Holidays: How to Stay Safe

Hi there everyone! Today I'm going to talk about how I stay safe during the holiday season. But first, let me give you the answers to the food allergy questionnaire that I posted in my previous post. If you didn't take the survey and you would like to, please click the link below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1e9q7e-WZFjiOZsmSLQp9uK9jinWNhVIvdKJut7Wx74c/viewform

To get to the answers for the questionnaire, click the link below.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NtOMBjFDHAMZUQcpkljnHllYCZTRf7pvsgbzzmmzY3M/edit?usp=sharing

Alright, now onto today's post!

So in my house, we have a lot of traditions that involve food. Some of them are baking a variety of Christmas cookies, getting Chinese food, and eating fancy dinners together on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Here is how we enjoy these traditions without any trips to the emergency room.

Christmas Cookies
My mom, my sister and I all usually bake cookies together for Christmas. Some of our favorites would normally include milk in a house without food allergy people in it, but we substitute milk for soy milk or almond milk, butter for soy margarine, and chocolate chips for dairy and nut free chocolate chips. Sometimes, if we're making a cookie recipe that has a tree nut in it, such as cashews or pistachios, we'll use almonds in place of the non-safe nut (Almonds are tree nuts, yet they are the only kind of tree nut that I can have. Yay!) Another option is to just take the nut out of the recipe altogether! If the nut is optional, or if they aren't a huge part of the recipe, then we'll take them out.

Chinese Food
Whenever we get takeout Chinese food, my mom will make me something safe to eat from home. It's just the safest way to go.

Christmas Dinners
Thanks to my amazing mom, I am able to eat lots of different foods during the holiday. Last year, we had lasagna on Christmas Eve, and my mom made me my own special cheese-free lasagna. It tasted so great, and it is now one of my favorite foods.

Thanks to my family, I can enjoy this wonderful holiday season without much worry!

Food Allergy Survey!

Hi there everyone! Today I decided to make up a little questionnaire to see how much you know about food allergies. I will include the answers to these questions in my next post. To get to the questionnaire, click the link below. Thanks and enjoy!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1e9q7e-WZFjiOZsmSLQp9uK9jinWNhVIvdKJut7Wx74c/viewform?usp=send_form

Field Trips: How to Stay Safe

Hi there everyone! I'm sorry I haven't been posting lately, but today I'm going to talk about field trips and how I stay safe on field trips.
Okay, so since I'm in Middle School, I usually go on field trips without my mom. But this year I've only been on one field trip, so I'm not exactly sure what the deal is going to be, but on the previous field trip I went without my mom. But the good part was I didn't have to worry because two of my amazing friends were there with me the whole time to help me.

The Bus:
On field trips, we usually have to get to wherever we are going by bus. On the bus, I make sure there is an adult on board at all times that knows about my food allergies. I also make sure I have my Epi-pen and my phone in case I need to call my parents about a problem. I will make sure to choose a seat that looks clean, and if one of my friends are on the bus, then I have them sit with me. This way, if I have an allergic reaction, then I can tell them and they can get help. The buddy system never gets old. :)

Lunch:
At lunch during a field trip, it's pretty much the same as a regular lunch at school. Things have changed between elementary and middle school, so I don't eat with a tray anymore. I just eat at the same table every day, and the teachers that watch us know that I have food allergies and are aware of my sensitivity to certain foods. So, when I'm on a field trip, I will sit with my friends so they are there if I have an allergic reaction. I will make sure that there is an adult present at all times, and I will carry my Epi-pen and phone. I will also pack wipes in my lunch so I can wipe down the picnic bench or table before I eat there.

During the day, I will make sure I am with a teacher or chaperone that knows about my food allergies. I will carry my purse, and I will be aware during the day, just like any other day.

Working Hard for a Cure

Today I'm going to talk about what kind of food allergy research scientists are doing, what they hope to find, and when they'll find a permanent cure to food allergies.

Food allergies seem as though they'll never go away! They're like a scar. Scars never go away, no matter what. But, there is one way to get rid of an allergy for good. The term for it is outgrowing. If you would like to learn more about outgrowing food allergies, you can check out my food allergy book that I put on an earlier post. But what scientists really want is a cure for food allergies, since outgrowing can only happen to some people.

There was a recent food allergy study that helped many children. What they did was scientists surveyed food allergy families. This was done during July 2013, and they figured out the following pieces of information:

• A little more than a quarter of the children—26.6%—outgrew their allergies, at an average age of 5.4 years old.    
• Children who were allergic to milk, egg, or soy were most likely to outgrow their allergies. The likelihood of outgrowing shellfish, tree nut, and peanut allergies was significantly lower.           
• The earlier a child’s first reaction, the more likely that child was to outgrow the allergy.
• Black children were less likely to outgrow their allergy than white children.
• Boys were more likely to outgrow their allergy than girls.

These doctors/scientists conclude that this data will help food allergy families in need.

Oral Immunotherapy is also something that is helping people with food allergies. Oral Immunotherapy, or O.I.T for short, is when the food allergen is administered slowly but steadily in increasing amounts into you, until you are desensitized (Desensitization means that a person can consume a small amount of a problem food without experiencing a reaction.) This analysis is helping people with peanut, walnut (tree nut), and other food allergies. The scientists's goal is to be able to do this on each of the main food allergies: dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish.

To learn more about a leading cure to food allergies, visit the FARE website at: 

http://www.foodallergy.org/

I Need Your Advice!

Okay, sorry about last week. I didn't post, and this week is kind of a weird post. It isn't something that's about food allergies, but it will be a big help in the future for my posts.

I would like your advice on what I should post about! Say you want to know about something that I haven't posted about. If you want to learn more about that topic, you can either leave it in the comment section below, or you can e-mail me (if you know my e-mail address). It would be more convenient if you told me your idea(s) through the computer because if you tell me in person, I will probably forget to write about it.

I can't wait to hear all of your great ideas!

What Do YOU Think?

There's been a question going around. This is the question:

How old should a kid be to carry his/her own medications?

Well, first of all it depends on how responsible the child is. In my opinion, a little kid shouldn't be allowed to carry a drug. I think this because it's not safe for someone not very experienced to carry around a shot. Plus, if an older kid loses a lot of things, it probably isn't the best idea to trust them with something so important.

Something else to consider is how many after-school activities the child has. If they have an activity, such as cross country, where they'll be moving around a lot, the child, coach, and his/her parents will need to discuss if carrying an Epi-pen is appropriate. I carry my medications in a fancy little belt that I can buckle around my waist while I'm running. There's a picture of that handy little bag below.

Another point is if any of the kid's allergens are around during an after-school activity, school, etc. If there will be and the kid is going to be with adults that don't know how to use an Epi-pen, it is essential that the kid carries the medicine!

One, actually two more things to think about. If the child wants to carry the Epi-pen around all the time or just some of the time is up to him/her. I carry mine around almost all the time. Lastly, HOW DO YOU CARRY A DRUG??!! Actually, there are lots of choices. You can carry it in your purse if you are a little older and actually carry a purse or bag. But what I use (as mentioned above) is a pink belt. I just think it's the easiest option.

So, my final answer is that it all depends on what's above. I hope this was helpful to you. Please leave a comment on what YOU think below!



                                                 

Me running with

my pink belt mentioned above.

Perfect for carrying my medicine!                                                

Lunch Situation

In the previous post, I wrote about snack in the classroom and how I handle it. Well, today I'm going to talk about lunch the same way I did for snack!

Lunch has a few more challenges than snack, because kids are allowed to bring in whatever food they want. To keep me safe, I eat at the end of the table so the lunch/recess aids can keep an eye on me. I also eat lunch and keep my lunchbox on a tray. The tray is bright red and it has my name on it. Unlike the navy blue trays the school lunches come on, mine looks different so everyone can tell it apart. Anyone can sit next to me or across from me, even if they have one of my allergens.

Kids act extra cautious when I ask them to sit next to me. They usually say something like "No, I have cheese on my sandwich. I don't want to kill you!" I tell them then, "You won't kill me. Just don't touch me and I'll be fine." I just have to explain it to them. Then they understand.

Of course, I have to have a plan on what I would do if something spills on me. Usually, that doesn't happen. But it has. What I do is I go to the nurse, wash it off, and get some medicine, called Benadryl, on the spot that my allergen touched me. That's all there is to it!

In the past few years, I've sat at the special peanut-free table. But, then I couldn't sit with any on my friends. In older school years, I've sat with my tray, but nobody could sit next to or across from me. So, I like it the way it is this year because my friends can sit with me.

Who knows what it'll be like when I leave elementary school and go to the middle school next year. New challenges await me. But for now, I've got plenty of challenges in 6th grade. Talk to you later!

Snack Situation

Hi guys! Sorry I haven't written since December. I guess you could say I've been a bit busy with the holidays and school.

In 6th grade, we have snack-time right after that day's special class: P.E. (gym), art, music, or media (library). Of course, students aren't allowed to bring in chocolates, goldfish, trail mix, cheese puffs, etc. So, how my teacher, my parents and I keep me safe is that we made a snack list. The list had treats and foods that the class is allowed to bring in. Each snack, from fresh fruit to gummy snacks, my mom had specified what brand(s) are safe and what brands aren't. She's talked to each of my teachers since first grade (or possibly before that!) and worked out a way to maintain the kids bringing in safe food for eating. The way it is this year is my teacher stands outside in the hallway, close to the door of the classroom, with me. As kids get their snacks from their locker and walk into the room, I check to make sure that the snack is safe. If I know it isn't, I say, "Save it for lunch time!" If I'm not sure about the food, then I read the ingredient label to determine if it has anything bad in it. If it doesn't have an ingredient label, then I say, "Nope, sorry, not allowed!" When we have a substitute teacher, I do the same thing as if the real teacher was there, but I do it completely on my own.

So, sometimes snacks are a challenge, but I can handle it!