Pinning for Food Allergies

Food Allergy Pinterest Board

Nope, not pining for food allergies (who would do that?!), but pinning for food allergies on Pinterest has become all the rage. If you're not on Pinterest because you are waiting to be invited, the wait is over. A few weeks ago, Pinterest opened their doors to everyone. Just sign up here with your Facebook, Twitter or email account.

Do I really need another social media outlet? My thoughts exactly, but I can say that I enjoy the visual boards and find information on Pinterest that I'm not finding elsewhere. How about this Food Allergy Detector from knegadesign.com? Interesting idea that might be something to keep an eye on in the future. Just search "food allergies" for tons of printables, recipes and products. It's a virtual bulletin board and a fun, visual way to keep track of information. Come visit!

Sonoma Rose (Elm Creek Quilts) and Celiac Disease

I've long enjoyed The Elm Creek Quilt series by Jennifer Chiaverini. The memorable characters and beautifully described settings make Jennifer's books a delightful read. Most recently, I read Sonoma Rose, a story set in California wine country during the Prohibition. All readers will anguish as the main character Rosa watches her children go from healthy babies to poorly thriving children. Many of you will begin to follow the clues as I did to an eventual diagnosis of celiac disease. While doctors tell Rosa to feed her children "wholesome white bread" to make them stronger, she goes on a quest to find better answers as the health of her children deteriorates.

I found it fascinating to read about the early history and treatment of celiac. In the 1920's, the banana diet was the only treatment for the disease. As this included the elimination of all bread, crackers and cereals, the treatment was effective for those correctly diagnosed with celiac. For a timeline history of celiac, check out Destiny Stone's article on Celiac.com. For a fun, informative read, settle in with Jennifer Chiavernini's Sonoma Rose.

Invitation to a Food Allergy Party

It's irreverent and hilarious! Check out Michael Bihovsky's "One Grain More", a parody of the challenges faced by the food allergy community. This video,  highlights celiac disease and the difficulties making and finding gluten-free foods. The music is divine, the singing fantastic and the message is clear: It's tough having food allergies!
After you finish laughing, don't start to cry, there are some wonderful gluten-free resources available:

• National Foundation for Celiac Awareness
• Books like  "Gluten - Free Makeovers" and "Paleo Comfort Foods Homestyle Cooking in a Gluten-Free Kitchen"
• Products like Gluten Free Pantry 26556 Beth All Purpose Baking Flour and Augason Farms Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Brownie Mix - 6 pk

Epinephrine in Credit Card Sized Case

It's here!!!! I've had my eye on this new product for awhile and finally FDA approval has been announced. Auvi-Q™ offers people who carry epinephrine a new device style. This compact epinephrine auto-injector is credit card sized and the thickness of a smartphone. It easily fits into a pocket (great for boys!) or small purse.

A cool feature I wasn't expecting is that this new device offers audio cues.

Yup, it talks to you!

When the device is pulled from the carrying case, a calm female voice walks the user through all the steps of the injection process. What a great help for babysitters, teachers, grandparents and others who may be unfamiliar with (and nervous about) using an auto-injector for anaphylaxis.

Oh, and the injector only stays in the outer thigh for five seconds (which the calm voice will count down calmly), rather than 10 seconds like the traditional EpiPen. Five seconds may not seem like much of a difference, but every second feels like forever when you're in the midst of an anphylactic reaction.

I'll be checking with my insurance company to see if they cover the new device and with my pharmacy to see if they carry it. Let me know if you're able to get it.

Read all about Sanofi's release of Auvi-Q (and check out a demo) here.

Free EpiPens for Schools

EpiPens for Schools

This spring I wrote that our school buildings now have stock epinephrine available for anyone who experiences an anaphylactic reaction.

Great news!

I received news today that schools can apply for free EpiPens through the EpiPen4Schools program.

Even better!

I just sent the information to our school nurse (the forms need to be completed and sent by the school nurse) and would encourage you to do the same. The nurse also must sign off agreeing that the school will "make best efforts to provide appropriate product training to any School personnel who may
administer an EpiPen® or EpiPen Jr® Auto-Injector".  Interested school representatives can also call 1-973-845-7600 to speak with a representative about the program.

I do applaud Mylan and BioRidge Pharma for making this program available to schools.

Is your child's school training staff and making epinephrine available for anyone who may need it?

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