So my daughter has had an egg, cat, dog, aloe, mold allergies and has now recently developed an peanut allergy. She is 2. Should i only avoid peanuts? Also i am hearing that a lot of soaps, shampoos, household products, and cosmetics have peanut in them. Can you lost the ones that you know of so i can get an idea of what to avoid? Also does anyone have any tips on getting family to understand food allergies. We seem to be loosing alot of people because they don't understand
new to peanut allergy.i have some questions.
Posted on: Mon, 01/12/2015 - 6:18pm
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I am so glad you have connected with this community.
Having a list would be awesome. The closest I have come (other than reading posts, here) has been http://snacksafely.com/safe-snack-guide/. It covers peanuts, nuts and egg allergies and is updated regularly.
HBA, toiletries, cleaners, etc: that is most difficult, because there are not similar label rules that we see with food products. Aloe will be a big player there! The best defense is to contact the manufacturer and be explicit: No eggs, no aloe, no peanuts, no products derived from the above (ex albumin=egg) nor products that might share a production line. A popular scar reduction cream had walnut oil. But the name was in Latin so it was not obvious.
Since mentioning possible cross contact on labels is not mandatory, I even check the ones that don't list peanuts. Kind granola bars do not list peanuts, but the non-peanut ones share the production line with a wash-down in between. We decided to avoid them, and last summer there was a recall for an accidental cross contact with peanuts. We order our dried fruit, nuts and seeds from My Gerbs (no nuts there, top 10 allergen free) and Blue Mountain Organics (peanut free).
Even "all natural" is not guaranteed safe. I recently tried a new lip stick, it felt funny ... When I got out the reading glasses it had Mango - one of my allergens.
Mold - careful with cheeses. Plus, Gorgonzola and Blue cheese get their marbling from mold.
Understanding takes time. In the beginning, I bring whatever food she needs and enough to share with all. Eventually, they begin to learn the the safest brands. Ultimately, when they start reading labels and reporting to me even when she isn't about to visit, I know they have it.
I tell people new to my daughter's allergies that the allergy is SERIOUS. We carry an EPI pen, but it is NOT a cure. It's job is to keep the heart beating despite the reaction, it does not prevent or reverse the allergic reaction.
Right now, it is seems complex and overwhelming. But you will figure it out and make the changes you need to keep her safe. It's a journey.