new to PA

I'm sorry about your son being PA. It is very normal for you to feel overwhelmed right now. You will have to "greive" at first. It will gradually get better. Although this site might make you nervous, it is so valuable. I wasn't here 10 years ago when my son was diagnosed and getting educated on PA was much harder. At the same time, the full impact of the diagnosis was in stages. Now, you must feel completely bombarded. But, there is hope. My son is an active, normal, 6th grader that takes his allergy in stride. He is educated and has learned to listen to his own body. Sounds weird, but true. He has been the first to alert me to foods that don't agree with his many food allergies. Education is power. Learn all you can and take it a day at a time. I've not been registered here very long, but I can still say welcome to our club. Good luck to you and your son.

Bridget

Hello and welcome to the site. My dd was also diagnosed at 18 mos. It's overwhelming at first, but we've been living with it for almost 3yrs now. We have many fast food places we feel safe with. Also many companys we also feel safe with.

This site has very good information. Some peoples children on this site are a lot more sensitive than others.

I'm not saying my child couldn't become more sensitive. I'm just saying we safely go many places that others are uncomfortable with. We have never had a problem going to the movies, bowling, the park. Always be prepared with your safe snack so you can turn down something you find questionable or haven't checked into.

My dd got used to her allergy very fast. When I would tell her something wasn't okay for her she would be fine. It was everyone else who would feel sorry for her for not getting that donut or ice cream. She could've cared less. She knew it wasn't safe for her and would rather go with out.

I don't know if any of this is helping. I just want you to know life will still be normal. You'll just have to be more prepared, and have your gaurd up.

Take care,
Angie

dd 4 yrs PA TNA Env & Cat Allergies

It is very hard to deal with at first. I think I cried for weeks when my son was first diagnosed at 14mos old. This site is a wealth of information. It can be scary at first because a lot of posts are about problems, etc. But within this site are numerous families dealing with this everyday. Our children are going to school, parties, socializing and being "kids" We just have to take extra measures in keeping them safe.

You'll get the hang of it. Search these boards about products we use. I do use only "name brand" products like Nabisco and General Mills. In the beginning I called a lot of companies to inquire about their safety and labeling policy, that helped me get the hang of it. FAAN has a lot of information on label reading also and there are links on this site to great books dealing with this. As well as other great resources.

There are probably always some restaurants my son will never go to because of his PA. That's just the way it has to be. But that will not stop him from being an active, healthy, normal kid.

There is a lot of support here, it has helped me soooo much. It's rough at first but as you educate yourself more you will begin to feel more empowered and comfortable dealing with this.

Take care and hope to see you on the boards!

renny

kadely, welcome! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

I had been dealing with PA for two or three years before I found this site five years ago (my son is now 9).

Despite his having three reactions previous to me finding this site, he probably still would have had them even if I had been a member here.

When I first found the site and read the different things that people had questions about, that I didn't, I thought that I was doing something *wrong* and was quite overwhelmed.

You know what I did? I jumped right in! And well, I've been here ever since.

I can honestly tell you that I have learned almost 99.9% of what I know about PA from this site. Not only do I have knowledge that empowers me and empowers my child, but I also don't have that totally isolated feeling I had before coming here.

Before coming here, I was SO alone. My DH *had* been in denial until our son almost died, there were no other PA children around us, and when something troubled me about PA, I had no one to talk to to let me know that what I was feeling was okay (or not okay).

The best advice I can give you is to step back and figure out what you need to know for right now and then start asking questions or doing searches of the board to get the answers. What you need to know for NOW.

PA is a journey, as in life, and things will come up that you didn't expect, situations will change, and your child will get older and new things will be presented to you.

But being a member here gives you not only information, but support, caring, encouragement and advice that I swear you may not be able to find in *real* life.

You'll figure stuff out. Take a little bit at a time from the board, as you need it for you and your child right NOW and ask away. And remember, no question is ever too stupid to ask.

Sorry you had to join the club, but we are a pretty good lot here and get each other through some very difficult times (and also joyous ones).

Best wishes! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]