Picnics & dogs...

are a very common combination. Throw into the mix that dogs often either eat peanut butter directly (or its added into their food).. and you potentially get anaphylaxis at a park!

Today we went to our friends birthday party at Golden Gate park. He had invited his friends, their kids and dogs.

Since L had anaphylaxis to a dog a few years ago, I have always been leery around dogs, especially knowing that their diet often includes PB. So today.. when a well-meaning friend was pushing my son toward an unknown dog, I had to intervene and explain that he was allergic to dogs, and peanut butter. Thank goodness I did that, as we then found out this dog has PB daily! A nice strategic lick on my son's face could have resulted in an ER visit.

Every now it feels like I have food allergies under control; we know the drill, the precautions, the dangers, the symptoms.. then something so simple as this comes up, and it throws me for a loop. What if I hadn't asked? What if it was just my husband supervising the kids that day? Would he have asked? How cautious do I need to teach my son to be around unknown animals?

He needs to have a balanced life, but we must also keep him safe, and teach him how to keep himself safe. Explaining to a 5yo how to be safe but be included in activities is hard.. where is the balance? How can I explain it when even I don't really understand myself?

Today he asked "Mom, the dog's paw touched the soccer ball, so I can't touch it any more". I explained it was only if the dog licked him that he may have a reaction.

There were questions along the same vein yesterday, when my kids discovered our neighbours have a walnut tree. "Mom, the squirrels are bringing walnuts from our neighbours tree into our back yard. Daddy said the squirrels think its safe here, so they bring the nuts here. But its not safe for me".

He understood you can't ask a squirrel not to bury nuts in your back yard. But to explain that it is (probably?!) ok for him to pick up an uncracked nut, look at it and then throw it away, but an open nut on his skin might cause a severe reaction?

I know there are lots of other parents out there that have the same worries, but tonight I feel so alone!

Its about time!

Auto-injectors have always seemed to me to be too large, and the needle when exposed, scarily intimidating. I recall emailing the manufacturers of our auto-injector asking them to improve the design by making it smaller (and so more portable), and capable of having two doses. I didn't hear anything back.

A design student from the UK who suffers from Food Allergies has taken one step in this direction. He has designed a new auto-injector for a University Project, which is shorter than most of the well known auto-injectors, and there is one designed for infants too. Its not clear, but the needle also seems smaller. Check it out - its called the Allerject, and sure as heck doesn't seem as intimidating as the current products available. He has applied for a patent, and hopes it will come to market.

It is a nice step towards a better auto-injector.. now we just need one this size that contains TWO doses of epinephrine!

FAAN Walk for a Cure

The FAAN walk for a Cure is coming to SF soon - Sept 20th, in fact. My friend Gabrielle registered a team for our SF Food Allergy support group - its so exciting! My family have all registered, and have already hit up our friends and family for donations.

I love the internet! L's granddad from England was the first to donate. So cool.

If you can't attend a walk, please consider donating to FAAN, and do so through the SF Food Allergy team!

Tomorrow @ Kindergarten

L and his brother J will visit the new school tomorrow for evaluation day to see if they fit in. This is *not* a nut-free school. And I'm worried about keeping L safe. I've reminded him of the safe-food rules, and will speak with the teachers tomorrow morning to ensure they know what they ought to:

o where his Epi and inhaler are
o that he is not to have any food except that which comes from home
o that he and any children who eat peanut butter must wash their hands prior to and after eating
o what an allergic reaction looks like
o our contact mobile phone numbers
o what his Food Allergy Action plan is, and what it says

My phone is on re-charge. My hopes and prayers are out there. I've got to let my children go, but I want them to go safely!