Another Food Allergy Death?

[CMdeux]

Patients-- or parents-- may fail to absorb the full gravity or import of a physician's words for any number of reasons, however.  That is unfortunate-- tragically so in cases where the information is related to a life-threatening condition-- but it isn't criminal of either the physician OR the patient.

It's just very very sad-- and I think that most good physicians would give up an arm to know the exact magic words to use so that they are VERY clearly understood by patients 100% of the time.

In any case, we have no idea what passed between the family and their physician.  It is certainly heartbreaking that this family didn't understand that their child's life was in jeopardy from his food allergy either way.   

[Macabre]

It is amazing the number of people--many of us here--say that the doctor didn't tell them that it could lead to a fatality. Even allergists.

I know in my experience, our allergist--a well known name--didn't think we needed to get DS tested--didn't think it was that bad and did not prescribe an Epi (however, I know he is NOT that frame of mind anymore. He would never ignore reaction history like he did DS' now--or even a year after this happened.  I doubt he made the same mistake many more times. This was 1999 or 2000, and I know DS' age was the first sizeable wave of peanut allergies.) 

I made the next appointment with his partner.  Dr. #1 didn't see patients on Fridays because he played golf, and I insisted on a Friday appointment so we could see his partner--younger and with many small children himself. He did a test, and before he let us go, he gave us an EpiJr script a FAAN card (if that's what they were then) that had the code words for peanut and a list of where peanut might show up. It was credit card-sized.  And he told us to avoid Asian restaurants and ice cream parlors always. He told us anaphylaxis could be fatal.  He did this based on reaction history, and two weeks later the ImmunoCAP confirmed it.

Had I not been adamant and not a little bit crafty, we may have ended up in a very bad situation.

[Macabre]

I was talking with DH about this.  He said for cookies you use a solid fat, like butter or shortening. Peanut oil would not have been used.

I hope that if it was cross contamination that this comes out.  It could be a very powerful thing if it did.  The idea of his consuming peanut oil in the cookie will be brushed off because people can ask about that. But people do not get cross contamination.  Bakeries don't get it. Family friends don't get it. 


His friend must feel just awful. And I bet the emergency respondent who told her not to give him the Epi does, too. But I really feel for his friend--in addition to his family, of course. 

This is absolutely tragic. 

[lakeswimr]

We also had multiple doctors give us incorrect or partial information and fail to let us know that our son had a potentially life threatening food allergy. Just yesterday a teen I know described her reactions to milk and they are obviously IgE.  She said she doesn't have an epi because her doctor doesn't believe you can be allergic to milk.  I know many adults who avoid their allergens without epis.  In the past doctors did not treat FAs the same way and even now there are many doctors who do not understand FAs.  There are many people who do not have insurance and can't got in to an allergist to get a proper diagnosis.  Certainly there are many people walking around who have FAs who have not been told that they are potentially life threatening, and many who haven't been given epi pens.  My son's former pediatrician didn't want to give me epi pens but I insisted just because I had heard my friend had them for her child.  so he wrote me a script for a single pen and told me it was unnecessary and overboard but he guessed it wasn't such a big deal to just have it in my purse.  I felt that I was being silly because of this and I certainly had no idea that DS's FAs were the serious type because of the response of that doctor and then later the first allergist we saw who told me I was worrying about nothing and that DS was fine.  I wasn't prepared when DS had his first big reaction.

I also feel very sorry for that friend and even for the first responder and my heart is broken for the family. 

[LinksEtc]

CM, that was stated so well ... exactly what I was thinking but wasn't sure how to say.

I also agree that many people are not warned/educated properly.  Many doctors/allergists do an excellent job, but others don't.

[my3guys]

Oh this poor family.  Just yesterday DS came home because a friend had given out bags of trinkets for st. patrick's day, and he was annoyed and kind of pushing me to eat it because it was "just a lollipop" but had no label, I didn't know the manufacturer etc.  I thought we'd come to a point where he wouldn't question this...but I guess it can come and go in cycles, and he hasn't had a reaction in a long time.  But with his MFA, no label, no eat. Period.  I don't think at this point he'd try something when I'm not around...but...he had me wondering yesterday.

So...since he was really pushing me -- I shared the story of this poor family. He "knows" that people can die from eating from an allergen, but hearing about someone who just did had quite the impact.

I credit the people who posted on our first board with hammering home this message which truly can be life-saving, not any doctor, and I will always be more grateful than words can express.

[504 Mom]

I was talking with DH about this.  He said for cookies you use a solid fat, like butter or shortening. Peanut oil would not have been used.

I hope that if it was cross contamination that this comes out.  It could be a very powerful thing if it did.  The idea of his consuming peanut oil in the cookie will be brushed off because people can ask about that. But people do not get cross contamination.  Bakeries don't get it. Family friends don't get it. 


His friend must feel just awful. And I bet the emergency respondent who told her not to give him the Epi does, too. But I really feel for his friend--in addition to his family, of course. 

This is absolutely tragic. 

I agree with this.  It does not sound like it was peanut oil.  It sounds like it was cross contamination.  And since peanut oil in cookies is very very very rare, people will miss the point.  Can anyone find me a reference saying that it was actually a cross contaminated cookie?  I have a 504 meeting tomorrow and we are currently "discussing" (i.e. disagreeing) on the fact that they think it is good enough to tell us that the meal at a school event held outside school will be peanut free---no access to a conversation with the chef or caterer, just the school telling us it will be peanut free is supposed to be good enough.

I would really like the correct information, which I believe is that the cookie was cross contaminated.  Can someone find this?  Thanks.