My son was diagnosed with a peanut allergy at the age of 5. I always had my suspicions, whether it was a maternal instinct or looking back a number of minor incidents, always coincidentally explained by another factor.
We are expats and my son was born in the middle east. When I weaned him, I tried him with peanut butter, but he refused to even smell it. It made me wonder and was always something which niggled at the back of my mind, however we used to always have peanuts in the house. I would eat them, prepare his food after handling them and kiss and cuddle him. There was never seemed to be a problem, so I pushed away the niggle and continued with life. Loving and caring for him, subconsciously never actually giving him peanuts, but not really thinking too much of it.
That was until he had his first known reaction. A bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes resulted in the swelling of the eyes and later in the night, an anaphylactic shock. Further tests assumed my original suspicions. I have a child with an allergy to peanuts.
Reflecting on past events, we noted it was perhaps not his first reaction. Reactions which were not serious and not much more than swollen eyes, but on reflection were early warning signs. Pictures of him at a party on a dusty day, put down to the weather; itchy eyes at home, put down to stroking the dog and in a pub surrounded by peanuts after sitting on hay bales, put down to hay fever.
Shorty after that first known reaction, my husband was offered a job in SE Asia. My thoughts turned to the peanut nation and how we would cope living somewhere where peanuts are in pretty much everything, peanut oil is used to fry your chips and the word allergy is unheard of. Were we going to have to live in a sterile box? We considered not moving, but why should a peanut allergy stop you from travelling the world? By not going would only teach my son that his allergy was a disability and would stop him from exploring and learning. Surely we could manage this allergy.
So that's what we do. We travel and we manage his allergy, teaching him not to be afraid, but to be wary and always ask questions. We are by no means experts and each day we learn more, but we travel and we learn and we live.
A few pointers to help travelling with allergies:
Start with research
Research the local food, names, ingredients, popular dishes.
Research the language, know the world for peanut in the language of the country you are travelling to.
Know where your nearest hospital is and the best way to get there. Ambulance may to always be the quickest way in countries with high volumes of traffic.
Pack your pens
Always travel with a minimum of two epipens and antihistamine. Always make sure all members of the family know where these are kept at all times and always make sure that everything is in date.
Plane travel
Planes are tricky, some planes have a no peanut rule, a lot don’t. You can’t control what people bring onto or eat on a plane, but you can make people aware and ask them for consideration.
In the past we have found that at check in the staff are usually uninterested in any allergies and dietary requirements, although it is worth mentioning if you remember. The best people are the gate staff and the stewards who greet you on the plane. These are the people who will make an announcement tot he passengers and make the decision not to serve peanuts if they can.
Budget air is more difficult to control and people often bring their own food on board. Don't travel budget air if you suspect your allergy to be airborne, but if you do travel budget, wipe down all surfaces like table trays, arms and seats. I am not sure if this makes a difference, but for me and my son, it helps us to feel more relaxed about the journey.
Hotels
Email ahead of time to let them know you’re coming. Explain the allergy and what you will need for your stay.
Ask to meet the Executive Chef.
On check in, remind the check in staff of your allergy and ask to speak to the chef again if possible.
Speak to guest relations on your meal options. Ask them to check with the kitchen items such as the oil used, breakfast items and any complimentary bar snacks etc.
Find out the nearest hospital and the best way to get there.
Restaurants
Before you order explain to the waiting staff.
When you order explain to the waiting staff again. Ask them to inform the chef. May sure they write it down next to the order.
Explain the dangers of cross contamination .
We stayed at a lovely hotel in Bali (Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and Spa), we met the executive Chef there, who took it upon himself to visit each of the kitchens and inform them we were staying in the hotel. All the staff took extra care to accommodate us, making our stay relaxed and peanut free.
