Okay, Supersleuths - what do you make of this?

[JennifersLost]

Remember my post about ds who had the allergic reaction to hazelnuts? Some new info has come to light leaving me totally confused.

 

Turns out ds ate the exact same thing five days previously - nutella on a roll, given to him by a friend, with no reaction - no hives, no breathing issues - nothing.

 

AND the day after my ds had the breathing problems another boy in his class who sits 3 desks over from him also had to be rushed to the hospital with hives, breathing problems, etc. It wasn't quite as bad as ds's, but it was pretty bad. He apparently ate a piece of fruit that day which was different from what he normally eats, and like my ds has a history of some sensitivities to food, but....

 

Isn't that a weird coincidence? Two kids in two days in the same class, neither with any prior history of this?

 

I'm going to call the school and the parents of this kid on Monday to find out more. But what would you think? And what would you do? Is there any safe way a doctor can find out for sure what my ds is allergic to?

[j.griff]

I would think it is a coincidence, but I'd also have my ds tested for allergens (again, if it's already been done before). I know you said that the nearest allergist is a long way from you, but I think it's worth it to make sure you KNOW what caused his reaction, so that you can be sure you're taking the steps to avoid the right thing, KWIM? Also, I'm sure you already know this but- even if he did eat that food 5 days prior, that food could still be THE cause of his reaction. Allergic reactions can happen out of nowhere- even with a food you've eaten most of your life. My dd had a sudden reaction to canned peaches. I would think that his food sensitivities would up the chances of him having sudden reactions. And maybe that first exposure earlier in the week actually contributed to triggering an allergic reaction after the second exposure. Lots of hugs ((((((())))))), I know this has GOT to be very frustrating to deal with.

[Doran]

He apparently ate a piece of fruit that day which was different from what he normally eats, and like my ds has a history of some sensitivities to food, but....

 

Not jumping to sensational conclusions, here, but what was the source of the piece of fruit eaten by the other boy? Do you know?

 

Yes, I'd call the parents and the teachers. No harm in that. Very curious.

 

Doran

[Colleen in NS]

Remember my post about ds who had the allergic reaction to hazelnuts? Some new info has come to light leaving me totally confused.

 

Turns out ds ate the exact same thing five days previously - nutella on a roll, given to him by a friend, with no reaction - no hives, no breathing issues - nothing.

 

AND the day after my ds had the breathing problems another boy in his class who sits 3 desks over from him also had to be rushed to the hospital with hives, breathing problems, etc. It wasn't quite as bad as ds's, but it was pretty bad. He apparently ate a piece of fruit that day which was different from what he normally eats, and like my ds has a history of some sensitivities to food, but....

 

Isn't that a weird coincidence? Two kids in two days in the same class, neither with any prior history of this?

 

I'm going to call the school and the parents of this kid on Monday to find out more. But what would you think? And what would you do? Is there any safe way a doctor can find out for sure what my ds is allergic to?

 

Jennifer,

 

I would keep investigating and asking as many questions as you need to, to put the puzzle pieces together. Even write things down. An allergist can do a blood test to test for all sorts of allergens, and if you can tell him EVERYTHING you've found out so far, the dr. will be able to have an idea of what to test for. You can even request that particular allergens be tested for. Might as well find out everything you can.

 

As Doran said, I'd also be asking questions like where did the fruit come from (as in, not what country, but what person), because you can go further and ask how the fruit was handled at the person's home, etc.. For ex., with ds' peanut allergy, we ask things like, "Has this margarine ever had a knife in it that was used also for peanut butter?" People just don't think of things like that, so we have to police EVERYTHING. And think of every possibility. Food manufacturing lines, and such. I'd also be questioning that roll that the nutella was on. What ingredients, where did it come from, did it touch anything else, were there any allergy warnings on the roll package, etc.. I'd also wonder about the classroom environment - were there perfumes in the air, what was being cooked in the kitchen those days that could have wafted some allergens into the classroom.

 

It's a learning curve, and panicky-scary sometimes, but you do get to a place where there is more comfort and confidence in what you are doing.

 

Keep us posted!