Peanut allergy not taken seriously
@christineginn (77)
Canada
November 1, 2006 5:21pm CST
My 6 year son has a severe peanut allergy and just by touch he could die. People treat me as it I'm overeacting and it isn't important and yet I'm told time and time again by doctors about how serious I must take this. It is a common allergy. Do you know about it or have experience with it? What would you suggest I do to convince people and not be treated like a neurotic mom?
1 person likes this
4 responses
@sbeauty (5865)
• United States
2 Nov 06
This is bad stuff, and more and more kids are dealing with it. At the schools where I've worked they took it very seriously. Our school nurse gave talks to the entire staff telling about the problem and what the school was going to do about it. Teachers who had these children in class were trained to use the epipen (?) in case anything happened.
Whoever you're dealing with that thinks you're neurotic better come into the new millenium. Children can die if they only smell peanuts. I'd say that's VERY serious.
1 person likes this
@cass3forme (162)
• United States
30 Nov 06
Our school is a peanut free school, meaning they do not have anything peanut in the cafeteria, however they can't stop other kids from bringing peanut in. My son sits with another peanut allergy boy at a peanut free table in the cafeteria. A nurses aide also sits with them with an emergency kit with their epi pens. My son's school takes this very seriously - one of the older kids' parents went through hell to get the school to be this way. That boy was so allergic that he couldn't sit in the cafeteria during lunch, he couldn't be in the same room as a peanut, it didn't even have to touch him, just be in the air. Scary! It takes a lot of work to get the school's to be peanut free, I think you can get some help from the allergy and anaphylaxis network and your doctors.
@christineginn (77)
• Canada
2 Nov 06
My son's school doesn't take it seriously. They are 'peanut aware' which means that my child (he's 6) is supposed to carry his epipen around with him at all times and take responsibility for it all himself. I'm scared for him.
@magikrose (5429)
• United States
1 Nov 06
Show them statictics, get info from your doctor about peanut allergies, like flyers and panflets. You are not a neurotic mom at all. Your child has a deadly allergy, you have every right to be overly cautious. Non of my children have any food allergies so they got lucky, but I have 1 child who is prone to respitory colds and has been hospitalised for it many times. I know how it feels.
The best thing I can say is gather information as much info as you can on this allergy so that people arreound you and your child are educated, that way they can understand where you are coming from and be cautious arround your child.
1 person likes this
@christineginn (77)
• Canada
2 Nov 06
Very good advice. Thank you. This may sound terrible, but it's great to hear from someone who also has a child with a major problem that people don't take seriously. I hope that you child eventually grows out of getting so sick when he or she gets a cold.
@kelz784 (974)
• Australia
1 Nov 06
I have no experience in this but its very serious!
I heard on the news about a dad who nearl killed his daughter, who has a peanut allergy, by kissing her on the cheek after HE ate peanuts! Its just a matter of teaching everyone that this IS a serious matter that needs to be taken seriously!
1 person likes this
@christineginn (77)
• Canada
2 Nov 06
Thank you so much for your support. It is so nice that someone understands how serious this is.
@cass3forme (162)
• United States
30 Nov 06
My son also has a peanut allergy, he is almost 8.
What I do is to tell them all the symptoms in detail and then I take the epi-pen trainer and show them how to administer the epi-pen... this usually scares the crap out of them and they'll be extra cautious.
