those w/peanut allergies beware: kiss causes death

[movie zombie]

this is really sad: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051128/ap_on_re_ca/canada_deadly_kiss

in this day and age it appears one cannot be to careful with nut allergies.

peace, movie zombie

 

[Kaleigh]

OMG, my son is 15 and is deathly allergic to all nuts. Well thanks for the heads up, no kissing any girls that have just eaten peanuts.

That is sooo sad

 

[belle]

very sad. nut allergies are deadly serious.
i have seen people develop an allergic reaction just being around peanuts. it makes me wonder why some airlines still have peanuts as their in flight snack.

 

[Kaleigh]

I hear ya belle. Almost everytime we fly they offer Rob some peanuts. I know many schools now have nut free tables. It''s the scariest thing. Rob had a peanut before we knew he was allergic and had to rush him to the hospital and he nearly died.

 

[lmurden]

I just saw that. I have nut allergies but not that bad. Very sad, it''s actually almost unbelievable.

 

[nytemist]

This is so scary, and so sad. Food allergies are just hell to deal with. I have one to coconut and never knew it when I was young. All I knew is when my mom made my sister''s favorite coconut cake with white frosting, I would get very sick. It''s gotten worse as I have gotten older. At a birthday prty about 6 years ago, someone''s mom made these great chocolate cookies, but had used the same cookie sheet to make ones with coconut ealier and with one cookie eaten had to go to the hospital.

Now everyone knows, any desserts/dishes with coconut, they come and tell me.

 

[belle]

Date: 11/28/2005 2:36:36 PM
Author: kaleigh
I hear ya belle. Almost everytime we fly they offer Rob some peanuts. I know many schools now have nut free tables. It''s the scariest thing. Rob had a peanut before we knew he was allergic and had to rush him to the hospital and he nearly died.

very scary. anyone with allergies should carry an epi pen. each exposure makes the reaction worse, so you never know how severe the next reaction will be.

 

[Angel7]

I just read that right before I logged onto PS. God is that scary!
So sad, she was so young.

 

[Kaleigh]

Movie Zombie,
I can''t thank you enough for posting that. It is truly the saddest story ever. I just called our pediatrician to give them the heads up on this. I told them this is something that had never crossed my mind and to please warn kids about this. They said they were very thankful for my call, but the thanks goes to you MZ.

 

[movie zombie]

it is just so so sad all the way round: for her and for the young man that kissed her....think what kind of scars that must leave on the soul. and the parents of both! geez, how horrible for everyone involved. one can only hope that their story saves lives.

peace, movie zombie

 

[AsscherGirl]

Date: 11/28/2005 2:47:44 PM
Author: belle

Date: 11/28/2005 2:36:36 PM
Author: kaleigh
I hear ya belle. Almost everytime we fly they offer Rob some peanuts. I know many schools now have nut free tables. It''s the scariest thing. Rob had a peanut before we knew he was allergic and had to rush him to the hospital and he nearly died.

very scary. anyone with allergies should carry an epi pen. each exposure makes the reaction worse, so you never know how severe the next reaction will be.

My bf has a shellfish allergy & I always bug him about carrying his epi-pen. You never know where certain foods are going to creep up in restaurants or at friends houses. Whenever I eat shellfish, I always make sure to not kiss him for awhile out of a fear - I guess my fears were valid!

Kaleigh - I''m sorry to hear about your son''s allergy! It seems like peanut allergies are much worse than the others - I wonder why that is.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

! It seems like peanut allergies are much worse than the others - I wonder why that is.

Peanuts tend to have mold in them so possibly it''s a combination of the molds and the peanuts that triggers a harsher reaction. I''m not sure.

I''m allergic to tree nuts (almonds, cashews, etc.) but have a different reaction based on the nut I eat and how many I eat. Luckily, if I bite into a nut, I don''t have a serious reaction, but the reaction is still noticable. . .if I eat more than a few (especially cashews, brazils), my throat swells up!

 

[tawn]

Date: 11/28/2005 4:02:42 PM
Author: MC

! It seems like peanut allergies are much worse than the others - I wonder why that is.

Peanuts tend to have mold in them so possibly it''s a combination of the molds and the peanuts that triggers a harsher reaction. I''m not sure.

I''m allergic to tree nuts (almonds, cashews, etc.) but have a different reaction based on the nut I eat and how many I eat. Luckily, if I bite into a nut, I don''t have a serious reaction, but the reaction is still noticable. . .if I eat more than a few (especially cashews, brazils), my throat swells up!

I''m allergic to tree nuts as well and you guys just reminded me that my Epi pens are expired. (Thank you!) I keep one in the house, and in the truck, etc...I had a sudden onset allergy at 26, and they think it may have been from eating too many. I ate them every single day, and then had to have a small surgery and didn''t eat any for the first few days. Then I ate some and had to be rushed to the hospital. Scary stuff when you can''t breathe! I went for allergy testing afterwards because I just couldn''t believe it!

Funny thing is my Dr. told me not to eat peanuts either even though they''re not a "true nut" but actually a root? But, if you''re allergic to one you can have a reaction to the other. Those damn peanuts are EVERYWHERE too! I''ve accidently eaten peanuts on several occasions and my mouth and tongue go numb and swell up a teeny bit. I just take benydrl for a few days and I''ve been fine so far!

Also, be especially careful in restaurants! There have been several times over the last few years that I''ve specifically requested that my food be prepared without and away from nuts, and I''ve gotten the regular dish loaded with them. My husband does the taste test first now.

PS I asked American Airlines what their alternate "snack" was for those with allergies and they don''t have one!

 

[crafftygrrl]

Movie Zombie,

You are so right. How awful for everyone. I have an almost 15-year-old son. (No GF yet that I know of) But, I''ll let him know if he ever dates someone with a food allergy to be sensitive to this.

I''m sick about this.

 

[MissAva]

The kids in my sister grade at 5 and this is their last year to bring lunch with them. They have to sort their lunch boxes into seperate coolers, and the penut homes foods and the allergy homes foods never mix. Teachers wash their hands multiple times during lunch and no allergy causing foods are allowed.
Saxon has a friend who cannot come over becuase of her allergies, she walked by the pantry and became very ill.

That was horrible for both girls, I cannot imagine what that boy is going through right now. I pray that both families are able to cope.

 

[MelissaSue]

Nut allergies are scary.. but what is even scarier is how how non-chalant I have seen some parents with children with allergies act..
I work in a restaurant that has peanuts available for snacking. customers help themselves to them so we don''t put them on anyones table that doesn''t want them.. but the shells get thrown on the floor and the dust is everywhere really.. And people STILL Insist on bringing their children will peanut allergies to our restaurant. One time.. I kid you knot.. there was a family.. they maybe had three or four kids.. and they specifically asked me if the food was cooked in Peanut oil because thier daughter had allergies.. and I told them "No.. but if you''re daughter is allergic to peanuts I wouldn''t let her touch anything in here.." and they were like. oh.. whatever.. its not that bad.. and then I come back to the table.. and one of the OTHER CHILDREN at the table has a big pile of peanuts in front of them.. SERIOUSLY? your child is allergic and you let her be with in two feet of a big pile of peanuts? I just don''t get it!

 

[Shay37]

Date: 11/28/2005 2:36:36 PM
Author: kaleigh
I hear ya belle. Almost everytime we fly they offer Rob some peanuts. I know many schools now have nut free tables. It''s the scariest thing. Rob had a peanut before we knew he was allergic and had to rush him to the hospital and he nearly died.

I believe I read somewhere that if you are allergic to peanuts, when you make reservations for the flight, inform the airline. Some airlines will not serve peanuts on that flight. This is because a severe reaction can be triggered by just being in the vicinity of peanuts for some people. These particular airlines will serve raisins instead.

shay

 

[strmrdr]

That is sad :{

 

[glaucomflecken]

I have to forward that on to my sister, she has a bad allergie to pecans, almonds, walnuts, peanuts...basically all nuts. At my rehearsal dinner I gave everyone some Godiva hazelnut truffle chocolates and I specifically ordered plain milk chocolate for her, but they must have contacted nuts or been made on the same line because she had a reaction and half my dinner party had to search for a Walgreens for some Benadryl since she never carries her epi-pen despite my warnings.

We also had to take her to the ER once b/c she started to react and we could not figure out why, because she hadnt eaten any nuts. Turns out she had just taken a bubble bath with almond oil as the last ingredient and she reacted to it!

i feel so sad for those families.

 

[treysar]

I pack an Epi-pen - I have serious nut allergies (not peanuts, but all other nuts!) I''ve have gone into anaphlactic shock numerous times - it is no joke - it happens SO FAST. The first few times i had no idea what the trigger was.

 

[pebbles]

Thanks so much MZ! I can''t believe I didn''t read this post sooner!

I''m a pharmacist and I will have to warn my patients with peanut allergies about this. I also carry an epi-pen because of my allergy to insect stings (although I took it out of my purse for the winter), but I think I will carry it around regardless.

Unfortunately, there was recently a huge backlash in our school district because they tried to make all the grade schools peanut-free. They tried having peanut free tables, but that wasn''t enough, so they banned all peanut products. The parents of the kids who did not have the allergies were pissed because their kids couldn''t bring peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and why should their kids suffer because of 1 or 2 kids with the allergies. The parents of the kids WITH allergies were mad that people were not more sensitive to their medical issues and asked how they would react if it was their kids. It was a very heated debate and the local schoolboard meeting according to the newspaper - parent yelling at each other.

The district decided to try the peanut-free tables again and took the stance it is up to the parents of the kids with the allergies to educate their kids about not accepting ANY food from any other student. This just went into effect this August, and I haven''t seen any incidents yet (well, at least none have made it to the local paper yet, and my neighbor whose kids are in one of the grade schools has said she hasn''t heard anything yet). I just feel so bad for the kids. Peer pressure and feeling accepted is hard enough, now they''re made to feel more "weird" because of their allergies. It is sad.

 

[mrssalvo]

that is so sad. Why are nut allergies so much more common now days? When I was a kid I didn''t know anyone with nut allergies. Now, my 2 year old can''t take peanut butter to mommies day out b/c one of the kids in another 2 year old class has nut allergies. I don''t mind packing nut free lunches I just find it interesting that it has become such a huge epidemic.

 

[bar01]

Very sad. She was not expecting something like this.

I also have an Epi-pen for nut allergies. I have never had a bad enough reaction to use it, but also carry fast acting allergy tabs with me, which I have had to take a number of times. Also went to hospital a few times over the years

If I have any suspicion some food has something I might be allergic too - I take a tiny speck on my tongue (don't swallow) - and I can tell instantly. The only times I have really had really bad reactions have been when I was not expecting it - like the time I popped a meatball in my mouth at a church potluck dinner (peanut butter was secrete ingredient) - or had a spoonful of soup at a corporate lunch (who the heck makes cream of peanut soup!!??)

 

[cymbrie]

Here''s a sister article that may shed some light on recent allergies in kids.
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Health/story?id=1360248
Growing up in HI we ate a lot of roasted peanuts. I can''t imagine having those allergies, what a nightmare. It was interesting though, I was helping my fiance prepare his daughter''s lunch (she''s in 4th grade) and asked why he didn''t make her PBJ sandwiches because they both LOVE peanut butter, he said the school won''t allow ANY peanut product into the school for this reason. I''m surprised to hear from other PSers that their kids'' schools haven''t instituted the same rules seems like a pretty wide spread issue.

 

[Kaleigh]

For all those that use Epi Pens, please make sure they are current. Last thing you want is to pull it out and have it be expired!!

I had a long talk with my son about what happened to the girl from Canada and he was floored. He was just as surprised as I was.

 

[MelissaSue]

I was actually thinking about this and was going to respond saying exactly what that article that Cymbrie posted says. I heard about this several years ago.. and its really true.. All this anti-bacterial crap and purel use is completely out of hand. Our bodies were MADE to fight off bacteria.. Our immune systems are too strong and have nothing to do.. so start attacking our own bodies.. This is also believed to be the cause of auto-immune disorders like Lupus and MS.. Not to mention the fact that all these anti-bacterial soaps are just making bacteria stronger and harder to fight off when we do get infected..

I CRINGE when I go into a store and see the anti-bacterial soaps and lotions and stuff. I won''t go near the stuff. And when I have kids I won''t let them go near it either! They need to develop healthy normal immune systems! People are WAAAAY too afraid of germs.. We all did just fine before these anti-bacterial soaps and lotions came on the market.

 

[FireGoddess]

Turns out the teen didn''t die from the kiss/allergy after all....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11659935/

 

[Tacori E-ring]

How interesting FG...I wonder what she died from...

 

[FireGoddess]

Kind of mysterious that they''re not disclosing the cause, isn''t it? They say they are waiting on more tests...I guess this means that these tests are independent of those that confirm the peanut allergy/kiss transfer was not to blame?!

 

[FireGoddess]

Still no final word, but one step closer:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/03/06/peanut.kiss.ap/index.html