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StagesAllergic.html
Parents of Allergic
Children:
Raise Your Awareness
© Andrea
Simanson, 2006
Today, during
daycare, our 5-year old son wanted some Vanilla Wafer cookies, which
were being served to the group. His teacher was not sure if the wafer
cookies were appropriate for him with his life-threatening peanut
allergy, so she doubled checked with me to be sure they were "okay" to
eat. Sure
enough, the label had one of those warnings at the bottom of the
ingredients list "Produced in a factory that also produces peanut
products."
"But Mom, these
cookies don't have peanut butter in them. I've had them before and they
don't smell or taste like they have peanuts. I really want one of these
cookies, Mom. Pleeeaaase?"
I read the label to him and explained what it meant, but do you think
he got it? Try explaining to a 5-year old why he can't have a cookie,
especially a type of cookie that he's eaten before. He'd eaten a
different brand of Vanilla Wafers just a few months ago (a brand with
all acceptable ingredients), so why couldn't he eat one of these? After
a bit of deliberation and further explanation, he agreed to go with me
to get an alternative snack.
Through the situation, I realized that it's time once again to refresh
our family, friends, and Andy's caretakers in the importance
of training and raising a child with a life-threatening allergy. I was
reminded of the vigilance it takes to be on top of protecting and
training our child.
My awareness of the seriousness of a life-threatening allergy was
raised recently when I read the article entitled "Kiss of Death" about
the 15-year
old girl who died when her boyfriend kissed her after eating a peanut
butter sandwich. She had an anaphylactic reaction, confused it with an
asthma attack, and died as a result. That definitely got my attention.
One thing I have learned as I've studied and researched allergies is
that people who are prepared for an emergency are those who have a
higher chance of surviving an accident, in the event an accident
happens. Andy's allergist told us to prepare for when the
accident happens, not if the accident happens. I've also read
in more than one place that there is a high percentage of people who
survive anaphylactic reactions if they take the right steps in the
emergency. Most of the situations that I've read about that result in
death are due to incorrect diagnosis and/or treatment of the problem.
As a mom of a child with a life-threatening food allergy, I need to be
proactive and a step ahead of him at all times. When a situation
happens (like the Vanilla Wafer situation above), I need to take note
and then take the necessary steps to be sure we're prepared. This means
having
alternative snacks in the event he can't have what's available.
When a young child is hungry, you don't want to keep him waiting long
or he might be tempted to eat something that's unacceptable. Having
appropriate snacks available is very important. Our daycare staff is wonderful to work with,
but there
will be times that they are unprepared. Nobody's perfect. Therefore,
we, the parents, need to be watching out for our child, and be prepared
in the event of an emergency.
Communicating with caretakers is also very important. In the "Kiss of
Death" article, the boyfriend and girlfriend did not know about each
other's allergies. Had they communicated, things may have turned out
differently. As a parent of a child with a serious food allergy, it's
important to clearly communicate about the allergy and what could
happen if he eats a peanut product, as well as what he should and
should not be fed for a snack. If I am casual in my communication,
chances are snack time will be handled in a casual manner. If I am
clear and precise about it, chances are it will be handled much more
carefully by his caretaker.
Reading about allergies, visiting
allergy websites, joining support groups and online blogs about food
allergies, and talking regularly as a family about allergies are ways
that I keep my awareness up so I can protect and train our allergic
child and those who care for him. I encourage other parents of allergic
children to do the same.
Andrea Simanson is a wife and
mother of three children, and the website and ezine editor of Successful Family Chores
- Putting FUN and ENERGY into everyday tasks.
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