As a parent of a child with multiple food allergies, I know how stressful life becomes when you or your child is first diagnosed. Suddenly you’re immersing yourself in the world of food allergies, trying to learn everything you can about this sometimes life-threatening condition.
You learn that you have to read every label in the grocery store, every time. You learn how to educate family members, friends, and childcare workers about how to keep your child safe. You learn about when to give an antihistamine and when to inject a dose of epinephrine.
You figure out how to have that conversation with the parents of your child’s friends before they can have playdates without seeming like a nuisance. You’re working with your child’s school to develop Emergency Action Plans and 504 Plans.
You have to be constantly vigilant, and that worry and fear in the back of your head may never entirely go away.
You or your child may even have trauma related to an allergic reaction.
But there are ways to manage to stress of living with food allergies effectively. There are tools and strategies to help you and your child be as safe as possible, cope with anxiety and trauma, and still thrive in your day-to-day lives.
As a food allergy consultant, I work with you to develop the knowledge and practices that can minimize both your risks and your limitations so that you and your child can live as free and safe as possible.
If you’re struggling to cope with a food allergy issue, contact me so we can get you back in control of your life.
Food Allergy Resources
- Food Allergy Research and Education (www.foodallergy.org)
- Kids with Food Allergies: A Division of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (www.kidswithfoodallergies.org)
- Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT) (www.foodallergyawareness.org)
- Allergic Living (www.allergicliving.com)
- AllergicChild (www.allergicchild.com)