1) My son has had several reactions, including hospitalization for one.
2) I do not believe in peanut-free schools. I think they give a false sense of security.
3) I think peanut oil can be a safe choice for some peanut allergic individual.
4)I do not believe that everyone on my child's flight has to avoid peanuts for him to be safe. He's flown on approximately 40 flights in his life with his peanut allergy.
5) I think AMF does the right thing to concentrate on the average response instead of the exception. There are people who perhaps have exquisite allergies who will react in 20 seconds, and will die from sitting next to peanuts on an airplane, or from eating peanut oil. But there are not many of them, and people who think they fall into this category do not all fall into this category.
I think people and the media take food allergies less seriously because some mothers go around flapping their arms, telling everyone in a shrill voice that their child will die if he even touches a peanut wrapper at a grocery store. This does not help our cause. It's better to concentrate on things that can be changed like the food labeling laws that were a major achievement of FAAN.
I'm sure they've approached the milk lobby for money.

Quote:Originally posted by notnutty:
[b]Munchhausen-by-proxy mothers??? Are you serious?? Do you actually think that any of us DECIDE to have PA control our lives?? If anything, if there is a false-positive, it is not a Muchhausen-by-proxy situation, probably more likely a situation where the parent has been told by a doctor to avoid BECAUSE of test results. In my opinion it is better to avoid until a challenge can be administered safely...for some of us that will be NEVER. I would rather have my DS avoid for the rest of his life than to conduct a "test" that could possibly kill him. That is a risk I am not willing to take, not now, not ever.
Give me a break, Munchhausen-by-proxy mothers...[/b]
Hi Notnutty: Did someone actually say this to you?
I just tried to go back to the article through the link and the article is gone. What happened?
Tracy
ETA: Nevermind, I saw the comment about Munchhausen-by-proxy...missed it the first time around.
[This message has been edited by bandbmom (edited February 01, 2007).]

Quote:Originally posted by BriandBrinasmom:
[b]1) My son has had several reactions, including hospitalization for one.
.[/b]
Possibly your comfort zone needs a re-evaluation???? Several reactions is nothing to be proud of.
Maybe your voice should shrill a bit more.
My son had ONE bad, bad reaction. This reaction was before we knew he had an allergy. That was his only one requiring emergency attention. That was four years ago. Since that time, he's had some unavoidable contact reactions that required benadryl. Several of those reactions were on airplanes, several at school and the rest at other people's homes.
So, if I'm one of those shrill voices you hear, I guess I've done my duty to keep my child safe.
The munchausen by proxy thing really was uncalled for!

My son is allergic to milk, soy, peanut, beans and peas. Some of those reactions were discovered by exposures to the foods. The one where he was hospitalized occurred with chicken nuggets from a supposedly Kosher deli. He is 12 years old now; I do not think 5 reactions, given his MFA, is unreasonable.
Honestly, Saknj, I think you have a lot of nerve. I have not said anything personal in this thread at all about *your* behavior.
Regarding Munchhausen-by-proxy, I did not say ANYONE in this thread was in this category. If it strikes a nerve with you, then evaluate your own behavior to determine why.
There are parents who do Munchhausen-by-proxy with allergies. I've known one. She restricted what her child ate because of her own emotional issues. She justified these restrictions in the name of "allergy." Surely you've met one or two of these mothers too in your travails through the allergic world?

Okay, we need to take a ~~~~breath~~~~
remember *why* we are here. We are ALL different, we are ALL at different comfort zones. Everyone is intitled to an opinion, I may agree with one, all or none....but I will not bad mouth anyone, remember respect.
I've learned so much from ALL of you, please don't break down that support.
Sorry, just trying to ~~~~breathe~~~~ here [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img] HUGS
------------------
Chanda(mother of 4)
Sidney-8 (beef and chocolate, grasses, molds, weeds, guinea pig & asthma)
Jake-6 (peanut, all tree nuts, eggs, trees, grasses, weeds, molds, cats, dogs, guinea pig & eczema & asthma)
Carson-3 1/2 (milk, soy, egg, beef and pork, cats, dog, guinea pig)
Savannah-1 (milk and egg)

As a former researcher, and current healthcare worker I will say that I believe only about 25% of what I read. I prefer to only focus on refereed journal articles for technical information. Even those results must be carefully weighed within the scope of the specific study.
My problem with this article is that the Doc is speaking as a *medical professional*. Perhaps I would have less problem with the article being published in a newspaper if he just gave his name, without the credentials. This is not his field of study, and it is not a refereed article. [i]He has merely done much the same as most parents here would do if we were preparing a statement for a 504 meeting by pulling out a few technical quotes and references.[/i]
From his website, it says he is a regular paid writer for several publications, including the Boston Globe. His articles seem to be "hot topics," and few are in his current field of study. [i]I *do* like for a health writer to be informed, and not, say, a car mechanic. Likewise, I would not like a health writer working on my car. KWIM[/i] But, I can safely say that I would not go to this man for my allergies. Nor would I go to my gynecologist for my allergies.
When medical info is published in the media many people will see something in writing and take it as the "Gospel Truth." And words from a Doc carry even more weight. Many of us here have had our families, schools, work, etc...throw out facts and figures that they "read somewhere." [i]And if a Doc wrote it, well, it must be true! Who are *you* to argue with what a DOCTOR said?[/i]
As for most of the parents/folks here, they already hit the "gold standard" for allergies when their kids/selves had a reaction and ended up at the allergist in the first place. [i]It doesn't say you have to die to prove anaphylaxis.[/i] Just have to hit 2 or more symptoms on the chart. I think most here have done that, and more, from many of the posts I have read.
Daisy
[i]Not speaking as a former researcher of trees, dirt or germs[/i]
Just as a very allergic person (hospital bills to prove it and I did hit the "gold standard".)

Thank you Daisy...very well stated.

Very reasonably and nicely put, Daisy. Thank you!

Quote:Originally posted by saknjmom:
[b]I believe she is the founder.....so I don't see much changing...[/b]
Do you know if she, or her kid(s), personally have food allergies? What was her motivation for founding FAAN?
And I agree with everything you said, saknjmom, especially that she often doesn't seem like much of an advocate at all.
[This message has been edited by TwokidsNJ (edited February 01, 2007).]