A young (20ish) woman and her SO are walking through Target tonight, and she has popped open a jar of nuts and is munching away! She stopped in an aisle right next to my PA ds (3 years).
My reaction was absolute ANGER, annoyance, rise in blood pressure...I was fuming! I practically RAN away from her.
Afterwards I realized I missed an opportunity to stop her and ask her if she had ever heard of PA, and if she realized that by opening that container, she had just exposed the air, floor (dropping nuts) and the carriage and any items in the store she touched to something that could KILL my son.
You figure if 1000 people are in that Target a day, and you assume 1% of the population is PA...then she potentially put 15 people at risk. If the new stat of 2% is accurate then it is 30 people...and that is just PA...this nut mix had other nuts, too.
Just curious as to how you would have handled this??? would you have said something?
Ironically I had all three kids, and needed diapers and two other things. I didnt' have the epi bag where I thought it was, and nearly ran in to Target without it. But, I knew I couldn't get to the car fast enough if there was an emergency, so I ran around the other side of the car to get the bag. Just goes to show you you always need to take that bag!
Quote:Originally posted by 3xy1PAinNH:
[b]A young (20ish) woman and her SO are walking through Target tonight, and she has popped open a jar of nuts and is munching away! She stopped in an aisle right next to my PA ds (3 years)....[/b]
As a microbiology lab tech, this bothered me WAY before the thought of allergies; what a great way for her to contaminate everything she touched with germs from her mouth! YUCK! [i]Loving the thought of bringing home food with slobber on the package.[/i]
And DOUBLE YUCK with allergies! Yes, it has always bothered me that kids can't be without food in their mouths for the 20-30 min that they might be in the store. Or with those PITA parents that don't have the guts to tell their kids, "NO!" when they beg for food in the store. Heaven forbid the little dears get angry! [i]Feed them in the car, like I do...hee hee hee.[/i]
And yes, another good reason to always have the Epi...even when you know you're not going to eat something. Good point!
Daisy
I know- I see this in so many stores we shop. I have three kids in tow- and no- I don't stop to educate them. I still seem to have that mindset that nuts are going to be out in the world-- so I run away and I feel angry, but I usually don't say a word. I do want to....
I DO! I would kick myself if I didn't say something. Had to one year, we were at the ballet-Nutcracker. I heard that all to familiar crackling of the peanutbutter cracker package being opened. I turned around and calmly asked her etc.... and explained etc... . She put them away, but it just ruins the whole experience of the event. KWIM? I get angry at myself if I don't say something, but I also am annoyed that I HAVE to say something. Especially if situations where food is not allowed--this gets me soooo mad. Just venting!
Oh, by the way, my sister and mom are more vocal than me. And, I am the one known to have the big mouth-ha ha !
------------------
Stacie - Mother to:
10 yr. PA
8 yr. TNA
2.5 yr. PA&TNA
When my son was flying to Scotland we were waiting at Los Angeles for a flight. A woman across from us had a transparent bag of food and that included a large can of peanuts.
I went up to her and asked was she going on the same flight we were? I told her why. It turns out she was on her way to Hawaii.
I explained to her why I asked and she seemed very concerned. The lady next to her was rolling her eyes away at me.
So I got one but not the other.
Peg
I missed the opportunity too and blasted myself later for NOT saying something.
I was at the Delta ticket counter in Charleston, S.C. The ticket agent that was checking me in, had a little pile of shelled peanuts that he was shelling and eating, while working.
I was in SHOCK!
I realized later that the reason I didn't speak up was because of the eye-rolling Peg mentions. I swear that the NEXT time, I will speak up.
I speak up. Especially if that person is in close proximity of my DD. If I can move away and not say anything, I will. We were at the Big Apple Circus once and someone started eating peanuts next to my DH. My DD was 4 seats away from them. I asked them if they would mind not eating them and told them about my DD and PA. They said "Oh, sorry". But we felt uncomfortable and looked around for other seats anyway.
I also did that when we were about to board the plane last year to CA. There was a mom with 2 kids and she had a can of peanuts with her to take on the plane. I politely asked her where she was sitting to make sure it wasn't near us and she was very nice about it and said she wouldn't eat them on that flight.
the eyerolling...one of my least favorite aspects of other peoples' reactions to our PA needs.
Most of the time, I just move away. I don't bother saying anything because so often I fear that I will come across as either hysterical or hostile... (gee, imagine that, huh?)
But two instances stand out in my mind. One I am sure that I seemed quite hysterical, as I was fighting down rising panic. It was in a local health food store, where I HAD to go to purchase specialty flours in bulk. Yes, had to-- we had not one other choice at that time... Anyway, this woman was there with a toddler, and she had just filled up a big ole tub of grind it yourself PB... and was about to hand it and a spoon over to her kid...
I asked her if she could wait for "Just five minutes... Please. (begging) I just need to get flour for my daughter...." I don't think she really "got it" but she complied anyway. I think I shocked her and she thought it was possible that I was pretty disturbed. Whatever.
The second instance involves the Disneyland railroad. We got on at the main street station (this is Anaheim) and there were VERY few seats. The people right behind us took out their PB+J and DD started to turn funny colors. So DH and I proceeded to have a conversation (glancing furtively over our shoulders periodically) about what we could do. We couldn't get off the train, as it was in motion, but there was nowhere to move to, either. They finally asked and when we explained, they very politely put them away. I was absolutely floored. We did move as soon as we were able, but thanked them again before we did so.
I've never approached someone eating peanuts in public and asked them to stop - I think the only reason I would do this would be if it directly impacted my DS at that very moment (ie if the person was going to touch him immediately for some reason - doctor, dentist or something akin to that). As for general consumption in our vicinity - if I felt it was dangerous, I would move.
I don't find myself blameless in the eating in public department either - I often do my grocery shopping while slurping on a latte and making use of the cup holder so conveniently attached to the cart (many grocery chains have a Second Cup of a Starbucks inside now...) - a nightmare for those dealing with a milk allergy for sure...
I do say something (imagine that [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/redface.gif[/img] ), especially if the location is not a place where normally civilized people eat:
TARGET! the reason for garbage cans outside front doors is for people to throw away food & beverages PRIOR to entering store. You are NOT supposed to open & eat foods prior to purchasing. Whatever happened to NOT eating in stores??
THEATRES (other than movie)! The ballet or symphony or other seated-theatre experience is NOT a place for food. Intermission in the lobby is place for snack, if offered for sale.
We are rapidly becoming a nation of obese, food-smeared slobs. Any wonder when we cannot seem to go even an hour without some sort of non-nutritional doo-doo shoved into our orifices. . .
but I digress.
I DID say that I say something, didn't I?
[img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/biggrin.gif[/img]
~Elizabeth
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