First Time Peanut Reaction - Page 2

[mamafish9]

If I were going to try them again, it would be skin contact only, and in the parking lot of the emergency room.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

[scsigrl]

Originally Posted by mamafish9

If I were going to try them again, it would be skin contact only, and in the parking lot of the emergency room.

Okay....I am sorry but that advice is just bad. I can't even believe knowing how serious a peanut allergy can be that anyone would suggest doing anything like this without a Dr. advising them. It is reckless and a really bad idea.

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by scsigrl

Okay....I am sorry but that advice is just bad. I can't even believe knowing how serious a peanut allergy can be that anyone would suggest doing anything like this without a Dr. advising them. It is reckless and a really bad idea.

Why not? Being right outside of an emergency room (doing a skin contact trial) is just as safe as doing a food trial at your allergist's office, which is where they're normally done.

[scsigrl]

If you are going to do it, why not do it with your Dr. How is that not safer?

Also, unless someone really knows what to look for, how long it may take to have a reaction, where exactly to take the child, why risk it?

Obviously this is just my opinion and I get that they are a dime a dozen. But you are talking to someone totally new to this allergy thing. Why suggest anything that could seriously put a child in danger.

[Kim B Lynn]

Whew...I'm a little overwhelmed by entering this new world of food allergies. Thank you everyone for your answers. I appreciate having a lot of input!

We took him to our doctor who refered him to an allergist to get tested. We're waiting to see if medicaid will go through because we can't afford a specialist out of pocket (we don't have any insurance).

So some other questions I have:

*If he's allergic to peanuts, what other things have similar chemical components that I should be aware of? (Do peanuts have any "cousins" in the allergen sense?) I'm sure the allergist will do a good work up, but I want to be careful in the mean time...

*How do you handle the social aspect of having an allergenic kid? Do your kids wear medical braclets or anything like that? Do you inform teachers at school, parents of other kids in the class, etc?

*Should I expect an anaphalactic response if he's exposed again?

*How much benedryl can a 23 pound 1 year old safely have? My doctor told me 12 mg or a teaspoon, but I want to double check because I'm a little bit paranoid about drugs and he didn't check a chart or anything before he told me.

*What's IgE?

[scsigrl]

Peanuts are in the legume family. People may or may not react to other legumes.

Socially....we are still working on this My son is 3 and pretty much never out of my/my DH's site except for 2 sitters (one being Grandma, one who only comes to our home). We haven't been dealing with schools yet. We take his food everywhere. No ID but we are considering.

You never know when an allergic reaction will turn into an ana reaction. No telling

Ask your Dr. about the dosage information. It is safest that way.

IgE is the immune factor involved in what most allergists consider "true" allergies. They are what a blood test would turn up as positive.


: Don't freak out too much till you see the Dr. Just be careful!

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by scsigrl

If you are going to do it, why not do it with your Dr. How is that not safer?

Also, unless someone really knows what to look for, how long it may take to have a reaction, where exactly to take the child, why risk it?

Obviously this is just my opinion and I get that they are a dime a dozen. But you are talking to someone totally new to this allergy thing. Why suggest anything that could seriously put a child in danger.

Well, a previous poster's doctor told her just to try peanuts again in a year (at home.) Doctor's aren't always the most informed when it comes to food allergies.

The bolded is an excellent point though. Some reactions happen within seconds, but anaphylactic reactions can happen up to 4 hours later. And sometimes they aren't always immediately obvious, especially with a young child. They might just be moving their head funny (because their airway is closing) and not have any other signs.

Originally Posted by Kim B Lynn

So some other questions I have:

*If he's allergic to peanuts, what other things have similar chemical components that I should be aware of? (Do peanuts have any "cousins" in the allergen sense?) I'm sure the allergist will do a good work up, but I want to be careful in the mean time...

*How do you handle the social aspect of having an allergenic kid? Do your kids wear medical braclets or anything like that? Do you inform teachers at school, parents of other kids in the class, etc?

*Should I expect an anaphalactic response if he's exposed again?

*How much benedryl can a 23 pound 1 year old safely have? My doctor told me 12 mg or a teaspoon, but I want to double check because I'm a little bit paranoid about drugs and he didn't check a chart or anything before he told me.

*What's IgE?

I'm glad you got the referral.

Many peanut allergic kids also react to tree nuts, but not all. But even if you're not allergic to tree nuts, there's always a risk they were processed on the same equipment as peanuts, so it's best to play it safe and stay away from all nuts. Peanuts are a legume, so you *may* see allergies to other legumes- soy is a common one, but peas and beans are also in that group.

Also- atopic (allergy-prone) children can develop allergies to any food, so it's best to watch carefully from now on when introducing new foods. Some people advise waiting until age 2 to introduce allergenic foods like eggs, but recent studies have shown that may or may not make any difference. It might also be a good idea to start keeping a food journal. That way, if you see any changes in sleep, behavior, ear wax (or other signs of inflammation), whatever- you can look back at the foods you've been eating and see if there's a pattern.

An anaphylactic reaction is possible, yes. Not guaranteed though. Every kid reacts different. Some react with anaphylaxis on their first trial of a food, and some people can eat a food for years with no problem and then have an anaphylactic reaction out of the blue. It's best to just be prepared.

Do NOT rely on Benadryl for an anaphylactic reaction. But if you need it for minor reactions like hives, you should check with your doc. My 3yo DD is about 28 pounds, and the doctor told us that we could use the dose on the bottle (I think the smallest dose listed is for 6 year olds.)

Oops- I missed a question. The social aspect.... that's hard, and I don't really know how to answer it. We don't have a medical bracelet for DD, although we really should. I stay at home, and we don't use any childcare. We only eat what I've prepared. It's hard, especially at first.... but it will get easier in time.

[mamafish9]

Originally Posted by scsigrl

Okay....I am sorry but that advice is just bad. I can't even believe knowing how serious a peanut allergy can be that anyone would suggest doing anything like this without a Dr. advising them. It is reckless and a really bad idea.

Originally Posted by scsigrl

If you are going to do it, why not do it with your Dr. How is that not safer?

Clearly my post didn't communicate what I meant. A PP (not the OP) said her doc told her to wait until her kid was 2 and then give him peanuts again. That's the comment I was replying to. If that was my doc, I wouldn't be listening to him, or doing a challenge in his office, I'd far rather trust the ER docs if I needed them.

What I should have said more clearly is that IF you're going to take this doc's advice and introduce peanuts to your child, don't do it at home, do it sitting outside the ER. Peanut allergy isn't something to mess around with.

OP - you'll get all this figured out . For now, get an appt and get an epi-pen and good instructions on when and how to use it.

[Kim B Lynn]

Great. Today he woke up with a runny nose and occasional sneezing or coughing. He's never really "been sick" before and this is the most runny his nose has ever gotten. I hope he didn't catch something in the waiting room :P

Thanks again for all the responses. Can't wait to go to the allergists and find out what the heck is up. I think not knowing is the most stressful part for me. I'm afraid to feed him anything now lol.

[LauraLoo]

I only want to re-emphasize one point: If you are still BF'ing, you will need to completely cut out all peanut products. I, personally, would even go as far as to cut out foods that are possibly cross-contaminated with peanuts and tree nuts. He may or may not be allergic to tree nuts, but tree nut products and peanut products are often process on the same mfg. lines -- and peanut oils & residue are sticky, so it will adhere to other foods.

The likelihood of outgrowing a peanut allergy is about 20%. The chances will greatly diminish if his immune system continues to have to deal with peanut traces. Your best bet is to avoid, avoid, avoid until he is old enough to have reliable allergy testing done to see if he has outgrown the allergy.

Another very informative site with a wonderful supportive community is "Kids with Food Allergies." You do not need to pay to join, but you can pay to upgrade your membership. They used to waive fees for those who couldn't afford to pay -- I'm not sure if that is still the case.
http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/

HTH!