Food allergies have a significant impact on mental health and family relationships

An undiagnosed food allergy in her baby forced Sarah Butt, a mother of three, to question her parenting abilities.

A baby who constantly cries, who does not vomit, who vomits, a sleep deprivation and comments from doctors explaining to her that it could be her anxiety that caused the problem did not help her – and her relationship with her baby, her eldest daughter and her husband suffered.

"When my first child was born, to be honest, I felt like Mother Nature, one of those children who did everything she was supposed to do, she fed, slept and was an incredible experience.

"Then I had William and he cried and cried day in and day out.We could not install him so much that no one really wanted to take him in. Even my mother, who had been working for 25 years in child care, had never seen a child so unstable.

"We went out day after day trying to do things and I was constantly wondering if it was me who was doing something wrong."

These moms talk about things like socially excluded, the shame of going down the street with a baby that you can not sit in and cries incessantly, and people who look at you like you're a terrible mom.
You really have questions, and you can see how this experience can really impact mental health.

Sarah Butt

William would vomit, he would have his back flamed with pain, the feeding was a constant battle and he had diarrhea. Ms. Butt took him to various doctors and to the hospital, but they thought he was suffering from gastro.

"Two GPs had dismissed me, had told me that there was nothing wrong with it, that he needed to feed himself and that we both needed to One of them even thought it was because of the anxiety … they felt it was me, "she said. .

In desperation, she posted on Facebook and a nurse friend intervened and suggested a food allergy specialist, who referred her to a pediatrician who finally diagnosed William with an IgE-free milk allergy.

"Her allergy does not result from blood and skin tests … so it's hard to diagnose and often misdiagnosed," she said.

Ms Butt, from Ballarat, said the experience had scared her to have more children, but she became pregnant last year with Amy, now eight weeks old.

When she began to show symptoms similar to William, she was also diagnosed with an allergy to milk without IgE and also proved to be allergic to soy.

You really have questions, and you can see how this experience can really impact mental health.

Sarah Butt

During her pregnancy with Amy, Butt, a psychologist at BHS, completed her thesis on the family experiences of children with IgE allergies.

Every family has had similar experiences. Seven out of eight mothers are health professionals who have sometimes struggled to get useful advice, including refusing to leave the emergency before being examined by a consultant.

"I have been working in the field of mental health for a long time and I remember that parents who have heard of this mention it, and that has a huge impact on the quality of life of people, especially young families. "

"These moms talk about things like socially excluded, the shame of going down the street with a baby you can not control and who cries all the time, and people who look at you like you're a terrible mom," she said.

"It really makes you question yourself and you can see how this experience can really impact mental health."

Ms. Butt stated that her findings were indicative of the need to increase awareness of non-IgE allergies, particularly among general practitioners, nurses specializing in maternal and child health, and other health workers.

"There are so many moms who do not have the experience or the education I have. I am so lucky to have this behind me, but many moms have these things with kids and have no idea. "

Ms. Butt decided to tell the story of her family as part of Food Allergy Week of 2019.

"We put a lot of emphasis on IgE allergies and anaphylaxis, which is a life-threatening risk for children.They can die if they do not get the proper treatment, but allergies." Non-IgE are more chronic and gastrointestinal, die from them, but they can show signs of failure, which can affect their development. "

There are two types of food allergies.

The most common and serious IgE allergies occur when the immune system overreacts to an allergen by producing antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE). These antibodies spread through cells that release chemicals, triggering an allergic reaction that usually causes symptoms in the nose, lungs, throat, or skin.

Non-IgE allergies are caused by a reaction of other components of the immune system, with the exception of IgE antibodies. Reactions do not occur immediately after exposure and usually affect the gastrointestinal tract, such as vomiting, bloating, and diarrhea.

Food allergies affect about one in ten infants and two out of every 100 adults in Australia.

It is known that more than 170 foods have triggered serious allergic reactions. Eggs, cow's milk, peanuts, nuts (such as cashews and almonds), sesame, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish are the main triggers for allergic reactions in Australians.

A quarter of people with food allergies have had an allergic reaction because their allergy is not taken seriously by the person preparing their food.

The scary figure emerged from a survey of people living with allergies conducted by Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia. The survey of 290 group members highlighted a lack of understanding of allergies within the community, most thinking that people confuse allergies with lifestyle choices such as being vegan or not to like certain foods.

Research has shown that people with food allergy want the community to be better informed about food allergy, with restaurants and cafes at the top of the list, followed by schools, kindergartens and crèches. , airlines and health facilities.

The head of the Alliance and Anaphylaxis Australia, Maria Said, said urgent action was needed to improve knowledge of food allergies and help ensure the safety of people with diabetes. 39; allergies.

"Anyone, at any age, can develop a food allergy.We must eliminate the stigma of this disease, to ultimately help reduce risk, prevent life-threatening emergencies and save lives. lives, food allergy is not a lifestyle choice, "she said.

"In Australia, the number of deaths from anaphylaxis is increasing, which is alarming because almost all deaths from food allergy can be avoided.

"If it is up to the individual suffering from food allergy to always read the food labels and clearly communicate their allergy in order to avoid the allergen, the community must master the principles of allergy to protect people at risk.

More than half of the people suspected of food allergy have to wait at least three months before consulting an allergist, which exposes them to a potentially dangerous reaction risk.

"The lack of allergy awareness in Australia, combined with extremely long waiting times to see an allergy specialist, means that people with suspected allergies often have to fend for themselves, they are worried about what they are doing. they can eat. "