Need some quick advice on peanut allergy

[deminc]

Ds2, 4 plus, tried peanut butter for the first time today. Probably about a teaspoon worth of it. Within 20 min his lips and the surrounding areas were swollen. We immediately gave him some clarityne and it subsided after half an hour.

Ds's main symptoms for allergies so far has been eczema and diarrheao and I've been told to guard against asthma. I really did not expect this. The only other thing he does react to with a rash around the mouth is seafood, and even then it was a flat rash without swelling (but he only had a lick, no ingestion).

Should I take him to the allergist for confirmation and inform the school? Can it get worse with repeat exposure? I do not want to jump the gun, but as he is starting school for the first time soon, I do not want any serious reaction to happen and no one knows what to do. I thought it may be prudent to provide the school with some antihistamine that can buy me some time to get there in case of emergencies. Am I being too paranoid?

[scsigrl]

You need to see a board  certified allergist ASAP.  If you have to wait for an appt. get a prescription for an epi pen ASAP.  You will also need a SET (2 epi pens) for school. I would get this started tomorrow as your insurance may only cover one set of epi pens per month (which hopefully you won't need but you do need 2 sets, one for home and one for school!)    (This is what we did.)

Yes, the reaction can get worst with each additional exposure. You are NOT being paranoid.  You are being proactive!

[SweetSilver]

Different foods can have different reactions, even if they are both very intense reactions.  I agree, not paranoid AT ALL.

[deminc]

Thank you ladies. I needed that push to get him back into the clinic. To be honest I'm feeling rather nervous sending him to school for the first time for many reasons and a part of me thinks I'm just generally over reacting. But I am really worried that no one in school recognizes the early signs of a bad reaction and his older brother will not be there to check through food labels or to insist on calling me if something is off. Ds1 is so reliable when it comes to this. I am going to make an appointment for the coming week. Thanks again, I'm so glad to have this space to double check my concerns and sanity.