Life threatening food allergies.

Tara -- I would hope you would consult a the best doctors you can, and find out from experts what kind of treatment for this situation exists in where you will be in Italy... certainly not just rely on us amateurs on the Helpline!

Good luck.

There are people in Italy that have the same allergires and they are capable of living in Italy so your daughter should be able to do so as well. Of course the natives don't have the language barrier issue but that can be overcome with a little planning.

You will probably want to know the italian words for the food items she is allergic to, so you can check ingrediants when at a grocery store. It would also be helpful for you to learn what are the most common types of italian foods she needs to stay away from, i.e. egg noodles.

You should also get allergy cards in italian that state what she is allergic too so you can give it to waitstaff at a restaurant. In fact you may also want to have a card in italian that you can give to medical staff in case she has a reaction.

Lastly, I think talking to a doctor is a great idea. However I think it can be done, but not without some careful thinking and planning.

You might ask your question in this Health & Health Insurance section of the Expats in Italy forum http://expatsinitaly.com/phpbbforum/viewforum.php?f=9

Here's something else that might be helpful. It's the food allergy English to Italian dictionary including allergy-related words and phrases. http://www.food-info.net/allergy/en-it.pdf

Tara,, daunting yes, but as you point out, you have to be just as vigilant at home.

Life threatening allergies affect all nationalities ,, so of course the people in Italy have to live with them too..

Yes, you can do this.

I know its not the same, but we had a child on a RS tour I took with the same allergies,, and other then wearing a fanny pack with her epi pens in it( she always carried three her mom said, as they are only effective for 15 minutes or so ,, and she is never sure how long it would take to get proper medical help) . The mom of course also carried some. The child( she was 11) also wore a medi alert bracelet. The mom talked to every waiter and chef when they ate. The mom also packed alot of peanut free candies to dole out to child when others got treats( like geltato, mom wouldn't order from vendors as they often use the same scoop for all the flavors and she was careful about cross contamination)

Learn enough Italian to explain allergy fully. Carry translated cards.

The doctors and hospitals are just as capable of caring for your child in Italy as they are in States.

Take this chance to live in another country.

Peanuts are likely to be less of a problem in Italy, but also check out selectwisely.com for translation cards that you can carry with you.