If your child has PEANUT allergy...

[Heather in Neverland]

UPDATE #27

 

How old was he/she when you realized it? I have suspicions that my 8yo ds has a peanut allergy (not the life-threatening kind... The hives all over kind). But if it is true I was wondering if it is odd that it is just now showing up at 8 years old?

Edited September 3, 2012 by Heather in NC

[dangermom]

My kid was nearly 2. But it can develop over time, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear about a kid who was diagnosed at 8.

[Wolfmeis]

My girl was 13 months.

[Munchkins_mama]

Well, I was 29 when I developed a nut allergy. No fun, but it can happen at any time. Especially after a traumatic event, or a major illness.

[Twilight Woods]

We found out when we had testing done at 15mo old. She had a severe allergic reaction to eggs.

[Mélie]

My son was 2.5, but I have a nephew who didn't discover his allergy until he was 5. 8 doesn't sound impossible to me.

[frugalmama]

I was 16 when mine developed, and it worsened as I got older. Prior to age 16, I was a peanut butter fiend!

[shanvan]

How old was he/she when you realized it? I have suspicions that my 8yo ds has a peanut allergy (not the life-threatening kind... The hives all over kind). But if it is true I was wondering if it is odd that it is just now showing up at 8 years old?

 

My Dd was 4, but I don't think it's odd if it shows up later. She had hives all over her body, throwing up etc. however her allergist does consider it a life threatening allergy because of the number of and severity of her symptoms.

 

We found out on Christmas night after she ate all of the trail mix I put in her stocking (I was trying to use something a little more healthy than candy...oopps). We hadn't noticed any symptoms before.

[hsbaby]

My dd was 3. It started as mild hives and progressed into swelling of eyes and mouth.

[Momof3littles]

I would still be very cautious and pursue testing even if you are "only" seeing hives, because my understanding is an allergy can progress to full throat swelling anaphylaxis at any time. Hopefully one of the allergy moms will chime in with info, but I would not feel particularly reassured that you are "just" seeing hives, iykwim.

[shanvan]

I would still be very cautious and pursue testing even if you are "only" seeing hives, because my understanding is an allergy can progress to full throat swelling anaphylaxis at any time. Hopefully one of the allergy moms will chime in with info, but I would not feel particularly reassured that you are "just" seeing hives, iykwim.

 

:iagree: Yes. This is what I was trying to say in my earlier post.

[Ruby Rose]

DS was diagnosed by his allergist at around 1 with allergy testing. He does have the life threatening kind.

[Jennifer in MI]

13 months.

[Dana]

I would still be very cautious and pursue testing even if you are "only" seeing hives, because my understanding is an allergy can progress to full throat swelling anaphylaxis at any time. Hopefully one of the allergy moms will chime in with info, but I would not feel particularly reassured that you are "just" seeing hives, iykwim.

 

:iagree:

 

My son was diagnosed with a dairy allergy at 3 months.

He had a strong reaction with hives at a bit over a year old. That was when we got the Epi-pen (even though Benadryl took care of that reaction).

It was good we had the Epi because at 5 he had an anaphylactic reaction to cashews. It was severe enough I had to use the Epi and the ER told us we should have called 911 and taken an ambulance (even though we weren't sure he was having a reaction and were heading to the ER just in case).

 

So yup, allergies can happen at any time.

If you think it is a nut allergy, get to an allergist, get an allergy action plan, and an Epi-pen. And practice using it! If we hadn't listened to our son about his reaction (no visual signs) and didn't have the Epi, I don't know if he'd be here. If you need the Epi, keep it with him at all times.

 

FAAN.org (food allergy and anaphylaxis network) has good information.

Food Allergies for Dummies was the best book I read when learning more about his allergies as well.

 

:grouphug:

[wapiti]

I would still be very cautious and pursue testing even if you are "only" seeing hives, because my understanding is an allergy can progress to full throat swelling anaphylaxis at any time. Hopefully one of the allergy moms will chime in with info, but I would not feel particularly reassured that you are "just" seeing hives, iykwim.

 

:iagree: hives = anaphylaxis = the potentially life-threatening kind

 

you need to carry an Epi-pen

 

eta, ds9 was diagnosed with peanut at 12 months when he got hives after eating peanut butter; recent skin testing produced a negative for the peanut (even though he's had three prior positives, so I'm guessing that's inaccurate) and showed new allergies to tree nuts, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds

 

eta again, I recommend The Peanut Allergy Answer Book. Peanut allergy is the most common cause of fatal anaphylaxis.

Edited September 3, 2012 by wapiti

[Twilight Woods]

I would still be very cautious and pursue testing even if you are "only" seeing hives, because my understanding is an allergy can progress to full throat swelling anaphylaxis at any time. Hopefully one of the allergy moms will chime in with info, but I would not feel particularly reassured that you are "just" seeing hives, iykwim.

 

 

:iagree:

[allymom]

We found out when my dd (age 5.5) went in for allergy testing. She was getting tons of hives on a daily basis that had just begun 3-4 months prior. Turns out she was allergic to peanuts, wheat, and a host of environmental allergens. I was shocked she was allergic to peanuts, but she had never been real keen on them and that's probably the only reason we didn't notice sooner, as she hardly ever ate them.

 

ETA: Even though she only gets hives and diarrhea (about 15 min. later), her allergist also considers it life threatening because, he says, peanut allergies that result in hives can turn anaphylactic at any given time and you'll have no notice. I would definitely recommend you take your child in for allergy testing and get an epipen if she does have a peanut allergy.

[Tess in the Burbs]

My son was 7. He would get diarrhea after eating pb cookies. I thought it was the egg in the recipe b/c he was allergic to egg until age 3. Nope, got the shock of my life when his peanut test was highly allergic.

 

Get him tested. We found he's allergic to a lot of things. His dr has made it clear he's so allergic that any exposure could be life threatening. They will most likely do skin testing and then blood test if he skin was positive.

 

:grouphug: it's hard but I am thankful I pushed for the testing

[mchel210]

My dd 9 just got diagnosed with a very low peanut allergy...her allergist does not want me to stop them now, though. She has 4 new allergies all of a sudden. He says as she gets older they should start showing up more as she has "shiners" under her eyes which I guess he says are an early sign of allergies. Right now the worst one for her is wheat.

[angel marie]

I am an R.N. and used to be a school nurse. Go get your child tested to determine what the allergy is. In the meantime, if you suspect it is peanuts, avoid them and i'm not just talking about eating them. Some people who are highly allergic can have a reaction even if the peanuts are in the same room. Start looking at labels for hidden peanut oils. Start educating yourself online with food allergies on reputatable sites like mayo clinic for one. The allergy can progress past hives at any given time. The doctor will probably prescribe an EPI-Pen to keep on hand. You will need to notify the school (if your child attends), and have a "food allergy action plan" completed and on file with school nurse. Your doc will complete the action plan for you to know what to do if any symptoms arise. Don't be discouraged. There's alot of things to learn with this, and a great deal of information, but you will get the hang of it before long. You can develop an allergy at any age. Strange, I know! Hope this helps.

Angel, R.N.

[8circles]

My son has food allergies. What I've been told by the allergists is that hives (urticaria?) Is a form of anaphylaxis. Each exposure can be worse and there is no way to predict how severe the reaction might be. The distinction between life threatening and non-life threatening is really not meaningful. It really only means whether or not a reaction has affected the respiratory system. Once it happens once, its more likely to happen again. But the first time can happen at any exposure, with no warning.

[Runningmom80]

My ds was a tiny baby when he was diagnosed, but you can develop an allergy at any time.

 

 

I'll echo the others and say you need to get your DD to the allergist, hives is part of anaphylaxis on our action plan.

[happypamama]

Peanut allergy is not one we've dealt with, but yes, allergy reactions can escalate. Hives are on the spectrum with anaphylaxis, and the reaction could be worse next time. You should have epi-pens. (DD got stung by a bee once -- no serious reaction, just soreness at the site. Next time she got stung, she broke out in hives on her neck, even though the sting was on her arm. The time after that, her whole face and body started to swell. Thankfully, she never had trouble breathing, but we went straight to the ER, and we now carry epi-pens everywhere with her. Most likely, next time will not be life-threatening, but I'm not taking chances.)

[The Girls' Mom]

My dd tested allergic at 4, but had never had any reaction at all. (despite eating it nearly daily) We took her off for about a year, but with a doctor's ok, we let her have it again. Fast forward to age 14. Her allergy/asthma was getting worse so we had her retested. Peanuts came up as one of the highest food allergens on her blood test. Her allergist advised us to completely remove it. Now that she has been off of it for a while, she feels weird whenever she smells it. I don't know how much is mental, but we don't chance it. The doc said it could go from no reaction to anaphalactic with no warning.

[Desert Rat]

My son was 2 months shy of his 6th birthday for his TREE nut allergy.

[Cricket]

I had an anaphylactic reaction to sunflower seeds at age 39. It isn't that unusual for allergies to show up later in life. :grouphug: Food allergies are tough to deal with!

[Heather in Neverland]

Oh great.

 

Since last spring my ds has been getting random itchy skin rashes/hives. Elbows, knees mostly. We figured it was eczema. But we live in a tropical environment which is supposed to be the BEST environment for helping eczema. Also, the eczema flare-ups seemed really random. We couldn't find any particular triggers. It seemed to just come and go at will.

 

In the last two weeks it has been getting worse and has spread to his arms, trunk, neck, face and ears. And he has had frequent bouts of diarrhea in the last two weeks.

 

It also doesn't really look like like eczema. It looks like hives. So DH and I were talking about what has changed and we realized the one dietary thing that has changed was a sudden increase in peanut butter consumption (we got rid of sugary cereals and snacks and our ds has been requesting peanut butter sandwiches every morning for breakfast).

 

Also, the hives will not be there in the morning but will show up later in the day then they will go away again over night (plus we have been giving him benadryl) then they will reappear again the next day.

 

The poor kid is miserable.

 

OK, no peanut butter until we have him tested. Should he get a full battery of allergy testing? Or just test him for the usual suspects? I admit that the idea of a full testing on him makes me nauseous.

 

 

 

 

.

[Runningmom80]

I'd get him tested for the top 8. (dairy, soy, eggs, peanuts, treenuts, wheat, shell fish and fish.)

 

 

There is lots of info on kidswithfoodallergies.org if you are interested!

[8circles]

If I were you I would get the full testing. My son has been through it a few times & it really hasn't been bad.

[FO4UR]

Food allergies can be weird like that. They can also be dose-related.

 

My ds had his first reaction at 3yo. That was to walnuts. He has progressed onto reacting to peanuts (shortly after) and shellfish (at age 7yo-ish)....and there are several fruits he can't have (pineapple and bananas).

 

 

Keep Benedryl on *him* at all times. Keep it in your purse, in the car, at school, etc, etc, etc Don't go anywhere without the benedryl, preferably liquid. Instruct all care-givers to give him benedryl if in doubt, at least until you see a Dr. about this.

 

 

Even if he hasn't had a life-threatening reaction yet, it can happen at any time. Reactions tend to worsen with each exposure...though food allergies can be weird... My ds ate foods fried in peanut oil long before his first reaction, and he can handle eating those foods still even though he does have anaphylactic reactions to peanuts in every other form. The Dr. told me to *not* take the peanut oil out of his diet unless he started reacting to it.

 

Definitely take him in, get him tested - GET AN EPI-PEN!!!! (b/c the next reaction could be anaphylactic)

 

 

 

Vomiting = anaphylactic reaction Give benedryl asap and call 911. (Do they do 911 in Singapore?)

 

 

Red mouth, itchy mouth/throat, looking "spacey", highly agitated, wheezing, and obviously hives are all reactions. Thankfully, he's old enough that you can talk about these things and he can tell you that his mouth is itchy or whatever...

 

 

And - watch out for other foods...and *topical* exposure. Touching peanut butter is not good. Try Sunbutter. It's yummy.

[JenC3]

My ds was 18 mo old when I suspected and a month or so later he tested positive.

[Cinder]

Haven't read the whole thread but I wanted to mention a friend who discovered her peanuttree nut allergy when she was in her early 40's. When we took ds1--16yo at the time--for allergy testing the doc said nut allergies could show at any age. That new allergy symptoms in an older child/person were often nut allergies.

 

Hope you get some answers soon. :grouphug:

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

:grouphug:From what I read all peanut allergies are serious:( Even though, he presents with hives now, the reactions could get much worse and even life-threatening. From what our doctor said, you cannot predict what the next reaction will be. I would see an allergist and read this web site:

 

http://www.foodallergy.org/

[delaney]

I have 3 with it; 2 of them with tree nuts as well. We caught it early in all of them. The oldest is so barely allergic now that they have to draw blood to detect it but the other 2 are really bad. The oldest added cashews in at the age of about 7 and dropped milk. Weird, right? He is also violently allergic(puking) to egg whites in any form.

As an adult I am no longer able to eat Mango or Avocado.

[Carrie12345]

My sister developed allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish in her mid-20s.

[MrsJewelsRae]

A boy I used to babysit had a similar thing happen, he was 3 and had eaten pb plenty before, but had started showing some sensitivity by sneezing and a couple hives. His doctor said it was nothing to worry about! The next time he came into contact with peanuts was at my house and with just one tiny bite he went into anaphylactic shock within moments. He began vomiting, profusely- retching over and over. As I ushered him to the bathroom he began clawing at his neck, ears and then pulling his lips in a panic. I grabbed his face with my hands so I could see him and saw his lips and ears were swollen about double, and then I saw his tongue. It was swelling out of his mouth and beginning to block his airway. I have never felt terror like that. I grabbed the phone and dialed 911 and thank God they had an ambulance right around the corner. The paramedics were literally running into my house in less than a minute. They gave him epinepherine and oxygen and he started to recover. It was so scary and so fast, I had anxiety for a long time afterwards, I still have some, and I still feel guilty that I fed him (unknowingly) something that almost killed him- that was 11 years ago. I now have a son who is also anaphylactic to peanuts. Nut allergies cannot be taken too seriously, even if your doctor brushes it off- you never know what could happen next time. I would get his allergies tested and definitely start carrying an epi pen as well.

 

My son was almost 2 when he had his first exposure (accidental- I had planned to wait till 4 yrs ro introduce peanuts, due to my paranoia, but someone left peanut m&ms out and he ate one) and he had a reaction within 2 minutes. He had hives on his face, his eyes swelled nearly shut, some mouth swelling, and he threw up. It cleared up with Benadryl, thankfully. We got his allergies tested and asked our family doctor for a prescription for Epi Pen in the meanwhile. My dr didn't think we would really need one since ds is always with me and he wondered if i would even feel comfortable giving an epi shot?! Hello?! Of course I would use it if I needed to, those pens are the only thing that keep me sane on a daily basis, his tests revealed he is extremely allergic to peanuts- he will never outgrow it. We carry 2 epi pens with him at all times. I hope your child is not allergic to nuts and it was just a fluke, but definitely follow up on this with a doctor that specializes in allergies, or at least a pediatrician , sadly I've found a few family doctors just don't get the severity of anaphylactic allergies- and it could have killed that little boy I babysat. Good luck. :)

[MrsJewelsRae]

I wanted to add, about peanut oil- the reason a lot of severely allergic people can consumer peanut oil with a reaction is because it is cooked at such a high temperature it usually breaks down the peanut protien. However, this process is not always reliable, especially in the case of "healthy" versions of oils that are first cold pressed, etc. I think it is plating with fire, especially when there are do many other options for cooking oils. We have a completely peanut free house- alsohttp he is allergic, throw out any jam or honey jars that could have had a knife dipped in that had peanut butter on it. I do not let my son eat jam at anyone's house that is not 100% peanut free because of this risk.

 

My son was only tested for 5 allergies as he was so little- he tested anaphylactic to all but one- peanuts, milk, eggs, soy- but not wheat thankfully. Since then we have also had 2 new anaphylactic allergies show up- kiwi and sunflower seeds, so he will have to go back for a broader panel. I was shocked with how well my son took the testing, he watched in interest when they pricked his arm and was easily distracted by bubbles when they did the blood test. I was certain we'd have to hold down a screaming 2 yr old.

[Cera]

My 5 year old had a very similar issue with peanuts. She was fine with them when she was only consuming them occasionally but she discovered a peanut granola bar she loved and began eating them daily. She developed serious gastrointestinal issues, rashes, etc and we finally connected the two. We kept her away from all peanuts for about 6 weeks and then allowed her to try a small amount of peanut butter and it was fine. She has since returned to eating peanuts occasionally with no problems but we carefully monitor how much she gets. (and I remember having the same issue with strawberries as a kid)