Allergy Awareness Information and Tip #3

Governor Herbert declared this week as Food Allergy Awareness week. So in honor of this I will be posting information to help raise awareness of why food allergies can be such a big problem to those that have them. And tips to help you be allergy aware when you are around someone who has a food allergy.

Information #3

The Epinephrine Auto Injector or as most people call them, Epi Pen, is your friend.  When my daughter was first diagnosed with food allergies I thought the Epi pen was the last resort. I thought that you only used it if things were getting scary scary and she wasn't able to breathe. I have learned now that this is not the case.  

The motto now is Epi FIRST and FAST.  

The rule is if an allergic reaction is affecting 2 body systems you need to use the epi pen. For example if they have hives (affecting the skin), and they are really congested and sneezy (affecting upper respiratory) Then they need a shot of epinephrine.  The reasoning behind this is that if it is affecting 2 systems it could progress to a third system which could be their airways. You want to stop the reaction before it progresses there.  Also the earlier in the reaction that you use epinephrine the better chance it has of working.   If there is only one system affected but it is the breathing. Do the epic pen. 
When to use the Epi Pen seems to be a hard call sometimes, but if you are in doubt and you think the reaction might need an Epi Pen don't hesitate to use it. Once you use an Epi Pen you then get the person to a hospital for further monitoring. Epinephrine needs to be monitored while in their system and the reaction needs to be monitored to make sure it has stopped.

Tip #3 

-If you or your child have a food allergy talk about a protocol with your doctor about when to use the epi pen. We have said that if we know my daughter accidentally ate peanut we will give her the epi pen right away. We won't even wait for the symptoms. If she eats milk, or egg, or sesame, we will watch for symptoms. 

-Don't be afraid of the Epi Pen.  It really is not a scary thing.  My daughter is 5 and it is traumatic to use it on her. But I always reassure her that this will help her. It hurts for a second but she needs it.  She knows what it is like to react and I think she realizes the need for it.  Practice using an Epi Pen. If you are ever watching some body that has one, have them show you how to use it and practice with the practice Epi Pen that comes with it. We train our babysitters and anyone that is watching our daughter  on how to use it.  My kids all love practicing how to use it with the trainer. When my daughter was 2 she could show the babysitter how to use it.  

-If you need an epi pen always carry 2 with you at all times. Most reactions just need one but you may need another dose which can be given 5-15 minutes after the first one if the reaction has not stopped.  

Food Allergy Awareness Week Information and Tip #2

Governor Herbert declared this week as Food Allergy Awareness week. So in honor of this I will be posting information to help raise awareness of why food allergies can be such a big problem to those that have them. And tips to help you be allergy aware when you are around someone who has a food allergy.

Information # 2 
What is Cross Contamination? You may have heard this phrase before and you may not have.

Cross contamination occurs when harmful bacteria or Allergens spread to food from other food, surfaces, hands or equipment.

Cross Contamination in the allergy world is when a certain non allergy food gets contaminated with an allergy food.

Example 1- If a pan has been used to cook something with milk in it and is not washed thoroughly, then is used to cook something without milk, there could be milk in the next food cooked in that pan.

Example 2-If a spatula is used to flip eggs then is used to flip a pancake without being washed, there could be egg on the pancake now.

Example 3-If there is a line of food out at a buffet table and a serving spoon has dished up salad with nuts in it and then dishes up salad without nuts, the salad without nuts could now have nuts in it.

Example 4-If a restaurant has an Alfredo sauce next to a marina sauce and the Alfredo sauce is dished over the marinara sauce, and a drop of Alfredo falls into the marinara sauce, the marinara sauce now has milk in it.  Or if the pans are close together and the Alfredo sauce bubbles over into the marinara sauce.

Example 5- If a knife is used in peanut butter to spread on a peanut butter sandwich, then that same knife is used in the jam to put on that peanut butter sandwich. The jam now has peanut butter in it. This is why my daughter never eats jam from other peoples homes.

Example 6-Sorry, one more buffet line example. If someone is dishing up their plate in a buffet line and the spoon from the carrots touches the cheesy potatoes on their plate as they are putting the carrots next to them. Then the spoon goes back into the carrots, now the carrots have cheesy potato in them.

The biggest question I get asked is Really? Could that little minuscule amount of the allergen cause a big problem?  For some maybe not, but for others, YES!!! The story of my daughter with the drop of milk. It was a drop barely visible to the naked eye, and yes it caused a major problem.


Tip #2

-Believe and respect those with allergies when they say that it is a problem.  They are not just trying to be an inconvenience or a picky eater. They are truly just trying to keep themselves or as in my case, their child, safe.
-If you are at a party with a buffet and I am there with my daughter, don't think we are rude if we always dish up first for my daughter. We go through the line and take what we know is safe before others dish up and cross contaminate things.
-Also don't be offended if you have a friend that either has an allergy or has a child with an allergy and they ask a million questions about what is in the food, how it was prepared, and dig through your trash to read the labels on all the ingredients used. Or after all that if they kindly refuse to eat it, just because they are not sure and don't want to chance it.
-If you are cooking for someone with an allergy think about the way you do things in your kitchen. Think about what utensil has touched what before it touches something else. Wash your pans and cooking utensils thoroughly. In my home I wash in and I wash out. I wash after I use a pan that has been used for an allergen food and I wash it again before I cook with it the next time.
(Also don't get offended if I wash plates and utensils at your house before I let my daughter use them. Or if I wipe off tables and counters. Just look at it as a free kitchen maid.)

-One more example of Cross Contamination is food manufacturers and labels. I don't have time to get into all that in this post, but I will just say that most of your allergy friends will have certain brands and things they trust and ones they don't. They will also read every label even if it is a brand they trust.  So my last tip is to always let someone with allergies, or their parent see a label of what they are eating. Tell them the brand. Don't feed them something and say it is such and such, you can have that. Let them know if it is a different brand. Knowing the brand is important. For instance, my daughter can have fruit snacks for the most part. But their are certain brands of fruit snacks that have a cross contamination warning for  peanuts and milk. So l need to know the brand of fruit snack before she eats it.

Food Allergy Awareness Week

     I know I have not blogged in a while but this subject is near and dear to my heart. I have a daughter with multiple severe food allergies. She is anaphylactic to Milk, Egg, Peanuts, Tree Nuts and Sesame Seed. 

     Governor Herbert of Utah declared this week as Food Allergy Awareness week. So in honor of this I will be posting information to help raise awareness of why food allergies can be such a big problem to those that have them. And tips to help you be allergy aware when you are around someone who has a food allergy. Feel free to share this so we can educate people about Food Allergies and what it really is all about. 

Information # 1
When somebody has a severe food allergy or has a history of anaphylactic reactions they don't only have to eat it to have an anaphylactic reaction. A lot of people think well if they don't eat it they are okay. Right? Wrong.
My daughter has had an anaphylactic reaction to a drop of milk getting in her eye and cause her to have an anaphylactic reaction. If the protein from the milk or the egg or the peanut butter, or whatever the allergy is,gets in the body through the mouth, nose or eyes, it can cause an anaphylactic reaction. So for instance, if my daughter sits at a table that has had peanut butter on it and she touches that peanut butter, then if she touches her nose, mouth or eyes it can cause her to have an anaphylactic reaction. 

Tip # 1
If you or child is eating something that someone around them is allergic to, wash their hands and mouth after and try to get as much of the residue off.
Also, try not to let your child carry their food on the playground while they are playing on the playground at the park or school. Kids love to play there and if the peanut protein has been left, or milk or other allergen, etc. it can cause a problem for unknowing allergic children that play after.
Also if I hand your child a wipe and ask them to wipe their hands and mouth after I see them eating something my daughter is allergic to please don't be offended. It just helps me let her play without worrying as much about her safety.

Coach Reeder

     

Sometimes in your lifetime you are lucky enough to be molded and taught by a great coach or mentor.  I am one of those lucky ones to have been molded by Coach Reeder.  Coach Reeder passed away a year ago now and in his honor I just wanted to share this tribute to him.

     I went for a run this evening. It was my first post baby run. It was not fast and it was not far, but it was perfect. The 6 inches of snow packed on the ground was soft and comforting to my post baby muscles and the snow falling gently from the sky was beautiful and quiet, letting me get lost in my thoughts. My thoughts were on Coach Reeder and his sweet wife Dona. Pretty soon Coach Steve Reeder was on my run with me.

Dream Big

      A couple years ago my son wrote a book. He was 8 at the time. He came home one day with his book in hand, determined to get it published. The awesome thing about my son is he dreams big.  He didn't just write a book.  He wrote a book then he wanted it published and on Amazon for people to see and buy.  He wanted this so bad that that is what he asked Santa for for Christmas that year. He asked Santa to publish his book. Well, Santa came through and that little book he wrote about a little boy's soccer team and their journey for the championship title is now on Amazon for all to see and buy.  My little dreamer is also an entrepreneur.  As soon as his book came out he ordered a few copies and set out to our local park during a baseball game for a book signing.  The sight of him loading up the bike trailer with his makeshift table, sign, and stack of books still makes me smile.  The book signing went well and he sold all the books he had that day.  As I look at my little writer/entrepreneur I am motivated to dream big with my dreams and do all I can to pursue them. So in honor of my little dreamer I thought I would put out a link to his book.  If you are looking for a good read for your little soccer player this christmas check out Soccer Season. It won't disappoint.

Why do I Run?

Why do I Run? 

It is 5:30 in the morning, two days after I ran a half marathon, I step out of bed to put my baby back to bed after his morning feeding.  As I go to put weight on my legs they want to just give out.  The muscles have been torn so badly from the long downhill race that my muscles just do not want to work.  I steady myself on the wall, hobble my way into my babies room and lay him down to sleep.  As I hobble back to my bed grabbing on to the wall to take some of the weight off of my leg muscles I ask myself, “Why do I do this? Why do I run these races and make myself feel like this? Really, is it worth it?” My kids asked me the same question as they saw me pulling myself up and down the stairs by the railing the day before.  So, in answer to their question, and my own.  This is why I run, this is why I run hard races that challenge me. 

Show some Love this Halloween. Paint a pumpkin Teal.

With Halloween coming up, I feel the need to let you know what it means to paint a pumpkin teal.  Painting a pumpkin teal shows love and compassion to many little goblins, princesses and ghosts on Halloween night.  

Halloween used to be one of my favorite holidays. Probably second behind Christmas.  Pumpkin patches, corn mazes, cool fall weather, the beautiful fall colors, planning your costume for weeks and the excitement of finally being able to step out in it and show it off on Halloween night.  Then of course trick or treating for hours to get loads of candy.  And finally coming home to a warm house with chili and hot chocolate waiting for you. Then the best part of the night, dumping out the candy on the middle of the front room floor and trading with your siblings.  

     If you are one of 15 million Americans that deal with food allergies, Halloween is not as desirable as it was when I was a child.