On two separate occasions and at two separate restaurants in the past month I've had a waitress ask me "What is a tree nut?"
On both occasions I tried to answer without first saying "Are you effing kidding me?"
First: If you're going to work at a restaurant you damn well better know what a tree nut is.
Second: See above.
At the first restaurant I explained all the different types of tree nuts and that both of my children were allergic to many of them.
Today, at Bob Evans (!!!) of all places this is what happened:
1. I told the waitress that my daughters had food allergies. She gave me a blank stare. I said "you probably should write these down."
2. I said "tree nuts." She says "what is a tree nut?" I said "Um, really? Tree nuts include pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios ... you know NUTS THAT GROW ON TREES." She says "Oh."
3. I stopped the manager and asked HIM if he knew what a tree nut was. "Yes, I think so," he says. I say "well, I suggest you explain it to your wait staff because our waitress has NO idea what tree nuts are."
There is absolutely NO excuse for this lack of knowledge when you're serving food to people who might have food allergies. And at a major chain like Bob Evan? It's beyond inexcusable.
Sunday, August 5, 2018
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Still Here.
Hey look, it's 2018!
Yes, I'm still here.
Yes, the girls still have food allergies.
And OOH BOY do I have some posts coming soon. It's been a stellar couple of weeks dining out here in T-town with food allergies.
And by stellar I mean....damn people, get a freaking clue.
Be back soon with details!
Happy 2018!
Yes, I'm still here.
Yes, the girls still have food allergies.
And OOH BOY do I have some posts coming soon. It's been a stellar couple of weeks dining out here in T-town with food allergies.
And by stellar I mean....damn people, get a freaking clue.
Be back soon with details!
Happy 2018!
Friday, June 16, 2017
They're Called Nut Allergies NOT "Nut Allergies"
As a writer I have a few many pet peeves when it comes to proper usage of words, grammar, and punctuation.
For example, when I see a letter from our parish that says this: There are many children registered for our program that have “nut allergies”. Because of this, we are asking that all parents send their children with “nut free” snacks.
....it makes me a bit stabby.
There is NO reason to put the words nut allergies in quotes. To do so (in my writer's mind) is to minimize the severity of said allergies. They aren't "nut allergies" or "food allergies" (just picture a smarmy person with a smug look on their face making air quotes when they say nut allergies or food allergies and maybe you can understand my ire).
No one says that someone has "cancer" or "diabetes" or "heart disease." So why do food allergies get relegated to something that is "not real" thanks to the addition of quotation marks?
And yes, I'm sure some of you out there think I'm overreacting but this really, seriously bugs me. A lot.
Why can't it just be written like this: There are many children registered for our program who have food allergies including peanuts and tree nuts. Because of this we are asking that all parents send their children with peanut and tree nut free snacks.
THAT would make it so much better and less annoying.
It's little things like the use of quotation marks around food allergies that - in my opinion - lead people to think that they aren't as serious as other diseases. With food allergies (as a whole) on the rise, it's about damn time people take them seriously and stop putting quotation marks around them.
#EndRant
For example, when I see a letter from our parish that says this: There are many children registered for our program that have “nut allergies”. Because of this, we are asking that all parents send their children with “nut free” snacks.
....it makes me a bit stabby.
There is NO reason to put the words nut allergies in quotes. To do so (in my writer's mind) is to minimize the severity of said allergies. They aren't "nut allergies" or "food allergies" (just picture a smarmy person with a smug look on their face making air quotes when they say nut allergies or food allergies and maybe you can understand my ire).
No one says that someone has "cancer" or "diabetes" or "heart disease." So why do food allergies get relegated to something that is "not real" thanks to the addition of quotation marks?
And yes, I'm sure some of you out there think I'm overreacting but this really, seriously bugs me. A lot.
Why can't it just be written like this: There are many children registered for our program who have food allergies including peanuts and tree nuts. Because of this we are asking that all parents send their children with peanut and tree nut free snacks.
THAT would make it so much better and less annoying.
It's little things like the use of quotation marks around food allergies that - in my opinion - lead people to think that they aren't as serious as other diseases. With food allergies (as a whole) on the rise, it's about damn time people take them seriously and stop putting quotation marks around them.
#EndRant
Monday, April 3, 2017
Two Kids and Food Allergies
It's official.
Both girls have food allergies.
A couple weeks ago we took Emma (our 10 year old) to get tested for allergies. The reason for the testing was to determine her seasonal allergies (she's been suffering a lot over the past couple of years). We also decided to do the standard food testing too ... just in case.
Long story short:
Emma has a LOT of seasonal allergies including: alfalfa (3/5), corn pollen (3/5), wheat farm pollen (3/5), trees (3/5), grasses (3/5), and ragweed (1/5).
And....she also tested positive for foods. The numbers I'm going to type out are based on the skin testing and a scale of 0-5, with 5 being "very strong" positive.
Sesame seed: 1/5
Soybean: 1/5
Almond: 2/5
Peanut: 2/5
Walnut: 2/5
Because I always follow up with a blood test too, these are the results. Less than .34 = class 0. They only tested foods with the blood panel.
Almond: .70 - class 1, low
Hazelnut: 23.30 - class 4, very high
Peanut: 11.90 - class 3, high
Pistachio: .77 - class 2, moderate
Walnut: 9.98 - class 3, high
To say I was floored by the food allergy results would be an understatement. Our PA at the allergist's office was shocked by the blood test results. Several of the numbers are MUCH higher than Olivia's results.
I've had several people ask HOW it is that Emma hasn't had a reaction to any foods. Honestly, I'm not sure. Maybe she's had a slight reaction and we missed it. Or maybe, because she doesn't eat peanut butter (has always hated it .. she's never had a PB&J) or any kind of nuts we just didn't know.
Regardless, she now has EpiPens and we're continuing everything we already did for Olivia - avoiding ALL tree nuts and peanuts and sesame seeds.
We just keep on keepin' on.
Both girls have food allergies.
A couple weeks ago we took Emma (our 10 year old) to get tested for allergies. The reason for the testing was to determine her seasonal allergies (she's been suffering a lot over the past couple of years). We also decided to do the standard food testing too ... just in case.
Long story short:
Emma has a LOT of seasonal allergies including: alfalfa (3/5), corn pollen (3/5), wheat farm pollen (3/5), trees (3/5), grasses (3/5), and ragweed (1/5).
And....she also tested positive for foods. The numbers I'm going to type out are based on the skin testing and a scale of 0-5, with 5 being "very strong" positive.
Sesame seed: 1/5
Soybean: 1/5
Almond: 2/5
Peanut: 2/5
Walnut: 2/5
Because I always follow up with a blood test too, these are the results. Less than .34 = class 0. They only tested foods with the blood panel.
Almond: .70 - class 1, low
Hazelnut: 23.30 - class 4, very high
Peanut: 11.90 - class 3, high
Pistachio: .77 - class 2, moderate
Walnut: 9.98 - class 3, high
To say I was floored by the food allergy results would be an understatement. Our PA at the allergist's office was shocked by the blood test results. Several of the numbers are MUCH higher than Olivia's results.
I've had several people ask HOW it is that Emma hasn't had a reaction to any foods. Honestly, I'm not sure. Maybe she's had a slight reaction and we missed it. Or maybe, because she doesn't eat peanut butter (has always hated it .. she's never had a PB&J) or any kind of nuts we just didn't know.
Regardless, she now has EpiPens and we're continuing everything we already did for Olivia - avoiding ALL tree nuts and peanuts and sesame seeds.
We just keep on keepin' on.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Peanut Allergies on a Plane
Flying with peanut allergies is usually a scary thought - especially since the airline industry seems to think serving little packets of peanuts is necessary for a good flight experience.
On a recent Delta flight from Orlando to Detroit I witnessed Delta trying to do something good but stepping all over themselves in the process.
On this particular flight it was just me and my husband - the kids had stayed home. So I didn't have to worry about Liv's allergies while we flew.
But, as we boarded the plane the flight attendant stopped two rows in front of me to talk with a mom who was traveling with her two daughters - both of whom had a peanut allergy. The flight attendant asked if the mom had EpiPens ("yes, we have about 10 of them" she replied). And then notified the mom that she'd make an announcement that peanuts would NOT be served during the flight.
Score one for Delta.
Then, the woman seated in front of me (which would put her directly behind the allergy mom) said, loudly and with sarcasm: "Well darn. Now I can't eat my peanuts!" ... and then proceeded to laugh.
A few thoughts:
1. Food allergies are never funny. NEVER.
2. Your inability to eat a small package of peanuts during a 2 hour flight is a VERY small sacrifice to make.
3. Your statement makes you look and sound like a total JERK.
Then....
While I give props to Delta for trying to do the right thing, the announcement made by the flight attendant after takeoff went like this: "We have passengers with peanut allergies on this flight today and therefore we will not be serving peanuts. We apologize for the inconvenience."
Again. Not being able to snarf down a package of honey roasted peanuts during a flight is NOT an inconvenience. Please stop treating it as such.
I posted something about the whole "bitching about not being able to eat peanuts on a plane" on my Facebook page before take off and two hours later opened Facebook to find a full-blown argument happening on my FB page. Essentially one person said she "felt bad" for the person who couldn't eat nuts on the plane because it was their "RIGHT" to eat peanuts.
Um. NO.
No one has a right to eat peanuts on a plane. I checked the Bill of Rights .. says nothing about the right to eat peanuts while putting the lives of others in danger.
However kids with food allergies DO have a right to travel without fear of an allergic reaction at 39,000 feet. NO ONE will die from NOT eating peanuts on a plane. But kids with peanut allergies CAN die from exposure to peanuts.
And my child's life will always outweigh your supposed "need" to eat peanuts.
End of story.
I quickly deleted the entire Facebook thread because I honestly don't have the time or patience to deal with such blatant stupidity - in fact I was so angry that I didn't even read all the comments. I then posted: "Do NOT ever debate food allergies on my Facebook page." And the peanut sympathizer came back to post more snarky comments. So I unfriended her AND blocked her.
To this day I cannot understand how anyone thinks that they have a RIGHT to eat food that could injure or kill another person. Peanut allergies - and food allergies in general - are no laughing matter. There is nothing funny about food allergies and until people stop treating them like a joke actions like those of the passenger on the plane and the ex-Facebook friend will continue.
As I always say, replace the words "food allergies" with a life threatening illness or other serious disease and see how "funny" and "amusing" you sound then.
On a recent Delta flight from Orlando to Detroit I witnessed Delta trying to do something good but stepping all over themselves in the process.
On this particular flight it was just me and my husband - the kids had stayed home. So I didn't have to worry about Liv's allergies while we flew.
But, as we boarded the plane the flight attendant stopped two rows in front of me to talk with a mom who was traveling with her two daughters - both of whom had a peanut allergy. The flight attendant asked if the mom had EpiPens ("yes, we have about 10 of them" she replied). And then notified the mom that she'd make an announcement that peanuts would NOT be served during the flight.
Score one for Delta.
Then, the woman seated in front of me (which would put her directly behind the allergy mom) said, loudly and with sarcasm: "Well darn. Now I can't eat my peanuts!" ... and then proceeded to laugh.
A few thoughts:
1. Food allergies are never funny. NEVER.
2. Your inability to eat a small package of peanuts during a 2 hour flight is a VERY small sacrifice to make.
3. Your statement makes you look and sound like a total JERK.
Then....
While I give props to Delta for trying to do the right thing, the announcement made by the flight attendant after takeoff went like this: "We have passengers with peanut allergies on this flight today and therefore we will not be serving peanuts. We apologize for the inconvenience."
Again. Not being able to snarf down a package of honey roasted peanuts during a flight is NOT an inconvenience. Please stop treating it as such.
I posted something about the whole "bitching about not being able to eat peanuts on a plane" on my Facebook page before take off and two hours later opened Facebook to find a full-blown argument happening on my FB page. Essentially one person said she "felt bad" for the person who couldn't eat nuts on the plane because it was their "RIGHT" to eat peanuts.
Um. NO.
No one has a right to eat peanuts on a plane. I checked the Bill of Rights .. says nothing about the right to eat peanuts while putting the lives of others in danger.
However kids with food allergies DO have a right to travel without fear of an allergic reaction at 39,000 feet. NO ONE will die from NOT eating peanuts on a plane. But kids with peanut allergies CAN die from exposure to peanuts.
And my child's life will always outweigh your supposed "need" to eat peanuts.
End of story.
I quickly deleted the entire Facebook thread because I honestly don't have the time or patience to deal with such blatant stupidity - in fact I was so angry that I didn't even read all the comments. I then posted: "Do NOT ever debate food allergies on my Facebook page." And the peanut sympathizer came back to post more snarky comments. So I unfriended her AND blocked her.
To this day I cannot understand how anyone thinks that they have a RIGHT to eat food that could injure or kill another person. Peanut allergies - and food allergies in general - are no laughing matter. There is nothing funny about food allergies and until people stop treating them like a joke actions like those of the passenger on the plane and the ex-Facebook friend will continue.
As I always say, replace the words "food allergies" with a life threatening illness or other serious disease and see how "funny" and "amusing" you sound then.
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Keep the Food Out of the Classroom
This year Olivia has been taking 'exploratory' foreign language classes - French and Spanish. And because schools can't seem to stop bringing food into the classroom, both classes have planned a "food" day where students can eat French or Spanish food to "learn" about the culture.
The French food day happened before we knew Olivia was allergic to gluten so I (begrudgingly) sent in a baguette and some brie. I also let the teacher know about Liv's allergies so that no one questioned why she wasn't eating the macarons and other stuff.
Next week the Spanish class is hosting its food day. This time we're dealing with the gluten allergy, a newly diagnosed shellfish allergy, and the constants of peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame seeds.
Olivia has decided she wantsto make me to make some grilled beef salad (seriously the recipe is HUGE, but I'll do it). That might be the only thing she'll be able to eat unless someone brings in corn chips and salsa. I don't know how likely that is.
And once again I've had to email the teacher to inform her of all Liv's allergies and to ask that she makes sure no one gives Olivia a hard time about not eating food.
Honestly, I just don't get it.
Why do we have food in the classroom at all?
With the prevalence of food allergies today why do schools/teachers/administrators still insist on bringing food into the classroom?
The classroom is a place to LEARN not a place to EAT. You want to eat? Go to the cafeteria at lunch time. Books in the classroom, food in the cafeteria.
I know events like this add stress for Olivia - stress that she doesn't need. She doesn't want to flaunt her allergies, she just wants to live with them and be as 'normal' as possible.
It's time to get the food out of the classroom.
The French food day happened before we knew Olivia was allergic to gluten so I (begrudgingly) sent in a baguette and some brie. I also let the teacher know about Liv's allergies so that no one questioned why she wasn't eating the macarons and other stuff.
Next week the Spanish class is hosting its food day. This time we're dealing with the gluten allergy, a newly diagnosed shellfish allergy, and the constants of peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame seeds.
Olivia has decided she wants
And once again I've had to email the teacher to inform her of all Liv's allergies and to ask that she makes sure no one gives Olivia a hard time about not eating food.
Honestly, I just don't get it.
Why do we have food in the classroom at all?
With the prevalence of food allergies today why do schools/teachers/administrators still insist on bringing food into the classroom?
The classroom is a place to LEARN not a place to EAT. You want to eat? Go to the cafeteria at lunch time. Books in the classroom, food in the cafeteria.
I know events like this add stress for Olivia - stress that she doesn't need. She doesn't want to flaunt her allergies, she just wants to live with them and be as 'normal' as possible.
It's time to get the food out of the classroom.
Monday, January 16, 2017
Allergy Re-Testing Day
Today was the day - time for the every-18-months retesting for Liv's allergies. (Actually the original day was December 27 but we were dealing with hives and illness on that day so today was the new day).
First things first: ALWAYS ask what is going on at the allergist's office. They were only going to test her for the "seasonal" stuff today because they said her last skin test didn't show any positive food allergies (it did but I was armed with the results anyway). I pushed back and said "Here are her results from April 2015 and you can see that she's allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame seeds. You WILL be testing for food again today."
And they did test for food. And we have a few new items to add to our list.
Today the skin test results were positive for shellfish (totally new to us) and were once again positive for corn and soybeans (originally showed up on her first skin test back in 2011 but hasn't shown up again until today).
So...long story short: she eats corn products and items made with soy all the time with no issues so the allergist said to continue doing so unless we see an issue. The shellfish was a different story - we were told to avoid all shellfish. Which is fine, since Liv doesn't eat or like shellfish. Easy peasy.
Her positive reaction to almonds wasn't a complete surprise - we know she's allergic to almonds - but it's now a 4 out of 5 on the scale our allergist uses. Hazelnuts, peanuts, and sesame seeds were all still prevalent too.
[As an aside, I'm looking at her test results from 2015 and am seeing that at that appointment they didn't even run the tree nut panel - our results were from the blood test only! GAH! Another reason to always pay attention at an appointment].
The CNP today was great - she went down Liv's arm, one wheal (think: small hive) at a time making a determination by TOUCH of their severity. This had never been done at the office - except maybe back in 2011 at her very first visit. [In 2015 the nurse was hurried and didn't pay much attention at all, which is likely what lead to the miscommunication at today's visit.]
It was so nice to have someone take the time to discuss the new allergies and we even talked about the gluten sensitivity - and we're continuing the gluten free protocol because we're seeing positive (read: good) results with relation to the autoimmune diseases.
As always, we also did a blood screening for IgE levels for almond, brazil nuts, cashew, coconut, hazelnut, peanut, pecan, pistachio, walnut, sesame seed, soybean, and corn. Basically Liv spent 2 1/2 hours today getting poked by needles.
Oh, and on the non-food side Liv is now allergic to horses and guinea pigs. Those are new to the list. Her "seasonal" allergies are getting better - so in 6 months we might be able to go to once-a-month allergy shots. At least we're making progress there. :)
And in the end we keep on keepin' on. Avoiding peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, and now shellfish. Keeping an eye on corn and soybean. And Liv is never getting a horse. Or a guinea pig.
First things first: ALWAYS ask what is going on at the allergist's office. They were only going to test her for the "seasonal" stuff today because they said her last skin test didn't show any positive food allergies (it did but I was armed with the results anyway). I pushed back and said "Here are her results from April 2015 and you can see that she's allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame seeds. You WILL be testing for food again today."
And they did test for food. And we have a few new items to add to our list.
Today the skin test results were positive for shellfish (totally new to us) and were once again positive for corn and soybeans (originally showed up on her first skin test back in 2011 but hasn't shown up again until today).
 |
| Liv's arms, halfway through the test |
So...long story short: she eats corn products and items made with soy all the time with no issues so the allergist said to continue doing so unless we see an issue. The shellfish was a different story - we were told to avoid all shellfish. Which is fine, since Liv doesn't eat or like shellfish. Easy peasy.
Her positive reaction to almonds wasn't a complete surprise - we know she's allergic to almonds - but it's now a 4 out of 5 on the scale our allergist uses. Hazelnuts, peanuts, and sesame seeds were all still prevalent too.
[As an aside, I'm looking at her test results from 2015 and am seeing that at that appointment they didn't even run the tree nut panel - our results were from the blood test only! GAH! Another reason to always pay attention at an appointment].
The CNP today was great - she went down Liv's arm, one wheal (think: small hive) at a time making a determination by TOUCH of their severity. This had never been done at the office - except maybe back in 2011 at her very first visit. [In 2015 the nurse was hurried and didn't pay much attention at all, which is likely what lead to the miscommunication at today's visit.]
It was so nice to have someone take the time to discuss the new allergies and we even talked about the gluten sensitivity - and we're continuing the gluten free protocol because we're seeing positive (read: good) results with relation to the autoimmune diseases.
As always, we also did a blood screening for IgE levels for almond, brazil nuts, cashew, coconut, hazelnut, peanut, pecan, pistachio, walnut, sesame seed, soybean, and corn. Basically Liv spent 2 1/2 hours today getting poked by needles.
Oh, and on the non-food side Liv is now allergic to horses and guinea pigs. Those are new to the list. Her "seasonal" allergies are getting better - so in 6 months we might be able to go to once-a-month allergy shots. At least we're making progress there. :)
And in the end we keep on keepin' on. Avoiding peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, and now shellfish. Keeping an eye on corn and soybean. And Liv is never getting a horse. Or a guinea pig.
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