Living with Food Allergies, 2013 and on

[GoingNuts]

I don't blame you YKW.  That would seriously burn my toast. 

[PurpleCat]

 

[Macabre]

Yikes YKW. I'd be really upset, too.

[Janelle205]

YKW, I will say that I didn't think that I could be aerosol sensitive to my food allergens until it happened twice, without me knowing it.  Both times at camp.  It had happened once and I wasn't sure if it was just a coincidence or what.  Second time, I was sitting in the dining hall at the staff table during a meal and our head cook was sitting at the table as well.  I started to feel itchy and get the lung twitch, and so I asked her if she was cooking anything iffy.  She said no, so I figured it was just random asthma and pulled out my portable neb.  A few minutes later she goes back to the kitchen to refill a dish for a table, and comes running back out yelling at me to get out, that she had forgotten that one of the kitchen girls had 15 apple pies in the oven.  I wouldn't have believed that it could happen to me if hadn't happened to me.

So, YO, YKW's MIL, no more banana bread in the house.  Freeze the overripe bananas and make banana ice cream.  Or something else. 

[spacecanada]

Only this group will understand the sheer panic I had today when my husband's uncle said that he made lunch reservations during our visit with him this weekend.  Lunch.  At a restaurant.  In another country (America).  Oh please, no...

Try to figure out just which restaurant it is...
Google it.
It looks really upscale and small, like they would have a chef who SHOULD be able to handle food allergies. 
Found a phone number but it goes to someone completely not related to the restaurant.
Leave a message.
Freak out that we leave tomorrow and need answers yesterday!
Find an email address for this place.
List all allergies and reservation date/time.
Drats, it goes to that same membership office, not the restaurant.
Freak out again.
Phone rings 30 seconds after hitting send: it is the clubhouse manager calling me about my email.
Phew, that was fast, maybe this place does have their ducks in a row.  (One would only hope, the people they cater to daily make about a hundred times our family income - not exaggerating.)
Clubhouse manager confirms all allergies, cites they have guests with food allergies every day, and then emails everything to the head chef, cc-img me.
I can finally relax a little.
Still freaking out a bit. Okay, a lot, but the edge is off at least knowing that the chef now has our allergens in advance. 

Still waiting to hear from the chef.  I will bring my own food in the car, just in case I am not 110% convinced they can make a safe meal.

This is why I don't eat out.  Ever.  Too stressful and complicated.  Except at Disney.

I need a Disney vacation... (This trip doesn't go anywhere near Disney.)

[PurpleCat]

Hope it all goes well and you have an awesome time!

[Macabre]

Wow--that is pretty amazing customer service! They probably don't have to think about potato too much. I hope they do a good job at thinking through things and that you can have a good and safe time.

[spacecanada]

I didn't have an allergic reaction all weekend.  Granted, I ate at my parents' house, Chipotle, and the above restaurant.  I was feeling a little unsettled that day and just ordered a plain green salad.  Just greens and cucumber.  Super boring, I know. 

But... Our server knew my allergies before I sat down and confirmed them all before I ordered.  I probably could have ordered something more and it would have been safe in this place.  I just chose not to due to my own anxieties and fears. (And a horrible allergy-ER nightmare the night before.)

[ajasfolks2]

So, DD has first ever boyfriend.

He's a peach. 

Yesterday she texted me

(First ever boyfriend name)  gOt me vErmOnt nUt frEeEee  *flips table*


She had never mentioned V NutFree to him . . . he went and researched. 


Did I mention he is a peach??

[GoingNuts]

SC, I'm glad you had a successful weekend! 

Ajas - he sounds like a living doll.  How's that cloning technology coming? 

[spacecanada]

I may have said this before, but the family I provide childcare for truly 'gets' food allergies, despite having none of their own. The kids wash their hands and faces before I pick them up from school (if they had my allergens at lunch or snack), the parents do the same, the kids check ingredients of snacks when I am at their house to make sure they don't open anything that might be problematic (even though I am not eating it.). I thank them often for being amazing and they reply that they wouldn't want it any other way. To them it is a common courtesy. Brings tears to my eyes some days that I can be so lucky to have them in my life. My previous nanny position was for a family that did the same.

Some people really get it. Take time to send them a thank you note!!

[nyguy]

Alright, I'm going to dump/vent. I've had food allergies since kindergarten. Out of college I got a job that immediately required travel after training commenced.

As in, leave the house at 3:30AM for the airport monday morning and get back 10PM-midnight on Thursday night travel, and stay in hotels in the interim. (2016 dropped off on the travel but the experience remains...)

I will say this: Travel, logistically, is a nightmare for allergies. I am allergic to eggs and seafood. Airports traditionally have small kitchens. Shrimp or fish & chips will generally rule out anything fried/on a grill, while egg will generally rule out frying (breading) or griddles due to breakfast prep. Airports are probably the worst culprits depending on allergies because due to staff/small kitchens and shared cooking surfaces in a small place they generally don't have much care or reason to be careful. (If you are traveling regularly though, you can make something work. I got the same antipasto salad from the same bar in Chicago essentially every week. The staff would see me so much they would just pour a Sam Adams and order the salad on my pass through on Thursdays...)

Domestically, it's easier, at least in the sense of pre-packaged food (pack your bag with it and pop it open if you're hungry). It's not necessarily the "healthiest" option but it suffices for keeping sated during transit. International is tough as food is generally required to be declared/secondary inspected. Most of my work brings me between US/Canada which means customs on either side, so I avoid traveling with anything other than food/gum to avoid hassle with Global Entry/NEXUS (trusted traveler programs for expedited customs clearance).

I'm less afraid of my allergies than I used to be. My first business trip resulted in a cross contamination issue that almost resulted in ER/ambulance (throat swelled almost completely shut) which was a valuable experience on keeping an autoinjector and antihistamines on my person, knowing where the nearest hospital was, and knowing how to interpret whether I was getting a handwave on allergies or honestly cautioned/interpreted. I have cousins who have allergies and are deathly afraid of eating out and of the sight of peanuts, but recognize due to dust how that is a different allergy from others.

My main advice knowing people with allergies is to be mindful, be alert (e.g. always inspect what you're eating), and always carry epinephrine auto-injectors on your person. I have had coworkers who just leave them in the trunk in the winter/summer and beyond accessibility I tell them about the tolerance of the medication and it's not suited for this, plus need to access the medication.

If anyone wants advice on travel, the general advice would be to be careful generally, and most restaurants at your destination will be understanding equally as to whether you are a local (ignorant to kindhearted but wrong to actually careful). In-transit, airlines are generally careful on the snack front (although not on cleaning tray tables/interior) and airports are the worst.

If seeking specific advice beyond the above for travel, please direct message me on this forum.

I promised to vent at the start of this post and here it is: If you see tablets everywhere (every seat) at a restaurant at an airport, run and don't look back. It's run by a company called OTG and they suck. Food is not only way overpriced but ordering through a tablet reduces the human factor in explaining an allergy. If you explain an allergy they still mess it up. It's all well intentioned but menus are limited and allergy understanding/staff communication is really hampered. The biggest issue is if you are at at a location where OTG serves the terminal exclusively. If you fly United out of Newark [EWR] (not United Express) then my recommendation would be to solely drink, buy pre-pack at the convenience store, or pack your own food as appropriate.

My blessing was getting to regular locations, as I was able to establish regular dishes and handling routines on an ongoing basis. There are some dishes I deeply miss as I am no longer visiting those areas, but such is the pain/luxury of a regular area for business travel...

[PurpleCat]

nyguy, this is great information!   Would you consider putting it in the travel section where more people will be able to access your suggestions and shared information? 

We came across table order screens on a trip last year...I refused to use it.  The wait person was so perplexed, the manager was not and appreciated my refusal.  The manager thought they were a bad idea for many reasons and was adding mine to her compliant to corporate list.

[Macabre]

My guy wow. Thank you.

[spacecanada]

Today's adventures in allergies:

Wow, it's getting difficult to breathe at my desk (at work).  That's strange!
My inner ears are itching like crazy too.  That's strange!

I ask my office mates if anyone is eating nuts because at this point I'm getting wheezy.
Someone swears and apologizes.  They were eating almonds and forgot they shouldn't have nuts in the office on Mondays. 

Enter anxiety spike and shivers (which could be anxiety or allergies or just being cold.)  Great.  &*%$£!
I would have Epi'd if things got even the tiniest bit worse, or didn't improve with fresh air, don't worry.  Story of my life.

I AM OK NOW!

You can slap my wrist now.  This happens WAY more often than I ever tell any of you about.  It happened this weekend, even, with a kid and potato crisps.

I have an allergist appointment on Wednesday.  Add this to my list of weird that will be discussed.  (But totally on par for me.)

I mention this today because we're flying again this weekend - with WestJet - and will request a full plane allergy announcement.  This is why.  Airborne reactivity is real.  WestJet recognizes that, without question, and even has a pre-recorded peanut/nut announcement in English and in French.  Thank goodness.