Books, links and anything helpful on allergies?

[DualvansMommy]

I need good recipe books or books on how to live with and raise a child with allergies? Everyone else in my family doesn't have any food allergies.

DS2 was just dx with 4 groups that he is severely allergic.

Eggs
Wheat
Most types of nuts and especially peanuts
Shrimp

He'll have epi medication that I'll have to pick up and keep on hand at home. Tips on ways to order, scheduling and administrating the epi? I got the epi jr as he is under 50lbs.

Tia! This is stressful for me...as now I'm terrified of inadvertently feeding him something. The wheat thing concerns me most since that's in almost everything?? Eggs too I suppose.


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[MommyAllison]

No BTDT, but I hear this site recommended a lot http://community.kidswithfoodallergies.org/ Hugs!

[urquie]

I recently switched from epi-pen to Auvi-q and am much less afraid to use it (audio instructions and retractable needle, also more portable - cell phone shaped). It's newish to the market and worth considering...

https://www.auvi-q.com/?s_mcid=AVQCO...2&ENG=1&QCPN=2

[cono0507]

I'll second the recommendation for Auvi-Q. Much more intuitive to use and the size is much easier to carry in pockets, etc.

I keep a set of epi pens in the kitchen and also in the bag I bring everywhere. Both of my kids carry epi pens and as they have gotten older, we've needed more and more of them: one set to be kept at school, one set to be kept at the after school program, one set for his soccer bag, one set for my purse, one set in the kitchen, etc. This can get expensive, but the manufacturers have coupons for $0 co-pay for these.

Read EVERYTHING.
Even lotions and creams have nut oils. Eggs show up in unexpected places (candy bars with nougat like milky way, etc, also in sweet tarts). Don't just rely on the major allergen statement at the end of the list of ingredients. I've found them exclude eggs sometimes (even though eggs should be listed in the major allergen statement). Read all ingredients, every time, and as your DS gets older, train him to do the same. Also, avoiding wheat will mean other types of flours which often have tree nuts, so just be aware.

It does get easier and becomes second nature for both the parents and the kids. My DS is now 9 but never ever eats anything unless he himself has read the ingredients. It just becomes a way of life.

[Simon]

Yes, the Kids with Food Allergies web site is a HUGE resource. There are many parents who manage multiple food allergies and have great advice. I find the regular posters there to be very knowledgeable with lots of btdt good advice. I strongly urge you to visit and read.

Is that your pediatrician or an allergist who advised you on the new results? Has your Ds ever reacted to nuts, shrimp or wheat before? A blood test alone should not have you eliminating food that he has eaten before without reacting. Reactions always trump test results, so has he eaten wheat before? I am guessing that he has at his age. Of course you know your son/Dr. best but its something to consider. I wouldn't test out shrimp/peanuts if those are new but I wouldn't pull wheat without questioning my doctor more unless you really feel like he is reacting. I think you mentioned that he has reacted to eggs before. Does wheat do the same thing?

We have egg, dairy, and peanut allergies, and a whole lot of otherestrictions. We've done wheat free before and its not fun, but it wasn't awful. You can often replace with corn products (or rice, quinoa, oat).

I have not found a good cookbook for kids with multiple food allergies, because so many of them focus on eliminating just one group (nut-free or dairy free). The Web site suggested above does have a fee based (I think) recipe index where you can look up recipe ideas based on your specific allergy set. Its the best option I have found.

We have at least 3 sets of Epi-pens. 1 for preschool, 1 for the bookcase at home (it never moves from that spot), 1 for me to carry in my purse. I did not buy any special holder for them and haven't had a problem in the last 2+ years with them bumping around in purse/backpacks/lunch bags. You do need to protect Epi pens from extreme heat/cold so they shouldn't sit in cars, in front of a heater, etc.

Until you become familiar with safe options at restaurants, it will be important to carry safe snacks with you everywhere. In the early months I relied a lot on dry cereals and dried fruit because they didn't spoil and I could keep them in the my car/purse/bag, etc. Oat square, corn or rice chex, and fruit leathers, dried mango/cranberries/raisins. Since your Ds can have dairy, you can usually find cheese and yogurt as options.

[nfceagles]

I agree with Simon re wheat. Doesn't your 1yr old already consume wheat? My 9yr old tested positive to wheat at 13 months old, but has never avoided it because he was eating it fine. Still does. He is allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts and we've never tried tree nuts or shrimp. What is high for one food isn't high for other foods and wheat is one where you have to score pretty high before it is highly indicative of an allergy. You don't want to avoid it unnecessarily.


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[DualvansMommy]

Yes, the Kids with Food Allergies web site is a HUGE resource. There are many parents who manage multiple food allergies and have great advice. I find the regular posters there to be very knowledgeable with lots of btdt good advice. I strongly urge you to visit and read.

Is that your pediatrician or an allergist who advised you on the new results? Has your Ds ever reacted to nuts, shrimp or wheat before? A blood test alone should not have you eliminating food that he has eaten before without reacting. Reactions always trump test results, so has he eaten wheat before? I am guessing that he has at his age. Of course you know your son/Dr. best but its something to consider. I wouldn't test out shrimp/peanuts if those are new but I wouldn't pull wheat without questioning my doctor more unless you really feel like he is reacting. I think you mentioned that he has reacted to eggs before. Does wheat do the same thing?

We have egg, dairy, and peanut allergies, and a whole lot of otherestrictions. We've done wheat free before and its not fun, but it wasn't awful. You can often replace with corn products (or rice, quinoa, oat).

I have not found a good cookbook for kids with multiple food allergies, because so many of them focus on eliminating just one group (nut-free or dairy free). The Web site suggested above does have a fee based (I think) recipe index where you can look up recipe ideas based on your specific allergy set. Its the best option I have found.

We have at least 3 sets of Epi-pens. 1 for preschool, 1 for the bookcase at home (it never moves from that spot), 1 for me to carry in my purse. I did not buy any special holder for them and haven't had a problem in the last 2+ years with them bumping around in purse/backpacks/lunch bags. You do need to protect Epi pens from extreme heat/cold so they shouldn't sit in cars, in front of a heater, etc.

Until you become familiar with safe options at restaurants, it will be important to carry safe snacks with you everywhere. In the early months I relied a lot on dry cereals and dried fruit because they didn't spoil and I could keep them in the my car/purse/bag, etc. Oat square, corn or rice chex, and fruit leathers, dried mango/cranberries/raisins. Since your Ds can have dairy, you can usually find cheese and yogurt as options.

I'll check out the link into depth today, but from a quick glance it does look incredibly informative! it was our ped who advised me of the results but gave me a referral to see an allergist, which DS2 has an appointment with soon. This is just based from DS's reaction to scrambled eggs and blood test. it is funny you mentioned about reaction to wheat, he HAD eaten bit of wheat (mostly mini bagels, pizza crust, and few other things that is escaping my mind) and never has shown a reaction to the wheat. He also had cakes and cupcakes (the ones that contained eggs) and what was interesting to me he didn't even had a reaction to it. I feel like so far, he only reacted to direct contact with eggs when i fed him scrambled eggs. I brought all that up to the ped and she agreed it's definately something I've to discuss with the allergist.

Of all the foods, he scored high to peanuts, eggs then wheat in the order of severity. But until i meet with the allergist, I'll be playing it safe and avoid all those food and ingridents and just stock up on safe snacks for now. It does help immenesely that he can eat cheese and yogurt, something he does with a great frequency. It's more of mealtimes that I've to think about since DS1 eats fair amount of pasta, wheat and the like.

Thanks so much!

[DualvansMommy]

I recently switched from epi-pen to Auvi-q and am much less afraid to use it (audio instructions and retractable needle, also more portable - cell phone shaped). It's newish to the market and worth considering...

https://www.auvi-q.com/?s_mcid=AVQCO...2&ENG=1&QCPN=2

Thank you for the tip! I already have one epi jr pen, so i'll look into this one as the other backups. Would i need a Rx from the ped to get that?

[Simon]

I'm glad you'll get to see the allergist soon. Fingers crossed, s/he'll give you the okay to return to wheat. Some kids can tolerate baked egg just fine, things like the cakes/cup cakes you mentioned, while other kids have reactions to the smallest trace amounts. It sounds like your Ds has some tolerance, which is great.

Yes, you'll need a script for the Avi-Q and some insurance companies only cover one or the other (Epi or Avi-Q), so you'll have to see what you can get.