Peanut Allergy Tragedy in Sacramento

I do not usually write about food allergy deaths or link to news stories about them, but I feel like I am seeing these headlines with increasing frequency. Maybe if I share the story here, a few more people might become more aware, and we might see one less headline. 

The story speaks for itself, and my heart goes out to Natalie's family.  If you have not heard about the peanut allergy tragedy over the weekend at a Sacramento, California summer camp, please consider reading "13-year old dies at Sacramento camp from peanut allergy despite receiving medicine."

July 25, 2013 Edition of the Living with Food Allergies Blog Carnival

June turned out to be a vacation month for the Living with Food Allergies Blog Carnival. It was so busy with school ending, it just skipped by and suddenly July was here!

Due to a technical glitch of some kind, likely caused by the skipped June Carnival, some old blog carnival entries were mixed in with the newer ones. Hopefully we haven't lost any in the process of filtering out the old from the new! If I inadvertently have left out your blog post, please let me know and I will be sure to include it in the August Edition. Now, without further ado, this month's posts:

Food Ideas, Recipes and Inspiration

"Ana Phylaxis" asks "Want to host a potluck and you, or one of your guests, have food allergies? It's so easy to do it! In this blog post, I write about how I hosted a successful potluck party for 40+ people that had multiple guests with various food allergies." Take a look at Ana’s Tip: Planning a Potluck with FA – It’s So Easy! posted at Kate Hufnagel.

 

How does she do it? If you are fresh out of lunch ideas like me, keep an eye on Keeley's blog! Keeley McGuire presents Keeley McGuire: Lunch Made Easy: 20 Non-Sandwich School Lunch Ideas for Kids! posted at Keeley McGuire, saying, "Allergy Friendly Fun Lunch Boxes: 20 Non-Sandwich Lunch Ideas for Back to School!"

 

Stacy Molter presents Apple Pie Spice Bread Recipe, saying, "This bread bakes up wonderfully soft and is sure to be a hit even with the youngest children. To make this bread recipe your own, try adding raisins, currants or nuts to compliment the apple pie flavor." I love the recipes Stacy shares!

Food Allergy Thoughts and Tips

"Ana Phylaxis" presents a thoughtful post, Just One Reason Why the Food Service Industry Has To Change posted at Kate Hufnagel, saying, "This story summarizes one of the reasons why I blog about food allergies -- to help educate and transform the food service industry."

Wow!  "The rambling SAHM finds out she has food allergies of her own. So now on top of sweet M's allergies she has her own to worry about." courtney j presents 19 posted at The Random Ramblings of a Stay at Home Mom.

 

Homa presents Food Allergy Bloggers Conference - Homa Woodrum – Q & A posted at Food Allergy Bloggers Conference 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada, November 2-4, saying, "Registered attendees for the Food Allergy Bloggers Conference in November are invited to share a little about themselves on the conference's blog. I'm one of the organizers of the conference and couldn't resist sharing my own responses to a few of the questions up for selection."

 

Karen Blue presents Moustache Products That Contain Nut Oils posted at Chemurgy and Allergens, saying, "Moustache Wax as a facial hair stiffener on those stylish moustaches can contain nut oils, along with bees wax." Karen's blogs are among my very favorites!

 

Following OIT stories is fascinating and exciting. Over at Dont Make Me Nuts, Melissa Lamphere presents From Fear to Fun: The Peanut Solution. "Our journey from fear to fun starts here. Life altering snippets chronicle our years before Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) and how our lives are slowly being reshaped."

Jennifer Mele explains her restricted diet in Why I’m on an Alkaline Diet.

 

Selena Bluntzer of Amazing and Atopic, covers a very grave subject--asthma attacks versus anaphylaxis. She states "Sudden asthma attacks in those with food allergies should be evaluated for signs of anaphylaxis. Treatment should lean towards that of anaphylaxis, as epinephrine treats both, but bronchodilators only treat asthma attacks." Please take a look at this important post Amazing and Atopic: Anaphylaxis Posing as Asthma

Stacy Molter presents Annatto and Food Allergies posted at Stacy Molter, saying, "If you don’t know what Annatto is (heck I didn’t before this) you’re not alone. Only one person I asked after this incident had ever heard of Annatto (and that person happens to be allergic to annatto). Despite this, Annatto is a very popular ingredient."

A big thanks goes out to those bloggers who submitted posts. If you are interested in participating, .  please submit your blog article to the next edition of living with food allergies carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Have a great summer!

Food Allergy Consumer Product Review: Kiddo Tags

Ever since he started preschool, I've always been concerned that another kid is going to have the same exact lunch bag or the same exact water bottle as my younger son. Germs are one thing, but I worry about exposure to allergens because my son has life threatening allergies to peanuts and tree nuts. In my efforts to prevent confusion, I tried putting labels on our water bottles and lunch bags, but they did not survive all the spills, rain, etc. The school and the kids have it down to a science by now, but still, mistakes can happen.

A few months ago, I heard about some adorable and truly durable labels which would really help prevent water bottle and lunch box/bag confusion in preschool and elementary school--Kiddo Tags! These adhesive labels are microwave and dishwasher safe and come in a variety of cute designs. I ordered my sample labels with a cute little green frog design and included warnings about 2 allergies (dairy and peanut) for a favorite first-grader. There was space enough to put his first and last name, or his name and classroom number, and the labels are very clear and easy to read. I'm really pleased with how they came out, and I think my young 1st grade friend will enjoy them. 

 

 

Three sheets of nine stickers (27 stickers in total) cost $14.99. Take a look at some of the different designs.

Kiddo Tags is a Mom-owned company that makes a variety of durable adhesive customized labels for kids. They offers other products, such as Emergency Alert Wristbands, and Shoe Dots to help keep your kid's shoes from being worn by the wrong kid out of school or one of those wild and crazy birthday parties where the kids have to go in their stocking-ed feet. The labels ship quickly and are perfect for camp or back to school supplies. Take a minute and check them out! They just might make keeping track of your kids' belongings, especially for food and avoiding cross-contamination, a little easier.

*I received a complimentary set of labels to write this post.*

Summer Eczema Flare-up? Try NEA's "Eczema Bootcamp"

 

All of this summer heat and humidity can be difficult for individuals managing eczema. That's why I think the National Eczema Association's article entitled "Eczema Bootcamp" is so timely. If you are struggling with an eczema flare-up now, you may find the article helpful.

Food Allergies and Life: Ending the Week on the "Sunny Side"

Food Allergy Buzz has been quiet lately, with life off-line demanding more than usual.  It's time, however, to get back on track and online again!

A great food allergy find I did manage to spot recently and hopefully you have too is FARE's first free educational webinar. The first webinar is "Supporting Children, Adolescents and Parents in the Daily Management of Food Allergies." It is scheduled for Wednesday, August 14 at 1 PM EDT. Here is the link to register. I'm looking forward to it!

You don't have to look far, especially on Twitter or Facebook, to see a lot of laments from moms and others managing food allergies. It can be discouraging and life can be overwhelming at times. The crazy summer weather doesn't help! Below is a video of a folk song for "Keep on the Sunny Side", it's all about thinking positive. The video looks a bit out of date (that's putting it mildly!), but the lyrics are great. Have a wonderful weekend!