Your Best Mate- Allergies

Most people who carry EpiPens may have noticed the new and stylish holders that you receive when you register your EpiPen- all gone is the black, zipper pouch with the logo and in it's place is a stylish, bright mini backpack-looking holder that does cheer you up. BUT....yes, there is a but. As nice as this option is, try telling a 14 year old boy that this is still cool. Better than a fannie pack but still not as discreet as the long-lost Auvi-Q (read here). To be honest (because you know I am...I am from Jersey and I just have a big mouth) our family would not hesitate to use whatever shape or form epinephrine was available in the case of an allergic reaction. Who wouldn't?! But when your Freshman son with multiple food allergies starts hiding his EpiPen holder in his backpack and trying to leave the house and almost "forget" it then an alarm goes off inside of an allergy mom's head. My thoughts zoom to the countless deaths that have happened over the years because epinephrine was not on or near the people who needed it. I Then go into big mouth Jersey mode, begin my mom-rant and begin to loudly remind my son how he cannot, under any circumstances, ever be anywhere without all of his medications. Period. End of story. This is a deal breaker and should he try to pull a fast one on me, then I will promptly shut down his media outlets, lock him in the house until he is 35 and that will be that (Not really but I'm sure so many other parents have the same thoughts).

My son has multiple food allergies (eggs, peanuts, watermelon, shellfish, uncooked dairy and Prednisone) as well as asthma. This means always having two epinephrine auto-injectors, an asthma inhaler, antihistamine packets, a copy of his allergy plan and his MedicAlert bracelet. And honestly, this is a lot for any young person to have to accept each and every day. For the most part, until this year when he entered High School, he rarely complained about it (even through the fannie pack days). Not bad for a kid who has self-carried since Third Grade.

Always Find a Solution This is my philosophy with almost anything, but especially with food allergies. I am not that "woe is me" food allergy parent and I don't knock anyone who is because we all need to deal with food allergies in our own way. So after I was done with my second or third mommy rant, I decided to stop yelling and begin thinking. Then I got an email from AllerMates. I adore their products and I was excited when they asked if I would mind sharing my thoughts on a product of theirs. I was a little nervous since NutriSon is older and I wasn't sure if they were age-appropriate for him but then there is was- my solution! One of the products they offer is a solid black Allergy Medicine Carrying Case (happy dance). AND, it has room for an asthma inhaler as well! The same size of NutriSon's EpiPen holder but solid black...you know how teenagers love the color black to be cool. When it arrived, I even got approval from NutriSon and there was no coaxing or yelling involved. As you can see, the case from AllerMates also comes with an emergency contact information card and extra pockets to tuck away other necessities. There is an elastic strap to make sure NutriSon's inhaler stays put and doesn't float to and fro inside the case. Neat, organized, efficient and High School acceptable. I would share a picture of NutriSon wearing it but, as you probably have noticed, he is rarely in any of my pictures since he strongly dislikes photos.


Use Your Resources Another word of advice that I recommend to everyone. Food allergies can be confusing, overwhelming, frightening but they can also be a way to transform your life in a positive way. AllerMates also covers other resources that everyone may need to reduce that tension and share that they are there to help as well. Like what? How about all of this:


Photo courtesy of AllerMates

Be Your Own Mate The great thing about food allergies is that it can empower you to do great things. Always be proud of yourself or the person that you know who has food allergies- they are their own superhero (After all, who else has the superpower to defend themselves from a deadly food with knowledge and epinephrine)! Because everyone has their own way of gathering information, AllerMates can be reached in multiple ways: their website AllerMates.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube - choose one or choose all but most importantly, choose what will help you.

Photo courtesy of AllerMates
Thank you to AllerMates for reaching out to have me share my thoughts, I am honored to have been asked. I did not receive any compensation other than the product as my thoughts and opinions are my own.






Comments

  1. I think millions of peoples have breathing problem like bronchitis and this is very useful product,thanks for share,keep sharing and posting.

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