It's official, DD has peanut allergy

[Trinity721]

I took Trinity to an allergist today to get her tested for peanut allergies, and sure enough it came out positive. The doctor said there is virtually no chance that she'll outgrow it or be rid of it. It just scares me how serious this allergy can be, but of course we are taking the proper precautions and have an epi pen on hand now just in case.

Anyone out there who have kids w/ peanut allergies have any advice? The doctor warned that there are always potentially dangerous instances that you'd never think about where peanuts are somehow involved. Any advice would be of great help. Thanks!

 

[disykat]

My advice is be vigilant and then relax. With proper precautions my son has not had a reaction since preschool - he's in the fifth grade. We continue to carry two epipens everywhere we go and is does affect how we live our daily lives. However, the reality is that we have managed fine and we are so thankful that he has a problem that is fairly easy to manage in the grand scheme of things. The majority of people are very helpful and our friends especially are very protective of his safety.

You discovered this on probably the hardest day of the year. You might want to start planning now to be your child's shadow on Halloween! (If you work, I'd plan on taking that day off so you can be at any parties etc.)

The hardest thing is educating yourself without scaring yourself to death. I hesitate to recommend websites etc. for that reason -but there is lots of info out there that can be helpful in small doses. You also need to be prepared to meet people that don't "believe in" allergies. Sometimes even family members can be very hard to "convince".

Years later I can still find myself overwhelmed with fear for my child, but as I said before the reality of it has been easier than my fears.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Sorry to hear that, Jenny. A bummer for sure. Well, I bet Trinity does not even like peanuts.

I asked somebody the other day, (somehow we were talking about peanut allergies) why there are peanut allergies today but not years ago. I never heard of any person with it till just a few years ago, now hear every so often. Is it new??

Again, Jenny, my best for you guys. With you a nurse, certainly a plus.

Hugs,

Dan

 

[Amy]

Hi Jenny! My DS is also allergic to peanuts - we discovered it when he was 1 yr old and we gave him some peanut butter on toast. He's 13 now, and while it can be tough at times, we've managed.

A good website is Food Allergy Network . They have all kinds of info and a newsletter you can subscribe to - they even have a newsletter for kids so they know that they're not alone.

My advice: read EVERY label on EVERYTHING you buy, and even when you find a "safe" food, check the label every once in a while. Used to be DS could eat Milky Way bars, but a couple years ago they changed the label to say "may contain peanuts." He can't eat plain M&Ms because they're made on the same equipment as the peanut M&Ms. And a lot of Oriental food and some Mexican food is made with peanut oil or peanut flour.

Best thing to teach your DD when she gets older and is out with friends or goes to school: she can't eat anything that doesn't have a label, unless you made it yourself. Most people are good about food allergies, but some people (like my MIL, long story) are not.

 

[pammypooh]

Just a note to say hang in there! I have a neighbor with severe allergies - wheat, eggs, etc. He is 9 and knows what he can and can't have. Work closely with your doctor and any caregivers for your daughter so they know the signs to look for and are good about reading every label. Also, check to see if you can have back up epi pens - for Grandmoms house, Dad's car, etc. Good luck to you and your family. Your daughter is beautiful!

Pam

 

[my3kids]

Have pre printed cards with you whenever you go out to eat that say "I have a severe allergy to PEANUTS. Please check your recipes and ingredients carefully." That way it is in black and white in the kitchen for whoever is actually preparing the meal. Sometimes it is in items you'd never think, like chili.

Always sign up to be the room parent for your child's class. That way you control what food is brought in for parties.

Have the teacher have a sign on his/her desk with the information in case of a substitute.

Always remind every parent of children your child plays with; new friends, or your oldest and dearest friends. Anyone can forget in the rush of a birthday party or group event. The ever present reminders help keep the event safe.

Take your child in to see the lunch ladies at school. Make sure they know her face, her class, and her allergy. Schools will provide a replacement item for a lunch serving when there is a medical reason such as that.

 

[momof2inPA]

My 3 and 6 year olds have peanut allergies, but we have learned how to live with it and other allergies. Our allergist advised us to avoid giving them a few other highly allergenic foods until they were five. These included tree nuts, shellfish, and fish. You may want to discuss this with Trinity's doctor. Also, read every bit of information you can find on the subject, even if it seems overwhelming at first, you will do well to arm yourself with information for the long run.

We always carry at least two epi-pens with us, just in case one malfunctions for some reason.

Good luck. It is tough at first, but becomes so much easier after a while.

Dan: No one really knows why there are so many peanut allergies these days. There seems to be a genetic factor, but other theories include a hygiene theory (we keep our homes so clean our body needs to find something to attact besides germs), a theory tied to immunizations, one pointing at anti-biotics and (gasp) even breast feeding, early introduction of roasted peanuts in North American diets seems to be a factor, etc. The jury is still out.

 

[Mermaid02]

My ds was diagnosed in July at the age of 6 with a peanut allergy. He loved pb&j and ate 2 or 3 sandwiches for breakfast (couldn't take them to school because there was a girl in his class with a peanut allergy) when all of a sudden in May he stopped eating peanut butter saying, "it hurts my throat."

Next week we have an appointment to see if he is allergic to shrimp/shellfish because the last time we had shrimp he said "It makes my throat feel like the peanut butter."

Did they test her for other legumes? So far we are among the lucky ones whose child is ONLY allergic to peanuts.... no beans or peas.

The best advice I have is to read read and read labels. We have actually been pleasantly surprised and most things we buy are okay. I did buy a crock pot seasoning pouch that I didn't read and when I went to make it- discovered it had peanut oil in it.... cheapskate me found my grocery receipt and returned it.

I know it seems overwhelming.... but it's not that bad. I always take "safe" cupcakes to a birthday party.... just in case. Jack's friends parents all know and are very careful.

If I can help you out at all... just send me a pm. ((((hugs))))

 

[becka]

My DS has not been diagnosed with a peanut allergy but we are treating him as if he has an allergy until he can be tested. Apparently the testing is not very accurate until the child is around 2. Thankfully, the daycare DS is in does not serve PB until the kids are in the 2 year old room.

The reason we are doing all of this is because my DH is allergic to peanuts. Actually it is the legume allergy (nuts, beans, peas, etc.). I have learned to be a good label reader and not to take anything for granted because it is often amazing how many things that peanuts can be in. It is scary to deal with at first but it is something that you can live with.

Originally posted by Amy

My advice: read EVERY label on EVERYTHING you buy, and even when you find a "safe" food, check the label every once in a while. Used to be DS could eat Milky Way bars, but a couple years ago they changed the label to say "may contain peanuts."

I found this interesting. DH has been dealing with his allergy for over 30 years and he has found more and more of those lables popping up on foods that didn't have them before. The issue of cross contamination used to not be taken so seriously so no one really worried about non-peanut foods being processed in the same area as peanut containing foods. DH pretty much just ignores them if it is something he was eating in the past. He figures that the amount of cross contamination that may be occurring was not enough to bother him in the past so he is not going to worry about it now.

 

[Cruisin]

my son is allergic to peanuts too. This month he will be 20 years old.
We were always quite careful when he was young (had his first reaction at 11 months) and he has not had any MAJOR reactions since.
You just have to educate the people around your child and your child also.
Get her a medic alert bracelet now while she is young and she won't notice that she has it on after awhile.
A good thing to do is to talk to her friends when she gets a bit older. They can be a good source of protection helping her to remember when she might forget to check foods.
Be cautious but don't be smothering. My son has lived a fairly normal life, he has not let his allergy stop him. He went on several wilderness camping/canoeing trips with his scout group, he has been to Holland, and on many many trips to Florida and also Disney Cruises.
Just remember that you have to educate your child because ultimately her peanut allery is HER problem. You can not eliminate peanuts from this world as hard as you might want to try. You just have to teach her to take care of herself and let her live.
Robin
feel free to PM me if you have any questions i can help with

 

[pumba]

they found this at the age of ten months......she was kissed by her mom after her mom had eaten a peanut butter cup....her face was swollen within minutes......all of the foods that are labeled are pretty good when they say ....may be made in the same machine as the peanut butter cookies or with peanuts......the chinese restaurant that we go to .....only uses veggie oil and has only one dish that has peanuts......they are so good to list it all.......we check before we go to a restaurant....they just did a recheck and this test was worse then the test that they did at one.....just read and ask.....taht is all you can do ......and most places are very good about looking up things

 

[CamColt]

DS has a peanut allergy. We just read lables and carry the epi pen with us. I dont let it run our lives and I try not to make him feel different about it. I consider us lucky that it is just peanuts. I cant imagine having a child who is allergic to more than one thing. That must be so tough!
As for school I would never expect the school to go peanut free. Personally I think thats going overboard. In our experience, I have found our nurse and teachers are great with the kids who have allergies. They have their pictures taken and hung up in the kitchen(like mug shots, LOL!) with their allergy listed. This way the lunch ladies are well aware of who can have what.

Just a question for other people familiar with this allergy. I recently read that you shouldnt fly if you are allergic to peanuts so Im wondering what all your opinions are on that.

 

[Trinity721]

Thanks to everyone for the great advice. We are being very cautious with this allergy, but hopefully it will never become serious. So far we haven't had a dangerous episode. Only instances where we've eaten peanut butter and kissed her, but she only broke out in hives which all went away with some Benadryl. No one in my family has food allergies, but my FIL had this peanut allergy so that's where she must have inherited it from.

Becka, are you sure about what you heard about the allergy testing not being accurate until 2? When I mentioned to Trinity's pediatrician that there is a chance she might be allergic to peanuts, he said he preferred not to take chances on a peanut allergy because it's potentially dangerous and a very serious allergy. He referred us to an allergist right away. Her nurse practitioner also confirmed this for us, consulting several other pediatricians. Trinity is only 15 months old. but when she did the skin test at the allergist, you could tell within minutes she was definitely allergic (she started breaking out in hives around the test site).

Well it's encouraging to know that with the proper precautions, you can go along your normal business day to day. Thank you all for making me feel better

 

[Cruisin]

We have taken our son on several airplane trips
We took a trip to the Netherlands and several flights to Florida. A lot of airlines that serve snacks on the plane do not serve peanuts, many use pretzels instead. Also I have noticed that all of their snacks are in packages with ingredient listings on them You just have to have your travel agent or yourself talk to the airline representive ahead of time.
On our flight to the Netherlands, we brought food for your son with us. It is an 8 hour flight.
Even if the airline does not serve peanuts themselves they can not stop people from bringing them on board with them. If the smell is a problem you can ask a flight attendant to ask if the people will not eat them or if that doesn't work, I am pretty sure they would try to find you a different spot to sit. Most people are pretty good about it, especially if it is for a child.
Robin

 

[momof2inPA]

My boys have flown many times on USAir, which has not served peanuts for many years. They do serve cashews in first class. We always wipe down the seat areas, and the kids either use carseats, or I cover the seat with a fitted twin sheet. We have never had a problem with the peanuts, but once had a problem when my son touched a seat in first class and rubbed his eye. He is tree nut allergic, so the cashew dust caused a reaction.

On our last flight, I asked a nice lady to please not pass around a bag of Chex Mix, because her whole family (of about 10) just happened to be sitting around us. She was super nice about it, but the Chex Mix did not have peanuts, so we were o.k.

Peanut rules vary by the airline, so it's always best to call ahead. I wouldn't feel comfortable flying with the kids on an airline that served peanuts.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Thanks for the reply there, momof2inPA, makes sense I guess.

 

[becka]

Trinity - It may be one of those things where if it is positive at that young age then they are definitely allergic but perhaps there are false negatives that are what cause the problem. I don't really know but I have just felt safer keeping him "peanut-free" for at least a few more months.

 

[Trinity721]

Becka - I see how that could be possible. Do you guys also carry an epi pen just in case? I'm sure that would make you feel a lot better too, knowing it's available in case something happens. You can always ask your doctor if they can write a prescription for one. And with your DH already experienced in living with such an allergy, I'm sure it helps.

I've also read a few articles that said you should not feed your child potential allergy-causing foods until they are 3 (peanuts, eggs, honey).

And the food label thing... I'm just getting used to the idea of reading every label. I was reading the label on the McDonald's cookies, and they also say "may contain peanuts". DD has eaten these before, and thankfully has not had a reaction. But I think we'll avoid them from now on.

p.s. becka - your son is precious! look at that face

 

[Disneycrazymom]

My DD (3) also has a peanut allergy. I was so glad that I went to her first pre-school Halloween Party, as the sugar cookies had peanuts listed and no one even thought to check because they were sugar. I am so much more worried about her now that she is at school 3 mornings a week, as it is harder to watch what is served. The teachers put the snack out for me to check each day, and I place a sticky note saying yes or no on the snack package. I hope this will get less worriesome as the year goes on. It is hard enough that my baby is so grown up!

 

[Cruisin]

Becka & Trinity721
My son was a really strange case. He does not test positive for peanut allergy with a skin test or a blood test. He only tests positive if they use actual peanuts crushed up and then skin tested on his arm. Then he got a major hive and red lines started to run up his arm.
So even if the tests come back negative you can still be allergic.
Robin