Peanut Allergies???

[zakatak]

We just had some guests stay with us this weekend and their 5 year old boy is allergic to dairy, eggs, nuts and soy. Now, what made it easier for me is that I am vegan, so I am used to reading labels and undertand what is dairy, soy, etc... Luckily, we didn't have a problem at all! In fact, we explained it to my kids and my 7 year ds was even nice enough to ASK if Ben could have a piece of gum before he gave it to him.

We all had a grand time! The only downside was being stuck in Niagara Falls on Saturday with the waits taking longer than we expected and running out of food. Ben can't eat at any restuarants, so we were running on empty by the time we got home!

Allergies can run from a sensativity to severe... I'm not sure I would trust my little child at school if they had such a severe allergy that an "accident" could cause death. I think I might homeschool at least for a bit, until that child is old enough to know the importance of not sharing food or reading labels. But that is just my insecurities showing up, lol.

 

[Mermaid02]

My son asks about EVERY food he eats... and he reads the labels. My mother says he is "obsessed" and I say GOOD! He has to be, peanuts can kill him.

 

[gina2000]

It doesn't only extend to food. My nephew is highly allergic to corn and milk products. Recently he had to be put on an antibiotic after having stitches which had bubbled the skin around them. No more disposible stitches was the verdict. He then had an allergic reaction and no one was sure if it was the antibiotic or not. My sister-in-law was on the phone with company representatives for an entire day trying to find out what was in the product in order to determine if the medicine was causing a problem. After literally hours of talking to countless individuals, it was discovered that powdered milk was part of the antibiotic compound.

I thought I understand allergies and the complications surrounding them, but this one floored me. One more thing to have to look out for.

It's a nightmare for parents of children with severe allergies. I know it seems an easy task to just avoid the particular food, but sometimes the situation just ain't that simple.

 

[mom2boys]

...allergist said the next time it probably would be fatal....

That is the thing that scares me the most about my boys' allergies. Each reaction will be swifter & more severe than the last. I will never forget my pediatrican's reaction when I took my son in for his post ER checkup. (As posted earlier, DS left kindergarten in an ambulance after eating a cookie with nuts.) This wonderful hispanic doctor turned white as a ghost and his knees buckled. He had to brace himself against the ledge where he was making notes. He told me that he almost lost a 16 yr old patient who was curious about the taste of a candybar with nuts.
He warned me in no uncertain terms that the next reaction would be worse. Not might be or could be - would be.

I admire you for caring taking this seriously. Maybe the school is going overboard but only the child's parents/doctors can make that call. In this situation, there is no question that it is best to err on the side of caution. The potential consquences are not unthinkable.
Edited to correct typos

 

[Talking Hands]

In our house we have to read labels. Often I will read the label and then DH will double check. Daughter has peanut, seafood, onion, blue cheese and penicillin allergies, both daughters and myself have an allergy to aspartame and we all are loctose intolerant as well. Plus I am allergic to mango.
We do get premade peanut butter sandwiches but my oldest doesn't touch them. Foods are made differently depending on who is to be eating them. The one thing I can't do is cook seafood especially shrimp at home as the smell with send her to the hospital.
At Disney Boma has been the best at accommodating us. Worst was Mama Melrose who tried to pass off a sugar free cheesecake as aspartame free when I knew full well it was not. When I asked to see the box it had already been disposed of. And I had told them well before hand I could not have anything with aspartame. It really seems to depemd on the chef and the server. TJ at Boma is the best.
Also I have asked many times what the sweetener in the sugar free choclate they sell in the parks. Up until this trip I would get I don't know. This trip Marisol at the candy shop by Villians and Things took the time to check and bring the box out for me to read. No aspartame! I got my chocolate.

 

[chell]

He warned me in no uncertain terms that the next reaction would be worse. Not might be or could be - would be.

As much as I have read up on food allergies I didn't know this until about two weeks ago! If you have EVER had even a mild reaction to a food allergy the next time will be worse and could be fatal. No more trying to think of a way to sneak a bit of that fried egg yolk for me.

This could be the case with that child. Maybe they have had enough of a serious reaction before.

Lisa - your daughter is allergic to penicillin, but not eggs? They told me that most people who are allergic to penicillin are allergic to eggs. Glad you got your chocolate!!!

 

[minniepumpernickel]

My neice has the peanut allergy. I believe that being peanut free in certain environments isn't too big of a sacrifice.


So many different foods exist that make a wholesome and nutritious lunch. So many kids are overweight. Maybe they shouldn't be eating peanut butter anyway.

Just my two sense!

 

[snoopy]

I stopped putting peanut butter and jelly or anything with nuts in my kids lunches a long time ago. We never got a letter home, but after reading these boards and realizing so many kids have peanut allergies, I decided they can eat PB&J or a Snickers bar at home if they really want one that bad. No way would I want my child's lunch to be the cause of some other kid's death. It scares me to death to think of it, I can just imagine how the parents of those children might feel.

This subject has been discussed here many times, usually a big debate, I'm pleased that this one is so civil.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

Just a question about peanut allergy detection: How did you find out your child was allergic? Did they eat something obvious like a PB&J sandwhich and have a reaction? Or was it from something that had peanut product in it?

I am curious because I have never given DD straight peanut butter or honey. I have read lots of things about holding off on these products until they are older. I also held off on the most common foods that cause allergies until she was around 1 1/2.

After reading all of these peanut allergy threads it makes me nervous to give her peanut butter! I'm sure she has eaten stuff with peanut butter in it, but still....

chellnjr-I am allergic to penicillian, but not eggs.

 

[lisajl]

With my child my husband....notice I did not put DH? Gave our little guy some peanut butter when he was making himself pb crackers.

There were some little hives that came up around my sons mouth.
I look worried of course, but washed off his face and he did not have a problem.

Then about a month later, he was not yet a year my husband...note still not DH....tried again. The reaction was more spread over sons face.

I talked to the doctor, he said, Peanut allergy, here's a script for epi pen.

Flash forward to my nieces wedding a few years back and not everyone knowing that Sean is allergic to peanuts, nuts, etc.
He came up to me in a dark hall and I could hardly see what was going on, his eyes were watery and he was starting to lose consciousness. Thought we had the epi pen with us, did not, had to run home, administer it and then off to the hospital.

Thank God we had that epi pen.

Lisa

 

[disykat]

Jenn Lynn, they are recommending no peanut products until age three now. DS's first reaction was actually to plain M&M's (yes, they contain peanuts!). He had a natural aversion to peanuts and the M&M's were the first peanuts he'd ingested. He also had an airborne reaction in preschool. MY recommendation to people is when you introduce it make sure there are no other new foods introduced at the same time and if there is a natural aversion - don't push it!

Thanks again everyone for this thread! The beginning of each school year is tough and it's nice to know there are so many thoughtful people out there!

 

[christineann]

My nephew is starting first grade next week and has just changed schools because the school where he was enrolled has now back-tracked on efforts to alert the other parents about his peanut allergy. He went to a peanut-free kindergarten and will now be at a peanut free elementary school. The number of peanut free schools around here is increasing every year because of the increase in kids with the peanut allergy, according to my nephew's allergist.

Frequently it's only parents who are upset about excluding peanut butter and peanut cross-contaminated products (somehow infringes on their kids' rights, etc.) when their kids don't see it as a big deal to eat something else. Kids are like that

 

[Mermaid02]

"Just a question about peanut allergy detection: How did you find out your child was allergic?"

A lot of people have asked me this since our son was diagnosed last month.

Jack is 6 and has eaten pb&j for probably 3 years. He LOVES peanut butter and jelly! I mean, the kid would sometimes eat THREE for breakfast! All of a sudden in May- he stopped eating it. Bummed me out- it's nutritious, easy and relatively cheap! All he would say is, "No Mommy! I don't want peanut butter- it hurts my throat." I kind of blew him off.... one of his best friends in kindergarten was allergic to peanuts and I thought he was just mimicking her.

The middle of June we went camping with some friends. Zina is an RN. She had some peanuts and offered them. Jack took 2 or 3 and then came to us with his hand on his throat saying, "It's doing it again!" she said, "Jack what does it feel like?" and he said it felt like, "Someone shoving their hand down my throat and then scratching it all up!" She told me we should have it checked out. I gave him some antihistamine and luckily he was okay. We called Monday and went to see the pediatrician who said she had never had a patient describe their symptoms so well. She sent us home with an epi-pen (2 actually) and an appointment to see a pediatric allergist. about a month later a simple scratch test showed he was EXTREMELY allergic to peanuts. No other nuts and he has never had a problem with other legumes.

That's our story. We were lucky that Jack is older and could tell us what was going on. We have never had the massive swelling or swollen tongue that give some the first inkling of an allergy.

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

JennLynn - DS5 was diagnosed when he was about 18 mos. I gave him a very small amount of PB on toast, and he broke out in a rash all over his face and body.
As for when you should give kids PB, my pediatrican said to me, "You should only give PB to kids when they can use the words PB in a full sentence!"
We used to live in Canada, and for the most part the schools are peanut free, however we recently moved down to "the peanut state", and it's now a bit of a worry. Currently DS goes to a small private school for Kindergarten, but this may not be an option for next year.
I usually don't comment on these debates as I also have a DD who loves PB, and I was on the other side of the fence on this issue a few years ago. She has been very supportive about her brothers allergy and actually giving up peanut products wasn't a big deal to her.
I hope no one flames me for this comment, but my response to people who think it is their kids right to take PB to school is, "Would your child actually die if they cannot have their daily PB sandwhich at school? My child might"
Please think about giving them their PB fix at breakfast, or even dinner at home. I really don't think it should be such a big deal if a childs life is at stake. It is amazing to me how many people (friends, neighbors, etc) who are so supportive when they find out about DS allergy.
We are going to get DS tested again on Monday. I'm really hoping that he has grown out of it (they told us a 15% chance because no one else in both families have any food allergies), but if not we will continue to monitor, carrying the epie pen and try to be as sensitive to the other side of the issue as we can.
Mermaid02 - our peanut allergy son is also named Jack.....
Also, there is a Nestle candy bar plant in Toronto that manufactures Kit Kat bars, and other chocolate bars that are totally peanut free. I understand that it is the only plant in North America that has never processed peanut products in it. They now label their products "peanut free" Website : www.nestle.ca

 

[CamColt]

I had offered PB to DS a few times and he never really liked it. I actually videotaped it once because he made such a funny face.
A few months before he turned 2 my sister was watching him while I worked. Him and my niece were sitting at a table and my neice had PB & crackers. My sister didnt see if he touched it or if he ate it or what but a few minutes later his eye was swelling up and he had some hives. By the time I got there it wasnt too bad and by the time I got him to the doctors(we called right away, and they didnt seem too concerned) it was even less. However they sent us to an allergist and there he got tested where it came back positive for just peanuts.
He has since ingested peanut butter candy once and vomitted from it, but we dont know if that was just nerves or the reaction.