Alison Orman - Managing Your Childs Food Allergies: The Complete Australian Guide For Parents

To Noah and Lucy

AO

To Maya and Anika

PJ

While this book is intended as a general information resource and all care has been taken in compiling the contents, this book does not take account of individual circumstances and this book is not in any way a substitute for medical advice. Medical practices may change over time. It is essential that you always seek qualified medical advice if you suspect a child has a health problem. The authors and publisher cannot be held responsible for any claim or action that may arise from reliance on the information contained in this book.

This book offers extensive suggestions about dealing with various situations that you may encounter with your food-allergic child. The information and lists contained in this book are not necessarily exhaustive. Not all of the practical ideas discussed in this book will be relevant or necessary for all children with food allergy. Your approach may vary according to the type and severity of your childs allergy and you should read this book with your familys individual circumstances in mind. Always discuss any concerns with your childs doctor.

Managing Your Childs Food Allergies has been written to share with you research and factual information about understanding and managing food allergy, combined with the personal experiences of other families around Australia who have already been successfully managing food allergy for some time.

This book is designed to be used as an adjunct to medical care and advice. There are many doctors in Australia who are knowledgeable and experienced in diagnosing and managing food allergy, including clinical immunologists, paediatricians and GPs. After your child has been formally diagnosed with food allergy by a medical professional, we hope this book will offer you further in-depth information about food allergy, as well as practical ideas for you to adopt or adapt, where relevant, in managing your childs food allergy.

The way food allergy is managed is dependant on any number of variable factors, including: the allergen (for example, peanut allergy may be managed differently from a fruit allergy), the number of allergens, a childs medical history, their age, associated medical conditions (asthma, for example), to name only some. It is important to understand that the majority of allergic reactions to food are mildand not every child with food allergy is prescribed an adrenaline autoinjector (for example, an EpiPen): the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis. Accordingly, not all of the practical ideas about managing food allergy discussed in this book will be relevant or necessary for all children with food allergy. Read this book with your familys individual circumstances in mind.

The first part of this book deals with understanding food allergies: what is a food allergy, how the condition is diagnosed, how it is treated and what to do in an emergency. The second part of this book is about living with and managing food allergies on a day-to-day basis. We guide you through common situations such as eating out, travelling, childcare, school, social occasions and coping with the new challenges involved in the transition from childhood to the teenage years. The third part of this book deals with emotional aspects of food allergy, presenting important research findings and offering practical advice to help you and your food-allergic children live positively with food allergy. Finally, the fourth part offers hope in the form of an overview of some of the important research currently underway into the prevention and treatments of food allergy.

While we hope many parents and carers will enjoy reading this book from cover to cover, it has been written and structured in a way that makes it easy for you to access the information you need when you need it. Where medical terms are used, we explain them within the text. Where one topic is closely related to another, you will find useful cross-references included. A comprehensive index at the back of this book ensures the answers you need are at your fingertips. Dip in and out of relevant chapters when a new challenge arises and share them with family, friends and anyone who is involved in caring for your child.

We hope this book will affirm some of your own experiences of living with food allergy and act as a springboard for new ideas in managing food allergy in your family. Remember, though, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing food allergy. Always follow the advice of your childs doctor and dietitian to the letter, and discuss any concerns or questions with your childs doctor to ensure you receive advice specific to your childs diagnosis.

Alison Orman and Dr Preeti Joshi

Food allergy has been described as an invisible condition. Children with food allergy are expected to, and (for the most part) can, live normal lives. As long as the child is avoiding their allergen, they appear to all who meet them as regular, healthy and happy children. However, behind the scenes, their condition is usually being managed in ways that impact upon the whole family and anyone who cares for them.

Food allergy is not uncommon: it is estimated that 1 in 20 children have food allergy. While statistics are essential and telling for doctors and scientists, they in no way reveal the human story of families managing food allergy on a daily basis. For parents, being charged with the responsibility of keeping a food-allergic child safe, well nourished and well adjusted is no easy task. While the majority of allergic reactions are not severe, medical science cannot predict with absolute certainty which children will experience anaphylaxisthe most severe and potentially life-threatening form of allergic reactionwhen exposed to their allergen. Families have to adapt to living with the uncertainty of food allergy and maintain constant vigilance to prevent an allergic reaction. For parents of children at risk of anaphylaxis, the knowledge that a taste of the wrong food can make their child sickpossibly even threaten their lifecan, at times, be overwhelming.

The good news is, with specialist medical care, education, training and community support, along with a hopeful outlook, food allergy is very manageable. If your child has recently been diagnosed with food allergy, this book will reassure you that it does get easier. If you have already been living with food allergy for a long time, this book will provide you with advice to help you with new challenges that are bound to come your way. Whether you are new to food allergy or just want to learn more, this book will provide helpful information on all aspects of food allergy as well as encouragement and reinforcement that managing food allergies can be done.

This book was born out of my own familys experience of living with food allergy. It was a series of events that eventually led to a diagnosis of food allergy for our son, Noah. In June 2005, life at home with our new baby wasnt the way we thought it would be. Noah developed eczema on his face, stomach and back and, as regular as clockwork, after his evening top-up formula feed, he would become extremely unsettled. He vomited, was itchy and uncomfortable, and would scream until very late. As first-time parents, we assumed this was just what babies did. What new parent doesnt say at some point that they have a chucky baby, or a baby who wont sleep? It didnt even occur to us that there was a pattern to his distressvomiting always after formula but never after breast milk. (We eliminated formula when he was 2 weeks old and the vomiting stopped.)

The next piece in our food-allergy puzzle presented when we noticed hives appearing on Noahs skin when friends and family kissed him after drinking milk or eating egg or dairy products. And, on one particular occasion, I had whole-egg mayonnaise on my fingers and touched his lips while trying to help him breastfeed. Within seconds, his lips began to swell and hives surrounded his mouth. We thought his skin reactions were odd, but it still didnt occur to us they might be a symptom of something potentially serious.