We were scheduled to go to Duke yesterday for Abigail's final dose increase before hitting the maintenance stage of the trial. After hearing the forecast, I decided to postpone our appointment until next week. I know that sounds crazy, but the weather forecast called for heavy rain here, there and all the way in between. It seems like every other visit to Duke I'm driving in heavy downpours, and it is miserable. Besides, the kids are staying with my parents this weekend and will already be three quarters of the way to Duke. Made more sense to swing by and pick up Abigail Monday morning and head to Durham as opposed to going Wednesday and then driving both Saturday to drop them off and Sunday to pick them up. Unfortunately, Abigail will miss a day of school, but then again, she is only in the 1st grade.
So we'll go on Monday, and then not again until the end of January. That visit is only scheduled to take 45 minutes but will be a lab visit meaning a blood draw, skin prick test and saliva collection. Given our tract record, that visit might actually take more than 45 minutes. After that, we don't go back until mid April when we'll discuss the logistics of the food challenge which will be the end of May. In the meantime, I'll be checking in to find out the results of all of the food challenges prior to Abigail's.
I've attached a link to an ABC News segment. It features Dr. Burks discussing the clinical trial research. What's neat about the segment is that you can see where we go every visit, how the drops are administered and even see some of our great nurses. Here's the link:
Children's Food Allergies Escalate
I'm working on my first ever product give-away. I'm quite excited about it. Hopefully by next week I'll have all of the details worked out. So, visit again soon.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
A Lot to be Thankful for....
In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, I often lose site of how very much I have to be thankful for. It's been another one of those days. Laundry, baking for Thanksgiving, cleaning house, packing for a weekend trip, worrying about a sick child, running errands, and now, absolute exhaustion. Even now, I'm multi-tasking. I have a "to do" list beside me, I'm trying to catch up on a few shows, and obviously, I'm writing this post. How does a mom learn to just simply enjoy, to count her blessings? At least this mom!
Regardless of the chaos, I do have an incredible amount to be grateful for. In this time of economic turmoil, we've got a handle on our finances. My family is healthy minus a couple of bouts with H1N1, some sinus infections and a case of bronchitis (my 2 year old has that now). I'm married to an incredibly supportive man who puts up with all of my tangents and soap boxes. My kids are sweet, smart and well-behaved, at least with everyone else. And now, this year, our family has this peanut allergy clinical trial.
We are blessed with an opportunity to change Abigail's life, and I'm very much aware of the fact that there are parents all over the country that would love to have the same opportunity for their child. Abigail could come away from this trial with the ability to consume peanuts without the risk of a life-threatening allergic reaction. Whether it's the ability to consume a handful of peanuts or just eat a baked item manufactured in a plant with another peanut product, her life is still changed. And for that, I am extremely grateful.
So, thank you to our great doctors and nurses at the Duke Clinical Research Unit, to our parents who have provided many hours of childcare to our youngest as well as hours of listening to me discuss the trial, our concerns and our progress, and to you guys who give me an outlet to share all my research.
Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. Enjoy your day, travel safe and count your blessings!
Regardless of the chaos, I do have an incredible amount to be grateful for. In this time of economic turmoil, we've got a handle on our finances. My family is healthy minus a couple of bouts with H1N1, some sinus infections and a case of bronchitis (my 2 year old has that now). I'm married to an incredibly supportive man who puts up with all of my tangents and soap boxes. My kids are sweet, smart and well-behaved, at least with everyone else. And now, this year, our family has this peanut allergy clinical trial.
We are blessed with an opportunity to change Abigail's life, and I'm very much aware of the fact that there are parents all over the country that would love to have the same opportunity for their child. Abigail could come away from this trial with the ability to consume peanuts without the risk of a life-threatening allergic reaction. Whether it's the ability to consume a handful of peanuts or just eat a baked item manufactured in a plant with another peanut product, her life is still changed. And for that, I am extremely grateful.
So, thank you to our great doctors and nurses at the Duke Clinical Research Unit, to our parents who have provided many hours of childcare to our youngest as well as hours of listening to me discuss the trial, our concerns and our progress, and to you guys who give me an outlet to share all my research.
Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. Enjoy your day, travel safe and count your blessings!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
IgE Numbers, Part 2
At our visit to Duke this week, I was able to spend some time talking with one of the wonderful nurse practitioners about the upcoming food challenges. Several of the Peanut Sublingual Immunotherapy participants are quickly approaching the 12 month mark and the first challenges are scheduled for December 10th and the 14th. I mentioned how I was anxiously awaiting the results, and she very quickly reeled me back in. With this being the first peanut sublingual study for children, there are a lot of unknowns. It's very possible that the first food challenge won't show significant results and may even mean a change to the study protocol. I'll still call soon after the challenges to find out the results, and hopefully, the kids consume the equivalent of a peanut or two. If they don't, then we'll keep pushing through, Abigail will keep taking her drops and we'll hope that with more time we'll all see the results we are hoping for.
I'd love to be able to see Abigail's IgE numbers over the course of the study, but they are sealed until the end. The goal is to get her number down from 14 to a single digit. At a single digit, her chance of having a allergic reaction drops significantly, as well as the risk of anaphylaxis. She'd still be allergic to peanuts, but her allergy would not be life threatening. Abigail would be considered "cured" of her peanut allergy if her number was a 1 or less. She's had two blood draws to determine her IgE number since starting the study. The first was the baseline (which was 14), and then again at 4 months. Her next blood draw is at the 8 month mark. We can't see the numbers so that we don't get discouraged if they're not changing.
IgE numbers only tell the percentage chance of having an allergic reaction, they do not tell the type of reaction or severity. Whether the IgE number is 14 or 364, there is still a 95% chance of having a reaction. I'm going from memory (which is often a risky proposition), but I seem to recall that when Abigail was tested at age 2 and scored a 12, she had something like an 80% chance of having an allergic reaction. In fact, the doctors at Duke are seeing a trend that their patients with lower IgE numbers are having more severe reactions than those with really high IgE levels.
So, there is a possibility that Abigail's score of 14 might mean that she would have a more severe reaction than a child having a score of 364. I do feel that she has an advantage starting the study with a lower number. Doesn't it stand to reason that the lower the number, the less distance one has to go to get to single digits? Maybe it takes less time to build up a tolerance to peanuts with the sublingual therapy?
Here's a table that I copied from Wikipedia that shows IgE levels and their correlating allergen scores using the RAST test method.
Here are a couple of other things I learned from our many trips to Duke. First, if a child doesn't outgrow a peanut allergy by the age of 5, he or she usually won't. Second, IgE blood tests are not standardized. The RAST test was primarily used from 1974, when it was invented, until 1989, when it was replaced by the ImmunoCap Specific IgE blood test. This test may also be described as CAP RAST, CAP FEIA or Pharmacia CAP. Wikipedia states that approximately 80% of the world's commercial clinical labs are using this newer version. But, if you are comparing recent IgE blood test results to a previous test, you need to make sure that the labs are using the same test method. Because the "Class" scale is assigned by the lab, unless you are comparing results using the same test method, one person's Class 3 may not be the same as someone elses.
We've got just one more visit before Abigail is on the "Maintenance Dose." That means some relief for us on the frequency of trips. After this next visit, we don't go again for six weeks. Just in time for the holidays!
I'd love to be able to see Abigail's IgE numbers over the course of the study, but they are sealed until the end. The goal is to get her number down from 14 to a single digit. At a single digit, her chance of having a allergic reaction drops significantly, as well as the risk of anaphylaxis. She'd still be allergic to peanuts, but her allergy would not be life threatening. Abigail would be considered "cured" of her peanut allergy if her number was a 1 or less. She's had two blood draws to determine her IgE number since starting the study. The first was the baseline (which was 14), and then again at 4 months. Her next blood draw is at the 8 month mark. We can't see the numbers so that we don't get discouraged if they're not changing.
IgE numbers only tell the percentage chance of having an allergic reaction, they do not tell the type of reaction or severity. Whether the IgE number is 14 or 364, there is still a 95% chance of having a reaction. I'm going from memory (which is often a risky proposition), but I seem to recall that when Abigail was tested at age 2 and scored a 12, she had something like an 80% chance of having an allergic reaction. In fact, the doctors at Duke are seeing a trend that their patients with lower IgE numbers are having more severe reactions than those with really high IgE levels.
So, there is a possibility that Abigail's score of 14 might mean that she would have a more severe reaction than a child having a score of 364. I do feel that she has an advantage starting the study with a lower number. Doesn't it stand to reason that the lower the number, the less distance one has to go to get to single digits? Maybe it takes less time to build up a tolerance to peanuts with the sublingual therapy?
Here's a table that I copied from Wikipedia that shows IgE levels and their correlating allergen scores using the RAST test method.
| RAST rating | IgE level (KU/L) | comment |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | < 0.35 | ABSENT OR UNDETECTABLE ALLERGEN SPECIFIC IgE |
| 1 | 0.35 - 0.69 | LOW OF ALLERGEN SPECIFIC IgE |
| 2 | 0.70 - 3.49 | MODERATE LEVEL OF ALLERGEN SPECIFIC IgE |
| 3 | 3.50 - 17.49 | HIGH LEVEL OF ALLERGEN SPECIFIC IgE |
| 4 | 17.50 - 49.99 | VERY HIGH LEVEL OF ALLERGEN SPECIFIC IgE |
| 5 | 50.0 - 100.00 | VERY HIGH LEVEL OF ALLERGEN SPECIFIC IgE |
| 6 | > 100.00 | EXTREMELY HIGH LEVEL OF ALLERGEN SPECIFIC IgE |
Here are a couple of other things I learned from our many trips to Duke. First, if a child doesn't outgrow a peanut allergy by the age of 5, he or she usually won't. Second, IgE blood tests are not standardized. The RAST test was primarily used from 1974, when it was invented, until 1989, when it was replaced by the ImmunoCap Specific IgE blood test. This test may also be described as CAP RAST, CAP FEIA or Pharmacia CAP. Wikipedia states that approximately 80% of the world's commercial clinical labs are using this newer version. But, if you are comparing recent IgE blood test results to a previous test, you need to make sure that the labs are using the same test method. Because the "Class" scale is assigned by the lab, unless you are comparing results using the same test method, one person's Class 3 may not be the same as someone elses.
We've got just one more visit before Abigail is on the "Maintenance Dose." That means some relief for us on the frequency of trips. After this next visit, we don't go again for six weeks. Just in time for the holidays!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
A Few Updates.....
I wanted to give a quick update on our trip to Duke last week. It was our 12th visit and completely uneventful. We drove a little over 2 hours there, got an increase in dosage (2 drops up from 1 of the highest concentrate), waited for the required 1 1/2 hours while they monitored Abigail for a reaction (she did have a little more severe tingling in her ears and throat) and then we drove the 2 plus hours home with a stop to visit my dad and sister and then again farther down the road for a little shopping and dinner. We are down to just 2 more visits before we hit the maintenance dose. Then we'll go every 8 weeks instead of every 2. That's pretty exciting for us.
We had a safe and fun Halloween. Hope everyone else did as well. It's great to have neighbors who understand Abigail's allergy. Many of them have safe candy set aside just for her. As seen in the picture, this year her pile of safe candy was much bigger than the unsafe candy. We packaged up the smaller pile along with her excess safe candy and added it to a collection going to the Charlotte USO who will send it with deploying troops to Afghanistan. Thinking positively, I'm hoping in a year or two, we'll no longer need to sort candy. I'm hoping Abigail will be able to eat whatever she receives. Selfishly, it means the rest of us can also eat those forbidden candy bars. I snagged a few Kit Kat's after she went to bed, but packed up the Reese's Cups and other peanut base candy bars. The risk outweighs any enjoyment I might have by eating one.
Speaking of food that we can't eat, it seems that so much of the healthy, organic food I would like to purchase for our family is manufactured in plants that also process tree nuts/peanuts. I was very disappointed during my last trip across town to Trader Joe's. It's one of our favorite stores, and for the last year, a place where I did a great deal of our grocery shopping. For a while now, our family has been eating foods without high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oils, trans fat, artificial sweeteners, and of course, all nuts. We drink organic milk and purchase organic meats. I'm also trying to remove foods from our grocery list that contain artificial dyes. Trader Joe's had a lot of products at a really good price that met all of our restrictions. I say "had" because the last time I went, a good many of the products that I buy were labeled "manufactured in a plant that processes tree nuts/peanuts." While I can commend Trader Joe's for their great labeling practices, I was disappointed that there were yet more unsafe, healthy products that I could not purchase. I asked the manager about all of the new labels, and he told me that they had recently changed distribution centers. The new one was closer and while stocking the same Trader Joe branded products, they used different manufacturers to produce those products. Unfortunately for us, those manufacturers also produced more products with tree nuts/peanuts in the same facility. An important lesson here is that you should always read the label even if it's a product that you've purchased for years. But, back to thinking positively, after the Duke clinical trial we might be able to eliminate "may contain" or "processed in a plant with tree nuts/peanuts" from the long list of food ingredients that our family chooses not to consume. A very long list of organic products would then be on my "safe to purchase" list.
In the coming posts, I want to finish discussing IgE numbers and also discuss a great book I'm reading. It's called "The Unhealthy Truth" and is written by Robyn O'Brien. She discusses how our food is making us sick from food allergies to ADHD to cancer. She brings up a whole new topic for me which is resulting in yet another food that I want to eliminate from our diet, food that has been genetically modified. I was repulsed to read about the effects of rBGH on our dairy products and disheartened to read about the lack of regulation on genetically engineered crops of soy and corn, to name just a few. I've added a few links over in the margin if you want to start doing your own research. I'd add a word of caution though, it'll change the way you think about your food.
We had a safe and fun Halloween. Hope everyone else did as well. It's great to have neighbors who understand Abigail's allergy. Many of them have safe candy set aside just for her. As seen in the picture, this year her pile of safe candy was much bigger than the unsafe candy. We packaged up the smaller pile along with her excess safe candy and added it to a collection going to the Charlotte USO who will send it with deploying troops to Afghanistan. Thinking positively, I'm hoping in a year or two, we'll no longer need to sort candy. I'm hoping Abigail will be able to eat whatever she receives. Selfishly, it means the rest of us can also eat those forbidden candy bars. I snagged a few Kit Kat's after she went to bed, but packed up the Reese's Cups and other peanut base candy bars. The risk outweighs any enjoyment I might have by eating one.Speaking of food that we can't eat, it seems that so much of the healthy, organic food I would like to purchase for our family is manufactured in plants that also process tree nuts/peanuts. I was very disappointed during my last trip across town to Trader Joe's. It's one of our favorite stores, and for the last year, a place where I did a great deal of our grocery shopping. For a while now, our family has been eating foods without high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oils, trans fat, artificial sweeteners, and of course, all nuts. We drink organic milk and purchase organic meats. I'm also trying to remove foods from our grocery list that contain artificial dyes. Trader Joe's had a lot of products at a really good price that met all of our restrictions. I say "had" because the last time I went, a good many of the products that I buy were labeled "manufactured in a plant that processes tree nuts/peanuts." While I can commend Trader Joe's for their great labeling practices, I was disappointed that there were yet more unsafe, healthy products that I could not purchase. I asked the manager about all of the new labels, and he told me that they had recently changed distribution centers. The new one was closer and while stocking the same Trader Joe branded products, they used different manufacturers to produce those products. Unfortunately for us, those manufacturers also produced more products with tree nuts/peanuts in the same facility. An important lesson here is that you should always read the label even if it's a product that you've purchased for years. But, back to thinking positively, after the Duke clinical trial we might be able to eliminate "may contain" or "processed in a plant with tree nuts/peanuts" from the long list of food ingredients that our family chooses not to consume. A very long list of organic products would then be on my "safe to purchase" list.
In the coming posts, I want to finish discussing IgE numbers and also discuss a great book I'm reading. It's called "The Unhealthy Truth" and is written by Robyn O'Brien. She discusses how our food is making us sick from food allergies to ADHD to cancer. She brings up a whole new topic for me which is resulting in yet another food that I want to eliminate from our diet, food that has been genetically modified. I was repulsed to read about the effects of rBGH on our dairy products and disheartened to read about the lack of regulation on genetically engineered crops of soy and corn, to name just a few. I've added a few links over in the margin if you want to start doing your own research. I'd add a word of caution though, it'll change the way you think about your food.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Nature's Path Foods
We're a fan of the Nature's Path Toaster Pastries, i.e. an organic Pop Tart. Recently I contacted the company regarding their labeling policy and was pleased by not only their response, but also the Canadian government's stance on product labeling (I've put that section in bold). Here's their e-mail:
Thank you for your query regarding the use of nuts in Nature’s Path products. We endeavor to always provide a good quality product. Nature’s Path is committed to producing quality organic foods, using the best ingredients available, while adhering to strict quality control procedures.
Nature's Path Organic Toaster Pastries are made in a nut free facility.
Government regulators have advised us that because we utilize peanuts, nuts, soy or dairy in some of our facilities we are strongly recommended to put the disclaimer "may contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, dairy or soy" on Nature’s Path products made in those factories. Government regulator opinion is that if there is a remote chance of cross contamination that the consumer should be advised of this possibility.
At Nature's Path we have an extensive planning and cleaning schedule which includes protein testing, for all our production facilities in order to prevent any cross contamination of our products with non-declared ingredients. All of our products that do not contain peanuts, nuts or soy or dairy – as listed on the ingredient label are theoretically dairy, soy, peanuts & nut-free. However because of the remote chance of contamination from machinery or peanuts, nuts & soy or dairy in the plant we can not imply that there is no possibility of minute amounts of these allergens in our products.
No matter how small the chance, we feel it is our obligation to inform customers of this possibility. Our main concern is the health risk to any of our customers who may have a life-threatening allergy. We feel that consumers must make the final choice in consultation with their healthcare provider about eating Nature’s Path products.
Nature’s Path does manufacture some of its products in a dedicated nut free facility. Here is the list of Nature’s path products made in a peanut & tree nut free factory
Nature’s Path Frozen Waffles – all flavors- Share equipment with dairy, egg.
http://www.naturespath.com/
Nature’s Path Puffed Bagged cereals – Puffed Rice, Puffed Corn, Puffed Millet, Puffed Kamut- Share equipment with wheat. No egg or dairy in facility.
http://www.naturespath.com/
Envirokidz Animal Cookies –vanilla –Share equipment with egg. Contain soy. Casein/ dairy free.
http://www.naturespath.com/
Nature’s Path Toaster Pastries- Frosted Toaster Pastries contains dairy. Unfrosted Toaster Pastries share equipment with dairy. No egg in facility.
http://www.naturespath.com/
Nature’s Path FlaxPlus Flax Seed and Flax Seed Meal
http://www.naturespath.com/
Nature’s Path Buttermilk Pancake Mix
Nature’s Path Flax Plus Pancake Mix
http://www.naturespath.com/
Please also check our website www.naturespath.com for more info on all of these including ingredient lists and store locations. (Updated & valid as of August 2009)
NB: people with life threatening peanut & nut allergies, it is still advisable to check back periodically with food companies over time because recipes can change.
Your email tells us that you are passionate about your health and wellness. If you would like to get more involved and share your opinion with us, please accept our invitation to join our research panel, The Cereal Bowl, at https://www.naturescerealbowl.
Kind Regards,
Consumer Service
Wow, to have a government make such a suggestion as to protect the well-being of the consumers as opposed to catering to the large corporation. How much easier it would be for parents with allergic children if we could look at the food packaging and have it tell us the whole story. I've not purchased any of the other Nature's Path brands, but I've added them to my shopping list. I also joined their research panel. I'm not sure what that will entail, but the more I research the food we eat, the more I'm leaning toward going all organic. I will say, there is one positive to Abigail's allergy. Her allergy forced me to take a close look at the food our family is eating, and I'm appalled.
Like my other posts regarding food manufacturers, it's been my choice to endorse the company. I've not been compensated for my review.
Note: Wal-Mart has the best price for the Nature's Path Toaster Pastries. They come in 6 or so varieties and are less than $3.00 a box.
Thank you for your query regarding the use of nuts in Nature’s Path products. We endeavor to always provide a good quality product. Nature’s Path is committed to producing quality organic foods, using the best ingredients available, while adhering to strict quality control procedures.Nature's Path Organic Toaster Pastries are made in a nut free facility.
Government regulators have advised us that because we utilize peanuts, nuts, soy or dairy in some of our facilities we are strongly recommended to put the disclaimer "may contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, dairy or soy" on Nature’s Path products made in those factories. Government regulator opinion is that if there is a remote chance of cross contamination that the consumer should be advised of this possibility.
At Nature's Path we have an extensive planning and cleaning schedule which includes protein testing, for all our production facilities in order to prevent any cross contamination of our products with non-declared ingredients. All of our products that do not contain peanuts, nuts or soy or dairy – as listed on the ingredient label are theoretically dairy, soy, peanuts & nut-free. However because of the remote chance of contamination from machinery or peanuts, nuts & soy or dairy in the plant we can not imply that there is no possibility of minute amounts of these allergens in our products.
No matter how small the chance, we feel it is our obligation to inform customers of this possibility. Our main concern is the health risk to any of our customers who may have a life-threatening allergy. We feel that consumers must make the final choice in consultation with their healthcare provider about eating Nature’s Path products.
Nature’s Path does manufacture some of its products in a dedicated nut free facility. Here is the list of Nature’s path products made in a peanut & tree nut free factory
Nature’s Path Frozen Waffles – all flavors- Share equipment with dairy, egg.
http://www.naturespath.com/
Nature’s Path Puffed Bagged cereals – Puffed Rice, Puffed Corn, Puffed Millet, Puffed Kamut- Share equipment with wheat. No egg or dairy in facility.
http://www.naturespath.com/
Envirokidz Animal Cookies –vanilla –Share equipment with egg. Contain soy. Casein/ dairy free.
http://www.naturespath.com/
Nature’s Path Toaster Pastries- Frosted Toaster Pastries contains dairy. Unfrosted Toaster Pastries share equipment with dairy. No egg in facility.
http://www.naturespath.com/
Nature’s Path FlaxPlus Flax Seed and Flax Seed Meal
http://www.naturespath.com/
Nature’s Path Buttermilk Pancake Mix
Nature’s Path Flax Plus Pancake Mix
http://www.naturespath.com/
Please also check our website www.naturespath.com for more info on all of these including ingredient lists and store locations. (Updated & valid as of August 2009)
NB: people with life threatening peanut & nut allergies, it is still advisable to check back periodically with food companies over time because recipes can change.
Your email tells us that you are passionate about your health and wellness. If you would like to get more involved and share your opinion with us, please accept our invitation to join our research panel, The Cereal Bowl, at https://www.naturescerealbowl.
Kind Regards,
Consumer Service
Wow, to have a government make such a suggestion as to protect the well-being of the consumers as opposed to catering to the large corporation. How much easier it would be for parents with allergic children if we could look at the food packaging and have it tell us the whole story. I've not purchased any of the other Nature's Path brands, but I've added them to my shopping list. I also joined their research panel. I'm not sure what that will entail, but the more I research the food we eat, the more I'm leaning toward going all organic. I will say, there is one positive to Abigail's allergy. Her allergy forced me to take a close look at the food our family is eating, and I'm appalled.
Like my other posts regarding food manufacturers, it's been my choice to endorse the company. I've not been compensated for my review.
Note: Wal-Mart has the best price for the Nature's Path Toaster Pastries. They come in 6 or so varieties and are less than $3.00 a box.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Keeping Halloween Safe
The excitement is mounting at our house. Halloween is just a few nights away. Abigail is going to be a unicorn this year. Not just any unicorn, but her Webkinz unicorn, Melena, complete with iridescent horn, wings and tail.So, what's the best part of Halloween? For the kids, it's coming home and dumping their overflowing trick-or-treat bags out on the middle of the floor to get a good look at all of the candy. Even though it's late, Abigail always gets to pick a piece and eat it. But, do you know what we have to do first? We have to sort the candy to look for pieces that contain peanuts.
Abigail dumps out her bag, and then she and I go through it piece by piece checking to see what's safe. All the chocolate (ahh..the good stuff) and any of the candy that we're not sure about goes to one side. All of the safe, mostly hard candy goes in her pile. Can you guess which pile is larger? It's not Abigail's. She has always been a really good sport about this. I'm so proud at how she does this so matter of factly. It's all she knows. She's never had a Kit Kat, Twix, Snickers, Reese's Cup or bag of M & M's. For that matter, I haven't had any of those for a while either. At least since last Halloween when I ate one of her "unsafe" Twix bars after she went to bed.
So, what is safe? I've compiled a list of peanut safe candies. I'm sure there are others, but it's a good start. As always, it's extremely important to check the package. A candy that may be safe in my region of the country, might be manufactured in an unsafe plant in your region. The manufacturer may have moved production to a plant with a chance of cross-contamination and is now labeling it differently. Also, I've found that what might be safe as a bagged product might not be safe packaged individually for trick-or-treating. Send me a comment, if you've found another brand that's safe, and I'll add it to the list.
Peanut Allergy Safe Halloween Candy
Tootsie Rolls and Pops
Charm’s Suckers, Blow-Pops, Dum-Dums
Skittles, Starbursts, Smarties, Dots, Sweet Tarts
Wonka's Nerds Laffy Taffy, Runts
Junior Mints, Andes Mints, Peppermint Patties, Rolos
Lifesaver Gummies
Hershey’s (plain chocolate bars, Kisses - not King Size or Seasonal Bags, Kissables)
Altoid Mints
Haribo Gummi Candies, Mike and Ikes
Supper Bubble Gum
Jolly Rancher (hard candy, lollipops and gummi candy)
Twizzlers
Other safe treats include the individual trick-or-treat sized Teddy Grahams, Goldfish and Rice Krispy Treats.
Halloween can be really fun, but also really tough for many many kids. My family just has to look out for peanuts and nuts. What about children that are also allergic to milk, corn or soy? Their candy pile is even smaller. I've started giving out less candy and more non-food treats like pencils, stickers, tattoos and Halloween rings. There are lots of other options to keep Halloween safe and fun for everyone.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Another Trip...Again
Wednesday of this week we were off to Duke again for our bi-weekly visit. I believe it's visit number 11. It was very much a routine visit except that Abigail and I got one really good piece of news. We are just 3 more visits away from being on the maintenance dose. Once we hit the maintenance stage of the study, our visits are no longer bi-weekly, but will be monthly and then every 8 weeks. That's pretty exciting for a family that drives a 300 mile day trip every other week.
By the first of December, Abigail will be taking 8 drops of the highest extract concentrate given in this study. Here's the study protocol for the maintenance stage:
Maintenance
During the maintenance phase, your child will receive 2000 micrograms of the study extract (crude peanut extract or placebo) daily for 24 weeks at home. Your child will continue to avoid peanuts and tree nuts in his/her diet for the duration of the study. Your child will return to the Duke Clinical Research Unit every 1-4 months for a follow up history and physical exam for the duration of the study in addition to the scheduled food challenges.
After 24 weeks we'll return for the food challenge where Abigail will be challenged up to 5 grams of peanuts (approximately 8 peanuts). That sounds like an impossibility to me right now, and frankly, pretty scary. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, we're celebrating that soon we'll not have to go so frequently!
By the first of December, Abigail will be taking 8 drops of the highest extract concentrate given in this study. Here's the study protocol for the maintenance stage:
Maintenance
During the maintenance phase, your child will receive 2000 micrograms of the study extract (crude peanut extract or placebo) daily for 24 weeks at home. Your child will continue to avoid peanuts and tree nuts in his/her diet for the duration of the study. Your child will return to the Duke Clinical Research Unit every 1-4 months for a follow up history and physical exam for the duration of the study in addition to the scheduled food challenges.
After 24 weeks we'll return for the food challenge where Abigail will be challenged up to 5 grams of peanuts (approximately 8 peanuts). That sounds like an impossibility to me right now, and frankly, pretty scary. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, we're celebrating that soon we'll not have to go so frequently!
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