Peanut Allergy? - Dallas,TX

Hi A.-

My daughter (now 4 1/2 yrs. old) had a reaction to a PB&J sandwich around the same age as your daughter. It was her second exposure to peanut butter and with no food allergies in my family, we had no idea what was happening. She only ate one small bite and wiped the rest on her face (which broke out in hives). We called her pediatrician and he recommended Benadryl, and then the ER if that didn't work. Fortunately it worked.

Like the other moms said - the next reaction could be more severe. We have worked hard to not expose my daughter to any nut products (she's allergic to peanuts and tree nuts) and she has never had another major reaction in 3+ years. But we don't let her eat anything that has any mention of nut allergens and if we don't have access to a label (e.g. birthday party cupcakes), we don't let her have one.

On a couple of occasions she's started wheezing suddenly. She has asthma, but it seemed to come on very quickly after playing with a basketball at the YMCA. I thought perhaps someone ate a peanut butter sandwich and then touched the basketball, so I gave my daughter Benadryl and the wheezing went away.

We didn't see a pediatric allergist until after my daughter was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis before her second birthday. Before then, our pediatrician just gave us an epi-pen. Once she developed juvenile arthritis, we wanted to find out if the inflammation was due to foods she was eating so the pediatrician referred us to a pediatric allergist. My daughter was tested (blood tests) for various foods and then told us we needed to get rid of our cats (???!!!). He was so condescending so we switched to another pediatric allergist who we love. He said some of the same things (e.g. no connection between the arthritis and foods) but in a much more professional manner.

My daughter goes in 1-2 times per year to be tested. Her peanut levels are going down, and the doctor wants to do a challenge this summer, but I'm not sure I'm ready to do that. I need to get more information. My husband took my daughter to the last appointment and didn't ask questions about what a challenge would entail (e.g. will it cause her levels to shoot up?)

Here's a fabulous group to join - SAFE - http://www.safewithfoodallergies.com. You can sign up for their Yahoogroup and parent area on the site to get some local support. It was very overwhelming for me when my daughter was first diagnosed, and each stage brings a new challenge (e.g. our biggest challenge is school right now).

Your daughter is too young to attend their classes, but once she's old enough, I highly recommend them. My daughter attended their summer camp last year and the school year classes. Heather and Kathryn do a great job with the kids and my daughter loves going.

Another group that helped me a bunch is http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/.

Please feel free to email me with questions.

We've been through this twice now. The first time was when my son was pretty young. He had a blood test and it was negative (we think it was actually the penecillin he was taking). What you can expect, and should probably demand, is a blood test. An allergist doesn't have to perform this. Your ped can and then, depending on the results, you may need to go to a specialist. They will test her blood to see if she's allergic to peanuts in the first place. The second time my son had a bad rash, they had us eliminate all nuts for about 6 weeks and then performed the test. He was negative and he's been fine. We think that rash was probably due to the chemicals they use to treat flame retardant pjs.

What kind of jam was it? Many kids have insensitivity to various berries. One child I new was very sensitive to raspberries.

Yes, the reaction could get worse with further exposure, and symptoms will come on even more quickly. A friend's daughter had this reaction to a PB & J sandwich at about the same age. They were told to wait until she was 3 to go to the allergist because some of the tests aren't really conclusive in kids under 3. So she didn't touch it again til she was 3. They did a "peanut challenge" in the allergist office by spreading a thumbnail size portion of PB on a graham cracker and let her eat it. She took a small nibble. Within minutes her voice was scratchy, then she went on to full, systemic reaction -- vomiting, etc -- over the next 10 or so minutes until a nurse gave her an epinephrine shot.
There are two other types of tests an allergist can or may do. They can do a blood test for allergies, and they can do a skin prick test. The blood test is more expensive I think, and some insurance plans may not cover all or any of it. I think it's a more definitive answer though. THe skin prick test is where they put allergen serum on each "leg" of a little "caterpillar" looking device, then they put that on the child's back. Then the child has to lay on his/her stomach for 10 minutes. We did this test (he has allergy-induced asthma) with my son when he was 17 months and I laid on my back on the exam table with him on my tummy/chest, and the office had a DVD going where he could see it without having to sit up. It can be difficult to do that for 10 solid minutes though unless you have a pretty laid-back kid.

Hope this helps!

Yes, her reaction next time could be much worse. I was always told not to give peanut butter because of Allergies until they were two.

Before you get too worked up, I would wait until you see the allergist. Make sure she is not exposed to PB or whatever type jelly she ate. Yes, a second exposure to any allergen can cause a more serious reaction. You never know what reaction you are going to have each time.

I remember reading that you should not give peanut butter to children under the age of two.