How *anal* are you about allergies?

[StephandOwen]

First- please don't take offense to the word anal, I couldn't find a better word

What I want to know is, especially if your child does not have very serious reactions to something, do you avoid it in all forms, no matter how miniscule they might be? I have just recently found my list of all forms of corn, thanks to another MDC member. There are some things that I can't imagine would do that much harm to ds, since it would be so very little he would get.

For example: I have DariFree for him, I had used some to make ice cream. After going over the corn list today I realized it had Crystalline Fructose, Potassium Citrate, Lactic Acid, and Ascorbic Acid- all on the corn list. I have given him the ice cream one time and he didn't react to it. Should I avoid it still??

[Satori]

It depends on your comfort level and remember he could still be reacting, just not on an obvious level. Vances actually address the corn issue with their milk:

Is DariFree™ corn-free?

Recently questions have arisen about whether Vance's DariFreeä is corn-free. We are pleased again to address this question to ensure a clear understanding for all, as to the ingredients in Vance's Original DariFree.

No corn products, such as corn syrup solids, are added to Vance's DariFree. Most processed foods contain ingredients derived from corn, such as crystalline fructose, which is used in the making of DariFree. Because the crystalline fructose in DariFree is so highly refined, however, most individuals, including those with high corn sensitivity, can consume DariFree with no problems.

DariFree was carefully developed as a product that could be tolerated by almost everyone. No changes have been made in the DariFree formulation for several years. It is recommended by doctors, dietary specialists and other healthcare professionals, hospitals, clinics and experienced parents as the finest milk alternative available to individuals and families dealing with significant food intolerances, allergies and sensitivities. Even so, it may not be for everyone. Each person's situation warrants individual consideration.

[Kirsten]

Well, I'm not very but my kids have odd allergy situations.

I am VERY allergic to crab. Like go to the hospital 'cause your throat swelled shut allergic. My dad was also allergic but he would just break out in hives all over - no hospital needed but it freaked my mom out every time. When they took me to the hospital I was three - they never thought I'd have the same allergy I guess. So I don't know if my kids are allergic but don't want to find out the way my mom did! So I write that they are on every form, tell play date moms (the one time I don't will be the time some uncle just came home from Alaska with a bunch of crab...) and the kids know they are (even though we aren't sure). When they are teens or adults and we have a hospital nearby, they can try some if they want. Myself, I am just careful at wedding buffets and things like that.

Dd2 has a fructose sensitivity that went undiagnosed for three years. A friend's kids have that and she filled me in and we finally figured out that it was apple juice. The 4 oz. per day she got had been the root of all that trouble.... ugh! But luckily hers is fairly minor. We took out apple juice and she is totally cured. She still has cran-grape juice and apples sliced, just not the apple juice. My friend's kids are much more sensitive and have to avoid certain crackers, most fruits very limited, etc.

So I suppose it depends a lot on what the reaction is. Crab could send my kids to the hospital but it is rare to come across in everyday kid life - plus we are not even positive they are allergic - so it isn't in the front of my head at all. Apple juice will most definitely upset her system and cause intestinal issues but nothing that 24 hours won't fix. So we avoid - and luckily dd2 is very good about it (doesn't seem to bother her to drink water when preschool friends are having juice, etc.)

What happens if he has corn? If it is epipen serious, I'd be much more "anal" than if it was more minor.

[georgia]

My experience has been that it's just easier for all involved if we just eliminated all potential problems so it's simple for everyone to know either yes, it's ok or no, not ok. No guess work for my dh (or me for that matter). We also don't keep it in the house. For us (dairy) the effects got worse the more exposure there was to it---a cumulative thing. When ds was younger, reactions weren't so bad (or at least not that he could communicate), but as he got older, I assumed that he was outgrowing it because when we reintroduced it after about a year of going dairy-free, he seemed fine....big mistake. I've read that the more exposures to an allergen, the more severe the reaction, and that seems to hold true in our case. My closest friend's oldest has anaphylaxis to peanuts, so, yes, she is very, very careful. It's life or death, because the epipen is not a cure by any means. I feel lucky to have the choice whether to be anal or not I have to err on the side of caution in our experience--I'm still working through my guilt

[Missy]

I'm so anal about it, there's probably a stick poking out of my ears.

But, I'm much more concerned about the vague derivatives ds2 ingests than the derivatives I ingest, that will in turn pass to him via breastmilk. His diet is very strictly non-processed, basic whole foods. I've seen him stop eating for two weeks after one bite of the wrong waffle. I've seen his cheeks flair almost instantaneously from citric acid and sorbitol and progress rapidly to a severe, oozing breakout. So, I won't give it to him directly, even in medication. However, I have, on occasion, eaten something with citric acid and seen no change in him. I would not eat something closer to the product. I was sick last week and dh brought me some chicken broth from Whole Foods; one of the main ingredients was orange juice (and there were probably some corn derivatives in there, too) but I was soo sick and that's all I wanted and, sure enough, ds2 broke out horribly. I have not touched even traces of his most severe allergies since they were dxed over two years ago; it's not worth it. But, someday, I will again go to a restaurant. I will eat Turkish food, Mexican food, Chinese food. I will eat Ben & Jerry's again. Someday. Probably the whole pint.

Anyway--it really depends on your child and his level of sensitivity, the severity of the allergy. Me, I'm so glad to see my baby healthy, I'll risk being a little too anal.

Missy

[Chanley]

Yup!
Dari-Free DOES have corn, the fructose is a corn based sweetener. I ordered a TON of it and we LOVED it. The chocolate was amazing! However we had the same behaviour probs we always get with corn.

A reaction to food for us is an immune response, I dont want to mess with the immune system. I believe that to continue ingesting foods taht you are intolerant or allergic to can make you more likely to wind up with other autoimmune diseases like diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis.

Plus...I normally do not let gluten pass through the door. Well Drews family was down for a visit and his dad eats a sandwich EVERY day for lunch. So they brought bread in without thinking. Well somehow...we had a contamination problem. Yesterday it got so bad that she was flailing on the floor spitting on herself, angry. She does not eat well when she is like this and it only makes a downward spiral.

So yeah! I am very anal.

[thepeach80]

I'm pretty anal too, especially since my kids are so young. I've often readrepeated exposure, even small ones, can hinder them outgrowing the problem. AJ is completely dairy/soy free and so am I b/c Evan seems to react as well. AJ got ahold of something w/ milk in it 6 mos or so ago and broke out in a rash. He mostly has GI issues though, but why put him through it? I say avoid all corn products for now. Is it GI issues he has, corn is really hard to digest and some children just need more time to mature to even handle byproducts. AJ has had corn byproducts, but I've never given him corn.

[MamaMonica]

I am pretty careful. I can't have any gluten without getting sick and neither can my youngest. I'm super careful about peanuts because ds's reactions were escalating. I can't be haphazard about it without risking health problems. I do get lax on a few things: eggs, soy, tomatoes and let ds scratch (eczema) once in awhile.

[Sandrine]

I guess I'm anal too. I watch and read. I make sure I don't eat dairy and any others dairy from products. I avoid food I don't how it was made. DD2 will react to it not matter how much i ate.

I'm less anal for dd1 because her symtomes are not the same and indicate intollerance instead of allergy. I let her have product with dairy in them but only a little. I barely give her any but my mom has snacks with dairy. DD1 doesn't reacts to those. DD associate my mom with snacks.

[Oh the Irony]

StephandOwen, I'm trying to figure out this as well. My son has a allergy to dairy. It is not severe though. We just eliminated dairy a few months ago. He was great at first. He could tell a difference.

Then his grandparents started not checking everything carefully. We realized it and he said it hadn't hurt him. So now he is questioning it. It seems like a slippery slope that I am now on.

It's hard when grandparents make comments like "what is childhood without icecream". Never mind that i'll sometimes do rice dream or tofutti for him.

I asked him what he wanted for his birthday and he wanted pizza. I just have a hard time saying no on special occasions, but fear that also sets the allergic food up as something special instead of toxic.

[Satori]

Originally Posted by wolfmama

It's hard when grandparents make comments like "what is childhood without icecream". Never mind that i'll sometimes do rice dream or tofutti for him.

and I responded with "What is grandparenthood without seeing your grand child?"

Are you sure your not seeing a reaction and just not realizing it? Some are just mild, runny rose, red eyes, more hay fever type symptoms. He could also be so used to feeling crummy that he's not realizing it. I felt like hell for years and didn't even notice how much pain I was in till I felt great and didn't have any pain.

Anyway, I'm a meanie hard ass when it comes to allergies, that's actually why I'm online right now instead of sitting in class. dd spent 1 day at her new day care and I fired them and so I'm home with her today. I found another preschool closer to my school that's very allergy aware and knew everything I was talking about. I feel very comfortable with the new preschool and hopefully the paperwork will be handled quickly and I can get back to school by Tuesday. (my dd's reactions are mostly severe and life threatening ones so I am a bit anal about it)

[LizaBear]

Yep - I'm anal.

DS's response to ingested dairy is anaphylactic shock - epipen & 911. To contact with dairy is hives, swelling, itching, redness.

DS's response to egg is less severe and seems GI related, so I'm more lax on that. I'm not cooking up scrambled egg for dinner, or buying anything with egg as an ingedient, but I will get stuff with the "may contain" warning.

[Oh the Irony]

Originally Posted by Satori

and I responded with "What is grandparenthood without seeing your grand child?"

Are you sure your not seeing a reaction and just not realizing it?

thanks, yeah i see the reaction. mostly emotional and behavioral stuff. my son was trying to say he did not see it because he wants to eat old fav foods. which, of course, can be a sign of the allergy.

[AllyRae]

Brandon is gluten intolerant, as am I. I take it very seriously and avoid all gluten to the best of our ability (if there's hidden gluten sometimes we're not aware of it). The consequences of eating something the body can't process is too great in our case (Brandon lost weight and became FTT while eating gluten, and there is a lot of intestinal damage possible with a gluten intolerance.

[AllyRae]

Oh, and in your case Steph...remember that allergy testing under 2-2 1/2 years old is fairly unreliable. Not to mention O's allergist didn't even do the test properly...

[mpeel]

I am fairly anal about it. My girls are suspected of celiac which is a gluten intolerance that can lead to life long problems. Each infraction could up the chances of cancer. Now, on the dairy, I have been most lax recently because I am tired and stressed due to a lot of factors. But, I noticed this week a lot of bad things - stuffy noses, crying fits, upset tummys, etc. So, I am about to get anal about it again.

[mumof4]

Anal we are!

yup we are anal. DD is alergic to eggs nuts and fish and we donnot have any thing with any traces of them in our home. We donnot eat out and we are very careful who we leave her with that they know what to do. She is only 2 1/2 and she knows that she cannot have certain things. Our lives have changed to accomodate her needs. Although i could really fancy an omelet!