OT: Food Allergies

[MHSL82]

Do any of you or your loved ones or friends have any food allergies?

My daughter completed her Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) treatment for her peanut allergy in January. She went from being anaphylactic to contact to eating 24 peanuts a day in 6 months.

Just wanted to let you know about the treatment if any of you knew someone. They have it for peanuts, tree nuts, soy, milk, egg, fruits, fish, and some shellfish. 60+ doctors around the country do it.

A few points for those who might look into it:

1. It's not an experimental therapy; it's in private practice covered by most insurances.

2. The FDA regulates products like the peanut patch, the coming peanut pill, and the like. It does not regulate processes of food they have already approved, like peanuts. The FDA doesn't review, approve, or disapprove of OIT.

3. Any severity level can be treated, from mild hives to anaphylaxis from contact (airborne). Asthma or GI issues make it harder to start or finish, but can still be treated slowly.

Moderator: I apologize if you feel this should be moved or deleted. I've been a member here since August 2011, I think, and feel like this is a place where I know some people as friends, but wouldn't know of allergies in their family. I want everyone possible to know about it.

 

[Gooch1034]

Do any of you or your loved ones or friends have any food allergies?

My daughter completed her Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) treatment for her peanut allergy in January. She went from being anaphylactic to contact to eating 24 peanuts a day in 6 months.

Just wanted to let you know about the treatment if any of you knew someone. They have it for peanuts, tree nuts, soy, milk, egg, fruits, fish, and some shellfish. 60+ doctors around the country do it.

A few points for those who might look into it:

1. It's not an experimental therapy; it's in private practice covered by most insurances.

2. The FDA regulates products like the peanut patch, the coming peanut pill, and the like. It does not regulate processes of food they have already approved, like peanuts. The FDA doesn't review, approve, or disapprove of OIT.

3. Any severity level can be treated, from mild hives to anaphylaxis from contact (airborne). Asthma or GI issues make it harder to start or finish, but can still be treated slowly.

Moderator: I apologize if you feel this should be moved or deleted. I've been a member here since August 2011, I think, and feel like this is a place where I know some people as friends, but wouldn't know of allergies in their family. I want everyone possible to know about it.

I cant speak for the mods but the only thing they might say is this is best posted in the "general discussion" forum.

Glad its working for your daughter. I didnt even know anything like OIT existed. I don't have any food allergies so far but I make a living cooking for others and I have had to be extremely careful with a few customers over the years. Typically shellfish allergies or just seafood in general seem to be the most common in my experience. Couldn't imagine trusting someone I didn't know to cook for me with my life on the line.

Hope all continues to work for your daughter. Is this something she will have to continue as a treatment throughout her life or does it eventually build up to a "cure"?

 

[NinerSickness]

Cool to hear your daughter got over that allergy. There was this masked guy who said he built up an immunity to iocane powder; maybe he used to the same kind of treatment.

For non-fiction though: I knew a guy who could eat strawberries & could eat pineapple, but if he ate 'em together, he'd break out in hives.

Figs also made him break out in hives. He learned that by getting in a fig fight as a kid.

 

[MHSL82]

I cant speak for the mods but the only thing they might say is this is best posted in the "general discussion" forum.

Glad its working for your daughter. I didnt even know anything like OIT existed. I don't have any food allergies so far but I make a living cooking for others and I have had to be extremely careful with a few customers over the years. Typically shellfish allergies or just seafood in general seem to be the most common in my experience. Couldn't imagine trusting someone I didn't know to cook for me with my life on the line.

Hope all continues to work for your daughter. Is this something she will have to continue as a treatment throughout her life or does it eventually build up to a "cure"?

At the beginning, she has to take it everyday, but she doesn't really need to later. I will probably have her do it everyday so that she remembers in college. Studies show half can eat 20+ peanuts after 3-4 years avoiding. The other half can "only" eat 10-12 before getting hives.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

I am honestly not aware of any food allergies I may have. Here's to hoping I don't find out the hard way by accident.

 

[jarntt]

It's amazing how many kids have dangerous food allergies nowadays. Glad your daughter is better. How long before the therapy started did she have her last allergic reaction? A lot of kids grow out of it or at least the severity of the reaction greatly reduces and often out of cautiousness they don't even realize it because they haven't had any of the food they are allergic to in years. So I'm wondering if she would have been able to eat the peanuts either way. But, it's great to hear there are advances. I'm always aware of my kids new friends and making sure I know what they can't eat, but that is mostly because one of my daughters lifelong friends has been carrying around an EpiPen since she was little.

 

[MHSL82]

It's amazing how many kids have dangerous food allergies nowadays. Glad your daughter is better. How long before the therapy started did she have her last allergic reaction? A lot of kids grow out of it or at least the severity of the reaction greatly reduces and often out of cautiousness they don't even realize it because they haven't had any of the food they are allergic to in years. So I'm wondering if she would have been able to eat the peanuts either way. But, it's great to hear there are advances. I'm always aware of my kids new friends and making sure I know what they can't eat, but that is mostly because one of my daughters lifelong friends has been carrying around an EpiPen since she was little.

Both her last reaction and her blood test or right before the treatment. But yes, she was diagnosed at one years old, I was hoping for her to grow out of it and that's what what took so long before the treatment. The majority of peanut allergies are not grown out of, whereas a higher percentage of milk and egg, etc. are. I wasn't going to wait for her to have a reaction in school for me to do something about it. I felt that the knowledge of her growing out of it or being curged (how I look at OIT) wasn't strong enough to overcome the what if guilty feelings I would have if she had a reaction at school when I wasn't there. We did want her to be old enough to do the program so she could communicate if she had any stomach aches or anything. We were going to go as slow as her body needed it it only took six months.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

I wish they had something for Celiac Disease. My son would do anything for a nice soft piece of bread.

 

[jarntt]

I wasn't going to wait for her to have a reaction in school for me to do something about it. I

Agree. When it's your kids health that is at stake. There is no taking risks

 

[MHSL82]

I wish they had something for Celiac Disease. My son would do anything for a nice soft piece of bread.

I would check into it, but I think you are right. But once my daughter was diagnosed with allergy, I didn't think there was anything I could do about hers. So hopefully one day they will have it or there is something that you just don't know about yet. This treatment was there before I knew about it. It took me three years to find out about it! It was a miracle that my daughter went through that period of time and stayed alive. She had reactions even when we avoided it very carefully. Sometimes I would post here and people would assume I was in a bad mood because of my Niners losing, but some of it was due to reactions. This place was a place I was supposed to be able to take my mind off it or work.

 

[Southieinnc]

I am allergic to sulfites. The therapy described won't work.
I was allergic to poison oak as a kid. I took drops in water and am immune. You can also get the immunity naturally by eating goats and deer or any animal that eats poison oak.
Honey can help with allergies if the bees are eating pollen from plants you are allergic to. Don't give honey to infants.....

 

[Hank Kingsley]

It's amazing how many kids have dangerous food allergies nowadays.

What bothers me is at schools around here they won't even let kids bring peanut butter sammiges to school because of those with allergies.

I doubt I'd have survived elementary school without peanut butter.....

 

[jarntt]

What bothers me is at schools around here they won't even let kids bring peanut butter sammiges to school because of those with allergies.

I doubt I'd have survived elementary school without peanut butter.....

My kids don't have allergies and I get how that can bother some...but it's worth the price when another kid can die just from being in the same room as that sandwich IMO. My kids School has a table where anyone can bring their PBJ and eat it along with a friend of theirs if they want to bring one in. Seems like a fair way to handle it to me...

 

[Hank Kingsley]

My kids don't have allergies and I get how that can bother some...but it's worth the price when another kid can die just from being in the same room as that sandwich IMO. My kids School has a table where anyone can bring their PBJ and eat it along with a friend of theirs if they want to bring one in. Seems like a fair way to handle it to me...

I get that, but maybe segregate the afflicted rather than the normals?

A kid could eat PB at home and still do damage at school if he was a messy eater.

 

[jarntt]

I get that, but maybe segregate the afflicted rather than the normals?

A kid could eat PB at home and still do damage at school if he was a messy eater.

One has a choice, one does not. Why not just lock all the peanut allergy kids in the basement...you know, for their safety...

 

[Hank Kingsley]

One has a choice, one does not. Why not just lock all the peanut allergy kids in the basement...you know, for their safety...

Sounds like a plan. There are less of them.

 

[Gatorchip]

One has a choice, one does not. Why not just lock all the peanut allergy kids in the basement...you know, for their safety...

Or just feed everyone peanuts. nature will run it's course.

 

[jarntt]

Or just feed everyone peanuts. nature will run it's course.

 

[SteelersPride]

glad it works i have food allergies, mainly lactose

 

[SteelersPride]

i dont see lactose listed