Peanuts vs.Tree Nuts

Being back to reality isn't so bad after all. The boy is doing just fine without me, and our day off together yesterday was fantastic. I am looking forward to another fun day with him tomorrow. My office mate seems really nice. Luckily for me, she doesn't like peanut butter but ... she does like almonds and asked if it would be o.k if she snacked on them in the office when I am not there (don't start hating her yet for asking this question!).

This beings me to the ultimate Peanuts vs. Tree Nuts dilemma. I am allergic to peanuts only, but I stay away from tree nuts in the same way I do with peanuts. I know this doesn't make sense to many people but to me this is what I am comfortable with. So when she asked me if she can snack on almonds when I am not there I initially didn't know what to say. After thinking about it for a few seconds, I said yes. If someone asked me not to eat Watermelon near them because they were allergic to Honeydew I would probably wonder if they are for real! Since I do go about my life as though I am allergic to tree nuts even though I'm not, I almost feel like I should have told her no for the almonds, but I just couldn't justify a reason.

I'm addressing this topic because I am curious what non allergic readers would you do if their office mate had an allergy to their favorite food (ex. office mate allergic to fish and your favorite lunch meal is sushi take out?).

:)

J.

Back to work

So, my mat leave is officially over. I am heading back to work tomorrow. FYI I am a Social Worker. I keep telling myself that since I am going back part time it will be fine. If I got a dollar for everyone who asks me (in a sympathetic tone), "how are you feeling about going back" I'd be rich!
Now that I have to be at my desk in less than 12 hours, I am starting to freak out. Not in a bad way, I am not worried about the boy at all. He will be well taken care of. I am worried about things other people don't have to worry about. While I was making lunch for tomorrow (because there is no safe place around my office to grab a sandwich from), I was thinking about how my allergy really impacts every aspect of my life. I packed some lysol wipes in my bag because I am going to have to clean my desk, computer and phone, since god knows what the person before me has eaten and touched. I made mental note to buy a new Epipen to leave in my secretary's office as a back up in case I have a reaction at work and people don't know where I keep my purse. I will have to explain my allergy to my office mate who I have never met before (I am hoping PB sandwiches are not her staple lunch food). I will have to remind my teammates of my allergy, AND I will have to actually work for the first time about a year and a half! I'll let you know how it goes!
:)
J

Don't Take it Personally

One of my “rules” is that I will only eat somewhere when I am 100% comfortable that it is a peanut free environment.

Being a mom with an allergy has led me to be stricter with my rules. This is because one of my biggest fears in life is having a reaction while I am with the boy. Now that I am a mom, I am in more social situations and I find myself explaining my allergy to more and more people and telling them not to take is personally when I don’t eat in their homes.

The boy and I have been in a playgroup with other adorable babies and their moms for about 6 months now. We rotate homes weekly and the hostess is responsible for serving lunch. All my new mom friends have been accommodating and careful in ensuring that their meals are peanut free, but despite these efforts I still bring my own lunch. I trust that they did their best to ensure a peanut free meal, but I still don’t take any chances. I often find myself apologizing for not eating, or making up an excuse of sorts. Sometimes I make myself a plate, don’t touch it and eat a sandwich in the car because I feel so guilty that they tried so hard to accommodate me!

My old friends and my new friends are all completely understanding about my allergy, and I want to thank them and my family for going to such great lengths to make me feel comfortable in their homes. As per this blog entry’s title, I ask everyone out there to not take it personally when I choose to eat my bagged lunch instead!

J

J.

Hello my name is Jennifer, and I'm allergic to Peanuts.

Sometimes I feel like this is how I should introduce myself. Especially when I am at a social gathering where people are kissing each other hello and goodbye, or when i'm with clients or colleagues who bring snacks into meetings. I always explain that my allergy is the reason I may not shake someone's hand, or kiss someone hello (in case they just ate peanuts of course!). 9 out of 10 times , this leads into a 15 minute discussion about allergies. The same converstaion that I've had over and over again.


Anyways, I am allergic to peanut's, and have been since I was 2 years old. Considering it was 1982 at the time, there was no such thing as "may contain labels", peanut free schools, even Epipens didn't exist. My mother threw out the peanut butter, and life went on. I look back now and seriously wonder how I didn't have a reaction throughout my entire childhood. I consider myself to be very lucky. I ate at ice cream parlors (always asked to wash the scoops), friends houses, restaurants (my mother would always advise the servers), I went to overnight camp, embarked on many plane rides where they served peanuts, I did after school activities and the list goes on. One might read this and thing my parents were irresponsible, they were not. They always looked out for my allergy, but the awareness that is around today did not exist in the 1980's. As time went on, and allergy awareness grew, I became more and more careful.

This brings me to the reason I decided to start this blog. I have searched and found several blogs about Mom's who have children with allergies. Most of these blogs speak of the trials and tribulations these mothers have experienced in raising their allergic children, but none of these blogs speak about what is is like to be allergic and pregnant, or what it is like to be an allergic mom.

So there it is, My name is Jennifer, and I'm allergic to peanuts.

Blogging is very new to me. In fact, I barely even follow any other blogs! Please join me on my journey of becomming the newest member of the blogging community. I will try to post regularly, however I have a 10 month old, and I am going back to work in 2 weeks so please have some understanding!

:)

J.