Is soy milk safe for PA (peanut allergy) kids?

So in addition to having a life-threatening peanut/almond allergy, Connor is also allergic to milk. Seems like an easy fix. Give him soy milk. They even make vanilla and chocolate flavored soy milk for a treat. And soy ice cream. Problem solved, right? I wish.

I had planned to keep Connor on his soy toddler formula for a while longer because it was better for him, easier to tote around with us, and I knew it was safe. Only problem is the nearest store that carries it is over 60 miles away. Not so convenient. So I called his allergist and asked if it was okay to switch him over to soy milk, since he is still pretty sensitive to dairy. They said it was fine, so off to the grocery store I went.

Now I myself am a big fan of Silk's chocolate soy milk, so I reached for a carton of their vanilla flavored to try him out on. For some reason my mommy alarms started going off, which prompted me to read the label. I was glad I did when I saw that it may contain almonds because Silk also makes almond milk and apparently there's enough of a chance of cross-contamination for them to put a warning on their label. I'm glad they did, though, otherwise our evening could have been frighteningly eventful.

I put the Silk back and reached for the brand next to it, which was Safeway Organics, distributed by Safeway's dairy brand, Lucerne. The label didn't list any allergens, including soy (hello, it's soy milk!)*I didn't want to take any chances, so I called the customer service number on the side. While circling the store with two kids in tow listening to elevator music while on hold. Twenty, count them, TWENTY minutes later the lady that has placed me on hold off and on while researching this told me that the information was not available to her and she would have to contact the distributor and get back to me within 2 business days. So, what, I'm supposed to camp out with my kids and my grocery cart in the dairy section of Safeway and not give my one-year-old a bottle until you find the information that's supposed to be clearly labeled on all of your cartons? Sounds fantastic. Not!

By this time I am incredibly frustrated, the kids are getting restless, and I still have no soy milk. I return to the dairy case to put the Safeway carton back, after all I'm not going to chance it, and I see this little carton with a sunshine on it, and lo and behold, it's soy milk. I cross my fingers and dial the customer service number, where a cheery gal tells me she doesn't think it's an issue but would like to double check. Less than two minutes later she's back on the line saying she's confirmed that there are no nuts anywhere in their facilities, and then asked if I would like for her to send me some coupons in the mail. She also referred me to their website for more information on their products and where I can find them. I think I've found our solution. Finally.

Connor made the switch to soy milk that night without any problems, gave up the formula cold turkey. I was even able to mix in some Nesquik powder and give him a chocolate milk treat when he wasn't feeling well. We've gone through several cartons already, and thankfully there are at least two different stores in our small town that carry it, so we'll always have a back-up.

In case you're wondering what our miracle soy milk brand is, it's 8th Continent Soy Milk and I have been nothing but pleased with it. Visit their website at www.8thcontinent.com for more information and to find out where you can find their products in your town.

Whew. All this drama in the dairy section makes me want a snack. Ooh, a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup would really hit the spot right now. I'll just grab a few...oh wait, I can't do that. Check please!

*I'm not 100% clear on allergen labeling laws and regulations, but I think if a product contains enough of any of the major allergens it has to be clearly labeled below the ingredients list. There may be exceptions for things that are obvious, i.e. cheese doesn't need a milk label, soy milk doesn't need a soy label, but I'm not sure. Most of the other brands I checked listed soy as an allergen, so if it doesn't list something that I know for sure is in it, I can't help but wonder what else they're not listing, so when in doubt, check 'em out!

Where It All Began

For my son's first Valentine's Day, my mother-in-law got him an adorable puppy-shaped box of chocolate covered animal crackers. Since he finally got a few chompers, and the cookies were small (about the size of a quarter), I decided to let him have one during playtime. A few minutes later I noticed my usually laid-back boy was fussing and clawing at his face and eyes. Upon closer examination I saw his face was covered ear to ear with little raised bumps, and his hands and eyes were puffy. I got him to the doctor's office right away, and they said it was an allergic reaction to something he ate and to see his regular doctor the next day. They also said that as bad as this reaction was and as quick as it happened, the first reaction is never the worst. It's the second and subsequent reactions that are far more severe than the initial reaction. I took the box of cookies with us, and on the ingredients list it said Contains: Milk. It then had a little disclaimer that said "Manufactured in the same facility that processes peanuts." His regular doctor referred us to an allergist in the city, and we had an appointment the next week. This is when my life changed forever.

On his big sister's sixth birthday, my little man was being poked in the back dozens of times for an allergy test. Within minutes I was told that he was allergic to milk, eggs, almonds, and peanuts. Peanuts. The one allergen we had been dreading since the whole ordeal started. Keep in mind that the cookie Connor reacted to didn't actually have any nuts in it. It touched something that also touched a product with nuts in it. The doctor told us the importance of keeping Connor away from not only peanuts and almonds, but all nuts, as they are usually processed in the same facilities, which leads to cross-contamination. He then gave me a prescription for Epi-Pens. Notice the plurality. We don't get just one. We have two. And it's not so we can keep one at home and one in the car. We have to keep them together at all times because if he ever needs them and we are more than 25-30 minutes away from a hospital, he will need a second dose. And did I mention you have about 30 seconds to get the first dose into him before he goes into anaphylactic shock? Keep in mind we're talking about a baby. MY baby.

That night I picked up his prescription and sat my husband down with the informational DVD and training devices to learn how to use the pens appropriately and become comfortable with them so we would be ready, willing, and able to perform the heart wrenching job were it ever necessary. After the initial shock wore off, I had time to sit down and think some harrowing thoughts:

- If the cookie only came into contact with the same surface as a cookie with nuts, what would have happened to him if I had shared a peanut butter cookie with him at a coffee shop?

- If the reaction to cross-contamination would be more severe next time and the times after, how severe is contact with an actual peanut product going to be?

- I am now going to have to rely on the honesty and completeness of big corporations and their nutrition labels. And that could determine whether or not my son stays out of the hospital, or worse.

I don't know if reaction by cross-contamination is less severe than a reaction with say, a peanut butter cookie, but I do know that with my little one, even the slightest trace of peanut breaks him out in hives pretty quickly. We haven't had to use the Epi-Pens, and my hope is that we never will. From now on I will have to be vigilant in reading, contacting, and even cooking and baking my own safe-foods at home to prevent any kind of reactions.

And you have no idea how bad you start jonesing for a peanut butter sandwich or some chocolate peanut butter ice cream after four months of not being able to touch the stuff. Not to mention peanut butter cups, peanut or peanut butter M&Ms, Hershey's with Almonds, etc.

Are you the next inmate?

For those of you who are wondering what a nut-free asylum is, here's a breakdown. There are many different terms for the word "crazy" that have to do with nuts...nuttier than a squirrel, headed to the nut house, gone completely nuts, etc. Well, my son is deathly allergic to peanuts, meaning we have had to make the switch to a nut-free household. Pair that with the fact that being a stay-at-home-mom with two kids, a husband, and a dog leaves me feeling like I belong in an asylum, it's not too far of a stretch to get to nut-free asylum. There's your lesson for the day.

I chose to start this blog for several reasons. One, to maybe help parents who are going through the same things I am. Two, to educate people who think that a peanut allergy is "not that big of deal". Three, to feel like I actually have something to do that does not involve boogers, diapers, dishes, homework, or bleach :-) I've always enjoyed writing, and while these tales might not be as captivating as Mark Twain or Ernest Hemingway, and surely aren't as creative as my poetic high school days, perhaps they will give someone somewhere some insight into my world.

Come along for the ride, and BYOSJ!!!! (Bring your own straight jacket!)