Gluten Free (and other allergens free) at The Q

Saturday night the fam and I went to Quicken Loans Arena to see the Lake Erie Monster's play. Older Boy had received tickets as a birthday present courtesy of my Sister In Law. We had not been to a Lake Erie Monster's Game (even though I loved hockey in college and had been to many an Erie Panther's game).

Knowing that the game was going to be a snacking pitfall, I called ahead to see if there was anything safe at The Q for the Little Man's allergies. When I called the number listed on the site, I got the ticket people who couldn't help me and they tried to transfer me but some how I got disconnected. So I sent then a note via the Contact Us Page and I also Tweeted the The Q Girls to see if there was a better phone number I should call.
The next day, a very helpful person who is in charge of concessions at The Q called me back to let me know that there are few things there safe for the Little Man's allergies. At Section 123 on the Main Concourse there is a stand called "Just For Me" and it has gluten free, nut free, dairy free, Kosher, etc. options. The options are limited and they change all the time so what you have one time, may not be there the next time with the exception of Lays Stax Potato Chips. Almost everything is prepackaged so there is a label that you can read. I was pleased that if nothing else, he could have Minute Maid Lemonade and Lays Stax.
The night we went was "Brown's night" and there was a record crowd trying to get autographs from some very popular Brown's players. As luck would have it the "Just For Me" stand was right across from the players so things were a bit chaotic to say the least. We got the lemonade and Stax chips. We also got Surf Sweets jelly beans. I noticed that they had Larabars there, but although those are gluten free, they have nuts so they are not safe for the Little Man. There were hot dogs and if things weren't so chaotic I would have inquired about them. I'm pretty sure they were Sugardale (which are allergy safe for us) but I don't have any information about cross contamination since I didn't ask. There may have been more but the sticker shock of $15.50 for the chips, lemonade, and candy clouded my vision to any other options. Don't get me wrong. I was glad to buy him something at any cost. I was just surprised at how much those items where. I did notice that they had Redbridge GF beer at this stand too. I have no idea how much it cost since my son is only six years old, but if you are of legal age and gluten free, you can drink some brew at The Q.
Another little trick for those of you going to The Q with food allergies. They will search your bags and purse and outside food is not allowed in. But they don't search your pockets. So if you happen to stick a few Enjoy Life Cocoa Loco Bars or GF Crispy Rice Bars in your pocket, you can get them through security with no problem (I'm just sayin').

All in all I was impressed and thankful that The Q has the "Just For Me" stand. And I was impressed at how quickly they called me back. The Monster's game was a fantastic time. Aside from one gentleman by us that may have overindulged a bit, it was a very kid friendly event.

Survey for WEGO Health

Did you take the WEGO Health survey? https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3VWHHQP It only takes 10 min & there's prizes (1 winner gets an iPad)

Want to win an iPad? Take This Survey For A Chance...

WEGO Health would like your opinion on how you use technology for your health.
You don't need a blog to take the survey.
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Just take the survey CLICK HERE
and let us know what you do.

We want to hear from ALL of you!

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All completed survey responses will be entered into a drawing to win an iPad, one of three iPod Touches, or one of 200 iTunes gift cards!

The survey takes about 10 minutes AND IS OPEN TO ANYONE.
Good Luck! I hope you win :)

Iceland (also known as Ohio)

There was a winter storm warning last night. We were supposed to get 6-12 inches of snow. Instead we got this:

This tree is supposed to be NEXT TO the sidewalk on ON it.

This is not a Weeping Willow Tree. It's my 10 foot tall River Birch. It's done this before and I hope that it bounces back again.

The power went out at 1:30 AM and is still off. I've also been awake since 1:30 AM so that should make today even more interesting. Right now I'm thankful that the boys were already off of school today for Presidents Day and I'm thankful for our small generator that is running our heat and water.

Hope the weather is better where you are! If not, be safe.

And The Winner Is...

The Winner of the Allergic Girl Book contest is...

Sarah B @ Allergy Free Baking.

Congratulations Sarah!!

Email me your details and I'll make sure that Allergic Girl sends the book your way.

Enjoy :)

The 100th Day of School

The 100th day of school was actually last week. I'm a little slow on the uptake. But here is the Little Man in his "old man" outfit. The kids all looked wonderful in class. It was cute seeing 19 mini "old people" running around.

Want a free copy of Allergic Girl's new book? Leave me a comment HERE (you don't have to be a blogger, just leave me an email address so I can get a hold of you).

Showing The Love & A Contest

It's Valentine's Day, the day of love.

الحب, Liefde, l'amour, amore, el amor, αγάπη, אהבה, miłość, LOVE

Have you seen the trailer of Allergic Girl's new book? If you haven't, you need to check it out (if you have, it's so cute, it won't hurt to see it again). You can find the trailer here.

In one part of the trailer, Allergic Girl says that she wrote the book for "Food allergic people and those that love us".

The trailer shows Allergic Girl explaining her food allergies to her date. My son is only six years old. He's a little young to date (although he's had a "fiancée" since he was 2 years old). I'm talking about a different kind of love today.

My son feels the love when he is included. This could be something small like when a classmates mom brings in a baggy full of Hershey Kisses for him when the other kids are having cookies. Or it could be something larger like when family friends go out of their way to buy safe snacks and prepare a safe dinner so that when they invite us over for a dinner party, we can all eat the same foods....safely.

Friends of ours have children the same age as mine. Their son is one day younger than my oldest and their daughter (who happens to the Little Man's "fiancée") is 10 days younger than the Little Man. They are lovely people and they go above and beyond to show him the love. Neither of their children have food allergies, but they have both been trained on how to use the Epi Pen and have tried to learn what it takes to keep my son safe. I feel more than comfortable with my son going to their home without me. They have also gone out of their way to find out what safe foods he can eat and how to prepare those foods and snacks for him whenever we are there. The mom will call me in advance of any dinner party or birthday party to double check brands to make sure nothing has changed or to double check food prep to make sure that I am comfortable with what she is doing. I know the Little Man appreciates the extra steps that they take to keep him safe and include him so that he can enjoy himself and be completely included in the celebrations. I appreciate it to. He's not the only one that feels the love. And I hope that our friends know that the love is returned to them, tenfold.

And to show some love to my blog readers, leave a comment with your positive love story and at the end of the week (February 18th) I will pick one lucky winner via random.org. The lucky winner will receive a copy of Allergic Girls new book Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well With Food Allergies . Whether you have food allergies or love someone who does, leave your comment for a chance to win.

For more on the book visit:

Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well With Food Allergies
Watch the Allergic Girl trailer

Read Please Don't Pass The Nuts, Allergic Girl's Blog
Follow Allergic Girl on Twitter
Find Allergic Girl on Facebook

Say Cheese

Guest Post by Henry Ehrlich one of the authors of Asthma Allergies Children: A Parents Guide


Say Cheese

By Henry Ehrlich

A new friend from the food allergy world recently wrote to me that her son had a severe bout of hives after she inadvertently gave him the wrong burrito, the one with cheese; he is dairy allergic and his sister isn’t. The first indicator of her mistake was not allergic, it was sensory. Simply put, he had never eaten cheese, and the burrito tasted funny.

My first reaction upon reading this story was, “I don’t know which is worse: the terrible hours of itching, hives and Benadryl or the fact that he had never tasted cheese.” An hour later, I wrote back to her that I hoped she wouldn’t interpret that as flippancy. She assured me to the contrary.

In the days since, I have decided that both are equally disturbing because while the threat of allergic reactions is terrible, so is the inability to enjoy the routine pleasures—not to mention nutritional benefits--that good food can provide. I had asthma when I was a kid, as well as allergic rhinitis so bad that I would often sneeze violently and painfully for half an hour or more. I am convinced that this was responsible for many things that were wrong with my life. My younger son had an asthma attack at camp and spent three days in an upstate hospital.

But none of this prepared me for the ordeal of the food allergic family that I encountered when I started going to meetings of the support group at the office of my cousin/co-author Dr. Paul Ehrlich. Long after we wrote our first book with Dr. Larry Chiaramonte, my familiarity with this phenomenon was largely third hand. I began to take it more seriously when I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for my peanut-allergic nephew. I suddenly saw his always-picky eating habits as something more profound than before. As I wrote in my own year-end guest editorial at AsthmaAllergiesChildren.com, “Life-threatening food allergies are somebody else’s problem until they are your problem, and then they are all-consuming.” Even now, some of the best cooks I know lump the food allergic together with vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, and those who somehow think that food is medicine, and therefore not to be enjoyed except insofar as it fits nutritional parameters—the full cast of types who complicate the task of cooking for a dinner party these days. (Just so you won’t think I lack any quirks, my own bias is reducing my carbon footprint by cutting way down on meat, as well as a family history of heart disease, although I would never say so to a host.)

I look at the allergy literature, lay and scholarly, all the time. The “cure” isn’t around the corner. Life has to be lived by the rules, although science and informed treatment can lift some of the burden; better testing makes it possible to distinguish food to which you are truly allergic from those to which you are mildly reactive, giving greater latitude in the diet. Still, many patients can’t enjoy in the things the rest of us take for granted, like a good grilled Swiss sandwich or peanut butter, to name just two of my favorites. Grandma and Grandpa have to be restrained from the most natural thing in the world: spoiling the kids rotten. Backpacks have to be loaded up with EpiPens as well as books and pencils, and schools have to be educated. However, I am greatly heartened by those experienced food-allergy Moms who have found ways to accentuate the positive, who shop carefully and cook imaginatively, who can make this into a family cause without depriving the non-allergic kids (and Dad) of an equal measure of love.

Henry Ehrlich is editor of asthmaallergieschildren.com as well as co-author of Asthma Allergies Children: a parent’s guide. His other books include Sleep to Save Your Life, written with Dr. Gerard Lombardo, The Wiley Book of Business Quotations, and Writing Effective Speeches. He also blogs occasionally on global business for newgeography.com.

Asthma Allergies Children: A Parents Guide - Book Review

Asthma Allergies Children is written by Dr. Paul Ehrlich, Dr. Larry Chiaramonte, and Henry Ehrlich. This is not just another informational book about allergic diseases. This is an educational guide, a how to manual, and an on call doctor all in one.

The book is all encompassing for allergic diseases. It discusses nasal allergies, asthma, food allergies and contact dermatitis/eczema. Both Dr. Ehrlich and Dr. Chiaramonte weigh on these topics. There's medical information, practical information and actual cases from the Doctor's practice.

The book takes you through the whys, the hows, the what to do, the what not to do, how to live life safely and what you may be able to do in the future.

After my son was first diagnosed with food allergies I was in shock. I left the allergists office not asking the questions I should have because I didn't know what to ask until I was living this new life with food allergies. The boy is allergic to wheat, rye, barley, oat, egg, peanut, tree nut and milk (the milk allergy has since been outgrown). What was I going to feed this child? What am I supposed to do if he has an allergic reaction? Yes, I got the prescription for epinephrine from the allergist and they trained me how to use it, but would I know WHEN to use it? The book covers most of these questions (minus specific food choices of course). I've always felt that there should be a counselor that does a "debriefing" (or maybe re-educating is a better word) after someone is diagnosed with food allergies. This book is the next best thing.

Along with the book there is also the companion website also called Asthma Allergies Children.

The website is full of wonderful information and updated regularly buy the authors, Kathy Franklin, a food allergy mom and advocate in the community, and guest bloggers (including yours truly!). The website is like a constantly updated addendum to the book itself.

I can't say enough good things about Asthma Allergies Children: A Parents Guide. Hope you'll check it out and see for yourself.

To buy the book Click here.

To visit the website Click here.

Follow on Twitter @AACMaven

(This book was sent to me at no cost for review purpose only)

Happy 9th Birthday

Happy 9th birthday to my first born son.



I can't believe it's been nine years.
Nine years ago you changed my life.
Nine years ago I went from being me to being Mom.
Nine years ago I was nervous and scared and had no idea what to do with you.
Nine years ago you brought more joy into my life than I could have ever imagined.

I still feel that joy today.

Even when I don't know what to do with you.

Thank you for changing my life.

Thank you for making me Mom.

I love you.

With all my heart.

Forever.

Asthma Allergies Children

Today I'm guest posting at Asthma Allergies Children. Come on over and check it out. 911 Practice Makes Perfect.

After reading my guest post, check out Dr. Paul's post Training for Anaphylaxis: A Kind Of Vicarious Courage. Our posts go together quite well.

Managing Food Allergies in the School Setting

Spotlight Interview: Asthma Allergy Children

I interviewed the Authors and Doctors of the book Asthma Allergies Children. You can read the interview here on WEGO Health. I'll be reviewing the book here within the next week.

Let me know what you think!

(If you're an author of a food allergy/asthma/allergy related book and would also like to be interviewed, please let me know).