I just got back from the allergist and my 2 year ols son tested postitive for a PA. I have been reading through alot of the posts on this site and am so overwhelmed I am just sitting here crying. Everyone here seems to have so much base knowledge and I feel like I have to climb the steep learning curve so quickly to avoid danger to my child. Does anyone have any book recommendation or something. I think these boards will end up being my number one source, but right now I can't imagine trying to wade through all of these posts for the right info. TIA.
------------------
Chris
I am sorry to hear about your child's allergy. However, be glad you found us so early! You will learn very fast - believe me. It will be overwhelming and sad and then you will get to a place where you just live your life and the allergy becomes only a part of it (and not all of it like now). Not that you ever totally forget, but day to day life becomes much more manageable.
There are some great books here on the home page of [url="http://www.peanutallergy.com"]www.peanutallergy.com[/url]
The Peanut Allergy Answer Book by Michael Young
Caring for Your Child with Severe Food Allergies
Take Care,
Jaime [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/biggrin.gif[/img]
Hello!
Welcome and take a big breath!
You have found a place with endless information, people with good senses of humor, and as you have found, a long history to research.
You can not imagine it right now - I did not - but what you will learn in the next year will amaze you. Next month, we go to our first allergist appointment since all our testing last year. I am much more confident, knowlegeable, and relaxed compared to last year. It has not been easy but things have gotten easier.
I read both books listed above - very good suggestions. They help understand the allergy itself. This site helps you navigate your life!
Welcome! This is a great place to come for information and support! I also have a 2 yr old PA. When I first found this site I was overwhelmed by all the information and spent time crying at the computer too...but stick around. It DOES get better and you learn to manage. It's starting to become second nature to me now. This site provides a wealth of information -- far more than I would have ever gotten from my allergist (who was wonderful, but not very informative) I find that with DD being only 2 it's alot easier to manage since she isn't in school. I figure that developing PA at a young age makes it easier on my DD since she'll learn how to manage her allergy and be safe as she grows - she won't be hit with it all at once and have to change her ways. Does that make sense? The only thing that truly stresses me out now is holidays, where peanut butter deserts and eggs abound (she is also egg allergic).
I am fairly new to this as well. My dd is 15 months and is allergic to dairy, peanuts, egg & soy. Another member here recommended the book "The Parent's Guide to Food Allergies" by Marianne Barber. It is an excellent book. I ordered it from Amazon. I cried too when we discovered her allergies. Then I read a lot. I'm still reading! It is getting a little easier, but life will never be the same. Good luck on your journey.
You can do this!!! Take a deep breath. Read all you can and follow your instincts.
I felt the same way when dd was diagnosed.
Someday, you'll be posting advice from your wealth of experience, and someone else will appreciate as much as you do now.
Hang in there.
Hi Chris -
I know how overwhelming it is, but right now you only need to know a few things:
(1) Get a perscription for an epipen and get instruction on when and how to use it.
(2) Check ingredients every time.
(3) Watch out for cross-contamination, where peanut products make their way to somewhere else (for example, throw out your jelly jar if you've used it to make pbj sandwiches) Many families just eliminate peanuts from their home to help with this one.
(4) Make sure that anyone who cares for your child (grandparents, sitters, daycare) also know these rules.
Once you've done these things, you can take your time absorbing the rest of the information.
Soon taking care of your son's allergy will be as natural as buckling him into his car seat. You can do this!
welcome chris!!!!
im pretty new here too, i found this web site after comming back from a birthday party where my guy couldnt eat the cake...
i think this site is the best sourse of information.
before i came here i felt completely overwhelmed but people here are very nice and have alot of answers to all kinds of questions.
Welcome Chris!
Sorry I didn't see your post earlier - I hardly get here anymore! (Which you should find encouraging - aside from time constraints, I obviously don't feel the need to be here as regularly. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/wink.gif[/img] )
Anyhoo, the feeling of being overwhelmed is perfectly normal. If this much info had been available when my son was diagnosed (over 10 years ago) I might have lost my mind. Take a deep breath, and take a break from the boards if you start to feel too anxious or overwhelmed.
In addition to the above mentioned books, try checking out [url="http://www.foodallergy.org"]www.foodallergy.org[/url] . I know that FAAN can be a bit controversial on this board, but they were indispensible to me when we started out.
What I've found over the years is that PA really does become "business as usual" after awhile, but when new situations arise that's when my anxiety level increases. I think that's normal too.
Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions - there's always someone on here who will be happy to help.
Amy
Hi and Welcome
Like most have already said, it is very overwhelming to begin with and i remember at the beginning i was thinking "Oh my God..there is too much for me to learn, im never going to be able to keep my son safe"
It gets a lot easier as you start to discovour your own safety zone and doing things will become second nature. Dont worry i think everyone here started off feeling the way you do just now.
A nice bunch here...anything your not sure of just ask.
Arlene
Aaron age 4 Peanuts/Treenut
I am sorry to hear about your child's allergy. However, be glad you found us so early! You will learn very fast - believe me. It will be overwhelming and sad and then you will get to a place where you just live your life and the allergy becomes only a part of it (and not all of it like now). Not that you ever totally forget, but day to day life becomes much more manageable.
There are some great books here on the home page of [url="http://www.peanutallergy.com"]www.peanutallergy.com[/url]
The Peanut Allergy Answer Book by Michael Young
Caring for Your Child with Severe Food Allergies
Take Care,
Jaime [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/biggrin.gif[/img]
Pages