First it was pox parties, now it's...

[fireheart17]

peanut butter parties

Parents have been holding "peanut butter" parties out near one of the local hospitals to test to see whether their child has a nut allergy or not.

Your thoughts?

Personally I don't think this is a bad thing, although parents shouldn't be delaying introducing potentially allergic foods. Hell, I found out my allergy to penicillin when I was a baby. (we suspect I may have grown out of it, but nobody has been willing to test it while I'm sick)

Also at least with these parties, allergic reactions aren't catching

[Andara Bledin]

If you're not poor, the reasonable action would be to just take the kid in for an allergy battery. Safer and far more conclusive for a lot more things than just peanuts.

If you are too poor to get that test done properly, I don't think this is a particularly terrible idea. The thought that you're close to the hospital, so you can run the kid right in shows a decent amount of foresight. Plus having it be a group exercise so that should there be a reaction, there's less likelihood of panic and a much greater likelihood of a timely response.

I'd save up for the testing, myself, tho.

As for delaying introduction; one of the currently popular theories regarding the incredible increase in allergies, that early introduction to certain allergens is the cause. There appears to be a correlation between soy formula and later peanut allergies, but there's just not enough data for any conclusive results.

^-.-^

[fireheart17]

If you're not poor, the reasonable action would be to just take the kid in for an allergy battery. Safer and far more conclusive for a lot more things than just peanuts.
I'd save up for the testing, myself, tho.

It's not so much the cost-usually most allergists are hospital-based and if you get a referral from your GP, it's usually a lot cheaper or even free depending on your needs. It's more the waiting periods.

Short version on how Medicare works in Australia: most major services i.e. GP visits, chronic disease management, opthamology tests, hospital visits etc. are run through the public healthcare program. Other services such as dental, ambulance, eyeglasses and so on, are covered through private health insurance which isn't tied to a job.

[ExRetailDrone]

Interesting idea. It actually reminds me of something my husband has mentioned doing for me. I have never been stung by a bee/wasp/hornet/etc. So I have no idea whether I might be allergic. Therefore, I get super freaked out whenever I get buzzed by one of these bugs since I'm really nervous that I'll end up getting stung, and finding out I'm allergic, when I'm not in a location that is anywhere near a hospital. So, my husband has mentioned that we should sit outside a hospital at some point, he can catch a stingy bug, and have it sting me Then, if I were allergic, all we'd have to do is transport me the little ways to the hospital to get treatment. I asked my old allergy doctor about testing for the allergen, but was told that they don't test for that and I'd have to get stung first to know if I'm allergic I really need to ask another doctor at some point about that.

[bara]

I knew a guy that was so allergic to nuts he could potentially die within mere minutes.
Pretty stupid to cause your kid to die of shock or something cause you are to damn cheap to have them properly tested.


Dont get me wrong, I understand parents wanting to know if thier kid has an allergy, but if you dont have insurance, I dont think planning to expose them to something counts as a suitable alternative.

[Gravekeeper]

I knew a guy that was so allergic to nuts he could potentially die within mere minutes.
Pretty stupid to cause your kid to die of shock or something cause you are to damn cheap to have them properly tested.

Yeeeaaah, this for me is where this falls under amazingly Bad Idea(tm). Someone with a severe allergy to peanuts will go down neigh instantly. Close to the hospital or not, they'll be suffocating to death before you make it out the door.

[Andara Bledin]

Unless you live a life without peanuts at all or keep your baby in a bubble until you can have him tested, a kid with that great an allergy would have been hospitalized far before his second birthday.

^-.-^

[Gravekeeper]

Unless you live a life without peanuts at all or keep your baby in a bubble until you can have him tested, a kid with that great an allergy would have been hospitalized far before his second birthday.

Actually, for someone with a severe reaction, the first time they experience it can be what sets up the severe reaction for the next time. You can also have a severe reaction a few hours after having a minor reaction that seemingly goes away. As the first time is what gets the immune system all riled up. Then the second time is the freak out. Its also not really that hard to avoid peanuts directly and minor doses may only trigger minor symptoms to begin with. Some of which may not raise any red flags coming from a two year old.

As for baby in a bubble, not really that hard with an overprotective new parent.

My friend's girlfriend has this and she will just drop to the floor unconcious mid conversation if it hits her bad. She has two carry two hypos of adrenaline with her at all times in case she or someone else needs to stab her with them. There's no time for a hospital trip. >.>

[Panacea]

It's a terrible idea. So you get a bunch of kids together to have a "party" and expose them to peanuts to see who gets sick.

Don't know about you, but that would scare the crap out of me if someone actually DID get sick. Not worth the mental trauma, not to mention the hospital bill.

These are lay people who are playing with fire rather than getting the appropriate medical testing. And as Gravekeeper correctly notes, the first exposure may not be the one that kills you, but rather that sets you up for the big one, therefore what do you really learn from a peanut party?

Not a damn thing! At best it creates a false sense of security that can have deadly consequences.

If you're really that concerned, get tested.

If you're not poor, the reasonable action would be to just take the kid in for an allergy battery.

I've noticed it's not usually poor parents who fret about things like vaccines or peanut allergies. It's comfortably middle class parents with enough time to do some research on child rearing, but not enough education or common sense to sort fact from fiction.

[tropicsgoddess]

That's just insane...an allergy party?!! What the fuck are they thinking?!! A simple allergy test at the doctors should suffice to see if the kid is allergic to peanuts.

[FArchivist]

It's a terrible idea. So you get a bunch of kids together to have a "party" and expose them to peanuts to see who gets sick.

Don't know about you, but that would scare the crap out of me if someone actually DID get sick. Not worth the mental trauma, not to mention the hospital bill.

Not to mention the legal liability problems. Or the probable DFACS investigations.

[MaggieTheCat]

So, parents are too cheap or can't afford an allergy test, but paying possibly thousands of dollars in ER bills if their kid does have a bad reaction, plus meds (an EPI pen at the very least) after that, is okay. Right.

[Greenday]

Unless you live a life without peanuts at all or keep your baby in a bubble until you can have him tested, a kid with that great an allergy would have been hospitalized far before his second birthday.

^-.-^

We didn't find out my little cousin was allergic to peanuts until he was four. Ate a peanut M&M then he started wheezing and such.

It's really just blind luck. I honestly don't know how he was never exposed to peanuts before that but stranger things have happened I supposed.

Sounds like a ridiculously dangerous way to test for it. I understand the purpose of doing it near a hospital, but there are safer ways to test without risking death.

[Panacea]

So, parents are too cheap or can't afford an allergy test, but paying possibly thousands of dollars in ER bills if their kid does have a bad reaction, plus meds (an EPI pen at the very least) after that, is okay. Right.

It's like playing the lottery.

We didn't find out my little cousin was allergic to peanuts until he was four. Ate a peanut M&M then he started wheezing and such

My sister didn't find out about her peanut allergy until she was an adult with two kids.

She had decided to start eating peanuts again to "see if she was really allergic" but her husband and I convinced her not to.

Then the dumbass went to an Indian restaurant for lunch, forgetting that peanut oil and nuts are often used in cooking Indian cuisine. Big time allergic reaction, had to go to the hospital.

I berated her about not keeping her Epi pen up to date and warned her next time, it might kill her before she gets to the hospital if she doesn't start carrying her epi pen

[fireheart17]

So, parents are too cheap or can't afford an allergy test, but paying possibly thousands of dollars in ER bills if their kid does have a bad reaction, plus meds (an EPI pen at the very least) after that, is okay. Right.

Quick clarification: unless kiddo needs an ambulance, ER visits down in Australia are free if you're on Medicare (which about 99% of the population are-if you're a permanent resident or not an Australian citizen, you're boned). There's been talk of them charging a fee for non-essential cases (i.e. people rocking up to the ER with coughs and colds) but nothing's been done.

I think in this case, the parents are unaware that their friendly local GP can diagnose allergies if needed and run a couple of tests.