Children With Anaphylaxis Managing Their Anxiety – Episode #18
In this episode I briefly touch on one strategy that young children with anaphylaxis can use to manage their anxiety levels. The food allergy quick tip is about food ingredient contents always changing and a quick way to see if they really have changed or it’s just a mistake with the labelling.
Please forgive the green background, I was in a rush to record this episode before going to work and didn’t have time to setup the lighting, and then couldn’t remove the green very well in post production, so decided to leave it in for this week.
Talk soon
Aaron
Another great episode. This is an excellent topic and one I don’t hear discussed very often. Our PA son is not quite 5 but he is very aware of his allergy due to my vigilance. It is part of his daily life and ours too. Thankfully, there is something of a routine to it all now, and not the fear and nervousness he witnessed just after his diagnosis.
He’s an extremely affectionate child. But nowadays he is afraid to let friends hug him because he sometimes smells peanut butter on their breath. And you can see it makes him very nervous. Even at his young age, he remembers having trouble breathing during his big peanut allergic reaction.
Looking forward to episode 19!
good topic.
parental stress does rub off on children, and they absorb much more than we think.
as our son is 12 we try and include him in the ‘is it safe ‘ conversations.
when he was younger we found out that he used to listen to the ‘is it safe’ conversations between us , and ask very pointed questions later on.
so even if you think the kids cant hear you, they can, so back off on the non stop allergy conversations if you can when children are around.
Let the questions be led by the child. There is nothing wrong with being honest, but be practical, give tips on how to get around a problem.
focus on the positive, even when as a parent you dont feel that way.
my son has always been underweight, after all food is not such a passion for him.
I spend time cooking with him, preparing safe menus together for the whole family.
expect stress levels to rise for a considrable time after a reaction. being ultra careful for a while is a normal response.
stress that not every day is a allergy reaction day, and that for the vast majority the allergy management is going very well.
parents need to have a break, the lower your stress levels, the lower your childs.
good subject, thanks,
sarah
Great episode! My strategy is to learn to fight the « anxiety monster » my self in order to be a good model for my son. Like many allergic teenagers he says that his food allergy are not a problem for him. I don’t know if it is truly how he manage his anxiety.
I just linked to your website for the first time today. What a wonderful site , and as a mom of a 5 yr. old daughter with peanut and mustard seed allergies I am so appreciative of your info. Thank you The words you said are so true when it comes to the worry that goes along with this situation. Two yrs ago our Emily suffered anaphalaxis which stemmed from a touch of mustard accidentally on a piece of bread pretzel which she did not eat just tasted. We knew only of a peanut allergy after an extensive cap Rast test two months prior. So the shock of a reaction when there was no peanut in sight in my home was alarming. I used an epi jr (given 2 months prior for the peanut allergy) Thank God it reversed the situation ER trip 911 call and med for 1 week) She has been watched vigilantly by me for 2 yrs I am hoping that mustard will be labeled in USA where we reside. Thanks for listening . Keep up the great work!!! Thank you again Best of everything for all of our children’s health
What should I do if my bf has an anxiety attack? He hasn’t had problems since I met him (five months now), but in the past he has tolerated a lot due to anxiousness, and he still needs medication. A lot of stuff has been going on now (new house, grad school, etc…) and even though I think he’ll be just fine, he warned me in advanced that , or have an anxiety attack. What should I do?