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Time for
an Allergy Refresher
Copyright © 2007
Andrea
Simanson
All Rights Reserved
As our son continues to grow
up, we need to continue to refresh ourselves about his needs as a child
who has a life-threatening food allergy. Andy graduated from
Kindergarten and is experiencing a whole new set of
life circumstances. He has had sleepovers at friends' houses this
past year, which were good for us because we had to release him to
other's care and communicate his special needs clearly without alarming
our friends. It's so nice to have friends who care and are willing to
take on the added responsibility of caring for a child with a
life-threatening allergy.
Andy
began his life with multiple severe food allergies. We are fortunate,
however, because he is no
longer allergic to milk and eggs, which is a huge blessing. I remember
those few years of managing our family's meals with modifications for
Andy. I would make a casserole and
serve up his dish before adding the cheese for the rest of the
family. I would make recipes with egg substitutes and modify
recipes to work for him. I would make special
cupcakes for his birthday. Meal management came with the added
challenge of modifications for a special needs child.
Now that Andy is getting older,
he needs to start taking responsibility for his own allergy. As he
starts the first grade
this fall, we will be providing the school an updated emergency care
plan, provided by his doctor. We will be making sure that there are
clear expectations between our family and the school. We will need to
work with a new teacher, and the school staff, to be sure they know how
to manage his food allergy during the school day. As he ventures out
and goes on more school outings and grows in independence in his life,
we will need to provide regular training so he will learn to manage his
own food allergy. When he was an infant and toddler, the pressure was
mostly on us to be sure he was safe. Now that he is getting older, he
needs to learn to manage his own allergy.
On Tuesday nights, it is $1.00
scoop night at Baskin Robbins. We like to go as a family on Tuesdays in
the summer because we love Baskin Robbins and we get the ice cream for
half-price. Andy has always gotten ice cream that is safe for him (no
peanut, milk or egg ingredients - there are only a few options). Though
the ice cream he chooses is not a problem, the scooper can be. The
scooper is stored in water in between scoops, but it is used on all the
flavors in the case, which includes ice cream with peanut ingredients.
This means cross contamination can happen. So, we are teaching him to
ask the server to wash the scooper before he serves up Andy's ice cream
and to communicate that he has a life-threatening peanut allergy.
Basically, we are teaching him to think about these types of things and
protect himself from an accident.
We are also fortunate in that one of Andy's
best friends, who is in his class at school each year, also has a
life-threatening nut allergy. They watch out for each other and we work
together as families to keep them safe and healthy.
It is important, as a parent of
an allergic child, to refresh
our family, friends, and his caretakers in the importance
of training and raising a child with a life-threatening allergy. I am
reminded of the vigilance it takes to be on top of protecting and
training our child.
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. This means
communicating with him and his caretakers what he can and cannot eat. And, taking it a step further, it means training, training,
training, in the midst of meals and snacks how he should respond and
manage his food intake.
Communicating with caretakers is very important. 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. Caretakers also need to know what to do in
the event he does have an anaphylactic reaction. They need to be
equipped to do the right thing in an emergency.
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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