J-E-L-L-Oh No!

It seems as if our non allergic (as far as we know) son has been giving us more scares then our son with the nut allergy. At our friends house last night I noticed he had been scratching his face. Then my husband pointed out soon after that it was turning red. After looking closer it seemed as if the area around his eyes and mouth where slightly swollen. This is when I started to worry.

First thought was, and still is, the cat. It has been several months since my son has been in the same house as a cat. Though he had never shown any signs of a reaction to the cat I am wondering if it had anything to do with the size of the house and the fact that it was primarily an outdoor cat. The cat last night was an indoor cat and it was in a smaller, more confined area. Obviously cat allergies are new to me and it looks like this may be my new area of research for the week. Yeah!

There is also the Jello. The only new food he ate was the classic mix of Jello, marshmallows and fruit nastiness. My apologies to those of you who have religiously passed this recipe down from generation to generation, but I personally find it repulsive. Anyways, the kids love it! And thus our food challenge begins starting with a phone call to Kraft who's information online has been anything but helpful.

I'm curious to know if anyone else has had allergy issues with Jello or fruit cocktail (the other possible suspect in the concoction). Any comments on cat allergy information would be great also!

UPDATE:

I took my son in to see the allergist where they proceeded to test him for a boat load of allergies including foods, environmental and animals. The good news was that he tested negative to all of them including the cat. The bad news is that I didn't get an explanation for his rash other then a suspected sensitivity to sodium lauryl sulfate which is found in most soaps and sunscreens including the one my son was lathered in earlier that day. We have yet to try Jello again, but I do intend on it since he was not tested for gelatin.

In case anyone was curious I did get the ingredients for Jell-O Gelatin Dessert Black Cherry 3oz Box: Sugar, Gelatin, Adipic Acid (For Tartness), Contains Less Than 2% Of Artificial Flavor, Disodium Phosphate And Sodium Citrate (Control Acidity), Fumaric Acid (For Tartness), Red 40, Blue 1.

The cost of EpiPens

Having a few expired EpiPens laying around can be a great accomplishment if you have food allergies. You've made it another year without a major reaction! Sadly for a lot of families, an expired EpiPen can also be a huge financial burden, especially if your without medical insurance, an unfortunate reality for many these days.

 Studies have found that though there may be some loss of potency, an expired EpiPen can still be used to treat anaphylaxis if it is the only medicine you have. So, if you are unable to refill your prescription don't be so quick to dispose of your expired EpiPens. The product will still start to deteriorate at or around the expiration date therefore I personally would not recommend using an EpiPen that has been expired for more then 90 days unless it was the only one I had in an emergency. Keep in mind that proper storage can also help extend its shelf life. Avoid exposing your EpiPen to extreme heat or cold. Never keep an EpiPen in the glove compartment of your vehicle.

It is recommended that a 2-pack of EpiPens be kept at home, school (usually required), work, etc. and carried with you at all times. Unfortunately, this can be very expensive. Because of the high cost, many people separate their EpiPens leaving only one at home and carrying the other one on them. If you are one those people, I highly suggest that you at least pair your current EpiPens with an expired one in case a second dose is needed.

Do, however, continue to promptly refill all your prescriptions as soon as possible. For expired Epi-Pens that are no longer needed, use them to practice on an orange or a grapefruit, let a teacher or family member use them for practice, or donate them to a local support group to practice with. See Epi's and Oranges for more on how to practice using your old EpiPens.

It can also be helpful to refill prescriptions at 3-6 month intervals throughout the year rather then all at once depending on your insurance. With the rotation of these expired EpiPens, I like to keep a few expired (up to 3 months) at places my son frequents, such as grandmas, aunts and uncles, and friends homes. This way we always have a backup should we unexpectedly misplace, or forget our set of EpiPens. Do Not Rely On These! It is vital to always carry a set of EpiPens with you at all times though it is better to be safe then sorry and an expired EpiPen is better then no EpiPen.

Prescription Assistance

• Need My Meds: State-Sponsored Programs 

• Dey Pharmaceuticals Patient Assistance Program (manufacturer of EpiPen)
   
• Shionogi Pharmaceuticals Patient Assistance Program (manufacturer of TwinJect)
  
  

Crunchy Oat Cookies and other Worry Free Treats

Worry Free Treats is a recipe book, written by Vera Zakher, that contains more than 60 egg-free, milk-free, nut-free and peanut-free sweet treats. Vera has been a tremendous help to my family and I as we've taken on the challenge of going meat free this month. Her book, Worry Free Treats, in which all recipes are prepared from vegetable based products, is also vegetarian friendly. Vera has aloud me to share with you her Crunchy Oat Cookies recipe. If you enjoy a crunchy cookie these are very good and extremely easy to make. My kids and I made them a few days ago and I have to admit, they where gone by the next afternoon.

CRUNCHY OAT COOKIES (24 Cookies)

Crunchy Oat Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 3 tbsp. soy beverage mixed with 1 tsp. vinegar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup rolled oats

PREPARATION
• Preheat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C) or to 325 °F (160 °C) for a convection oven.
• Mix the ingredients in the order of the recipe until smooth.
• Take 1 spoonful of the dough in your hand and flatten into a cookie shape.
• Bake for 11 to 13 minutes. The baking time is the same for a convection oven.
• Transfer to a plate to cool

Vera's Delicious Brownies

Visit Vera's website www.worryfreetreats.com for more allergy and vegetarian friendly recipes such as Vera's Delicious Brownies.

Worry Free Treats is also available on Amazon.com

Update on Florida School and Peanut Allergy Regulations

Despite the protests and what I, and many, have considered to be harassment and bullying of a peanut-allergic first grader by her classmates parents, a Florida school is standing behind their peanut allergy regulations. These regulations set in place to protect the peanut allergic girl require students at Edgewater Elementary to wash their hands and take a drink of water before entering the classroom and after lunch because of the severity of the girls allergy. The school has also banned all peanut products, eliminated snacks and outside food from being brought into the classroom, and makes an effort to wipe down desks with Clorox wipes periodically throughout the day. Unfortunately some of these regulations have been misconstrued by both the media and other parents at the school.

The following is the list of accommodations set in place by the school that the Bailey's are aware of. These where given to me by Tracey Bailey, the girls mother, via Food Allergy Families Facebook page.
1. No nut products in classroom
2. Kids wash their hands and wipe face off with water or take a drink from water fountain but not rinse mouth out or wipe with Clorox wipe. In the morning & after lunch
3. our child does not eat in the cafeteria.
4. She carries an epi pen on her at all times
5. She is granted access to the clinic whenever she is in need of medical assistance.
6. She is not allowed in cafeteria without one of her parents present.
7. No faculty will give her food without prior permission from parents.
8. Her classroom is nut free

According to Tracey, "This is it! So EVERYTHING else is either a lie or we did not know it was happening!"

I have to say I was very shocked and confused by allergist Dr. Scott Sicherer's comments in yesterdays article by Fox News saying, “There are many guidelines on how to manage food allergies in schools… things like no food sharing. There are plenty of relatively simple things the school could put in place that aren’t burdensome.” What? Does this mean he does not agree with the regulations in place? The smell of peanuts alone can trigger a deadly reaction for this girl. I have to disagree that something as simple as no food sharing would be enough to keep her safe.

The fact that these parents are taking an issue with the loss of education their kids are receiving from this makes me laugh. It has been stated that 30 minutes of classtime is wasted in hand washing and a sip of water. I find it hard to believe that these 30 minutes are going to take away any sort of academic achievement from these children. Come on people, its not Harvard Law School, its the FIRST GRADE! Is this girls life not worth a mere 30 minutes of their time? Judging by their parents, I would be willing to bet that some of these kids could use this experience as a lesson in humanity by teaching them that they are not the center of the universe but rather a part of it.

I applaud the school in their decision to continue their efforts in keeping the peanut-allergic girl safe stating that, “It may seem like an inconvenience but this student registered her disability at the beginning of the school year and we have to do these things to give her a safe learning environment.”

Read also, "Finding an Allergy Aware school" and "10 School Safety Tips for Children With Food Allergies: Insight From Food Allergy Parents, Experts & Advocates"

Harassment and Bullying of Peanut-Allergic Girl in Florida

The recent story of the young peanut-allergic girl in Florida being harassed and bullied by the parents, yes parents, of her fellow classmates just breaks my heart. I feel for the family and the child whom I can only imagine, having a food allergic son myself, already struggles with feelings of being "different". Food allergies are not something any child, or anyone for that matter, asks for. These "parents" should be ASHAMED of themselves!

I know that many of you are outraged, as am I, and want to reach out to this family in any way possible so I am sharing this post from The Allergic Kid blog in which you will find an update on the story, the appropriate contact information for voicing your opinions as well as a request from the girls mom. Please also feel free to leave any sort of words of encouragement for the family in the comment section below or on our facebook page for them to see. I know that your kind words are very much appreciated!

Shabtai Gourmet Gluten Free Review

Last week I received a package from Shabtai Gourmet, a gluten free bakery, containing several of their baked goods to review. Unfortunately these products all contained tree nuts. However, all of Shabtai's products are peanut free, gluten free, dairy free, soy free, corn free, and certified kosher. Their Florentine Lace Cookies and Bon Bons are egg free and kosher as well, both of which I had the opportunity to try. All of their products ingredients and nutrition information are available on their website at www.shabtai-gourmet.com

 

Because my son is allergic to nuts my husband and I waited till the kids went to bed before we dug in. Let me tell you, my husband was not the least bit disappointed that he didn't have to share with the kids, as desserts are his weakness!

The first night we tried the Florentine Lace Cookies, which ended up being my favorite out of all the goodies we tried. I love almond roca and this is the closest thing Ive had to it since we became a nut free home when my son was diagnosed with his allergy over two years ago. Gluten free, dairy free, peanut free, soy free, corn free, and awesome! Oh, and my husband enjoyed them too, but then he enjoys anything with the word cookie in it so he's a bit biased. Haha!

The following night we tried the Bon Bons. When I hear Bon Bon I think chocolate covered ice cream, but these where different. I would describe them as a thin chocolate cake like cookie, topped with creme and covered in chocolate. My husband, with his sweet tooth, liked them, but I on the other hand thought they where too sweet. They reminded me of these chocolate covered marshmallow cookies I used to get as a special treat when I was younger. And let me just warn you, the packaging is less then ideal on these ones and they are very messy!

Finally my husband and I tried the Swiss Chocolate Roll, a chocolate sponge cake rolled up with creme and covered in dark chocolate. This is also gluten free, dairy free, peanut free, soy free, corn free, and certified kosher. Again this was a little on the sweet side for me, but though a little dry my husband liked this as well. I think he hit the nail on the head when he said, "they taste like a Ding Dong".

I also received their Raspberry Roll, a sponge cake rolled up with raspberry jam and covered in coconut. This looked so good, but I unfortunately can't stand coconut so my husband, who works part time with a catering company, brought this in for the owner and another chef to try. Apparently I missed out on this one, they all agreed that the raspberry roll was awesome!

Visit Shabtai Gourmet Gluten Free for a complete list of products and retailers or to place an order online with $5.95 flat rate shipping on orders across the US!