getting onto a "safe" food seems very, very small to me. For that reason, I would be comfortable allowing Tyler to eat the pizza.

Again, we all have our own comfort level and if your gut is telling you to stay away, then do it. I tell my husband when my gut is telling me "no," and Tyler eats the food, I'm likely to get sick even if he doesn't. Those PA mom nerves are enough to drive you batty at times. I bet a lot of PA moms can relate to getting sick themselves!

Poor Guy!

Apparently the conductor of Thomas the Tank Engine has a little problem with anaphylaxsis. Tyler gave him an "Epi shot" the other day. Since his head was the only portion of his body sticking out of the train, that's where he got his shot! (For the shot, he used the end of some headphones.)

There really can be a little humor in PA if you just look for it!

This Week In PA News

Somehow my links for Internet chat this week got deleted but I did remember this story. It is not to scare you but remind you that kids can be very cruel to PA kids. Helping our children develop good social skills to handle their allergy is nearly as important as label reading. Here's the story: There was a teenager that smeared PB all over a PA teenager. Thankfully this kid got suspend.

A Zoo Trip for the Newly Diagnosed

One thing I really enjoy about writing this blog is meeting people right after their diagnosis and helping them feel like a child with a peanut allergy really is manageable. Angie was one of the first people I had the honor of helping, shortly after I started this blog in mid-July.

Recently, she visited the zoo with her children (with lots of "PA mom nerves" thrown in). I asked her to write a short piece up about her experience because I know most of my readers can either relate to where she is or are working to get up to this level.

Spencer sporting his nifty medical alert bracelet

Every summer we take our boys, Brenden (age 6) and Spencer (age 2) to a nearby zoo. We were planning this summer's visit for September, but then Spencer was diagnosed with his peanut allergy on July 28. After that day, I wondered how I could ever leave the house with him again, let alone travel nearly 2 hours to the zoo to let him touch fences and benches thousands of other dirty hands have touched!

The day before Labor Day I happened to be online and discovered that Labor Day was the last day the koalas would be at the zoo. I knew Brenden would enjoy seeing them since we're reading the "Magic Treehouse" book about Australia right now. While on the website for the zoo, I also checked out what food was available for lunch and what their emergency procedures were. After reading about the food available at the zoo, I discovered there really wasn't anything "safe" there for Spencer to eat, so I packed us a picnic lunch and plenty of snacks.

When we got to the zoo, I loaded the stroller with Spencer's backpack, which contained the epi-pen and Bendedryl (I also carried a second epi-pen and Benedryl in my purse), safe snacks and his sippy cup. I also took my whole canister of anti-bacterial wipes so I could wipe his hands often. When we ate our lunch at the picnic table, I wiped it down, too. I have to admit that I felt on edge all day, worrying about what Spencer was getting on his hands when he touched fences, benches and the carousel ride. We did let him get one of the drinks they sell in the animal shaped bottle, but I felt nervous even doing that. It ended up being fine, but I will save the bottle for future trips so I can fill it with something I know is safe!

Overall, we had a very good trip, although I came home with a pretty bad headache. I'm sure it was a combination of the heat and my anxiety. I hope future trips will be less stressful as I get used to having a PA kid.

(**By thew way, I always get permission from my readers to share their questions and stories. Unless they request me not to, I identify them as "a reader." If you have a story you want to share with me but don't want it put on the blog, that is fine. An issue came up this week that made me realize that I want to make it clear to anyone reading this blog that a story you share with me will never be shared on the blog without your explicit permission.**)

Going Back to School

As I said on Tuesday, I don't allow Tyler to eat anything from a bakery. If a person at any bakery knows about cross contamination, they will tell you that they can't guarantee a bakery food's safety. There are too many nuts floating around and a peanut speck might fly into a nut free product.

This leaves a bit of a quandary at birthday time. For the last 3 years we've been dealing with a milk and egg allergy so my cake options were very, very limited. As a result, I had one recipe I used. It had a slightly odd taste. But what small child cares? I always made a nutless carrot carrot cake for the adults at the party to spare them from eating the "weird" one.

In January Tyler is turning 4 and he can eat many types of cakes now. Things like taste and appearance are important. He has even requested a Lightening McQueen (from the movie "Cars") cake. So what's a PA mom to do?

Sign up for cake decorating classes, of course! Even though Tyler's birthday is several months away, Dylan's 2nd birthday is next month. I really want Tyler to be able to eat some of his cake. He's always had a "special" cake and I don't want that this year. So, I swallowed my pride and went to a cake shop about 5 minutes from my house and signed up for classes.

I started this past Tuesday and I think it's going to be pretty cool. There were 8 of us and, of course, I was the only one in there that signed up for medical reasons. When I told them my issue, they all gave a collective gasp.

The teacher warned me about the colorings and flavorings she recommended. She told me "they might be processed in a facility with peanuts." I was already a step ahead of her, as I had taken down all of the names of the companies for research. It appears that the coloring is safe but I'm still waiting to hear back on the flavorings. We can live without those anyway.

So, for the next few Tuesday nights, I'll be in class...decorating cakes...all for my love of Tyler. You can bet I'll be posting progress reports and pitiful pictures (seriously, I'll do anything for a compliment!)

So move over Martha Stewart, here comes Robyn the PA Mom!!

Attack of the Killer Peanut Butter Sandwiches

Today I am posting an article written by Linda Coss, author of "How To Manage Your Child's Life-Threatening Food Allergies." She has given me permission to reprint it on this blog and has also given my readers to permission to print it out and use it to educate others who don't fully understand the severity of your child's peanut allergy, specifically those at school.

Attack of the Killer Peanut Butter Sandwiches

A few of your child’s classmates have life-threatening food allergies, and it seems as though the entire school is being penalized for their misfortune. You just received a letter from the principal announcing that they’re banning food in the classroom, food at class parties and food sharing at lunch time. They’re setting up a special “allergen-free” table in the lunchroom. They’re even considering banning peanuts and peanut butter altogether.

What’s going on? Since when is peanut butter (the dietary mainstay of children across the country) a “killer food”? Why should the entire class or school be inconvenienced for the sake of a few kids? Why can’t they just teach the kids with food allergies to watch what they eat?

If only it were that simple.

How Can Food be “Life-Threatening”?
Although you’ve probably heard many people claim that they have “food allergies,” a true food allergy is a much more serious condition than a food intolerance (such as lactose intolerance) or sensitivity (such as “MSG gives me headaches”). A true food allergy is an immune system disorder in which the body believes that a particular type of food is harmful, and reacts accordingly.

When a severely food-allergic child eats even a tiny amount of the food to which he is allergic (or, in some extreme cases, merely touches or inhales particles of that food), his immune system releases massive amounts of chemicals and histamines. Symptoms, which can begin within seconds of exposure to the allergen, can range from mild – such as a few hives on the face – to an extreme, potentially fatal reaction known as anaphylaxis.

Anaphylaxis can make one or more bodily systems go haywire. The biggest danger is that the child’s throat can swell shut, her blood pressure can drop rapidly, and she can literally “drop dead” – all within minutes of ingesting even a minuscule amount of allergen.

Managing a child’s life-threatening food allergies can be quite a challenge. There currently is no cure, and the only “treatment” is complete avoidance of the offending foods.

So Why Can’t the Kids with the Allergies Just Be More Careful?
Obviously, no one wants a child to drop dead in the lunch room. This would be a horrific tragedy, and quite traumatic for the entire school. But a lot of people wonder why the kids with the food allergies can’t simply be taught what they can and cannot eat.

The answer is that these kids are taught what they can and cannot eat, and once they’re old enough to understand most will only eat the approved foods. The biggest problem in the school setting is food residue. When the other children eat they get food on their hands, and the residue of this food can end up all over the school – on the lunch tables, playground equipment, classroom supplies, etc. If food is eaten in the classroom, food crumbs can blanket the classroom as well.

If the food-allergic child accidentally touches some of this food residue and then rubs his eyes or nose, or touches and eats his food, a life-threatening reaction can be triggered. Peanut butter is an especially troublesome food. This is because peanuts tend to cause the most severe reactions from the smallest amount of exposure, and peanut butter is a sticky and oily substance that is not easily cleaned off of hands or other surfaces.

What is boils down to is that expecting the food-allergic children to “be more careful” and avoid touching any and all surfaces while at school – including tables, chairs, playground equipment, papers, books, scissors, art supplies, and so forth – is not a realistic solution, especially for younger children.

Isn’t There Some Sort of Medicine They Can Take?
So what happens if a child does have a reaction while at school? Can’t you just give her some antihistamine or something?

Yes and no. Allergic reactions must be noticed and treated very quickly, preferably within 2 to 3 minutes of the exposure. Antihistamines will not affect an anaphylactic reaction. The child must immediately be given a shot of epinephrine (using an epinephrine autoinjector, a nifty device that doesn’t have an exposed needle) and then be rushed to the hospital emergency room for further treatment and observation.

There is no guarantee that the epinephrine will work and that the child’s life will be saved.

Even in the best-case scenario the child will be kept at the hospital for about 5 hours for observation, as many reactions will come back later for “round two.” Of course, seeing a classmate taken away in an ambulance can be quite frightening for the rest of the students as well.

These Precautions Really Are Necessary
For reasons that have not yet been determined, a medical problem that was practically unheard of a generation ago is now becoming increasingly common. For an ever-growing number of students peanut butter sandwiches really have become “killer” foods. The challenge for our schools is to create a safe environment for all students. The challenge for you is to put yourself in the shoes of these students and their parents, and understand that the precautions that the schools are taking – while they can be inconvenient – really are necessary.

About the Author
Linda Coss is the author of "What’s to Eat? The Milk-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free Food Allergy Cookbook," "What Else is to Eat? The Dairy-, Egg-, and Nut-Free Food Allergy Cookbook," and "How To Manage Your Child’s Life-Threatening Food Allergies: Practical Tips For Everyday Life," all of which are available at www.FoodAllergyBooks.com.

One Stop Peanut Allergy Shopping

Do you like Amazon as much as I do? I honestly don't know how I ever purchased a book or electronics before it came into existence. I refuse to buy anything that Amazon sells without reading a few reviews first.

Since I love this site and am not too mobile due to an injured knee, I tinkered around on Amazon all in the name of PA. The result is "The Peanut Allergy Kid Store." Look over at the left hand column for the link to it.

I hear from so many people that are newly diagnosed that have no idea where to start. When those people land on my blog, I want them to leave feeling much more educated. Obviously I spend a great deal of time researching and writing informative posts. But I'm just a Mom and am only the perspective of one person. I also want to give them the option of finding books and other products that are actually good and will help them in their quest to educate themselves and their children. I also have some great snack and candy options.

I encourage you to check this store out even if you don't need books or other merchandise. I really need your help to make sure this thing is top quality. I spent several hours researching each book or product before I placed it in the store. Despite my best efforts, I can't know personally that each product is worthy of its placement in the store. Look around. Is there a book that is a stinker that I need to take out? Is there a book or product that I missed that Amazon carries that should be in there?

I really appreciate any help you guys can give me to make sure this blog is top notch and leaves visitors feeling like they are armed with great information when they click away. Please leave a comment or send me an e-mail with your opinions. Thanks!

The Pink Cupcake

I know I've heard from some of you asking for a bit of an update on the "pink cupcake" incident at Tyler's preschool last week.

A recap: Tyler started his first "away from Mommy" preschool last week. I did lots of research and felt we found him a safe place that understood his peanut allergy. They also have several PA kids and have never had any of them have a reaction. When I asked about snacks, they mentioned Keebler graham crackers (safe), Nabisco vanilla wafers (safe), and animal crackers. The animal crackers were not safe so I brought alternative snacks for those days.

So, the first day of school comes and I didn't ask what was for snack although I did show them the alternative snacks in his cubby. When I picked him up and asked about snack, he told me he ate a "pink cupcake." I was alarmed and spoke with one of the directors on Thursday morning (I waited until I dropped him off because he has been nervous about being away from me due to his PA). She explained these cupcakes were for a birthday party and were bought a bakery. She reassured me there was nothing on the label about peanuts.

OK, I know what my readers are thinking (or should be thinking!!): Bakery items are never safe! That is exactly what I explained to her. Never, ever, ever!! As we all know, there is no law saying they have to state whether baked goods are around peanuts, only if they actually intentionally add them to a cake. This is why the FDA needs to regulate this labeling issue! It gives people a false sense of security. They really thought they were doing the right thing by letting him eat the cupcakes.

I was not rude to her. She really did her best. It was a mistake on my part not to double check. Nothing happened to him so that particular pink cupcake was safe. (I told my husband I hope he enjoyed it because that is the only bakery cupcake he will get until there is a treatment for PA!)

The director told me there was a little confusion on her part because some parents of PA kids at the preschool allow their children to eat things that say "May contain traces." I can absolutely see how confusing this would be. I explained Tyler's allergy is so severe that it landed him in the hospital in June and others might not have as serious of an allergy (even though they still should not be letting their PA kids eat "may contains" but that's another issue!). We had a very friendly exchange about the whole issue. I'm kicking myself for not being more thorough with them.

So, the director and I came to some conclusions regarding snacks:

*No bakery items ever, ever!!

*Keebler and Nabisco are OK

*The brands that are not Keebler and Nabisco and come from their food supplier will be called to verify their safety. (She said she would do this even though I offered...I explained about the fact they should not be processed in the same facility..I still feel a little uneasy with this and may ask to do the calling myself)

*Until we have answers on every item, Tyler will eat snacks from his cubby. He ate fruit snacks from his cubby on Thursday and wasn't bothered a bit by it.

*On birthday and special occasions, I will provide a special cupcake for Tyler

In the end, he may just eat snacks from home. I really hope he can eat some things the other children do. I don't want him to feel out of place. But his safety is certainly more important.

This whole preschool thing is a learning process for me, too. I made a mistake as his parent. There was no harm done. But, I know my job is to protect him and educate others around his allergy. Hopefully, that will be our only food problem. Unless something else bizarre happens before then, I'll post another update on how things are going next month.

I've heard from a lot of you who just put your PA kids in preschool in the last month. I'd love to hear from you guys. Did you mess up a little like I did? What makes you nervous? What's working great for you? Leave me a comment or send me an e-mail.

A Review of "The Peanut Allergy Answer Book"

While any food allergy book is a great addition to a parent with a food allergic child, "The Peanut Allergy Answer Book" by Dr. Michael Young, should be required reading for anyone who has a child with a peanut allergy.

I have to admit when Tyler was first diagnosed with his peanut allergy in 2006, I picked this book up, read a few pages, and quickly put it down. Reading about so much of the horrible things that PA meant to Tyler totally freaked me out. I was overwhelmed at the time with a diagnosis of 3 food allergies (thankfully milk and egg are gone now). I was pregnant and sick. This information was too much for me then. I admit, that wasn't the best response.

However, if you are reading this blog, chances are you are a lot more comfortable with PA than I was in the beginning. If, however, you still have moments of great anxiety over it (and really, who doesn't?) this book should still be in your library, just read it in small chunks over a period of time.

The book starts out explaining what food allergies are. I found the whole description of what the body actually does during a reaction fascinating. It helped fill in some gaps of my knowledge in this area. Then, it moves on to the basics of a peanut allergy. It gives detailed information on many issues those new to the allergy need to read.

Next, he gives a detailed explanation of anaphylaxsis. Again, this stuff can be scary but it is so important for PA parents to read. Knowledge of what can happen and how to prevent it is your best defense against it actually happening.

Dr. Young then talks in depth about keeping your child safe from peanuts in a very "peanutty" world. The chapters that cover this include: peanut exposures, finding hidden peanut products, and keeping safe in a peanut-filled world. These could all probably all be contained in one long chapter since they over lap in many areas.

You don't hear much about the prevention of peanut allergies but this book covers it. After Tyler's diagnosis I learned some of these things (see I did do a little research back then!) and was hopefully able to spare Dylan the same fate (we'll find out for sure next month).

The last chapter is fascinating. It is about the future of the peanut allergy. There are many different types of possibilities mentioned. This book is copyrighted 2006 so the peanut desensitization that sounds promising right now was still too new for him to write about it. (I wrote about it here.) But I still think the things he mentions and their possible treatment of PA are great to read.

If you only buy one book to keep in your library on your child's peanut allergy, it really should be this book. It so in-depth. It's specific to peanut. There are other books out there on PA but I think many agree that this really is the textbook on the subject we parents deal with every day.

If you are interested in the book, purchasing it through this blog helps support PA Kid.

This Week In Peanut Allergy News...

I am constantly reading the Internet chat on the subject of peanut allergy. Some of it is good and some of it not good at all. Instead of keeping this information to myself, I thought I would make a weekly ritual of posting interesting things people are saying.

Dr. Wesley Burks (a.k.a. as "my hero") is heading up research for a treatment for PA that I've written about before. Here is an article on the same treatment with eggs (it uses the same principles as the peanut desensitization) and a slight mention of his study using these principles for peanuts (scroll to the bottom for that). This can be found at Health Article.

If you are looking for organic, peanut-free snacks, Jennifer has the scoop over at Food Allergy.

Someone who doesn't have a PA kid but sympathizes with those of who send our PA kids to school everyday at Missing Chapters.

Apparently peanut bans have become a political issue with some. The Political Republican claims that John McCain will save our country from these "ridiculous bans" that are ruining the country and America's children. Instead of being angry, I'm just thankful this person doesn't have to live with the fear all of our families do each day.

The "Nutty" Dogs

A reader sent me the following story that made me think about things I hadn't thought of before. There seems to be no end to where peanuts are hiding out there! I bet many of you will be as surprised about the source of this child's first reaction as I was.

When my son was a year old, we were visiting my Aunt and Uncle's house in Baltimore. When we got there, I let him crawl around the floor. They had two dogs that were very affectionate and loved to lick my son. His height was the perfect level for them. After several kisses, he got hives all over his face. I picked him up because I didn't know what was going on. I took him downstairs to get him away from the dogs. I thought his allergy must be to dogs. Once he was away from the dogs, his hives completely cleared up.

Later, I took him back upstairs where the dogs were and the hives reappeared. Not sure what to do, I just held him. It was at that point that I looked in the middle of the floor and noticed something that looked really weird. I asked my Uncle what it was and he said that it was a peanut butter bone for the dogs. I looked at my mom and asked her if she thought he was allergic to peanuts. She said didn't know because no one in our family has a peanut allergy.

Some time later, I took my son to eat at a buffet. Again, he ended up with hives. Since I suspected a possible peanut allergy, I asked the staff at the buffet if anything had peanuts in it. They said they did not believe so.

So, after these 2 experiences, I decided it was time to take him in for allergy testing. Not surprisingly, the diagnosis was a peanut allergy.

I'd love to hear your PA story and share it on PA Kid!


Photo courtesy of Microsoft

"When In Doubt, Spit It Out"

As children get older, they learn to recognize their body's signals that something is wrong when they are eating a food they are allergic to. If they suddenly feel sick, strange or "funny" while they are eating, this is their body's way of saying "Danger! Danger!"

While I know it's not polite to spit food out in the presence of others, for any child with a food allergy, not swallowing the offending food is absolutely vital. Linda Coss recommends in her book "How To Manage Your Child's Life-Threatening Food Allergies" that when children eat something they shouldn't, they should adopt the "When In Doubt, Spit It Out" rule.

Obviously this isn't something Miss Manners would approve of but it is very important the child (or adult, for that matter) spit the food out immediately. Now is not the time to be polite and run to the bathroom. Teach them to grab a napkin or even do it in their hands if nothing is available. Explaining the situation to shocked people watching is much easier than comforting your child in the back of an ambulance.


**If you missed my review on Ms. Coss' book, click here.

A Gold Mine of Restaurant Allergy Information

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a wonderful website that had numerous restaurants listed with their food allergy information. I knew I would remember the address. Then... I forgot.

Luckily, I stumbled on it again recently. It has way more restaurants than I have listed on my tiny little post about safe restaurants. So, if you don't see it on my blog, visit site the Project Allergy website. (Scroll down to the bottom for restaurants.)

I will add a link on my itty bitty post, too!!

First Day of Preschool!

Yesterday became the day I can officially say my baby is in preschool. There were so many fears and prayers leading up to yesterday that is was surprisingly very ordinary. I've written about why I felt comfortable with this particular preschool. I had no fears of him having a reaction.

Before we left the house, I had the preschool's extra set of EpiPens sitting on the table to remind me to take them. He looked at them and asked me if they knew about his peanut allergy. I explained they did but we were taking the Epi's just in case anything happened. I thought he might even have a little PA anxiety going on.

There were lot of emotions going through my mind but happily they did not include using EpiPens and ambulances. When I dropped my little guy off, I handed his medication over and saw my Emergency Plan taped on their medicine cabinet. They said there was a copy in the kitchen and his classroom, as well.

I provided safe snacks for when they questions a food's safety. It was very similar to my potluck bag. I told them to never hesitate to pull one out if they are not sure if something is safe. I explained they only need to tell Tyler something might have peanuts in it and he will happily eat something else (I'm so thankful he is mature enough to have this attitude!).

They told me they would provide me a list of snacks but they did not. I decided to wait until they were not so busy since there were many new children and it was a little hectic. Based on the previous talks with the two directors, they serve very simple things like graham crackers and vanilla wafers. These were brands I trust so I was comfortable. I had a menu and knew lunch was hot dogs, corn, and applesauce.

There were a few bumps that I need to clear up, however. When I picked Tyler up, I asked what he had for snack. His reply was "a pink cupcake." Hmm..... My first reaction was a little freaking out. Then, I reminded myself that he needs to feel like he is safe. So I don't want to give him the impression he is not. After debating in my mind, I decided a little talk on Thursday when I drop him off will do.

These people are label readers. They have several children with PA and have never had anyone have a reaction so they know their stuff. But, for me, a cupcake is a little dangerous. I will investigate further and just make sure everyone is comfortable with the food situation, including me.

**To read about my other Mommy emotions regarding preschool, visit my other blog.

Crossing the Border...Literally

Well, I finally did it. I've heard the rumors on the web that they have better labeling laws "over there" so I finally decided to find out for myself. It's pretty sad when you have to leave the US to find "safe" food for your child. But it's true. Canada "gets" the whole labeling issue much more than we do.

For most people, I realize taking a short trip over to Canada for the day isn't an option. But I live an hour from the border so I decided see for myself. Tyler has only been able to eat two candy bars: Hershey's Chocolate Bar (plain and not those miniature ones) and Hershey's Cookies and Cream. Not a bad selection for a kid that can live without candy but, with Halloween around the corner, I thought other options would be nice.

I am a self-confessed Wal-Mart-aholic, so that was where I set my sights. My mom and step-dad were here for the weekend so they tagged along on the peanut-free excursion.

My first stop was the granola bar aisle since I heard that Quaker has great labeling practices in Canada. Tyler has never tried a granola bar so I thought that might be fun. Sure enough, I had several options. There was no need for me to even turn the box over. There was a big banner at the top of the box that said "Processed in a Peanut-Free Facility" with a "no peanuts" symbol smiling back at me.

Next, I visited the candy aisle. There were not as many options as I hoped but that beautiful "peanut-free facility" graphic was on several of them. I bought three packs of Mars bars. I heard their Kit Kat's were safe but almost gave up on that one. Finally, however, I found a box with 70 mini bars with that lovely label on it. In addition to Kit Kat's, this box had 3 other candy bars I had never heard of.

Here's our loot (click on the picture to see the packaging even better):


Here is a picture of those wonderful labels telling me they are processed in a "peanut-free facility" (favorite words of any parent of a PA kid):

I'll be honest. This wasn't cheap. The prices at Wal-Mart in Windsor, Ontario, aren't as cheap as Metro-Detroit Wal-Marts. The total for two boxes of granola bars (28 total bars), 3 packs of Mars bars (12 total regular-sized candy bars), and a box of 70 miniature Nestle candy bars was $29.50. Yes... that's US dollars!

When you figure in $3.50 each way crossing the bridge on the border and the cost of gas, this wasn't your regular "discount food." But, these are Tyler's special treats. The rest of us can eat other things. These will be stored in an out of the way spot for special occasions.

The verdict on these special "safe treats" for the "Peanut Allergy Kid:"

"Yummy Mommy!!"

**If you can't see the pictures, please click here.**

To Ban or Not To Ban...That is the Question

Want to start a fight among parents? Mention a peanut ban. Boy, do some people get animated about this discussion!

We are only navigating the scary waters of a nut-free preschool this year but I know many of you are dealing with older children. The subject of the peanut ban has been all over the Internet in the last few weeks. More schools are passing them and more and more people are angry.

Why all the upset? The reason is rather obvious: a lack of education and understanding. I admit (in a little embarrassed way) that I had no idea how life-threatening food allergies could be a few years ago. I remember about ten years ago when I heard that some airlines were discontinuing peanuts due to allergies. I couldn't understand why these people couldn't just eat something else. I mean, really, how picky can you be?

When I hear of parents in an uproar over a peanut ban, I remind myself they were like me not too many years ago. I would never be as hateful as some of these people can be. But, I was certainly uneducated in the food allergy arena.

When I hear of someone that is upset over these things, I try to remind myself how lucky they are. Yep, it's hard when they are saying things that scare me to my core for my PA kid. Yet, they have never had to live with EpiPens, ER visits, countless allergy tests, and a fear that never, ever goes away.

I'm not sure how I feel about peanut bans. Well, if I had my way, I would ban peanuts from the planet. But, do I want Tyler singled out for a policy that angers so many parents? And ultimately the kids he goes to school with everyday?

Really, those minor issues don't matter. His safety does. But so does his emotional well-being.

You might be surprised to know that The Food Allergy & Anaphylactic Network doesn't support bans. They advocate teaching children to protect themselves, just like they will in the "real world." I get that logic.

But, if pressed, I'm gonna have to say I'm for these bans. Children being unable to eat PB&J is OK with me. Sure, I ate them. But I'm pretty sure my mom did a good enough job raising me that, if I had not been allowed to eat an occasional PB&J, I'd still be the same emotionally adjusted (with a few neurotic moments thrown in for good measure) that I am now.

I'm curious what those of you out there think. I'm sure most of you support the bans. But, will you let your child attend a school without one? Will you push for one? Will it greatly increase your anxiety?