Sam's Story
A frank take on motherhood
and allergies (web exclusive)
By Samantha Yaffe
Entry 7: The Test is Negative!
“There’s nothing there.”
“Right, there’s nothing there.”
“I don’t get it, there’s not even milk.”
“Not even milk.”
“Oh, but what’s that little bump?”
“That’s the control test. Proves you didn’t give him an antihistamine before you came in today. That’s the bump you want to see.”
I’m stunned. Speechless. Even still confused. In fewer than five minutes, I’ve gone from being mother of two severely allergic little boys to mother of one 5-year-old riddled with allergies (peanuts, tree nuts, egg, mustard, poppy seeds, kiwi and environmental) and one 2-year-old who was allergic to milk, but now is unexpectedly, inconceivably, miraculously free.... More
the gluten-free girl
By Shauna James Ahern
Viva Italia!
So much more than pasta.
When my husband-to-be and I told people that we were going to Italy for our honeymoon, everyone had the same reaction. “What! That’s the land of pasta and pizza. You have celiac. What are you going to eat?” I smiled and said, “you’ll see.”
For months, I’d been doing research. On chat boards and blogs, dozens of people wrote about safe, spectacular meals in Milan and in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna.... More
ask the celiac expert
By Shelley Case, RD
Q I am trying to follow a strict gluten-free diet but breakfast is a real challenge... More
ask the allergists
With Dr. Susan Waserman
and Dr. Wade Watson
Q My daughter has an extreme allergy to tree nuts, and now there are so many soaps and lotions out there with shea nuts or shea nut butter or oil. I have never heard of this “nut” before. Is it a true nut? If it is, am I right to assume that my daughter should avoid the many products that contain it? More
editor's note
By Gwen Smith
Death of a Child
Thirteen-year-olds aren't meant to have obituaries. The recent one for Carley Kohnen read that "she passed away tragically at Summit Park, Victoria."
Carley, who was allergic to dairy products and peanuts, attended Lansdowne Middle School. The bubbly teen had been hanging out at the mall with her friends after school. She ate a burrito and then the group headed over to the park. Soon, Carley began struggling to breathe... More
hot topics
By Laurie Harada
Executive Director of Anaphylaxis Canada
I'll Keep My Allergies
EVERY school year, we are flooded by calls from parents who want to know when their allergic child should begin carrying his or her own epinephrine auto-injector. While the national consensus guidelines, Anaphylaxis in Schools & Other Settings, recommend 6 to 7 years of age, the fact is, this is not a hard and fast rule. We know of many children who are able to carry their devices at a younger age, as well as many older ones who do not carry them. A child’s ability to take on more responsibility will depend on many factors... More
