High Anxiety in the Air

A last minute trip to Winnipeg over the holidays had me scrambling for information about how to manage DJ's peanut allergy. Did I need anything special to get his epi-pens through security? Would the airline make any special accommodations? How could I keep him safe on the plane, with no real access to medical attention if there was a problem? These were just a few of the questions that had me in a state of high anxiety before our trip. 

With heightened security at the Toronto airport one of my main concerns was if I could take his epi-pens on board. Without them, I simply couldn't see going. A call to Westjet put my concerns at ease. All I needed was his prescription. However, as soon as we purchased the pens, I immediately threw out the boxes that they came in, the same ones that had the prescription label affixed to them. A quick trip to the local Shoppers where I had the prescription filled fixed that. The pharmacist was able to print out a prescription for each and affix them directly the pens themselves. In addition, we provided me with another prescription, which he signed. 

I was also assured by Westjet that they would also ask passengers in the two rows in front and the two rows behind us to refrain from eating nutty snacks. Once on board, I watched this process unfold. Everyone, with the exception of one man, seemed okay with the request.  This guy, who looked to be in his late 30's to early 40s declared somewhat loudly that he would eat whatever he wanted. He did add, however, that he didn't have any nuts, so I'm not really sure what the point of his outburst was. 

In any event, the flight was incident free. DJ loved the whole experience. The ride home was the same thing. The best part: DJ waking up mid flight on the way home, and looking out the window to see a rainbow in the sky as the sun rose. "look mommy. I spy a rainbow" Super cute. 

And encouraging to know that an airplane ride could be safely accomplished.