New allergy forums!

I think a forum is a better way to convey allergy information since it allows us to communicate more effectively than blogger.com's comment system.

So, I asked my husband to set one up and here it is:

PureHope's Allergy Forums

Food Allergies and Travel

This topic has been on my mind for the past few days as I have recently returned from an amazing all-inclusive vacation in Cuba. I have an anaphylactic allergy to shellfish and had no problems eating at the resort I stayed at, Sol Cayo Guillermo. I just made sure I stayed away from things where I wasn’t sure of the ingredients and focused on simple, safe, foods. Easy enough for an adult with a single food allergy to do.

Unfortunately, I am not sure how easy this would be for someone with multiple food allergies (like my son). One reason is the language barrier. If you do not speak the national language where you are staying, and if the resort workers do not speak fluent English, the seriousness and severity of your allergy can get lost in translation. Another reason is that most of the meals are done in a buffet style restaurant – how can you be certain that they staff are aware of cross-contamination and what means do they use to prevent it? I wasn’t completely comfortable in this regard at the resort I stayed in so I just did not choose foods that were close to where the shellfish was. However, this is more difficult when you are dealing with multiple food allergies.

I found this fantastic website called Select Wisely (www.selectwisely.com). They create cards that state your allergy and they can be customized in 15 standard world languages. You can also put in a special order for allergies that are not in their standard list and for additional languages that are not part of their standard list. The cards have pictures as well as text so that there can be no question as to your food allergy. I think these cards, or something similar, are a travel must have for those with multiple and/or severe food allergies.

Allergy Friendly Home Daycare

We recently found out that our son’s current daycare worker is moving to Toronto in July. Her husband is in the military and has been transferred. It’s a great career move for them, but it leaves us in a predicament. I interviewed close to 20 home daycares prior to finding the lady we chose and none of them came close to being a safe environment for my son. We thought we would send him to a daycare center, however the cost for a baby his age (17 months) is almost $42/day. Including the amount we pay for our daughter, this would bring us up to $1500/month in daycare costs. We both have decent jobs and make decent money but that is just not an affordable cost. I though about applying for a subsidy considering my son has a type of a “special need” and can’t just go to any old daycare. However, I immediately felt guilty even thinking that as the subsidy money is there for people who desperately need it – I don’t think we are at that point.

When I was searching for daycare for Liam the first time around, I was surprised at the number of daycare workers who did not feel comfortable having an allergic child as part of their group. Now when I reflect on it, it doesn’t seem surprising to me at all. It is a lot of extra responsibility. I find it funny though how they get to choose not to accept that responsibility, as parents, there is no choice. I often think a lucrative business would be an allergy friendly home daycare with reasonable rates. There was once a time when I thought I would take on this business venture, however, I quickly realized that I might not have the patience a good daycare worker needs to enjoy and be successful at their career.

Anaphylaxis Plan

I recently found the following website and thought it might be useful for those individuals dealing with anaphylaxis who do not have a medical background. They have an Anaphylaxis Emergency Plan that you can download and personalize. These plans are useful in schools, daycares, for the babysitter, or just to keep on your person along with your epi-pen. http://www.allergysafecommunities.ca

This specific page, http://www.allergysafecommunities.ca/default.asp?catid=35, has a sample school anaphylaxis plan as well as a sample letter from the principle to parents regarding the schools anaphylaxis plan and a letter from the teacher to parents about how allergies are handled in the classroom.

Weekend to End Breast Cancer - Count me in!

60km Walk! Come again?

I am about to do something a little bit crazy, fairly demanding, but a lot of fun. I have registered, along with my firend Claire, to participate in The Weekend to End Breast Cancer. For those of you who have not heard of this event, the goal is to walk 60 kilometres over two days throughout the neighbourhoods of Ottawa. The event will take place on July 21-23, 2006.

By registering for this event I have committed to raising $2000 and am asking for your help to complete this task. The money I raise will go directly into research initiatives at the Centre for Cancer Therapeutics at The Ottawa Health Research Institute. They will use it to investigate better ways to treat breast cancer, including targeted treatments that minimize the negative side effects while still effectively combating a patient’s cancer. They are also learning more about how to predict and prevent breast cancer. Since I work in research, I know first hand the benefits the research institutes derive from this type of fundraising.

On a more personal note, I am doing this for my mom who had a breast cancer scare this year and I am doing this for those close to me who have lost loved ones to this disease. I am doing this because 1 in 9 women will develop breast cancer over their lifetime and I don’t want my family or friends, to be a statistic.

If you would like to support me by making a donation please click on the link below and it will take you to my personal donation webpage.

Thank you and I will be keeping all of my donors in mind, and in my heart, as I walk

http://www.endcancer.ca/site/TR?px=1252401&pg=personal&fr_id=1160

MMR Vaccine in Children with an Egg Allergy - Update

I thought I should update my previous post on MMR in children with an egg allergy. I did my own research, asked others who worked in research, and discussed this topic with my allergist. It is well supported that children who have an egg allergy do not have a significantly higher risk of having an allergic reaction to this vaccine. Unfortunately, my family doctor did not feel comfortable giving my son the vaccine in her office and wanted me to get it done at his allergists office. I was upset about this because of logistic reasons – but in the end I was glad he got his shot at the allergists office.

My little boy had to become a statistic! He had an allergic reaction to the vaccine, but thankfully it only involved one system, his skin. The allergist administered an antihistamine in the office and we waited in total about 2 hours to see how his reaction progressed. Once we were cleared to leave the office I was on allergy alert all day as directed by our allergist. If his symptoms were to get worse or if he were to develop new symptoms then we were to call the Drs. hotline and bring him to the hospital.

Luckily, he was fine. I still believe in the research that supports the administration of MMR to children with an egg allergy. Unfortunately, you can never be sure if your child will be in the group that doesn’t react to the vaccine or the group that does.

Dairy Free, Egg Free, Peanut Free, Tree Nut Free Products

I was doing my grocery shopping this weekend when a woman stopped to talk to me about the soy yogurt I was buying for my son. She mentioned that her son is also allergic to cow’s milk protein and was curious if my son liked the soy yogurt. As I was speaking to her I noticed that she was holding a package of rice cheese in her hand. I asked her if she was buying that for her son and she said she was. At that moment I realized that she probably didn’t know how to read an ingredient list for the other names cow’s milk protein is referred to. The rice cheese she was holding has casein in it – that is another term for cow’s milk protein – and obviously very dangerous for her son.

This has prompted me to start compiling a list of the products I find that are safe for my son to eat, or seem to be safe so far. I cannot guarantee that these products will always be safe to eat as manufacturers change ingredients in the products, or change the factories where the products are made, frequently. Therefore, please read the ingredients list every time you go to buy the product. All of these products I can get at my local grocery or health food store. I will update this list as new products come to my attention. In addition, I will post a list of things to look for while reading ingredient lists for potential allergens.

Betty brand bread and buns
Life Stream Eggless and Dairy Free Waffles – Hemp or Berry
Healthy Choice Chicken Nuggets
Honey Maid Graham Wafers
Decadent Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Primo Chicken and Rice Canned Soup – None of the pasta versions are safe
Tofutti Mozzarella Soy Cheese Slices (make sure the cheese indicates that it is casein and lactose free)
PC Organics Spaghetti Sauces (or any jarred sauce that does not have pine nuts or cheese in it)
Premium Plus Crackers
PC and Harvest Whole Wheat Pasta
Uncle Ben’s Natural Selection Wild Rice Microwaveable Package
Quaker Plain Rice Cakes
Rice Krispies
Cheerios – however, I have some concern as to how they keep the plain Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios Separate – I will have to call the company on this one.
So Nice Soy Milk – Chocolate and Regular
So Nice Soy Yogurt
Rice Dream Milk
Chickpeas, Kidney beans, black beans etc. (If your child is allergic to peanuts, lentils and split peas may not be safe as they are closely related).
Dare Simple Pleasures Oatmeal Cookies
Rold Gold Pretzels
Regular Potato chips (most varities)
Life Choice Chicken Nuggets and Fish Sticks (these are made in a factory that makes other things that have milk in them but my son has never had a reaction).
PC Turkey Tornados (yes, processed food, but it is a quick and easy meal and sometimes you need that).
More to come....