PreK Posse Takes on Houston's Food Allergy Walk 2009

So this Saturday, our family and some wonderful friends participated in the 2.5-mile Food Allergy Walk. The purpose was to raise awareness of food allergies and help fund research to find cures.

OR as one little friend told me: "We're walking so we can get money to give the doctors to help (Little K) not be allergic to peanuts any more." That was enough to motivate me to walk the 2.5 miles, even with Little K on my back for a sizeable portion of it.

I caught myself tearing up when I saw on the backs of our (big & small) friends: "I am walking for Little K.". Ten children and many parents headed down Allen Parkway that gray morning but it seemed like fun for most of us. I even had a small competition with two of the boys. They just wouldn't let me win.

After completing the walk, the kids pulled together enough energy for several Moonwalks, snowcones and muddy feet (thanks to the light rains on Friday and the Saturday activities in a nearby field). I visited a few small tents that had tons of information and products for families with food allergies. I picked up peanut-free snack bars, restaurant guides and more. It was quite helpful but also opened my eyes to those with worse food allergies than my daughter. (One mom told me her son is allergic to protein. He can only eat 5 grams of protein a day or his body goes into anaphylactic shock! No way!)

By noon, we were all exhausted. I looked around at these families, who got up early on a dreary Saturday morning, dragging kids into downtown Houston. They got nothing out of this but a bit of exercise that day. I'm wrong. They've won friends for life.

Until the next nap time...

Food Allergy Walk in Houston: Sept. 12

As many of you know, my daughter "Little K" has a severe peanut allergy. When it came time for classmates to bring snacks to school for her class, we all learned a whole lot about food allergies. Perhaps one of the most touching experiences was when one mother organized a group at our school to participate in the upcoming Food Allergy Walk... with my daughter in mind. These families willingness to study food labels and walk beside us in this venture has brought tears to my eyes... now three times. I have really been moved by their support and encouragement. So here's what our group is doing and how you can help:

Our Family will be participating in the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network's Walk for Food Allergy: Moving Toward A Cure. The 2.5 mile walk will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12 2009, at Sam Houston Park and is designed to raise funds to find a cure for food allergies. Please support our fundraising efforts with a donation, prayer or good wish.

Tax-deductible donations will make a difference in the lives of many! Any amount, large or small, helps us continue Moving Toward A Cure! We greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.

Click here to visit our personal page.

OR you can join us by Clicking here to view the team page for St. Rose PreK Posse.

Thank you for your support!!! Until the next nap time...

New School Year Starts Out Great

Yes, we've been quite busy with the new school year starting and Little K's entrance into Pre-Kindergarten. The requirement to be there by 7:45 am is difficult for both of us and we both miss our play time but are finding ways to squeeze it in after school and on the weekends. Thank goodness for that book. Smile.

I must be a nerd for uniforms and packed lunches because those are two of my favorite things so far. Weird. I love how all the kids look in those St. Rose Catholic School uniforms. The funny thing is it's the same uniform that my sister and several of my friends wore at St. Cecilia. My emails to girlfriends have really made them laugh.

Little K keeps telling me that she's not allowed to have a cookie in her lunch box which is not true. She's the only child who does not want dessert, I'm sure. Our school has done a great job of keeping her away from peanuts and peanut products due to her allergy. I think it's been a big shock to the school staff but they've been so accommodating. We are so blessed!

How has your school year started out?

Until the next nap time...

Testing for Peanut Allergy... Again

Today, I picked up Little K from nursery school and headed to Quest Diagnostics. She had to have blood drawn so that we could run the annual tests to determine if her gradation of peanut allergy has remained the same, gotten worse or gotten better. We're hoping for the latter.

I've struggled on how to handle this because having blood drawn is not fun for anyone, much less a 3 year old. I simply told her this morning that we would get tested again for peanut allergy and then get a treat. We talked a little more about it off & on but I knew it wasn't really sinking in. I didn't mention needles or shots. Is this the best way to handle this?

I remember as a child realizing that we were heading to Dr. Gardner's office when I recognized the creepy trees. My mom later explained that I would freak out at the thought of a shot so she chose not to mention it in advance. If I point-blank asked her about it, then she'd disclose the matter. I want to choose another path in explaining medical trips to my daughter but I'm still figuring it all out.

When Little K saw the medical equipment, she panicked. She was sitting on my lap. I was instructed to hold both arms still so the tech could insert the needle. Lovely. In a minute, we were done but crocodile tears streamed from Little K's eyes. Afterward I bought her a popsicle (which she didn't like) and then a snowcone (which she loved -- more on that later).

Thank goodness this is only done once a year. Until the next nap time...

3 Safety Tips for Healthy Eating

A special thanks to AllergyKids for providing this great information.

1) Eat Organic Popcorn: Because new insecticidal proteins have recently been added to corn, consider switching to organic corn products to avoid eating insecticide with that next batch of popcorn!

By law, conventional corn and corn products like popcorn and high fructose corn syrup are actually allowed to have insecticidal proteins engineered into them (while, by law, organic corn can not contain these insecticidal proteins).

These new proteins were recently introduced to ensure corn’s profitability for ethanol crops, though no human trials were ever conducted to test their safety. Given that the Europeans don’t even allow their cattle and livestock to eat this new corn, we probably shouldn’t be feeding it to our little ones!

2) Drink "Clean" Milk: If you don’t have a milk allergy (symptoms include eczema, chronic ear infections, bronchial-like coughs, acne), then look for milk labeled "rBGH-free" which does not contain the recent addition of chemically engineered milk proteins and hormones.

Most milk in the US contains a synthetic milk protein genetically created from the growth hormone of a cow. This protein, rBGH, is injected into American cows, but not allowed in milk in Europe, Australia and around the world because of its health risks.

To avoid rBGH, look for milk cartons that say "rBGH-free" in order to avoid exposing your family to these hidden chemical milk proteins.

3) Drink Filtered Water: Drinking filtered water helps to eliminate and reduce your family’s exposure to bug sprays, hidden allergens, chemicals and pesticides that have recently found their way into our water supply.

Reducing your exposure to chemicals and toxins is a great way to help strengthen your family’s digestive tract where autoimmune conditions like food allergies can originate.

Want to go a step further? Install a water filter on your kitchen sink over the holidays. Just visit your local home improvement store to learn how easy it is to do!

Until the next nap time...

Peanut Allergies Strike Again

This morning, I heard DJ Mike on 89.3 KSBJ talking about how his family discovered his daughter Abby Grace is allergic to peanuts. They discovered the peanut allergy in a similar fashion as we discovered Little K's... trial & error with peanut butter.

I want to share some info based on my 2-year-old daughter's peanut allergy. Much of this information was provided to us by our allergy doctor at Allergy & Asthma Associates so it's legitimate.

- Most restaurants that cook with peanut oil are actually using "heat-extracted" peanut oil which does NOT have the peanut allergen in it. Yes, ChickFilA is okay to eat. "Cold-extracted" peanut oil is very expensive so restaurants don't use it.
- Only 10% of folks with peanut allergies will outgrow the allergy. Other food allergies vary.
- Peanut allergies range on a scale of 0 (no allergy) to 6 (super allergic). However, a person's range/sensitivity to peanuts can change year to year. So, consider having Abby Grace tested by a doctor.

Whew! Now, that that's off my chest, I can get to work. Peanut allergies are very scary but living with one is doable without living in a bubble.

Until the next nap time...

Easter Candy for Peanut Allergy Kids

A special thanks to Shannon W. for sharing these Easter candy suggestions for families with peanut allergies. Hey, I wouldn't want to miss out on the sweets!

• Lifesavers Jelly Beans
• Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans
• Sweet Tarts “Chicks, Ducks and Bunnies”
• Smarties
• Hershey Mini Robin’s Eggs
• Double Bubble Eggs
• Topps Ring Pops
• Palmer “Jummies”
• Lifesavers Gummies “Bunnies and Eggs”

Enjoy! Until the next nap time...

Peanuts, It Is

We got the test results back on the peanut allergy testing today. On a scale of 0 being no allergy and a 6 being fatally allergic to peanuts, Little K is a high 3, almost a 4. (She has 15.2 units per litre of the histamine in her blood stream. Scale/rating 3 only goes up to 17 units.) Our allergy doctor recommends having Benadryl strips on hand in case of an episode. He actually does not recommend EpiPens on young children because it's extremely rare that a young child goes into shock and needs an EpiPen. That is more common in teens. Plus, according to our doctor, an EpiPen only stays in a person's system for 20 minutes -- enough time to get to a doctor. Benadryl stays in the system longer and, in my humble opinion, is easier to administer. The emergency room also administers Benadryl upon the first signs of an allergic reaction. We'll need to have Kylie tested each year at Texas Children's Hospital to monitor the severity of her allergy because that can increase or decrease year after year. In the mean time, I should probably invest in McNEIL-PPC, Inc. (the maker of Benadryl) stock.

So in short, the news could be better, but it definitely could be worse. I'll focus my attention on the good and do what I can to keep Little K away from peanuts. Is the glass half full or half empty? It's not full of peanuts, that's for sure! I'll say half full.

Until the next nap time...

Peanuts in Regular M&Ms?

We went to the allergy specialist today to determine the course of action for my daughter's probably peanut allergy. After a brief discussion of what happened two weeks ago after touching peanut butter, Dr. Kurt Peeters agreed she probably is actually allergic. Apparently, many adults claim food allergies. "Surveys show that aboutone-third of all adults believe they have food allergies. Yet true food allergy is estimated to affect less than two percent of the population."*

Little K will have blood tests next week to confirm her probable allergy and then we'll return to Dr. Peeters office on 2/20 for the results. Yeah! In the mean time, we're avoiding peanuts and peanut products except heat extracted peanut oil, which is safe from the peanut allergen. I thought it was especially interesting to discover that regular chocolate M&Ms contain crushed peanuts in the shell. I've emailed the manufacturer to confirm but if the food allergy doctor tells me this, I'm betting he's right. Thank goodness we can still get our little (and big) hands on plenty of other chocolate! (What's life without chocolate, I say!)

Thanks for your kind thoughts & well wishes as the not-allergic-to-any-food Mom navigates the food allergy world. I'd love to hear your comments & thoughts on this topic, too, so email me or share your comments on this blog.

Until the next nap time...
* Source: "Understanding Food Allergy" by the American Academy of Allergy & Immunology