Story – Page 6 – K12Allergies

Laia Cañadas (18+ years old)

February 9, 2021 July 31, 2021 / anaphylaxis, bean, cheese, nuts, pepper, Prednisone, soy

I first figured out I had food allergies when I was 5. We were at a normal family dinner and we had beans. I had never reacted to them before but on that occasion I had a rash all over my skin, I had trouble breathing and I vomited all over the place. I was diagnosed with allergies and for the next day 3 years I kept developing/discovering new allergies (including dust mites, which I overcame after getting vaccinated for 4 years).

Nowadays I still have the same Food allergies: dry nuts, pepper, cheese, soy and beans (of any kind). Fun fact they are all deadly for me. At the beginning I only had slight reactions, but now I have to be extremely careful because any of them can cause me an anaphylactic shock.

~The story of my life~
And also I did research on my own for a project at school to explain what allergies are, and I grew fond of FARE’s website, highly recommend it ^^

Beth Parr-Standen

February 8, 2021 February 17, 2021

I figured out that I had food allergies when I was younger while eating Chinese food.

Y’s story (5 years old)

February 8, 2021 February 17, 2021 / anaphylaxis, epinephrine, nuts, tree nut

When he was 1 year old he ate dessert with nuts I didn’t know what anaphylaxis is so I was shocked. I knew something was wrong because of what he ate. I searched the internet and found about food allergies & epipens. When he was about 2 years old he was diagnosed with tree-nuts allergy by the only allergist in Bahrain.
When he was 4 years old I registered him in a learning center that accepts special cases. They promised they can take care of him, but he had a severe anaphylaxis & they didn’t even call me or his allergist and didn’t epi him!
He is now in an international preschool that is really expensive, but it is the only safe place for him to learn and have friends. They know how serious food allergies can be.

We used FARE (foodallergy.org) and red sneakers for Okley.
My native language is Arabic, but there are only little information about food allergies in Arabic. That is why I created my instagram account to share the information in Arabic & spread awareness.

Ava Grace Goff (1 year old)

January 5, 2021 February 8, 2021 / ceterezine, dog, egg, hazelnut, histamine, milk, neocate, peanut, soya, spots, wheat

Blood tests from the hospital my babies skin was inflamed from 4 weeks old started with spots all over her face and head from 3 weeks It was so severe she has so many tests was in hospital a lot she looked as though she had been in a fire she was riddled with histamine to the point she couldn’t sleep drink properly or do anything but wriggle. Her allergies are dog (severe) wheat, soya, milk, egg, peanuts, hazelnuts and mould. We took Clarithromycin plus ceterezine and neocate formula.

@purelyhaley – 3 years old

November 14, 2020 February 8, 2021 / vomit

He had vomit to shock reactions with his first 4 foods introduced at 7-8 months old. It took a lot of internet searching and 4 pediatricians to finally receive a diagnosis. We have not overcome them. He isn’t on any medications. In my internet search I came across the FPIES foundation website and that is what led me to seek out an FPIES experienced practitioner to request an evaluation.

@theglutenfreefoodallergycoach – 18+ years old

October 25, 2020 March 8, 2021 / celiac, peanut

Peanut allergy diagnosed at 3 years old and Celiac Disease at 12. Symptoms and blood test. No medications. Beyondceliac.com is the only website I can think of around the time of diagnosis.

Stephanie (7 years old)

October 5, 2020 February 8, 2021 / almond, cashew, egg, milk, wheat

He had a reaction at 7months old which led to testing. He tested positive for wheat, milk, egg. Since then he is now tolerating baked milk for 3 years now. At 4 years old he had a reaction to cashews. He is now tolerating cashews but the subsequent testing revealed an almond allergy. He takes Flovent for maintenance of his asthma. I mostly use websites for recipes as I try to keep up with his allergist on what testing and interventions are available and appropriate for my son.

Tarah Jakubiak

September 7, 2020 January 31, 2021 / dairy, hospital

I was rushed to the hospital when I was an infant as I stopped breathing after consuming one of my allergens (dairy).

Emery (5 years old)

September 1, 2020 February 8, 2021 / eczema

Eczema during breastfeeding; immediate reaction to first taste of food at 6 months.

Payton (@The Allergy Strategy – 18+ years old)

August 28, 2020 March 8, 2021 / dairy, egg, fish, peanut, shellfish

When I was a baby, I was constantly sick anytime I would eat anything with dairy, but it was my first bite of mac and cheese that sent me into anaphylactic shock. After this, the doctors ran tests to diagnose my other, equally as severe, allergies to peanuts, eggs, fish, and shellfish. While I have not grown out of my allergies as we had hoped that I would, I would say we have overcome them mentally by changing our attitude towards my allergies. When I say “our” I mean to include my family, as I know I could not have had the full life that I have despite my food allergies without them. The road hasn’t been easy, but I have learned to see the blessing in the struggle. For one, not a day or a meal goes by that I am not grateful for the safe foods that I can eat. Secondly, my allergies have inspired me to reach out to the greater food allergy community, and have fueled my passion for helping others with severe food allergies which has inspired me to consider adding a Nutrition track as my second major, so I will be able to work as a registered dietitian specializing in helping children with severe food allergies. My greatest hope is to encourage anyone with food allergies to not let it hold them back mentally or make them feel any less than anyone else! Our differences shouldn’t be seen as a hindrance, but as a unique gift that we get to use for good if we decide to.

My allergies primarily involve avoidance of the foods, so no medication on a regular basis, however, I never leave the house without Benadryl, my inhaler, and my EpiPen. I have kept up with my allergist for skin testing and blood tests to keep tabs on the status of my allergies, so I have never had to search for information on my own based on my symptoms. I will say, though, that we are constantly researching new allergy finds and studies, and actually considered OIT, Oral Immunotherapy, as a possibility after a great deal of research a few years back! In general, FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) is a wonderful resource for food allergy news, but there are many more up and coming resource and informational platforms that I have recently discovered such as EpiCenter and the EpiCenter app by AssureTech.