Brickbat: Nuts to You

Valentyn75 / Dreamstime.com

Lia Sommer says that as soon as she bit into the sandwich she bought in the cafeteria at John Hersey High School in Illinois she knew she'd been exposed to peanuts. Sommer, who has a potentially deadly peanut allergy, says she was already starting to feel the effects as she rushed to the school nurse. But instead of administering an EpiPen and calling 911 as called for in the medical plan the school had on file for Sommer, the nurse tried to convince her to just take some Benadryl. Sommer had to call her mother and get her to talk to the nurse before the nurse would administer the EpiPen and call for an ambulance.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Parents are blissfully unaware that all school nurses are secret members of the Obamacare death panel. My guess is that little miss Sommer is a C student and therefore deemed a future drag on society and not worth the cost of epinephrine.

[Chipper-Shredder 2016]

The recent spike in epipen prices has forced them to reserve usage to students that bring prestige to the school. She needs to be a star athlete or rich.

[Brett L]

Even though the EpiPen was provided by the student's family.

[Chipper-Shredder 2016]

That is no excuse for not bringing prestige to your school. We will replace you with someone better after you are dead.

[Mr. Flanders]

It was revealed that, tragically, the EpiPen was worth more than the girl.

[Robert]

Yeah, but, uh, its being there provides opp'ty for some revenue enhancement on the side, know what I mean? Wouldn't want anybody draining the $ barrel.

[SIV]

Little Lia carries oppressor "hate" genes and must be culled as part of the 100 Year Plan.

[Cynical Asshole]

You know else was a C student and a future drag on society?

[Rod Flash]

RuPaul?

[Chipper-Shredder 2016]

This is why schools should only serve organic, non-GMO, allergen-free gruel and rain water (they're too young for pure grain alcohol).

[Adans smith]

Morning

[straffinrun]

Morning.

[Cdr Lytton]

Good evening. In Shinjuku until Friday.

Now need to schedule a trip to Australia to make a circuit of the regular foreign HyRers.

[straffinrun]

In Shibuya now myself.

[Radioactive]

I'm in extremis...

[straffinrun]

If you're out and about give a shout.

[Rufus The Monocled]

ONLY AM LINKS 'HELLOS' ARE PERMITTED.

[UnCivilServant]

No, actually those are forbidden.

You've just been failing to pay the fines.

[A frilly pink thing]

" she knew she'd been exposed to peanuts"

Bullshit.

"Sommer, who has a potentially deadly peanut allergy"

More Bullshit.

"The nurse tried to convince her to just take some Benadryl."

OMFG! But seriously, that's the right treatment for low grade allergen exposure.

So, I'm supposed to be outraged that the nurse didn't immediately dial the response up to 11? Over what is a bullshit claim of sensitivity in the first place?

Fuck off with that.

[The Hyperbole ((Very Tall))]

Also

"It is ludicrous that a minor would be sent alone to a hospital during school hours with no personnel to represent her," Sommer said. "I am horrified and saddened by the complete lack of common sense and compassion that predicated this decision."

The little snowflake was got an ambulance ride to the hospital and this lady acts like the school made her ride her bike or walk. What the thought here? that you can't trust those pervy EMTs. There a lot fishy about this story, like the claim they substituted peanuts for pine nuts in a pesto, As AFPT so eloquently puts it Bullshit.

[UnCivilServant]

I sometimes wonder how many of these allergies would fade if we stopped coddling and overreacting to them. If anaphalaxis results, administer treatment, but for most reactions, shrug at them and go "the way to rid yourself of allergies is low dose exposure over time. calm down and grow up."

[Brett L]

Well, yes and no. Peanuts and shellfish are dangerously severe once developed. If you want to expose your babies to peanut butter and shrimp with the introduction of food, that's one thing. Advocating the equivalent waterboarding to rid your child of food allergies is a little... extreme.

[Cdr Lytton]

in permanens loco parentis

[UnCivilServant]

Sorry, we had Spanish instead of Latin. 'Loco Parentis' keeps reading 'crazy parents' to me

[Wizard4169]

In this case, I think that works.

[Cynical Asshole]

There a lot fishy about this story, like the claim they substituted peanuts for pine nuts in a pesto

Actually I wouldn't be surprised by that. Cafeteria "chefs" aren't exactly the cream of the culinary crop.

[Suthenboy]

Yep. I smell bullshit.

I dont believe there is a school in the country that serves peanuts, let alone one that knows they have a student with peanut allergy.

I dont believe the school nurse would refuse to administer an epinephrine shot to a student if she observed symptoms of anaphylactic shock.

Thanks, clock boy.

[Luke Comstock]

At my kids' school, PB&J sandwiches are on the menu as an option every day of the week. I believe the menu is the same for every school in our county, at least all the elementary schools. It is somewhat surprising that they would take on the potential liability, but they have been offering them for at least the last 5 years.

[mattcid]

Yeah this article needs more science. Severe peanut allergies are, I think, more rare than drama queens with mild peanut allergies.

[limaxray]

Ummm, why is everyone taking the word of a 14 year old girl over the nurse? If she had time to walk to the nurse's office and call her mother, she probably didn't need the Epipen. Epi is a very dangerous drug and no nurse is going to risk her license giving it unless she's sure you need it. If you're walking and talking, you don't need it - epi is given to keep your heart going while you're on your way to the hospital because you are actively dying with symptoms like unconsciousness, not breathing, and weak pulse. Obviously you can't wait that long if you're self administrating, but any nurse should know when to give epi.

[Adans smith]

I agree

[Trigger Warning]

Yeah, I didn't see anything about how the kid presented. I wouldn't absolutely refuse to give it to her, but if she was normotensive without SOB, urticaria, hives, pruritus, angioedema, etc. after walking to the office, I might raise an eyebrow. You generally do not give epi to someone who is saying, "Give me epi."

OTOH, people with severe allergies who carry the pens can and should self-administer after exposure. One dose of epi is not going to kill you. It's not even an IV dose, we're not running a code here.

[Ted S.]

The parents, however, presented as sons of bitches.

[Cynical Asshole]

any nurse should know when to give epi.

The correct answer is never. You never give someone Episiarch. Unless you really hate them.

[straffinrun]

the Uncrustables brand of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches sold in the school cafeteria are pre-packaged

Cool brand name. You guys make sexbots, too?

[Adans smith]

Just get the creamy bot,not the crunchy.

[Trigger Warning]

That is something only a kid would eat. Gross.

[Cdr Lytton]

The local news had a story about a heroic school district employee who got the epipen manufacturer to donate 2 pens per school and how great it was. Except that those pens have a shelf life and will need to be replaced in the future. About $15-20K. Gee, no wonder the manufacturer would be happy to donate a batch. King Gillette lives.

The other unmentioned bits in the story are the liability the school district entered into having those pens available (if they don't use them) or if they use them (without a prescription??). When I was a kid, someone that had such an allergy (usually bee stings, not PB) carried their own epipen. Heck, first aid training was about assisting somebody with self administering their own device.

[UnCivilServant]

What, didn't you get their vitrue signals? I mean, that's what matters, right?

[Cdr Lytton]

Of course. Although my takeaway is that they have an idiot employee who has enough non-scholastic time in their workday to be terminated immediately.

[UnCivilServant]

That describes half the employees of any given public school district.

[Cdr Lytton]

*warms up ditto machine and unwraps package of pink slips*

[UnCivilServant]

But... if you use a ditto machine, they won't be pink!

*inhales whiff of solvent fumes*

I guess that's not the most important part, get it going.

[Trigger Warning]

Uh, well, you generally don't just jab epi into someone who is standing there talking to you, but if this nurse had any assessment skills whatsoever, xe would have been able to recognize even the beginnings of anaphylaxis. That's a good reason to give epi.

Also, if the kid had a file that said SEVERE PEANUT ALLERGY and the damn thing was already there for the kid, give it. The allergy is documented, the child says she was exposed, what the fuck are you waiting for? Circulatory collapse? Cartoonish levels of angioedema?

Sometimes school nurses aren't actually nurses. They're supposed to be, but reality differs.

Also, I've met a few that either had piss-poor clinical skills, or they were surly, dry-boxed heffalumps who cared more about dispensing Adderall and keeping the little shits in line than listening to them. Why do so many people refuse to listen to kids?*

*Besides the fact that kids are annoying little shits.

[sarcasmic]

More evidence that a school nurse is a nurse who can't hack it in a real job.

[Oh God shut the fuck up]

Oh God shut the fuck up, the nurse did the right thing this time, at least RTFA tard.

[sarcasmic]

When I want your opinion I will take a shit.

[Jerryskids]

You got some kid showing up at the nurse's office belligerently demanding drugs? Tasering at a mininimum, maybe even time for a weapon to discharge.

I'm watching the news on the Tulsa shooting and they're playing the audio of the helicopter guy saying "he's not following orders" (how does he know? what audio is he listening to and where's that tape? I thought there wasn't one, is he a really good lip-reader or he can hear a cop over the sound of a helicopter from several hundred feet away?) and "he looks like a bad dude, could be on something" (which sounds like a prepared script, he's getting a statement on record for court testimony - "As a police officer with many years experience, it appeared clear to me...") but what struck me is the hysterical "shots fired! shots fired!" from the lady cop. Why didn't the other cops hearing that immediately whip out their guns and start blasting away in random directions? I have to assume that "shot's fired" is the passsive-voice code for "I just shot somebody" so what is copspeak for "the suspect is shooting at me?"

[Jerryskids]

I also see they found some PCP in the car - they already announced the guy wasn't armed and there was no gun in the vehicle so maybe they didn't want to find a gun they'd overlooked the first time - but we know the PCP find is bullshit because crime labs don't work that fast. The cops don't get to say it's PCP, and the only PCP that comes with a label comes out of an evidence locker after it's been ID'ed by a lab tech. (Although you might want to know what kind of cops you got that immediately know PCP when they see it.)

[geo1113]

" so what is copspeak for "the suspect is shooting at me?"

FUCK!!!!!!!

[Ted S.]

STOP RESISTING!!!

[Suthenboy]

Two videos. Helicopter video cuts off for no reason before we can see if the guy actually opened his car door. Ground video - you cant see the guy when he is shot or if he opened the car door. There are four cops with guns a few feet from the guy. Unless he was stoned or completely nuts I find it hard to believe he opened the door to the car.

That is all I have seen so far and it looks fishy as hell to me. Where is the rest of the helicopter video? What exactly tipped the pilot off to 'he looks like a bad dude'?

[Cynical Asshole]

What exactly tipped the pilot off to 'he looks like a bad dude'?

He was big and he was black?

[Cynical Asshole]

What exactly tipped the pilot off to 'he looks like a bad dude'?

He was big and he was black?

[Rhywun]

OT:

"It's important for us to get a foothold in East New York now and to do the right thing so we can benefit long term."

Gosh, you don't often hear the cronying so plainly spoken.

Step 1: Rezone shithole
Step 2: Throw some money at the poors
Step 3: Profit!

[straffinrun]

$600 a month. Wow.

[SimonD]

This may be a dumb question, but if your kid has such a violent allergy, how the FUCK do you let the kid buy food supplied by a government school. They can't scratch their own butts without three forms, in triplicate, and even then they screw it up.

There's a lesson in this (of course, the media is going to push exactly the wrong message, but...). The lesson is....take care of your own stuff, you can't trust anyone else to REALLY care about your issues.

[Cynical Asshole]

But instead of administering an EpiPen and calling 911 as called for in the medical plan the school had on file for Sommer, the nurse tried to convince her to just take some Benadryl.

So a kid reports a knife that he found in his backpack and gets suspended for a year month, because "procedures... zero tolerance...", yet in this case when following procedures is clearly the right thing to do it's "Screw that, here have some Benadryl and harden the fuck up."

Public schools really are just like every other form of government employment: they attract the kinds of people that are unemployable in the private sector.