Nut Allergies

Hi Jeana,

I'm 41 and am still allergic to walnuts and pecans. As a child, I was allergic to just about everything, animals, pollens, eggs, milk, etc.. I received allergy shots which reduced and/or eliminated almost all of my allergy symptoms, except for pecans and walnuts. I also suffer from analphalaxis when I eat them. I strongly suggest she get allergy testing to find out what she's allergic to, and if allergy shots are an option, I would suggest she get them. It's possible she may outgrow them if she gets shots as a child. The best thing your baby can do is learn to be up front and ask whether something contains nuts or not before she tries it. When she gets older, she can test a food by taking a very small bite, the size of a crumb, and waiting for a full minute to see if she reacts. If there's no reaction, still proceed with caution with another small bite, and then when she's sure there's no reaction, eat the food. I get an itchy mouth and throat, and swollen lips immediately when I ingest them. I will immediately swish water around in my mouth and spit it out to get the remaining particles out of my mouth and use a toothpick to get them out of my teeth. Brushing the teeth is great, but not always practical. The toothpaste is somewhat cooling on the mouth and throat, as is mouthwash. Have her drink a lot of water to dilute the potentcy. Eating a mint will sometimes help sooth the irritating tingling in the throat too. Of course, if her allergies are so severe that she immediately goes into anaphalactic shock, head for the hospital. Another symptom of eating the nuts is a stomach ache. She may even suffer from diahrrea as the body tries to rid itself of the food.

Be sure to check labels, pesto, for instance, is made with nuts, and there are several baked goods that may contain nut flour, making it impossible to tell that the item has nuts. Don't always trust the waitstaff at a restaurant if you ask them to check a label, make sure you speak to the owner or chef. I once asked a waiter if some breakfast bread had nuts and was told it did not. Once I took a bite, I knew differently.

Unfortunately, most sweets, especially around the holidays, contain nuts and avoidance is the best solution.

Do a search on oral allergy syndrome, it may help explain what her body is doing when she eats these foods. I hope this helps!

Hi Jeana,
I have asthma and grew up with many environmental and food allergies, including peanuts, chocolate, tomatoes, oranges, etc. (imagine a child eating no chocolate or even pizza!). While I'm still severely allergic to cats and dogs, I've outgrown almost all of my food allergies, though I still can't do fish. So maybe your daughter will be lucky like me.

That said, I was very afraid to let our two-year-old try peanut butter, so I waited until her 2-year check up at the doctor and gave her a tiny bite of peanut butter candy right then and there. The doctor's office let us stay for an hour to make sure she didn't have a reaction (they came by to check on us every 15 minutes or so), and they were prepared in the case there was a reaction. Luckily she did fine, but I plan to do the same thing again when we try fish. I'd rather be safe than sorry, but I also don't want to put a two-year-old through extensive and uncomfortable allergy tests.

Mostly, though, I just wanted you to know there is some hope of outgrowing it. Until then, just make sure she knows to ask about the food she's receiving when she's not at home. I remember always having to ask if people had pets before I was allowed to go to their homes (I still have to do that!). Hope this is helpful.

My 4 year old is also allergic to peanuts. We found out at 18 months after he ate some Campbell's soup. We couldn't figure out what caused the massive hives but read the label later and realized it was made with peanut oil.

His reaction was very slow. We waited almost a whole day before taking him to the ER. I must confess, I do give him things that state "processed on or near equipment that processes peanuts." I had severe allergies growing up, not peanut allergies but everything else. I have gone by the philosophy of a little bit of peanut may help it go away. Slightly dangerous, maybe, but we are prepared. I, of course, would never give him a peanut and stay clear of places that cook with peanut oil such as Chick-Fil-A.

I think every case is different. My son asks if something has peanuts in it before he tries it or accepts something from someone else. I have to give a little trust or it will consume our lives.

Have you ever had a IGG sensitivity test done? The only chance of her getting a food allergy better is if you heal the overall immune system. If you find out that she has other food sensitivities, many times a couple years on a restricted diet (which frankly would not be any harder than what you are living with - hang in there!)....as well as working with any other factors like bacterial or yeast issues that are exasperbating the problem, children drastically improve their allergic reactions.

My son and goddaughter had allergies (my son was peanuts, my goddaughter eggs) have been on theirs for 2.5 years now. My son can now tolerate small amounts of peanuts and my goddaughter - who started younger was given the great news by their doctor yesterday that in another year or so, they can begin back adding the foods she was once allergic to.

On another note, this type of treatment is both common sense and not common. There are doctors, but they are not the typical pediatricians. There is a book called:

Healing the childhood epidemics by Kenneth Bock, M.D.

I think you will find it very helpful. It is about healing allergies, exzema, Autism, ADHD. The root of these are the same, the effects to the child very different.

Good luck in your search. If the mainstream medicine that Bock refers to you doesn't work for you, alternative medicine (homeopathy, accupuncture, herbal, etc) holds a hold world of help. Don't stop searching, it could hold that key for your daughter to be able to live a regular life.

J.

My son was diagnosed with peanut, milk, and egg allergies at 15 months. He is 22 months now. My husband and I did a lot of research and found that a lot of moms were sheltering their kids and not letting them participate in birthday parties, zoos, etc. We made the decision to NOT treat our son much differently. We always have food that he can eat with us. When we go to a birthday party, I take a cupcake that I make that he can have. He has learned that he cannot take food from anyone except for mommy and daddy. Since it is unlikely that he will ever outgrow it, we want him to learn how to live with it, not run away from it.

Just keep food with you that she can have. We also went online to all of our favorite restaurants (most have their allergy info on there, but not all) and have made a list of the foods he can have. Of course, our job is a little tougher because we have to throw eggs and milk in with the peanut allergy, but it can be done. Make a list of restaurants that have allergy friendly food and only go to those when your daughter is with you.

Good luck! I feel your pain....we're going through it too!

Jeana - I feel your pain! I've got 5 children and only 1 of them has an anaphylactic reaction to tree nuts. We discovered it when he was about 1.5 yrs old when he ate 1/4 of a cashew. Several hours in the ER and 3 adrenaline shots later, he was kinda OK. His poor little face was swollen for 6 weeks afterwards and we had to give him mega doses of Benadryl for some time after as well. We had him tested (basic skin prick testing on the back) and he is highly allergic to all tree nuts. To my knowledge, these tests are pretty accurate, but that all depends on how the test is administered and who interprets the results. If you have gone to a reputable doctor/facility, then I would just trust the results. As far as outgrowing the allergy, I would be at peace with the fact that I have to be careful with what I feed to/buy for my child. It's not the end of the world.

My son is almost 10 now and has learned that life without nuts isn't so bad. We have taught him how important it is for him to avoid ingesting even traces of nuts, so I never worry about him eating something he shouldn't when he is away from me.

I would carry an epipen and get your daughter a medical ID bracelet with all of her info. Probably not what you hoped to hear, but this is my input after 9 years of dealing with it. I wish you the very best!!

Warmly - J.

I, too, have a 4 year old daughter with nut allergies. It was found on a blood test when she was 15 months old. She has never ingested a peanut, so I have no idea how she would react if she were exposed. I am a teacher and have had children in my classes with severe nut allergies. It is really important to let her teachers know to inform the other parents about her allergies. Luckily, my daughter is in a nut-free facility, but the parents still have a hard time comprehending our requests. We have been over and over things with our daughter and she knows not to eat anything anyone gives her without asking either her teacher or one of us first. It is still scary. Our two year old son is not allergic to nuts. Our pediatrician had him tested when he was 10 months old and about to start eating a lot of different foods. I also avoided ALL nuts while I was pregnant with him (not something I did with my daughter) and I wonder if this helped.

We also make sure that our daughter has her own treats available. Her teacher has stuff just for her while the other kids are eating cupcakes or cookies. Rice Krispie treats are great to bring for birthdays or holidays.

One resource you can try is the Food Allergy Network. I believe you have to join for a nominal fee. My allergist suggested this, as did the parent of another nut allergy child. I personally have not joined to date. We are planning to have my daughter retested sometime this year before she starts Kindergarten.

I wish you luck with this. I personally hope it gets easier as they get older. I think education is the key. Labeling has gotten a lot better than it used to be.

My daughter is also 4 years old and has been dealing with allergies since birth. We also can't have anything processed in the same facility as peanuts (amongst other things). What you are doing is all good. The prick testing and the blood testing are both about the same as far as accuracy. Just keep carrying your medicine and carrying your own food. Don't cry...you're not alone and who knows 20% is still a good chance of outgrowing this, BUT peanut allergy takes longer to outgrow(the Dr told me they would test my girl again in 4-5 years). So don't get discouraged, just keep up the good work.

Get friendly and familiar with this site if you haven't already: http://foodallergy.org/alerts.html
My God-daughter was diagnosed as anaphalactic to nuts. I also like this site regarding allergies: http://thebakehouse-recipes.blogspot.com/2006/04/food-all...
There is a blood test the allergist can do to confirm what type of allergy your daughter has.

(((Hug))) You are not alone, it is frustrating. But know that labeling has come SOOOO far, even in the past five years. It's hard to deal with people that just don't get that this isn't a life choice for you, but a life preservation issue. It's especially hard here in the South where peanuts are freakin' everywhere.

Hi Jeana,
I can only imagine how difficult it is for all you coping with a nut allergy. My kids are both allergic to all types of food but thankfully it only makes their eczema worse and i know how difficult i find that!.
In trying to find some relief for my kids i came across a therapy called NAET - Nmbudripads Allergy Elimination Technique. It was devised by a lady called Devi Nambudripad hence the name and judging by the website it had a very good success rate with reducing the impact of nut allergys. I have done the basic beginners course and cured my family of lots of allergies so i know how amazing it is but i've not been in contact with anyone who's had a nut allergy reduced. Botht hte trainers on my course have worked with lots of people with nut allergys and claimed their success rate was up at 90+%. Your daughter would need multiple treatments and would need to continue avoiding nuts throughout the treatments but as she has to do that anyway it shouldn't be too difficult. To find a practitioner in your area you'd need to check out www.NAET.com and you'll find a lot more info there too. Be sure to read Devi's note about finding a proper practitioner! Good luck to you all
kind regards
Jen

My 7 year old daughter is deathly allergic to peanuts. She wears a fanny pack with 2 epipens and benadryl everywhere she goes and we are very careful. I agree with what Michelle P said, take safe food with you and let them participate in everything - don't shelter them. We go out to eat, are very active at church, she plays on a soccer team, goes to all her friends' parties, etc. She knows not to take food from anyone else and she always has her own special treats at school or birthday parties. I've been pleased with how smart she has become about her allergy and how caring and careful her friends are.

I was a basket-case when we first found out, but now we've been dealing with it for 6 years. We're more relaxed about it now (not our standards, but our state of mind). It's just become part of our life and isn't all consuming and terrifying like it used to be. (sending her to kindergarten last year was extremely stressful, but now even school isn't a huge cause for fear.)

We operate on the assumption that she will not grow out of it. We know it is always possible for her to have another reaction - no matter how careful you are, everyone can make a mistake. But we make sure that whoever is with her knows what to do so that a reaction is handled properly and doesn't end in tragedy.

A good book is The Peanut Allergy Answer Book by Michael Young. If you ever want to talk more about it, you can send me a message directly. Good luck!

Hi Jeana,

Nut allergies are becoming more prominent each and everyday. I am of the opinion that if you have a healthy immune system then allergies are not a problem. The problem with that theory is that most people don't understand what a healthy immune system is and the people supplying our food are making us sicker and sicker. I'm also convinced there are a lot of doctors out there that don't understand it either.

Just because you don't have a sniffle or the kids don't have as bad a case of the flu as the kids next door, doesn't mean that everything in your system is working at the optimum level. Read the link below:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/0...
It explains the basics of the problems with our food supply now and how it is effecting more and more people. I speak to groups on things of this nature and the prevention of serious and common ailments.

I know that this is a scary thing for you and I am so sorry you are dealing with it Jeana. I do believe we as American citizens we should fight against these things together and by all means pray!

God bless!

M.

Hi, I feel for you. My 3 children all have nut allergies along with soy,eggs, wheat, milk,and certain types of fish!! It is the hardest thing in the world to navigate what to do, but my kids all have a blood draw yearly because the skin(prong)test can overwhelm there system. The blood test usually have a range that lets you know how severe the allergy ( 1 fair to 5 deadly )and I think it is very accurate. For example, ours were between a 4 and 5 for nuts so we don't chance it, but 1 or 2 for bananas so if they eat that it may cause a rash or mild itching but even that worries me. Children with this usually don't grow out of it from what I have read, but the best thing to do is research food that they can safely eat and let them know they can enjoy plenty of things just not nuts. Eating out is the worst because things are often cooked in peanut oil or cross contaminated, so in the past we always ask first, then we test the food actually on the skin and lips for a reaction. They have stated that it tingles or itches so I don't even bother anymore. I have purchased a cook book for these types of allergies and we cook most of the food they eat along with ordering things online and shopping specialty stores like Earth Fare really help.( I have found most things taste really good, to my surprise) The good thing is if your child does not have a soy allergy you can find soy substitutes for just about anything. I have found that showcasing the food that my kids can eat the don't really worry about the peanuts, as long as people don't make a big deal out of how good snickers taste! I always keep the Epi pen,benadryl and medical ID band with us and have taught them not to eat any food with out asking an adult what is in it or just don't eat it they have snacks with them that they can safely eat. It is hard, but you are doing a great job mom! Research substitutes and join the food and allergy network they have great advice. Sending you a prayer and encouragement.

Hi Jeana
I know exactly how you feel!!! My son has severe allergies to milk, eggs, and peanuts. We do not even keep anything with peanuts including peanut butter in the house! It is hard in public situations though. My son is only two and we just have to keep getting allergy tested(the blood test). We had not done the skin test yet. We also always have benadryl on hand. We just make sure to stay on his strict diet and he knows that he can not have the foods he is allergic to. It is VERY stressful. We just pray that one day these kids can grow out of it. For my sons birthday I found a great lady who makes allergy free treats for kids. She made his birthday cake and has a lot of other kinds of chocolates and stuff. The name of the bussiness is wheyoutchocolate.com if you want to check it out. I love the treats because I hated him feeling left out at birthday parties etc. hope this helps!