Unexpected Sources of Peanuts

As I contemplated what to share today, I thought of things that surprised me when we first found out about Owen's allergies. What all foods peanuts were in. It's crazy, quite honestly, the number of things. We were so very blessed to be newly diagnosed when the FDA passed regulations regarding food labels. They clearly had to list those top allergens, like peanuts. And now have to say that they were manufactured on shared equipment. That in itself is a whole other can of worms.
But what kinds of foods have peanuts in them besides the logical, peanuts and peanut butter? Let's take a look at this individually.

• Sauces such as chili sauce, hot sauce, pesto, gravy, mole  sauce, and salad dressing - most often these are better and healthier homemade, so that is something to consider when purchasing sauces.
• Sweets such as pudding, cookies, and hot chocolate - This particular group isn't as surprising when you think of cookies and then pudding, but the hot chocolate threw us for a loop.
• Egg rolls - A lot of Asian cooking contains nuts. We avoid all Asian restaurants when Owen is with us to be proactive.
• Potato pancakes - This one surprised me at one point. My recommendation is to save your own mashed potatoes and make them yourselves. ;-) Again, homemade is always better when dealing with food allergies. Only you can control the ingredients in your foods.
• Pet food - Dog food and bird seed are two big culprits for having peanuts as an ingredient. Many dog's enjoy the taste of peanut butter. It's added protein to foods can be invaluable, but you have to be careful not to purchase those foods that include it. I say that because, imagine your dog ate his food and then "kissed" a peanut allergy kid. That can cause a severe reaction!!
• Specialty pizzas- Again, homemade is so much better. It's always a good rule of thumb to ask about ingredients. If they can't tell you, it's not worth it.
• Asian and Mexican dishes - As I said before, many Asian dishes have peanuts in them, as do Mexican dishes. Best rule of thumb is to avoid.
• Some vegetarian food products, especially those advertised as meat substitutes
• Foods that contain extruded, cold-pressed, or expelled peanut oil, which may contain peanut protein - Many allergists will actually tell you that you can have peanut oil, but they aren't specific that some peanut oils like the one listed here actually have those peanut proteins that individuals are allergic to.
• Glazes and marinades - These are very similar to sauces. They just aren't worth it for the most part.

Who doesn't grow up excited to go to the ice cream parlor to get a scoop with Pap or Ms. Nancy (she was our neighbor who would come get me and my sis and take us to Dairy Queen after we already had our jammies on- the shock ;-). Such fond memories)? Well, Owen, that's who. And kids like him. Dairy Queen is a dangerous place for him, actually. Ever watch them make blizzards, throwing chocolate candies (the ones with the peanut butter in them) around like they are nothing. There is cross contamination everywhere in that place, and they mark it as such everywhere. Graeter's? Who in Ohio doesn't just love that place? Owen, again. How sad that I remember going up there to get ice cream the entire time I was pregnant with him. We lived just across the tracks from there and it was such an incredible temptation, but the scoops are shared. We have been there a few times, and they are always incredible about getting a clean scoop from the back for us. But it's a nervous place for us.

And speaking of chocolate. You all know those orange wrappers. Owen knows them too. Sitting at baseball practice a few weeks ago, I saw someone open one of those and started to tell Owen to be careful when he calmly looked at me and said, "Mom, orange wrapper, be careful." hee hee. My little boy is growing up and knows what to avoid. I'd be in trouble if Reese's ever changed the color of their wrapper. But it's not just the orange ones. Hershey's? Typically a no-no. The big packages that have 6 full sized bars in them, those are the safe ones, manufactured in clean facilities. And chocolate chips are another item to be careful of.
The list actually could go on and on and on, but I hope I've given you thought about the ingredients you put in your food. I already shared what has and could happen again if Owen were exposed to peanuts. It could be worse next time. Remember, nothing changes without education. Make sure that you be proactive and educate yourself. I focus on peanuts because those are the worst in our house, but the seven common allergens that are severe are peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, wheat, milk, fish and shellfish. These are all life-threatening as well as others, so try to be mindful when you have dinner guests or are participating in a bake sale even.

Food Allergy Awareness Week

Food allergies are dangerous. If I don't get any other point across this week about them, please take that one piece of information and always keep it in the back of your head.
I'd like to take you to a dark day in our lives to show you the danger. Going back to December 4, 2009. It was a day like any others; running around ragged and trying to get everything done we needed to. That evening was Owen's special Christmas program at preschool, and we were all excited. We got all the kids together and went to enjoy the show. The preschool is awesome, first of all, and have a great organization to each event they have. Cookies are shared at the end of the performances so everyone has a chance at fellowship. I remember watching that program and being in awe of my big boy in his performance.
Once it was all done, the boys went with Wade to get some juice and cookies (please remember the preschool is a peanut-free environment) while I changed the baby's diaper. When the girls joined the boys, I saw they were already seated eating their cookies and didn't think anything of it at first as I was looking but not really seeing. Then I saw the one thing a food allergy kid Mom never wants to see and my heart stopped.
I saw my baby boy putting a cookie in his mouth that I knew was one that typically had peanut butter in it. Wade said that I became some strange super woman who smacked the cookie from his hand and shoved a Benadryl down his throat all in one second. Then I went in search of Ms. Julia, our preschool director. I needed to know what was in those cookies. I needed to know if he was truly in danger or if I was over-reacting. *Please note that Wade allowed the boys to get their own cookies and as a man, isn't aware of the typical ingredients in most cookies. He thought the cookie was sugar cookie. Remember, peanut-free environment.
After a few agonizing minutes and an announcement, my worst fears were confirmed. It had peanut butter in it. We called 911 and waited for the paramedics in the hall, praying we wouldn't have to use the epipen. I sat there holding Owen and making him repeat his alphabet. We started that to determine if we could hear a change in this voice or his breathing. We thought it would help us to know if it had gotten bad. The paramedics came and were great with him. They said while his heart rate was up, he seemed fine. Just watch him and the best thing would be for him to throw up. We went back in and felt better but not 5 minutes later, Owen threw up everywhere and started breaking out in hives. The reaction was continuing, and it was getting worse. Our preschool family was so very concerned as were we. We decided to stop at Station House 1 (the main fire station in our area) on the way home to have them check him out. When I brought him in, the 6 guys standing around understood my concern, but again, only his heart rate was elevated. They recommended more Benadryl and watching him. We took him home and did what they told us.
My heart said it was wrong. As I held Owen and prayed harder than I have ever prayed before, I felt my baby boy weaken and watched him transform before my eyes. He went from his beautiful pasty white winter skin to this horrendous red rash that covered him from head to toe. He was burning up suddenly and I was at a loss for what to do. We called friends for Alec and Sofia and rushed Owen to the emergency room.
That night is so much of a blur. The nurses tried to give him oral medication, but he couldn't keep it down. The doctor finally put the "straw" (iv) as they told Owen into his arm and pumped him full of steriods and epinephrine. They were fighting to save my baby's life, and I was helpless to do anything. They said his organs were the first to react to the peanuts. He was having an internal reaction rather than one we would normally see. He was in anaphylactic shock the minute the first paramedics were on the scene, but none of us could see it. Every reaction is different, but Owen's wasn't typical or was it easy to spot.
We spent a good portion of the night praying over our little boy before I finally sent Wade home because we knew he had to go to work the next morning. I remember him waking up the next morning and squeezing my hand. My heart burst with love as he told me he was hungry and tired and wanted to know when we were going to be able to go home. As any of my Mom friends can attest to, seeing your child in pain is one thing, but if you ever see your child fight for his life, you have seen one day too many.
This wasn't just over with the discharge from the hospital. You have to remember that his father gave him the cookie. Wade felt guilty; a guilt that no Daddy should ever have to feel.  He didn't mean to do it; it was an accident. Owen doesn't remember that night, thank goodness, but he does remember the cookie. And he remembers the days and months after of being sick and eventually (6 months later) being diagnosed with asthma because his lungs never fully recovered from the reaction. He actually shys away from cookies now because he does know what can happen.
Our baby is still alive, but the lesson from this story is that ignorance can cause death. The mother that ignored the signs and reminders that were posted everywhere that there to be no peanut products included in the cookies.. the mother that put my child's life in danger.. She chose to bring those cookies. She chose to ignore the warnings. She could have killed my child. Food allergies are dangerous, but equally as dangerous is not being careful. We learned many lessons that night, but the most important is that we need to be diligent to teach Owen how to live in a peanut world. It's everywhere, and no matter how determined I am to keep him safe, I cannot possibly get rid of the peanut industry (although I would love to). So, I prayed and determined that the lesson I could take from God in all this was that it is my job to make sure anyone I have contact with is educated and knows how severe food allergies can be.
Food allergies are dangerous. Food allergies can kill. Be alert. Be safe. and Be AWARE.

You want me to put what where and do what?

I believe my title says it all. So, I have worked super hard to get control of my eating, as many of you know, but I felt like it was time to start working on the whole exercise thing. Yes, that was the only 8 letter word that I considered worse than cursing. But I have been walking and added working out last Thursday. Doing really good and decided to plunge right into the P90X workout that Wade decided it was time to get.
Tony is his name. He's actually quite motivating. Another friend of mine thinks he's annoying. I can see that, but I marvel at his form and yeah, well, he does have a body that reminds me of a Greek god. I'm not looking to get ripped, although, that would be really cool one day. I'm looking to get fit, and P90X does that for people. Am I ready to do all the workouts, heck no!! I don't know a skinny person ready to do all the workouts. After doing some of the "easier" (Whatever) workouts the past few days, I decided to suck it up and start the actual process today. I did chest and back as well as the ab ripper. HOLY CRAP. While my calves are hurting from yesterday's jump roping exercises, thanks to You Tube (Great place to get workouts btw), I have to say my arms are already sore and my abs will never be the same.  I had no clue I even had muscles in some of those places!!
But I'm one step closer to the right direction. I am sure it would please Bob (yeah, I'm a Biggest Loser fan) to know that I'm starting the process and working hard.
So tomorrow is another day, and I can't wait to see what plyometrics are. I think I am in for some insanity tomorrow ;-) I will have to update you when I survive and if I can still walk when this is all over.

Thank you!

Today is a day to thank our service men and women who have found victory on the battle field. That being said, I do not wish to offend by saying the rest of this, but this is NOT a day to celebrate!!!
As an American, I can say that it is most satisfying to know that there are great individuals out there protecting our country and doing their job. For that, I am very thankful. As a Christian, I cannot help but think that God is a little sad today.

The Bible says that God never rejoices at the death of the wicked. "Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’" Ezekiel 33:11
If we are to be Christlike, then we must not rejoice in the death of Bin Laden, the death of the unsaved. It is a sad thing when someone dies and goes into Hell. No Christian who has God's love in their heart should be glad to see anyone go to Hell. Many people rejoice that sinners are burning, but God is not pleased about it. God does not want ANY soul to perish in Hell.
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9

I know this isn't popular thought today, but I can't help but be sad with God today. I see His tears in our rain. I say a prayer to thank God for the individuals who protect our country and even those who have "brought down the enemy," but I will not choose to celebrate the death of a sinner and the condemnation to Hell.