EpiPens emerge as life-saving kid accessory

It has an effect on everything.  You can't just let your kids go play with their friends like other kids do.  I have learned to be a very creative cook.  I have probably over compensated. As they get older, they want to be "normal" and they don't want people to know.  As a parent you have to let go.  It is so hard.  It is like sending them out into a field of landmines every day.  We manage with preparation and she always has her meds.  FAN is great! 

Our 6 year old daughter is peanut, soy, berry, egg allergic.  We have epi-pens throughout the house & specifically carry a small bag when we're away from the house which our family calls "the medi-alert bag".  Our friends & family are all aware of the importance of the "medi-alert bag".  The 1st grade teacher & all other teachers @ our school have been trained w/the epi-pen by the school nurse & our school does not serve any peanut products in the cafeteria.  Our school nurse has an epi-pen, our teacher keeps one high up in the classroom in an envelope & our daughter carries an epi-pen in a Hannah Montana purse.  All of the kids in her classroom know what the purse is for & we have never had an incident of the epi coming out of the purse, but I do worry that day will come.  I monitor play dates @ other children's houses & get to know the parents before I hand over the responsibility of our daughter.  I educate everyone who is around our 6 year old on the epi trainer & the importance of her situation.  I also usually pack a snack to send on the play date.  We have no peanut products in our house & any food that is not good for our daughter I label it so that baby sitters have no questions.  We have also taught our daughter that as she gets older, it is gradually her responsibility to advocate for herself & ask if she can have something.  She is also her own best gauge---if a food doesn't seem to suit her, I don't press the issue.

As the parent of a 10 year old boy with dairy, egg, tree nut, and peanut allergies, it's so difficult.  You want to protect them at all times, but some situations are just out of your control.  For instance, today they were having activities at school for Thanksgiving...5 activities.  The first was the "snack" room. He couldn't eat anything there...which he's used to anyway.  The second activity was even worse.  They were making "churned butter".  They put heavy cream in a jar and took turns shaking it, until it made butter.  My poor son was terrified because the lids were leaking, kids had milk all over them, all over the desks.  People just don't understand the severity of it and need to start getting a little bit more education.  Every day that our kids are out in the world is another day they might have a reaction and it's really scary.

Thank goodness he is good about knowing what to eat and what not to eat.  Hopefully they'll find a cure in his lifetime!!

I wonder, would the author refer to a cult-like following for nitroglycerin tablets? 

It's that sort of sneering tone that raises my hackles.  It is one thing to not understand how important this emergency aid is.  It is quite another to act like an EpiPen is some sort of optional accessory or crutch.

It is so difficult sending your child out into the world each day and worrying if they will accidentally ingest nuts. Thankfully, we have only had one life threatening reaction - but one was enough. There have been several smaller one's, but the EpiPen is never far from any of us. Parents who do not have to live with this day in and day out have not clue how hard it is for the entire family and most especially your child. My son is now 10 and he is embarrassed to carry around an EpiPen. He is embarrassed because of the way the public portrays children with allergies and portrays their parents as overprotective nuts - pardon the pun! I they had to walk one day in our children's shoes they might think differently.

As a parent of an active 8 year old boy with nut allergies, all those classroom holiday/special occassion/birthday activities always have us very anxious so I always volunteer in the classroom during these activities and take safe alternatives for him.  I also give his teacher a box of safe treats (kelloggs is great) for those emergency classroom celebrations.  Many parents with "normal" kids feel that it is inconvenient to have a nut allergy child in the classroom because it limits the fun treats that can be sent to school.  My son once got exposed to nuts at school in this way.  Unfortunately many parents still send birthday treats to school that contain nuts despite frequent reminders.  Luckily my son is really good about asking an adult to read ingredients if we are not available, he has even learned to dislike chocolate.  I pretty much cook everything that he eats.  We always take a microwave oven and frozen food on vacation.  Above all else, I absolutely make sure that he does not feel like he is missing out on enjoying any food; soynut butter sandwitches are yummy, krispy creme doughnuts are nut free, and many family reastaurants are getting better at catering for kids with allergies.

As a parent of an active 8 year old boy with nut allergies, all those classroom holiday/special occassion/birthday activities always have us very anxious so I always volunteer in the classroom during these activities and take safe alternatives for him.  I also give his teacher a box of safe treats (kelloggs is great) for those emergency classroom celebrations.  Many parents with "normal" kids feel that it is inconvenient to have a nut allergy child in the classroom because it limits the fun treats that can be sent to school.  My son once got exposed to nuts at school in this way.  Unfortunately many parents still send birthday treats to school that contain nuts despite frequent reminders.  Luckily my son is really good about asking an adult to read ingredients if we are not available, he has even learned to dislike chocolate.  I pretty much cook everything that he eats.  We always take a microwave oven and frozen food on vacation.  Above all else, I absolutely make sure that he does not feel like he is missing out on enjoying any food; soynut butter sandwitches are yummy, krispy creme doughnuts are nut free, and many family reastaurants are getting better at catering for kids with allergies.

You can never be too careful. My brother died at age 21 from a reaction to walnuts.  Keep those epi-pens everywhere!!!!!!

I have had an anaphylactic allergy to peanuts and tree nuts my entire life-I'm in my 50s now. My son now 23, one of 3 children, was also born with the same allergy. It's only in the last 5-10 years that the awareness of the seriousness of nut allergies has emerged. People thought you were exaggerating, or just "picky". It was harder then because the labeling laws were not in existence. Trace amounts did not have to be listed.

I want to encourage parents to be hopeful that your children can be safe and lead a normal life. I have only needed to use my EpiPen once and my son never has. Constant reading of labels, questioning-in restaurants, at parties etc., educating others really do work. Our house is totally nut free. Avoiding Mexican and Asian foods and all comercially baked desserts are important. We do eat out, travel and go to parties. Finally: Join the Food Allergy Network!

My 6yr son is anaphylactic to all nuts, my husband and I have eliminated all nuts from the house.  He started kindergarden this year and I make his lunch and snacks.  He sits at a different table during lunch/snack time that the teacher specifically knows that she herself has wiped down the table from other kid's food prior to my son.  I too caring around an EpiPen, the school has one, he wears a Medical Alert bracelet and one bracelet is on his backpack.  His classroom has posted on it's outer door and message with his pictures that states there is a child with peanut/tree nut allergies.  His classmates know to wash their hands after they are done eating their lunch.  Most parents try to remember not to pack anything with nuts.  I have to ask restaurants what kind of oil do they cook with and request a different oil to be used for his food if they do use peanut oil, but I have found that most restaurants use veg. or canola oil.  My son knows that he cannot be around nuts, totally avoids the nut aisle at the grocery store.  So, as one can read from my posting, it affects everything in your life when a child has servere allergies to food.

my husband, who is 59 just recently began having allergic reactions...unfortunately, his doctor prescribed only a prescription-type benedryl? he was also prescribed the epi-pen; he has had to use the pen once, thankfully it worked immediately. we believe he is allergic to either vinegar or acids (all types)....has anyone heard of this type of allergy?

Our 11 year old is allergic to peanuts and milk/dairy products. He's outgrown other food allergies. Unfortunately he was also recently diagnosed with asthma, which increases the risk that a reaction will be severe.

The school activities are challenging. His class recently had a small treat after the grading the period -- Rice Krispy treats. I communicated that they have dairy products, and I would make a dairy-free version for my child and anyone else who might need an alternative. The treat had originally been identified as "safe", so people were surprised by my offer of an alternative -- and then "surprised" that I was correct. People don't know that by now we know all the labels by heart -- but keep checking in case there's a change in a recipe.

Relatives can't relate that we can't be spontaneous in our restaurant selection -- and always call ahead to confirm that food isn't fried in peanut oil.

But what can you do? Our kids find ways to cope, and we have to do the best we can at each stage to give them appropriate freedom and let them know they are safe.

FAAN is a great resource!

I personally have bad drug allergies, thankfully no food allergies yet. These have surfaced in the last 15 years, I am 53. I have had to use epi-pens on three differant occasions with the last time about 4 months ago. Unfotunately the last time caused me to go into atrial fibrillation, which I am still trying to control with Toprol. I keep the pens at home and in my vehicle, along with dye free liquid Benadryl. I personally know of a young girl in her late teens who died because of a severe reaction to sunflower oil. She had a bagel with her on a float trip and was unaware that it had been fried in sunflower oil. She had neglected to take her pen out of the vehicle and on the river with her. If you have food allergies you should never be without your pen. Most people have never witnessed anaphalactic shock and could not treat it if they did. All of your friends should be aware of your problem and know what to do in an emergency.

Our 8 yo son has a peanut allergy. when he entered kinder. i worked with the school to set up a peanut-free classroom and a peanut free table in the lunchroom. i went in twice that first year and read to his class the story about the peanut-allergic elephant. they loved it. after explaining to the class that peanuts could make him very very sick, i asked them if they would help to keep an eye out for any peanut products in the classroom. they all said yes very enthusiastically. you know how it is when you engage a 5 yo in something they perceive as serious work ;-) over the years since then, every teacher he has had adopted the peanut-free class and the peanut free table is still in the lunchroom. he never eats alone, the other kids view it as a privelidge to eat with him. he actually passes out tickets each morning to those in his class that do not have peanuts in their lunch. it's a big deal in his class to get a lunch ticket to eat at the peanut-free table. they raise their hands eagerly just like being picked to be the line leader.

I found that Canada is way ahead of the US in dealing with peanut allergy at school. they actually have peanut-free schools. i guess there have been some high-profile deaths there that have helped to raise awareness. so when i helped our school establish a plan, we modeled after canadian schools.

so from my experience, letting the school just send out a form letter to parents isn't a good allergy avoidance plan. you need to be proactive and creative and engage the kids directly in the classroom. i've had several parents tell me they forgot about the peanut ban and their kids reminded them, actually got mad at them for attempting to send them with a peanut treat.

and if your school is at all hesitant to implement your ideas, tell them to discuss it with their district attorney before they make any decisions. initially our school was a little afraid to take these steps. after a short consult with their attorney, they were afraid NOT to take these steps. it turns out a couple peanut-addicted families getting upset about being inconvenienced because they can't send little johnny to school with peanuts is easier to deal with than a multi-million dollar lawsuit from the parents of a child who died of anaphlaxis despite the parents pleading to set up an allergy avoidance plan with the school.

My family is new to this allergy situation.  My 6 year old daughter is not allergic to any food items but was found to have exercise induced anaphylaxis.  We ened up in the hospital after a family hike in April.  We made it to a hospital but when they gave her a dose of adrenaline they introduced MRSA.  But that's a whole different story.

I was shocked at the amount of paperwork the school required for her to return.  Getting all the Epi's, medications, a mini bag for her to carry it around in.  Making sheets with her picture for every teacher and aid that would have contact with her.  Just so they know what her face should look like at all times.  Just getting her in the habit of keeping her Epi bag with her at all times.

She is now noticing that she is different from all her friends.  She has to take breaks during PE and recess to bring her heart rate down.  She tells me how she has to sit down while all of her friends are activly playing.  And living in AZ when this allergy is also related to hot and cold weather made for a very rough summer.

It scares me to put my trust in the teachers and nurses at school.  This is my baby and what if they are not watching her close enough?  We had a meeting at the start of the school year and her teacher had never seen a Epi pen before.  But on the first day she showed signs and puked on the teacher.  After that the teacher did some research on the warning signs.

We are still working daily on this adjustment.  I wish she would just beable to go out and play like any other girl her age.  I feel like I am constantly holding her back.  But it keeps her safe.

The above posts are right on so I won't reiterate them.

What I do want to bring up is that being different does affect how the child lives.  My 11YO is great at surviving out there!  She would rather not eat than risk it.  She is also very "shy", I say cautious, very cautious of everyone.  It has not caused problems with her, but I can se it.  I did not let her go to playdates when she was little because I didn't trust anyone!!!  The only playdate she went on, when I picked her up she was eating soynuts.  The parent and I discussed the allergy with her in detail before the playdate, still gave her soynuts-have you not heard of cross contamination????  Thankfully nothing happened.  Thus no playdates.

It is a hard life and now she takes the responsibility on herself-yes it is scary!!  But she needs to do this to learn.  She on the otherhand is ultra responsible, so I love that!!  She is straight A student for over 2 years now.  She is spoiled-but I can not and will not stop that.  She deserves it.

We finally had a meeting with school all the policies were changed, snacks, parties etc!  I brought in our Dr and he gave a presentation to the teachers to educate not to change the rules but they did it and we are so pleased.  No one wants that liability.  I know I would not choose to have it, but GOD did and we have to deal.

Join FAAN!!

It will be two years in February since my son had his first severe reaction to peanut butter. We learned over time he had been experiencing minor reactions that we never associated with peanut. It's surreal the experience. In a flash your world becomes a completely different place. Life is never really the same once you discover that something that is a common everyday food can KILL your child, spouse or other loved one. The first time I put that medic alert bracelet on that tiny arm I thought my heart would break.

We've learned to manage. What was once completely overwhelming is now part of everyday life. Walking out the door "who has the med bag." Check the bag nightly Two Epi-pens, benadryel, handi-wipes (our son is contact reactive). Go grocery shopping read every label, put the groceries away read every label again start to prepare any food read every label. Getting ready for the new daycare, shot records, permission forms and EMERGANCY ACTION PLAN. It has all become part of our life, our routine.  There are always knew challenges and new things to learn. There are always those who don't understand but their is also help. There are food allergy support groups, and on-line allergy community forums where we share stories, recipes, and ideas and encourage one another. There are those like Barb who have been on this journey successfully for many years and those who are just beginning.     

As a teenager with severe nut allergies, I can say it is difficult to adstain from the temptations of a sweet tooth or simply fitting in.  My sensetivity to my nut allergy has increased substantially from my past three anaphyalactic shocks in which I had to use an Epi-pen.  My doctor has prescribed me with a new Epi-pen version thats called TwinJect.  I hope everyone understands the impact of Twinject as it carries the primary needle and a secondary needle if more time is need to get to an emergency room.  I strongly suggest asking your doctor about it becuase I think it is vital to have until Epi-pens can outfit their units with two needles as well.  That extra time is critical.  Firstly, parents sometimes don't understand the nuisance of carrying an Epi-pen, it is an annoyance but it is truly life saving and it is important your kids know that.  It is definitely tricky to carry around with you at all times, especially when your 16 and a puppy fanny pack is the last thing you want around your waist ;]

I was leisure with my choice of foods and lazy when carrying my Epi-pen.  Lack of knowledge caused my first two reactions (german chocolate cake and carrot cake) both resulting in two very different reactions.  The german chocolate cake led to minor breathing difficulty but for the most part I was fine and the carrot cake resulting in no breathing imparements rather my entire body turned red in hives and relentless itching.  My third anaphyalectic shook did change my perspective about the whole 'allergy' thing. 

I was about 30 minutes away from home at a leadership event from school.  I had about four classmates come with me so I wasnt alone.  My counsellor had recommended me and specifically told me to bring my Epi-pen (prior to when i was prescribed Twinject) after asking her about the food arangements.  For the first time in three years I had taken my Epi-pen somewhere with me (it wasnt expired thank god).  During the lunch break, I foolishly curbed my sweet craving with a bite of what appeared to be a chocolate cookie.  After a tiny piece, I felt my body quiver as I noticed the allergen pass through my throat.  I immediatly took three Benadryl as it usually stopped my attack.  For one hour I sat with my hands on my stomach as it felt as if someone was shaking it up and it was the worst stomach pain I had ever had but I decided to not get carried away and leave.  After that hour, I felt perfectly fine and went on doing activities for 2 hours.  All of a sudden, in a matter of 10 seconds, my throat was closing and breathing became difficult.  My face felt like it weighed a thousand pounds and asked my friends if I looked ok, they brushed me off until one of them said, "wait....your face looks blue." I realized I wasn't getting enough oxygen and my throat was closing tighter, breathing was severly difficult and fear took hold of me.  I ran to the bathroom, unscrewed my Epi-pen and jammed it into my theigh with fear driving my ever action.  5 minutes passed and I still felt terrible, my friend's mom pulled up to take me home.  In the car, I couldn't cough because I couldnt get enough air into my lungs to do so.  My breathes were very short but I wasnt getting worse.  I told my friend's mom to take me to the hospital and I thought I was going to die.  I thought I was going to be one of those kids who died from a nut allergy.  5 minutes before we got to the hospital were my mom was waiting to admit me, my throat opened up and oxygen rushed into my lungs.  I was shaking from the adrenaline from the Epi-pen.  The hospital administered a final dose to supress any late reactions and I was fine.

The results of that day: grounded, new realization of my condition, learned the importance of having my Epi-pen (rather Twinject now) at all times, and extremely hightned sensitivity to nuts (I could no longer have foods the read MAY CONTAIN PEANUTS OF TREE NUTS or PROCESSED ON EQUIPMENT THAT ALSO PROCESSES PEANUTS AND NUTS which i was able to do prior to the attack).  My doctor defined my reaction as a delayed reaction (takes time for the nuts to be absorbed by my stomach and pass into my bloodstream) which apparently is very common for allergic reactions.  Moral of this, as much as you parents who are reading this try to tell your child that an allergic reactions are fatal, they won't fully comprehend it.  That doesn't mean you feed them nuts, eggs, soy, wheat, or whatever else but rather, try to understand where they are coming from.  And I really hope they find a better, more appealing, and smaller Epi-pen, now that is what a teenager really wants to see. Hope this helps =]

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Buy Generic Advair Diskus (Fluticasone and Salmeterol)

What is Advair?
Advair contains fluticasone and salmeterol. Fluticasone is a steroid. It prevents the release of substances that cause inflammation. Salmeterol is a bronchodilator. It works by relaxing muscles in the airways to improve breathing.
Advair is used to prevent asthma attacks. Advair is also used prevent flare-ups or worsening of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) associated with chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema.

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