Food Allergy Anxiety

Stress Eating

Anxiety:

A state of uneasiness and apprehension, as about future uncertainties...A state of apprehension, uncertainty, and fear resulting from the anticipation of a realistic or fantasized threatening event or situation, often impairing physical and psychological functioning. (The Free Dictionary)

As the new year settles in, some of my food allergy anxiety is surfacing. I feel like another year has come and gone and we're still not making the kind of progress I'd like to see. When I think back to over 10 years ago, I was so hopeful when the allergist talked about outgrowing many, if not all, food allergies. I felt so optimistic about a cure right around the corner. I anticipated the necessary life-changes to be temporary.  

Each new year reminds me that time is marching on. Recently, things have even slid backwards a bit as I've now stopped putting a baked egg in cake recipes because it was causing allergic symptoms. It's hard to know what is the right thing to do. We are, however, anticipating this summer and the start of peanut immunotherapy. 

Of course there's some anxiety to accompany that as well...sigh!

There have been studies over the years about food allergies and feelings of anxiety. Both the food allergic and their loved ones report feeling worried, nervous and fearful. Children with food allergies are often reluctant to try new foods and report feelings of loneliness due in part to social isolation. Parents and caregivers deal with their own anxieties- is he getting enough nutrients?, is she growing properly?, will he have friends who really understand?, will she get bullied?, will he be able to date and go off to college?

It's perfectly normal to experience anxiety about these things. We need to look for ways to manage the worry- beyond the chocolate bowl, that is! It's time to take a deep breath and take stock.  For our family, entering the teen years with food allergies is going to bring a whole host of new issues. I'm looking ahead to give my soon-to-be teenager the tools needed for this next part of the journey. Here's my toolkit:

• 504 Plan- continue to update and ensure that accommodations are being made at school.
• Knowledge- share what I've learned (and continue to learn) with my food allergic child and others to make sure everyone understands the seriousness and the stakes.
• Resources- There are great role models out there like Morgan from Allergic Child and Sloane from Please Don't Pass the Nuts. FARE offers a teen summit and website to help this age group navigate school, friendships and the real world. 
•  Patience- for family members and friends who "still don't get it". It is hard to truly understand something unless you live with it each day (yup, that's what I'll keep repeating to myself over and over).
• Fearlessness with a twist- we need to travel, eat out and try new foods, using a reasonable amount of caution and common sense. 
• Balance- family, friends, social activities, food and non-food events can all co-exist in a steady manner. Maintain a steady course.

Do we need anything else in the toolkit?  Even with the right supplies, there will still be times of stress. Just in case, I'd better throw in some of that chocolate- dairy, peanut and tree nut free, of course!

My Food Allergy Back-to-School Checklist

Food Allergies at School

Ah yes, it's that time of year. One dollar notebooks, one cent pencils and buy one/get one composition books jump off the pages of glossy advertisements. 

Back to school ads are also my prompt to pull out my yellow "Food Allergy School" folder. In it I'll find:

• Copy of 504 Plan
• Form giving permission to carry EpiPen
• Food Allergy and Anphylaxis Action Plan

All of these papers and forms need to be updated annually, so here's my back-to-school checklist:

__ Review 504 plan. Is it still relevant for upcoming school year or are changes needed?

__ Schedule 504 meeting several days before school starts. Invite school nurse, guidance counselor, teacher (or team of teachers)

__ Get doctor to sign form giving permission to carry epinephrine at school.

__ Review Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Action plan with doctor. Attach updated photo.

__ Get prescription for EpiPens as I'll need two extra to send to school.

__ Prepare bag for nurses office to include EpiPen, bottle of Benadryl and a copy of the Action Plan. 

We also meet with the director of the school cafeteria each year to review ingredient changes in foods that have been safe to eat in the past and to see if there are any new foods to add. 

I remember feeling overwhelmed by all this when I first sent my food allergic child off to school. We've been doing this for 8 years now, and it's just become part of the routine...just like shopping for notebooks and pencils.Be sure to communicate early and often and have a great back-to-school send-off.

If you're new to this, check out some of the posts I've written over the years about preparing for school with food allergies:

• Food Allergy Back to School Guide 
• Food Allergy and 504 Plans at School
• Food Allergy at School
• Food Allergies at School: More Tips
• Food Allergy Lingo When Talking to School Administrators

Food Allergy Program for Schools

The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis (FAAN) has published a newly revised "School Food Allergy Program". It is now available for purchase. This updated version includes Safe@School®, a CD-Rom, which provides educators with a slide presentation and talking points to train others about food allergies. This comprehensive guide is for schools at every level with information geared toward principals, teachers, school nurses, food service staff, and parents.

Is this something your school could use? Talk to your principal, school nurse or parent teacher organization if you think this would be a valuable resource for your school. At $80 ($75 for FAAN members), you may believe it to be a worthwhile holiday gift for your child's school.

Update on the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act (S. 456)

Check out this article featuring the co-sponsor of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act which will probably be brought to the floors of the Senate and House "after health care reform is settled".

Hmmm...when will that be!?!

Anyway, in a nut-shell (pun intended), here is what the act would do:

(1) Tell parents they need to give the school information about the child’s food allergy.

(2) Individual plans for food allergy management, tailored to the needs of each child, will be created and maintained.

(3) Strategies will be developed between schools and providers of emergency medical services.

(4) Strategies will be developed to reduce the risk of exposure to allergens .in classrooms and common school areas.

(5) Staff, parents, and children will receive general information on life-threatening food allergies

(6) School personnel who regularly come into contact with children with life-threatening food allergies will receive food allergy management training.

(7) School personnel who regularly come into contact with children with life-threatening food allergies will be trained how to administer epinephrine when the nurse is not immediately available.

(8) Food allergic children will have access to epinephrine.
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(9) A plan will be created to address the appropriate response to an incident of anaphylaxis of a child while engaged in extracurricular programs of a school.

(10) When epinephrine is administered, information will be recorded and parents promptly notified.

We really need a law for this? Isn't most of it just plain common sense and the given right for any human being?

So, if passed the bill would provide grants of up to $50,000 to local educational agencies that choose to implement the guidelines in K-12 public schools. It's got bipartisan support in both Houses -- the Senate bill has 28 co-sponsors and the House bill has 44.