Posted by OCFoodallergy on Oct 16, 2011 in Support Group | 0 comments

As most of us are full stride back into the new school year, the challenges of having kids with food allergies in new enviornments can still be very challenging.  If you are a family  that lives in Orange County and have a child that has life threatening food allgeries, we would love to invite you to our monthly support group.  October can be a difficult month because there are always a new set of problems and challenges as it pertains to your children and their food allergies. However, you do not have to deal with those problems on your own. 

Please make time this Tuesday (October 18) to come and share with us at our October 2011 Food Allergy Support Group Meeting. As always the Orange County Saddleback Church Food Allergy Support Group meets in Room 407 at Saddleback Church at 6:30 PM. The Better Parents of Children with Food Allergies support group is a non-medical support group designed for parents of kids who are impacted by food allergies.

Additionally, we have also included a link to a few resources that are great for back to school:

The Saddleback Church Parents of Children with Food Allergies Support Group Saddleback Church, 1 Saddleback Pkwy, Lake Forest, CA 92630 Meeting: Third Tuesday of Every Month, Room 407, Saddleback Church

Phone: (949) 229-1110 | E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.ocfoodallergy.com | Twitter: http://twitter.com/ocfoodallergy

For more information on Saddleback Church please visit: www.Saddleback.com
Parents of Children with Food Allergies – Saddleback Church.

Posted by OCFoodallergy on Aug 14, 2011 in Support Group | 0 comments

Many of our support group members shared that if you went to an amusement park you could go to guest services and obtain a list of food served throughout the park and the major food allergens. When our family recently went SeaWorld in San Diego and was totally pleased to find out our Daughter (who has a life-threatening allergy to milk) could have pasta and dairy free Dippin Dots. So great to find this information out.

We would also like to share a praise report from our family is that our oldest daughter has been healed of her egg allergy. She had French toast for the first time! Even though she still suffers from life-threatening food allergies, we feel so much freedom not to worry about egg. We hope you can make it to our next Food Allergy Support Group. Please bring anything you have found out about starting school, concerns, questions, and/or gems of info to share with others in the same situation as you.

For more information, please visit: https://www.ocfoodallergy.com

Posted by cland on Jul 16, 2011 in Support Group | 0 comments

Please come join us for the Orange County Parents of Kids with Food Allergies Support Group Meeting meeting on Tuesday, July 19, 2011 in Room 407 at Saddleback Church at 6:30 PM. The Better Parents of Children with Food Allergies support group is a non-medical support group designed for parents of kids who are impacted by food allergies. The group meets to provide:

• Emotion support for one another
• A safe place to share concerns, successes and strategies to manage your kids food allergies
• Learning about new resources and tools

Come learn and share different ways to cope with these often difficult environments for kids with food allergies.

Saddleback Church is located at: 1 Saddleback Parkway, Lake Forest, CA 92660
 

The Saddleback Church Parents of Children with Food Allergies Support Group
Phone: (949) 229-1110
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: https://www.ocfoodallergy.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ocfoodallergy

Posted by OCFoodallergy on Jan 7, 2012 in Support Group | 0 comments

Welcome to 2012 everyone.  We hope that you had a great and safe Christmas holidays with all of the food gatherings.  Unfortunately, we are not going to be able to meet in January due to other conflicts that week…however, we are very exciting about some of the things we have planned in 2012.

The next Saddleback Church Parents of Kids with Food Allergies Support Group meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 21, 2012 and you will not want to miss it.  Our goal is to have an allergist come to our meeting to help answer any questions that we may have on food allergies.  If you are interested in attending this event, please make sure that you sign up so that can know how many people to expect for this special event.

Once again….no meeting in January 2012….but a special meeting in February 2012 (that we want to know if you are coming or not).

Lastly, just a reminder that the OCFoodAllergy Forum is now active and people are posting to comments.  We definitely encourage you to check it, register and be a part of the conversation.  You can find more information by going here:  https://www.ocfoodallergy.com/forum/

Posted by OCFoodallergy on Nov 17, 2011 in Support Group | 1 comment

In order to better serve The Saddleback Church Parents of Children with Food Allergies Support Group and the Orange County area, a new food allergy forum has been added to the OCFoodallergy.com website.    There have been countless time that people from our support group meetings have asked or requested information from a meeting but we have never had a great place to post this information.  Additonally, we know that it is extremely difficult as parents to attend all of the meetings so we wanted to build a place where this information could be available.

Lastly, we did not want the conversations to just end after every meeting.  Dealing with food allergies is a 24×7 committment as a parent and we wanted to build a place where these conversations could continue to grow over time.  We have also added a forum specifically for “prayer requests.”  It is no  accident that the name of our support group is officially The Saddleback Church Parents of Children with Food Allergies Support Group.  Our support group is based on a belief on the fact that our Lord is a loving God who cares about His children…and wants to protect us.  If you live in Orange County and do not yet have a church home, we definitely invite you to investigate all of the great teaching and support that is available through Saddleback Church.

As a reminder, registration for the forum is FREE.  To view the forum, you can click here or to register please click here.

Posted by OCFoodallergy on Aug 14, 2011 in Support Group | 0 comments

We would like to extend an open invitation to those parents that live in Orange County and have children with food allergies. The Better Parents of Children with Food Allergies support group is designed with you in mind. We host a safe environment where parents can come and share their concerns, worries and desires to help their children experience safe environments at home, school and other environments.

The great news is that the group is comprised of other parents whose children deal with life threatening food allergies. If you have ever felt alone and discouraged with your battle with food allergies, we can assure you that you are not alone. Please come and share this Tuesday evening. With the summer almost over and another school year is just before us, come share your thoughts with other parents of kids with food allergies at our August meeting.

Our next meeting is August 16th in Room 407 at Saddleback Church at 6:30 PM. The Better Parents of Children with Food Allergies support group is a non-medical support group designed for parents of kids who are impacted by food allergies.

The Better Parents of Children with Food Allergies Support Group Meeting: Third Tuesday of Every Month, Room 407, Saddleback Church Phone: (949) 229-1110

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.ocfoodallergy.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ocfoodallergy

For more information on Saddleback Church please visit: www.saddleback.com

Posted by OCFoodallergy on Jan 8, 2012 in Support Group | 0 comments

This is a real photo of my lunch at work the other day.  For the last year, I have really made a huge effort to adopt a healthier life style by eating correctly.  This is a great lunch.  570 calories.  A bijon spinach salad, with nuts and raisins.  Some pita crackers and light swiss cheese.  I typically top it off with an Apple.  It looks healthy and it is a great way to adopt to healthy living (see the Daniel Plan as as good place to start).

But if you look closely at this “healthy” lunch, there are at least 4 coomon food allergies that are deadly to children with food allergies (or anyone with food allergies for that matter).  This is the reality of the situation and something that many of us take for granted.  Both of my kids have different food allergies and would be unable to consume any of my lunch.  But, I can just eat this lunch and not think twice about it.  I don’t question what I put in my mouth, I never think whether it will hurt me or not….and I never wonder if eating something is going to send me to the hospital.  Honestly, I never think about it….but the other day I did.  I looked down at the plate and realized that most of what I was eating was not safe.  Not safe for my kids…but also not safe for most people afflicted with food allergies.

I bring this up because as your children get older (in the 6 plus range), they will start becoming more and more concerned (and sometimes anxious) when it comes to food and eating.  You want them to be aware and you want them to be knowledgeable.  However, this type of discernment (I believe) comes with some emotional prices.

So the next time you sit down to have your healthy (or even non-healthy) meal?  Think about about how you never worry whether the meal will hurt you?  Whether it will make you sick or make you ill?  All the little things that we take for granted daily….and then think about it through the eyes of someone else.

Posted by cland on Jun 20, 2011 in Support Group | 0 comments

For those parents whose children suffer from food allergies, we probably do not go to many places without our homemade meals, Kirkland wipres and package with medicines and EpiPens.  However, when was the last time that you (or the people that care for your kids) go through a refresher course on using an administering an EpiPen.  I know they are supposedly simple to use (and I have not had to personally administer one)….but it does travel with us everywhere so knowing how to use it in the event of an emergency is essential as a parent of a child with food allergies.  As a quick review, I downloaded the app from the Apple Appstore to my iPad and found it very easy to follow.  There are some slides and a quick video.

If you have an IOS device, the Dey Pharma application is FREE and it worth the few seconds it takes to download.  It is useful in refreshing your skills or even helping someone else (like a teacher, a babysitter, mother-in-law, friend) understand how to administer epinephrine from the EpiPen in the event of an allergic reaction.  Of course, if you ever have an instant of doubt, seeking a doctor or calling 911 immediately should always be a first course of action. 

The iPhone and iPad application offers the following useful information:

• A video demonstrating how to use an EpiPen Auto-Injector
• A quick slideshow (User Guide) to help you visually walk someone through the three steps of an EpiPen injection
• The ability for you and your healthcare professional to create multiple allergy profiles listing allergens to avoid and symptoms that may indicate an allergic emergency
• The ability to share the User Guide and your allergy profile(s) with anyone via Email

To download the application for your Ipad or iPhone, please click here for more information.

Hopefully in the next release of the application they will offer the abiliy to track and e-mail you reminders when your EpiPen’s are about to expire.

Posted by OCFoodallergy on Oct 16, 2010 in Support Group | 1 comment

As parents of kids that suffer from food allergies, we certainly understand how the beginning of the school year can bring many challenges and unforeseen stresses.  And with Halloween upon us, the Better Parents of Kids with Food Allergy support group is a great place to connect with other parents to hear how parents are dealing with their concerns.

Come on to our next meeting on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 6:30 pm in Room 407 at Saddleback Church.  If this is your first time to Saddleback Church, you will want to give yourself an extra 15 minutes in order to familiarize yourself with the campus.  It is a safe environment and very well lit.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at: [email protected] or (949) 229-1110.

Posted by OCFoodallergy on Feb 15, 2011 in Support Group | 25 comments Just a friendly reminder that we have a very special guest this week (Wednesday) at the Better Parents of Kids with Food Allergies Support Group meeting. You will not want to miss this incredible discussion. As before, we will be meeting in room 407 at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at Saddleback Church.

This week, Georgina Seeck, who has been regularly attending our support group meetings, has been developing some very exciting information as it pertains to food additives found in our food supply. What is exciting is that much of what she will present goes in line with kids with food allergies and she has been helping to adapt the information for the The Daniel Plan as well. She and Dr. Supna will be planning a new support group called The Saddleback Rancho Capistrano Wellness Ministry, of the Saddleback Church San Juan Capistrano location. This is going to be some great information that parents should know and will hopefully expand our understanding of some of the dangers concerning processed foods and how to use food choices to help better reduce potential allergic reactions. Once again…you will not want to miss this evening.

About Georgina Seeck

Georgina is the founder of “Green Cupcakes and More”, Allergy-Friendly Baked Goods, Founding Team Member “Chief Change Agent” for the West Coast for AllergyKids.com. Georgina is actively involved in giving back through her company and has served Non Profit Organizations including, The Ecology Center, Easter Seals, TACA, Orange County Celiac Spruce Chapter #14, and, Shea Center for Therapeutic Horse Back Riding. She has appeared on CNN, KDOC TV, and has been featured in OC Family, OC Register, OC Register “The Juice”, and in the near future, OC Register “Faith in the Valley. She is also creating a speaking series on “Living an Allergy Free Life, in an Allergy Filled World”.

Saddleback Church is located at: 1 Saddleback Parkway, Lake Forest, CA 92660

And a quick follow-up on last month’s meeting…

I just wanted to personally thank Dr. Kendra Klassen for spending a full evening this us, educating and answering our questions. For those of you unable to attend our last meeting, Dr. Klassen is a licensed psychologist who received her doctorate in clinical psychology and came to our Better Parents of Kids with Food Allergies Support Group to speak on the topic of how anxiety can impact kids with food allergies.  In addition to her website Family Restorations at (www.familyrestorations.com), she also posted an excellent article on her blog titled “Helping Your Child Overcome Anxiety.” (http://familyrestorations.blogspot.com/2011/02/helping-your-child-overcome-anxiety.html) This is a must read post for helping you understand and manage anxiety in your kids.

Dr. Kendra Klassen is a Christian psychologist and can be reached at: (949) 303-8933 or [email protected].