What Not to Say to a Peanut-Allergy Sufferer

Things not to say:

1. “Just eat around it” or similarly, “Just pick them off”.

Typical of people who have no experience with food allergies, these statements are found at potlucks, picnics, and dinners out. The pressure hits when you are eating at someone’s house, have no one to support you, and don’t want to hurt the host/hostess’s feelings.

Eat, or not to eat?

2. “Just take your epipen.”

This one baffled me as I took my kids to a playgroup. The snack provided was labeled “may contain peanuts/peanut products” (which was unheard of at this playgroup). One mom made the above statement and my mouth dropped open. I was furious. She obviously was unaware how epinephrine takes over your body and virtually takes away your power to do anything. Who was going to look after my kids? How was I to get home? Or to the hospital? As I said, I was furious.

3. “Now you know what a reaction feels like.”

My mother loves this story. In my teens I started reacting to various food products that were unrelated to peanuts. We went to an allergist, and in the initial survey stated that I was allergic to peanuts but had not come in contact with any for two years (yay, us!). Therefore, according to the allergist, it was all in my head and they should check anyway, without my mother’s permission. I picture it now in slow motion. My arm is out, gradually getting pricked with various concoctions, the allergist puts her finger to her mouth and makes a “hmmm” sound, then pricks me with what I know she shouldn’t have. As I stretch my neck to look past her at my mom, mom’s eyes widen as she stands up (in slow motion, of course). I have turned beet red instantly and the spot on my arm is growing and swelling…the allergist says some sort of expletive and pulls open the cupboard doors searching for an antihistamine. After what felt like hours, the reaction had run it’s course and the allergist looked down in my face and said the above statement. I just about hit her. My mother just about hit her. Talk about a possible lawsuit. We just left her with the parking bill. Oh, and we never did find out about the other reactions.

4. “This one doesn’t have peanuts, so that one probably doesn’t either.”

We had a neighbour who offered me chocolates from a candy box. It went down like this: I would say “no, thank you” and she would get her son to bite into one. She would say the above statement, I would bite into one, and voila, mine would contain a peanut product. I would run home along the picket fences and vomit on the sidewalk. It was that fear of not hurting the hostess’s feelings. It may have only happened once, but it was a nightmare that I relived many times.

5. “Go on, just try it. My mom never uses peanut butter in these.”

A girlfriend in highschool said this when, unbeknownst to her, this was the one time her mother uses 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter in her macaroons. The result: a terrifying taxi ride and several shots of adrenaline at the hospital. But I will say this was one of those times my friends yelled real loud and got the right attention. They came to my rescue, rode with me to the hospital, and, of course, my friend’s mother felt terrible. Great friends are amazing but that was the last time I ever traded anything in my lunch.

Crackerjacks and Nuts

You may have wondered what the meaning is behind the title of this blog. Two things:

1. The words "cracked" and "nutter" are commonly associated with how I feel most mornings after a terrible night sleep; and

2. This blog was originally supposed to be about my peanut allergy, and therefore crackerjacks, and food with nuts in them are generally off limits.

Actually I have never had Crackerjacks in my life. And, as I was sitting in church this morning, trying hard to listen to the sermon, (on taking risks...see I was listening!) I was also mentally making a list of some of the foods I have never eaten.

1. Crackerjacks

2. Turtles

3. Oh Henry bar

4. Sushi (that's just because I think it would be gross)

5. Anything sweet from a United Church potluck (and actually, after trying their flakes of ham triangle sandwiches, I don't eat ANYTHING.)

6. Squares of any kind, not even if my mother-in-law made them and is about to cry.

Oh, the list goes on, but really, there are things I do eat that other peanut allergy sufferers do not:

1. Tim Horton's (there's a higher probability of someone else dying if I don't get my Timmy's fix)

2. Ice cream (again, it has to do with that "fix") but only out of a box, not at a parlour where they scoop it out themselves - that's dangerous. I like to live in ignorance of what goes on at the plant, but what I see with my own eyes, that's different. It doesn't matter if you rinse the scoop, it's still contaminated.

3. Rachel's Tarts (the ones with the raisins) in Trenton, Ontario. Some things are worth the risk.

Anyway, on that note, someday soon I will list: "Things not to say to a peanut allergy sufferer." It'll be great.

Erin

Rools for Lily

Mr. Man and our son have been making a go-cart together every Saturday for the past few months. Although there is still a ways to go, our little man woke up this morning and decided that there need to be a few rules laid out for his little sister in regards to his future go-cart:

This is what we found on a tiny scrap of paper:

all of Lilys

rools Lily

is not to brac

it and not to

krash it and

no pocing holes in

the wHeels

Punctuation is not high on his list when it comes to writing, but I think we get the idea. Serious stuff...

Babies or Boys??

Recently my husband and I have made reference to having more children, and then quickly shook our heads, waved our hands, and silently said, "don't go there."

I was walking home alone after dropping off my two kids at school the other day, and felt a little lost. It once again crossed my mind that I only had one more year with my daughter at home every other day, and then I'd be all by myself. Maybe I should have a baby!! What?? Where did that come from? [For that matter, we had it "fixed" that we can't have anymore anyway. LOL!] But it got me thinking about women's agendas when it came to having more children. Why do we have them? Why do some keep having them?

Now I am not a baby lover - I prefer them much older, capable of doing a lot on their own, like speaking and not needing diapers. That doesn't keep girlfriends from dropping theirs in my arms when they need respite - I'm there for them; I'm capable. But the same day I was walking home alone, I felt the need to get my kids out on their bikes. My son had been trying to ride his bike without training wheels and hadn't had any practice. So after supper I took them down to a nearby parking lot and within minutes he was riding all by himself! Even he couldn't believe it, and was so proud of himself! [Here I need to tell readers that Mr. Man had spent quite a lot of time working on this, and I was merely the last step - a loosening of the pickle jar, so to speak].

Then, that same boy, pictured above, lost his second tooth (his top right) and I have had a hand, and a string, in removing them both. I have to say, it is so exhilarating pulling teeth!

Anyway, last night after the tooth fairy arrived for the second time in our house, I was struck by the fact that perhaps it was the fear of boredom that brought up a craving for a new baby. And here, in a matter of three days, my six-year-old had huge life changes that made me bust with pride.

Just when you think you need to start again, or have a little of that old, familiar blessing, you walk into a new, bigger blessing that you didn't know was coming! Why have a new baby, getting new teeth, and learning to walk, when you can have an older child, losing those baby teeth and learning to ride a bike!

Awake on Purpose

[I am watching Jimmy Fallon tonight, and I don't think I have ever watched a whole show before. They are shaking gloves off to disco music...ANYWAY.]

I can think of two reasons in my life that I WANTED to stay awake all night: one, Christmas Eve at my aunt and uncle's house; and two, the 30Hour Famine in high school. Actually, I think I did stay up once all night with friends at a youth retreat once, but that had to do with a boy...

Christmas at my aunt and uncle's house happened once in a while. By the time the 24th came around, my sister and I had raided all of mom's closets, found almost all of our presents, and couldn't wait to get them in our hands. But being at my cousin's overnight was a slumber party!! Unfortunately, my cousin was never on board, tired of us easily, and escaped partway through the night to sleep in her mom and dad's room.

The 30 Hour famine, I believe, is still going on, and was not originally meant to keep kids up all night, but more to fast (except for water and special drinks) and raise money for world hunger. But get 15-20 teenagers in a church or school together for that amount of time, and you are bound to have a slumber party!! The thing about staying up all night and not eating is that eventually your brain goes wonky, and the space around you tends to bend a bit, causing mild dementia. But maybe that's just me. Headaches are common, hallucinations not so much.

So tonight I am again staying up all night on purpose, this time to measure my "wonkiness" in hospital, and determine if indeed the space around me is bending, or that I just need less stress (and more sleep).

[Okay, now they're playing beer pong.]

So what am I in for tonight? Mr. Man's made a list, which I am ignoring. Something about changing lightbulbs maybe :) So far, I have pulled things out from under the couch, unpacked my son's backpack and now here I am. I have plans, don't you worry, but you can bet your bottom dollar I'm not baking.

Moving furniture, cleaning house, exercise, art project...but right now, it's watching Jimmy Fallon.