Little Girls Fears About Egg Allergy

[organicmom3]

I have a friend with a seven year old daughter who is allergic to eggs. Recently she had a reaction when eating out to a food she has gotten in the past and been okay with. (They gave directions ahead of time about making hers seperate etc.....the reaction was PROBABLY due to cross contamination of one kind or another) The problem is, since this experience, the poor sweetie is afraid of almost everything now. She doesn't want to eat any food outside of the home and is even showing fear inside the home. Is this a common phase of kids with food allergies? Will it last? Any words of wisdom other than patience for this girls mother??

[rhesp1212]

Poor thing, I can't imagine how scary having a severe reaction would be to a child that age. I don't have any experience in this yet, as my son is only 21 months old. But, I think it would be very important to teach her about using the epi-pen and things like that to help give her comfort in knowing that IF something were to happen everyone, including her, knows what to do to ensure that she is okay.

[organicmom3]

She doesn't actually use an epi pen....at this point it's liquid medication....but she hates the itchy feeling she gets in her mouth and she does get sick to her stomach, I believe. But of course at this age, even that is scary enough. I wish there was a way to reassure her, but with cross contamination factors, that's so hard since that means reading a label isn't necessarily a 100% guarentee.

[4Blessings]

She needs an epi pen. And an emergency action plan. http://www.foodallergy.org/files/FAAP.pdf

A visit to the allergist to discuss the reaction and the action plan would be best. Seven is old enough to be involved in the discussion. This would give her some control in the management of her allergy and let her know that if label reading and strict instructions fail again she will be ready to treat the reaction.

She should also print out a chef card on bright colored paper http://www.foodallergy.org/files/Che...nteractive.pdf and send it back to the kitchen with her order when eating out. We have found that the staff takes our allergy a bit more seriously when it's in writting on flourecent orange laminated paper

I hope she starts feeling better about the situation soon. Dealing with allergies really stinks but hopefully giving her some control over the situation will help.

[organicmom3]

oh my goodness....I know you mean well but I'm sure reading that card would make her fear worse....
Her allergy is not life threatening...she does not need an epi pen.

She does get sick, but not to the degree that I know some people have. I understand that for some such an allergy is life threatening, but not for all. Just like bees....I am allergic to bees but do not ever have life threatening symptoms....while some people progressively get worse, there are others like myself who do not. So I'm just looking for something to ease her fears about getting sick and not feeling well. But thank you for your concerns and thoughts.

[organicmom3]

This did however give me an idea to suggest writing up her own card which would not say life threatening (so as not to scare the girl) but it could say serious allergy......I will suggest that to the mom...thanks.

[eclipse]

If she's getting an itchy feeling in her mouth, it very well could be a life threatening allergy and she really does need an epi-pen. You aren't her mother, so you obviously don't have any say in it, but if she were my child, I'd be asking for an epi-pen. What is an itchy feeling in the mouth one time could easily progress to closing airways the next time.

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by eclipse

If she's getting an itchy feeling in her mouth, it very well could be a life threatening allergy and she really does need an epi-pen.

What is an itchy feeling in the mouth one time could easily progress to closing airways the next time.

[LauraLoo]

Originally Posted by organicmom3

I am allergic to bees but do not ever have life threatening symptoms....while some people progressively get worse, there are others like myself who do not.

I think this is the point the other pp's are trying to make. Some people do get progressively worse, and there's really no way to know who those people are. Better safe than sorry.

As far as helping with the little girl's fears.....part of that will be a better understanding of what is safe, how cross contamination happens, how it is being handled, and what would happen if she were to have a severe reaction (EPI pen, etc.) She needs to know this information.

FAAN has some videos that may be helpful for her to understand why her body is reacting. I think having a card to carry, or even a Medic Alert bracelet would be *very* helpful. My personal opinion is that it is worse to downplay an allergy when she has obviously had reactions that are making her fearful. It's like telling her that when she fell and bumped her head it doesn't really hurt. She needs to know more about her allergy, not mixed messages. AND, if the family downplays it to other people, they may not take the allergy seriously. I'm not saying that this is what happened in the restaurant, but if the family said, "we need to avoid eggs," it has a different meaning to some people rather than, "we have a potentially life threatening allergy and we need to be sure that no contamination or cross contamination occurs. How will this be handled?"

http://www.foodallergy.org/
http://www.medicalert.org/

My ds is anaphylactic to peanuts and tree nuts. He doesn't even remember his first and second reactions, but he does know without a doubt that his allergy is life threatening. We use words that include *death.* We have worked with him for a long time, and he knows that food inside our home is always safe. He knows that food outside of the home (other than what we pack to bring along) may or may not be safe and that he should never try a food without talking to a responsible adult first (family member, teacher, other trusted care giver.) For the last couple of years, I've watched him look at outside food, ask questions and walk away from suspect food. He knows what the risk is, and he knows how to avoid it. He also knows what would happen if he were to have a life threatening reaction, and it's a matter of fact kind of thing for him - he doesn't dwell on it. It's not necessarily the fun type of information that a parent wants to talk about, but it's a necessity.

[Therese's Mommy]

She definitely needs to get an epi pen. Her allergy might not have been life threatening in the past, but it has the earmarks of one that could be life threatening in the future. And while you think this could make her freaked out more, knowing that the proper emergency procedures are in place could bring her comfort. Ignoring a very serious problem is no way to give confidence about a situation.

[lnitti]

Originally Posted by LauraLoo

My ds is anaphylactic to peanuts and tree nuts. He doesn't even remember his first and second reactions, but he does know without a doubt that his allergy is life threatening. We use words that include *death.* We have worked with him for a long time, and he knows that food inside our home is always safe. He knows that food outside of the home (other than what we pack to bring along) may or may not be safe and that he should never try a food without talking to a responsible adult first (family member, teacher, other trusted care giver.) For the last couple of years, I've watched him look at outside food, ask questions and walk away from suspect food. He knows what the risk is, and he knows how to avoid it. He also knows what would happen if he were to have a life threatening reaction, and it's a matter of fact kind of thing for him - he doesn't dwell on it. It's not necessarily the fun type of information that a parent wants to talk about, but it's a necessity.

My 2 year old and 6 year old also know that my 2 year old could die if she gets nuts of any kind. I do use the word death. I need them to know to take it very seriously.