I decided to blog today not about OIT but about food allergies and airlines. This is something that does effect Molly AND I won't lie, it's difficult to fly. This topic has recently received global exposure because two beautiful little girls with food allergies had reactions on planes. My heart goes out to their families because I understand that feeling of terror when you realize your child is having a reaction that requires epinephrine. I cannot imagine the feeling of terror and panic they must have felt not only from the reaction but from knowing that you are on a plane and you cannot immediately remove your child and get them the medical attention they require in the Emergency Room.
The No Nut Traveler has been speaking out on this issue since an airline company was not only rude but spoke in a very inappropriate manner in front of her son. As a food allergy mama myself, I know that we DO NOT in fact need the airline staff to remind us that yes, our children's allergies COULD in fact KILL them. We pretty much had that covered the first time we saw one of our children struggling to breathe because they were exposed to peanut or nut. We had that covered as they are gasping or wheezing, covered with hives and we our using our Epi-pens or Auvi-Q's and rushing to inject them with life saving epinephrine, calling 9-1-1, and praying it's enough to save their lives. Yeah, I guess you could say we kind of figured out that a simple little nut could kill them the hard way. For me, that moment was when my daughter was 7months old and I got a small smear of peanut butter on her skin from a bagel I was eating...a few minutes later we are in the ER because she couldn't breathe, developed a mark on her skin where the peanut butter had been similar to a cigarette burn, hives, and swollen puffy eyes. We left the ER that day with a prescription for an Epi-pen and a changed life. HOW COULD SOMETHING SO SMALL- SO COMMON- come so close to causing death to my little girl?
So- now that we have that covered I want to address the responses to this article:
https://www.yahoo.com/travel/airlines-and-nut-allergies-95399512052.html?soc_src=mags
First and foremost- all though I know it might be a slight inconvenience, I hope that you can respect that a person's right to live trumps your right to eat nuts wherever you want always. PERIOD. END OF SUBJECT.
Epi-pens and Auvi-Q's are temporary solutions. Sometimes they don't work. Sometimes CHILDREN and adults die. They have to be given quickly after exposure and require immediate medical care in an Emergency Room. At the ER most likely we will get more Epi, steroids, antihistamines, nebulizer treatments, oxygen, and hopefully that will be enough to overcome the allergy exposure.
I am not flying to inconvenience you or anybody else. This past year, we had to fly for my daughter to receive medical treatment for her food allergies. Sometimes we have emergencies, deaths in the family, rush medical appointments and we have to fly. Since we have a global economy, it is not uncommon for ALL people, including those with food allergies to fly. Sometimes we just have to fly because we need to get where we need to go too.
I hate to fly- and I hate to fly even more with my daughter's nut allergies. We alert the airline that she has nut allergies and carries and epi auto injector when booking flights. We were told to alert the agent at the desk on arrival, have notes from your doctor, original prescription labels on her auto-injectors. We did all this. And were told, there is NOTHING I can do about nuts on the plane, we don't serve peanuts <<insert desk agent eye roll>> OK. I, as her mom, can wipe down seats and put a blanket on them. I can do things to make her "more safe.". BUT please don't be rude to me--I am not asking you personally to do anything just to be aware-- AIRLINES serve food just like restaurants and we ALWAYS tell our server that we have peanut and nut allergies-- if there is food-- speak up!! When you are in the air- unable to get to a hospital wouldn't it be good for the flight attendant to know that she carries and Epi auto injector just in case she needs it??!?? I am training her to be responsible with her food allergies- she will be grown up someday and I won't be there by here side all the time. She needs to know how to keep herself safe and how to SPEAK UP for herself. So please, keep your rude remarks to yourself.
Most airlines that still serve snacks could offer an alternative to peanuts or nuts. Some already do. Most food allergy families carry tons of yummy alternative snacks and would share our prepackaged safe snacks with you so you don't eat that snickers bar and cause someone to have a serious allergic reaction.
And as for the comments about how families suffering from food allergies live their lives, most of us make accommodations in our lives that YOU would NEVER, IN A MILLION YEARS, think about. We read every food label every time at least three times, we can tell you at least 2 other words that mean hidden peanut or nuts on food labels, we know where to buy safe substitutes for most things, we have moved seats at baseballs games and other sporting events so that we don't inconvenience you if you are eating nuts, we wipe down seats, toys, and playground equipment not because we are helicopter moms, but because your child just ate peanut butter and put xx in his or her mouth or didn't wash his or her hands and has visible peanut butter and then touched the movie seat next to my daughter... we don't eat out without careful planning and we don't go to Chikfilet, or Five Guys, or Texas Roadhouse. We ask about oils and what's in things-- we ask about cross contamination. We don't go to bakeries or donut shops. Trips and vacations require months of planning for safe accommodations, restaurants and activities-- our lives require lots of planning- and PRAYER, because we take chances everyday, because FOOD is everywhere- and to us something like a peanut or walnuts or cashew--or even a cookie or sandwich could harm our children.
As far as nut allergies and the plane- all we are asking is for consistent rules and minor accommodations. Everyone should have the RIGHT to be safe when traveling on a plane. END OF SUBJECT.
Molly sitting at the airport waiting to board our flight
