Thanks for the welcome...unfortunately, Arlene, we are stuck here in the USA! Sorry about that! lol
Our school takes allergies very seriously. There is a lot of info for our teachers, they are very conscientious, and we always have a few "nut-free, allergy free" rooms. I think the story about the girl in Canada who died after kissing her boyfriend brought the seriousness of the situation home for a lot of people.

Stephanie,
Thank you so much for joining. Man, I just got all kinds of warm fuzzies from your post. What lucky students you have! My son will be entering kindergarten in the fall, and I know that my counterparts at your school will be so grateful to you for your extra efforts. This is the most wonderful, helpful group as I am sure you will find. Have a great weekend,
Jamey

Welcome! It is great to have a school nurse among our members! You'll learn a lot from this great group and I'm sure we'll learn a lot from you too!
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Keep Smiling
DD - allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, and egg

Hello & welcome,
I am so sorry you are having to send your little one off to school with unanswered questions. It just doesn't seem right that they can't protect him until he is returned safely to you.
Pop over to the "Schools" section. I believe I have seen this question posed before. And I have seen something about new New Jersey laws recently. There are several members here from your state & I'm sure someone will have a better alternative for you.
Take care,
Daisy

Hi and welcome. I also live in NJ. Our governor signed a law back in April requiring our state DOE to enact written guidelines for schools by next year, much like Mass, Tenn. and Conn. have already done. If you go on Foodallergyinitiative.com, you'll see info. After that, each school system will be required to have their own written guidelines.
I don't know what will be said about the bus rides, though. It is the same for my district, no epi-pens on the bus. I try to make myself feel better by telling the bus driver the situation, insisting that she sit in the first or second row, and I tell the bus driver if anything seems amiss, to call 911 immediately. My child is in fourth grade, and I'm considering having her carry her epi-pen, but her doctor is against the idea for this age. My only consolation is that technically, no food is allowed on the bus, and I figure if there is, it will most likely be in the back, not the front. I know that there are school districts that actually train the bus drivers and have epi-pens on the bus already, but until mine does that, I have to accept that my safeguards are enough (and worry), or drive her myself.

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[This message has been edited by onedayatatime (edited September 11, 2007).]

Hi, sorry to hear your son has PA, but I'm sure you will get a lot of good information off this site! My Daughter was just diagnosed in August and we have learned so much. You will get a comfort zone for who/what you trust and what you don't - I use the site as a guide- but since I'm so new do checking on my own as well. You mentioned Hershey's they are great about answering questions if you call them- whenever I see a new product that looks safe (no warnings) I usually still call to make sure I get the "same response" and have them individually check that product - you have to give them the UPC. We have had Hershey's Kissables, full size chocolate bars and the mini baking chips/semi sweet- that all contained no warnings and have been fine in our case- our allergies are PA and Treenut (TNA). But always check the labels and call if you're unsure- things can change!

Hi, sorry your son had a reaction.
Look around here and you will find information to help you with your comfort zone.
Make sure you read labels....never assume because you've bought something before that it's still okay. Read them every time.
Never make a blanket statement to someone that hershey's is okay....ask people to read labels. For example, some kisses are safe others not. Regular sized Hershey's candy bars good, but the king size not.
Be sure you get him all set up properly at school and always carry your epi!

Also, look at the bright side. Like you, my child was older when he had ana reaction. That helped me form an appropriate comfort zone.
There were situations in the past where he would have the hives and I didn't know why. It made sense later. There were other situations that some pa parents avoid that we had done hundred of times with no problems.
Some children are diagnosed at a very young age, so you don't have as much past experiences to help make your decisions.
Plus, a five year old is ready to read and it may be easier to teach avoidance etc. at that age.
Hang in there!

First let me say, WELCOME! Next, I'm so sorry for the diagnosis, I can only imagine how difficult it is to deal with multiple food allergies (MFA).
Probably the best thing to do would be to get a list of food he CAN eat or ask for a referral to a dietician to help you with menu ideas. I'm going to *guess* what your dr. may have been talking about as far as other legumes such as soy and beans that are in the legume family with peanuts and perhaps things like sunflower seeds that are close to the same things your son is allergic to. I would definately ask your dr. to clarify on that one because you don't want to take any chances of feeding him something that is xcontaminated with one of his allergens.
If he is ok with sunflower seeds you can try SunButter it is made at a pn/tn-free facility and is delicious! Everyone that I have had try it actually likes it better than PB and my non-allergic 5yo eats a Sunbutter/jelly sandwhich every day.
A really good book that might help you sort through some of the medical terminology and the technical aspects of allergies is The Peanut Allergy Answer Book by Dr. Michael Young. It has a lot of technical info on how allergies form and the terms but does it in a way that is simple and easy to follow.
Welcome to the board!