Peanuts and tree nuts are different animals, and different allergies. They are not in the same family - peanuts are a legume. If he were to have a peanut allergy, the answer to this question would depend on whether he reacts. Generally, "they say" that peanut oil is okay (not cold pressed), because of the production. But everyone has a different comfort level on that one, and some people react despite the peanut oil being "okay." DS clearly reacts to ChickFilA - hives around the mouth, and throat/breathing issues. So peanut oil is not okay for him. But he's allergic to both peanuts and tree nuts, among other things, not just tree nuts.

Just an FYI: we are watching this on Amazon (not Prime, it's $1.99 per episode, but well worth it IMO) - no commercials. In case anyone is dying to see it sans commercials. :)

:grouphug: Thinking of you today!

Yes, all very true. It looks like there's a trip to the allergist in your near future. I would definitely make sure he avoids all nuts in the meantime, and your regular doc may Rx an epipen, just in case, while you're waiting to see the allergist. In fact, I would ask for that, since reactions can change drastically from episode to episode, and may worsen quickly. Please do ask for an epipen while you get this sorted out. ETA: it is not unusual for a person to be allergic to one type of tree nut, or only a few, but to state "allergy to tree nuts" because there is so much potential for cross contamination in packaging, etc, or cross reactivity between nuts. DS was allergic to most tree nuts till he was a bit older, and is now primarily allergic to only 2, but our allergist is adamant that we avoid them all, and will not even do an in-office challenge of the others because the risk is so high. DS may be a different animal though, as he has many LFTAs, and a long history of anaphylaxis.

We were glued to it. I thought he did an excellent job!

Every time I see this thread title, my brain immediately jumps to Spiderwick Chronicles and house brownies who must be appeased with crackers and honey. :)

I hope so. :) (No facebook here, so the other option sounds nice but it's a no go here.)

I use On the Table. It imports recipes, and makes shopping lists. It also uses your local grocery store's sales flyers to make meal suggestions using items on sale. I have the lifetime membership but I paid $0 for it. If you google for coupon codes, several will come up. They will appear to be expired - but try them anyway. :) My coupon code was expired, and worked fine. I also have MacGourmet, but never use it any more. ETA: Sorry, it's called Food on the Table, not "On the Table" ... Oops!

Yes, this is true. My DSS is bipolar 2, and he has no manic swings. He is either depressed to some degree (his "normal" - which doesn't look like what I'd call depression at all, really, though it's not a normal state either) or terribly depressed and possibly suicidal. Some of the OP's comments have made me wonder if her DH might not fall into this category, too. Depression is treatable. Bipolar is treatable, too, but in my (limited) experience it is trickier than depression. OP, I hope that your day went as well as possible, and that you'll have an update for us soon. We are all thinking of you with concern.

I just heard on the radio that they are looking at the possibility that the plane's computer system was controlled by an outside source, and that Boeing had been looking into/addressing this problem with their planes since 2012. It was a quick blurb on the radio, and I haven't seen much more about this theory. Has anyone else heard this, or is my news radio station donning a tinfoil hat here?

Mine are, too. :) We tried to go with Miss/Mr. Firstname, but it's just not acceptable around here, and all of our adult friends prefer first names only.

I think anything goes, too. Just be comfortable with it, and if you must change the rules as things progress - go less formal, rather than more. My MIL couldn't seem to make up her mind. We went with first names, as did her oldest daughter's spouse. That was fine and good for 12 years ... until the youngest daughter married, and her spouse is uncomfortable with anything other than Mr./Mrs. Lastname. MIL really likes that, and I think it's apparent that she'd prefer we all switch. I find it uncomfortable, after 12 years (now 15) of marriage, to revert to Mr./Mrs. Lastname, so I've fallen back on Grandma/Grandpa since the kids are usually around anyway. FWIW, she did always call her own MIL "Mrs. Lastname" so I think it's fairly natural that she feel this way. I just find it awkward, after so many years, to change what I call her.

Thank you. I just reread your post and realized your daughter is in college. How is that going? Is she able to eat? I worry about college, and how that will go with regard to eating. There is just so much we have to think about! Her friends sound fabulous, by the way. :) It gives me hope. DS is 10, but honestly, how do we ever get to the point of things like dating? He and I have talked about it, and he's got a good understanding of his allergens (one is often an ingredient in lipstick) ... he's not worried about kissing anyone except for avoiding Great Aunt Sally's kisses (that give him hives) at the moment, but seriously?? Can you imagine a teenage boy saying, "Hold on, let me read the ingredients of your lip gloss before our first kiss!"??

Oy. Well, at least misery loves company. I'm grateful to know we're not alone in this. Yesterday, after the latest grocery store reaction ... I felt completely alone. :( I'm hoping for more alternatives re: treatment soon, too, Dana. Our kids need more than this. Lolly, your kiddo sounds a lot like mine. It's easier to list the foods he *can* eat than the foods he can't. The only environmentals he didn't test positive for were mold and dust, oddly. Everything else was overwhelmingly positive. There's always something. And the airborne food stuff is just so darn hard to pinpoint. I think I'll check into masks and gloves.

I've always felt it was money well spent. Again, though, I have no comparison, if you're looking for a comparison to HEAV - I've never attended HEAV, and likely would not, as based on what I've heard in the past - I think VA Homeschoolers is a better fit for our family. But I do know that DH has always attended with me, and enjoyed it. So that's 2 opinions, FWIW. :) I'm disappointed that we won't be there this year, and wouldn't hesitate to pay the fee if we could schedule it.

I've been, and love it. I don't attend HEAV, so can't compare the two, but have always enjoyed VA Homeschoolers. Great conference, usually great speakers and a good experience. Envious of any one going this year, our schedule conflicted this year!

Buy them in the format they'll be used. If they can't be replaced that way, convert them to a format you can use. Then freecycle or donate them. That's what we've done, not sure if there are better ideas out there. But just think - getting them out of your house means reclaiming some square footage! Yay!

Yes, it is absolutely isolating and lonely. :( Just to hear that someone else is agonizing over this is helpful, thank you!

Another Earth Balance family here.

DS has multiple LFTAs. He also has many, many environmental allergies that induce asthma, along with a few IgE mediated food allergies that have not caused anaphylaxis but do cause an increase in asthma/eczema, and the allergist has us avoid them because they could easily become anaphylactic. He has OAS to most raw foods, too. So we have a complex history. He's had several reactions that were clearly airborne. One was nuts - we think - in a store at Hershey Park. Another when I made lentil soup - that was particularly frightening (lentils often cross react with peanuts). That reaction was a near epipen event. As a young child (toddler), he always had a tough time in our grocery store. He would become glassy eyed and space out. We figured out the nut and seed allergy issue, and stopped frequenting the areas with the bins of loose nuts. That helped with that issue, and it didn't seem very pressing any way. More recently he held the cart, then bit his nails (bad, I know) - and had a reaction in the store. It was near the holidays, they might have been handing out samples with nut products, who knows? Another near epipen event, though getting out of the store and a hefty dose of benadryl (plus watching him like a hawk) solved it. Another time we were near the cooking area (it's a Wegman's with lots of prepared foods on one side of the store). We were arranging a catering order for a party, so we were spending some time talking to the managers. That time required emergency inhalers, benadryl, and leaving the store. We sat on a bench outside with the epipens in hand for a half an hour. Yesterday, we ran in to Wegman's again. It's a big store, so we stayed away from the nuts. He did not touch his face or mouth (learned his lesson on that one!), and we didn't go near the side with cooking foods. But within 15 minutes he was rubbing his eyes vigorously and clearly starting to react, though it didn't get to the extreme as the other times. DH took him out of the store while I finished. So... Now what? Obviously there's a problem with this store. We can make accommodations to a degree - when DH is in town, he will go in without the kids. But that's the only place that carries some of DS's allergy-friendly foods so we really need to go in that store occasionally. Any ideas about what could be causing this? This type of stuff worries me. We are trying to help him become more independent re: allergies. He has to learn to exist in a world full of his allergens. What can we do? We make so many accommodations... We haven't been to see my mom in 4 years because the last time we saw her, he ended up in the hospital (she has a cat, and that's how we learned he's severely allergic to cats - I didn't even know one could have an anaphylactic reaction to cats!!)... How is he going to be an adult and shop for food, or have a girlfriend, or ... ??? I don't know if I'm asking for practical advice (which would be nice), emotional support or just to hear that someone else has been here. We are really struggling! Any words of wisdom?

We are, too. Though I confess to hiding in the house with coffee, pretending it will shovel itself.

Wow! I had no idea. That picture is priceless. Sharing this with DS. I'm glad I didn't know this way back in college, when I did an 80 mile canoe trip through the everglades. :eek:

I agree with the above. And I also think that it's difficult for a parent to be "happy" about what one sees as a poor life choice. We can be supportive, we can be loving, but it would be hard to be thrilled in all circumstances. I think expecting someone else to be "happy" is too much, but expecting kindness and (emotional) support from family is appropriate. In particular, I'm thinking of a family member who rushed into marriage, despite being advised/asked to wait till college graduation, then 2 years later announced a pregnancy (still before college graduation). This person never did graduate, partly as a result of that pregnancy (at least, that's the excuse that is used), and it has impacted his ability to provide for his family for the past almost 20 years. His parents met the news with white faces (the kind where the mom needs a chair and a glass of water) and then they rallied around him. While they were supportive and loving, they were sad to see their son making the choice he did, especially so close to graduation. Another person, perhaps, would have graduated and gone to grad school as planned, but it was clear that this particular person would not.

Tooth fairy here leaves historical action figures. :001_rolleyes: Oh, and sometimes coins from different countries. That's always fun!

I'm with you . Sick of snow! On the bright side, the leprechauns came to visit turned our snow green. Pesky leprechauns.