Newly Discovered Peanut allergy...any Advice?

Updated on June 30, 2009
J.F. asks from Oregon, OH
13 answers

Hello ladies!

We discovered last night that our 13 month old has a peanut allergy. She got a hold of a pb girl scout cookie and it was on from there. Thankfully she is ok, and we got it under control almost as quickly as it came on.

My question is do you have any words of wisdom or advice when it comes to such a severe allergy? Aside from the obvious, are there any foods that you have encountered that are not allergy friendly? We are heading to the pediatrician for a follow up and some education and maybe even an allergist referral in a few minutes. I just want to be as prepared and educated as I possibly can on this very serious issue.

What can I do next?

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P.M.

answers from Cincinnati on

Great book: Healing the New Childhood Epidemics by Kenneth Bock, MD

www.naet.com for an "allergy elimination technique"

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D.T.

answers from Cleveland on

Hi J., Do you know about Families With Food Allergies? a friend of mine started it several years ago: www.fwfa.org --a wonderful resource!
My personal area of expertise is helping families "create a non-toxic home" by using safe products that are chemical-free and won't irritate lungs and skin. I sell green cleaning and laundry products and pure personal care products. www.shaklee.net/dianeturner/getclean
I have an ad in member perks: Shaklee Health Products.
I wish you the best, allergies can be scary, I hope this helps,D.

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D.K.

answers from Indianapolis on

I don't know where you live, but you need to contact FULLER CHIROPRACTIC in Brownsburg, IN. They do a treatment (I belive it's two) for various allergies. IF you know what the allergy is, and obviously, you do, then she treats it and you NO LONGER HAVE THE ALLERGY!!!!! Regardless of the drive or whatever, if I knew my child, husband or whatever would never have to deal with this type of scare again, it would be MORE than worth the effort!

I have a client who's got a grandson who HAD a dog allergy. Two treatments.......and he NO LONGER HAS THE ALLERGY!

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A.G.

answers from Fort Wayne on

hi this can be very scary i have a mild peanut allergy (just instantly vomit) but my brothetr has a severe reaction throat will start to grow shut ect. depending on how severe you daughters allergy is will vary how you handle it but for my brother, he can't eat anything that says may be processes near peanuts on the label you will have to start reading everything also if you serve peanuts or paenut butter to the other girls make sure the utensils are well washed before they touch anything she has. don't wipe off knife then cut her sandwich type thing. the oils in peanuts can linger. you may want to ask your dr about an epi-pen to carry for her this is a shot type of devise that you can give her if she does get into somethinng. also again depending on the severity of it you willl have to watch the other girls so they don't eat peanuts and touch her or kiss on her before being completely washed off. I don't mean to scare you any more or stress you out but it can be hard to keep it seperate we typically just didn't have peanut based things in our house but since it was the 2 of us it was easier for our mom. MY allergy is just if I acctually eat it I now have a son who loves pb and i can serve it to him with out having a reaction but he knows we can't eat it when we are going to see uncle. also if you have cookies or something with nuts in them they need to be stored seperatly from the plain ones. it is not an option to just pick them out (again depending on severity) you may be allergic to just peanuts or all nuts an dr can help with that. hope this helps and good luck

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K.C.

answers from Cincinnati on

I recently discovered my son was allergic to gluten, casein and beef. Which pretty much eliminates everything he used to eat....

My advice would be to read labels. Read them well. Because honestly, in the grand scheme of things, peanuts are a small allergy and can be avoided easily.

Good luck!

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R.S.

answers from Mansfield on

Hi J.,
You have gotten alot of good advice already. I just wanted to let you know that Safflower Oil and Sunflower Oil is also part of the nut group. My son, who is now 22 y/o has had nut allergies since he was around a yr old. He is allergic to ALL nuts. He also has multiple disabilites so its hard to let him deal with it on his own now. I am still very vigilant reading labels,etc. When your at a resteraunt or any public eating place dont be afraid to ask what kind of cooking oil they are using and to make sure you make them aware of your daughters nut allergy. Also the Epi-Pen Jr is a great idea. My son has one b/c he is also very allergic to all types of bee stings. He too is an asthmatic.
Good Luck,
R.

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R.G.

answers from Fort Wayne on

My daughter is also allergic to peanuts. Have you done the blood test to determine what her levels are yet? Those results will kind of determine how you go from here. My daughter falls into the moderate - severe catagory but is closer in numbers to moderate. Because of that she can handle foods that MAY contain or have been processed in the same facility as peanuts. I do know that you will be doing a lot of label reading.
We make sure to keep benedryl on hand & her allergist did prescribe Epi-pen jr for us. We've been dealing with our daughter's allergy for over a year now and have never needed to use either for her peanut allergy ( we have used the benedryl for her seasonal outdoor allergies). Be sure to keep an eye on her breathing even when she hadn't gotten into any peanuts. We found out that our daughter has asthma about a month after we found out about her allergy. It is common for asthma & food allergies to go hand in hand. So if you hear her coughing & it sounds like barking I'd have her checked out.
It is possible for children to outgrow their food allergy as they get older but the only safe way to find out is to have them retested. It is not, however, possible to outgrow asthma. You just manage or control it.
I hope I haven't overwhelmed you. Ask your doctor lots of questions till you are more comfortable with everything.
Good luck!!

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I.K.

answers from Columbus on

Hi J. I am a mother of a 30 y/o who has delt with a walnut allergy for 25 years. Reading lables on everything all the way down to the last ingedient. Asking about how a food has been prepared.....and keeping your eyes on the lookout for how afood is being served. I can remember an time when my daughter ate a cookie that was next to one with walnuts. That was enough to give her a reaction. Eduacating your child as they grow up. Always have an epipen ...........make sure you replace when it expires.
Always be vigilant. You are fortunate that there is so much awareness of peanut allegy nowadays. It was tough 25 years ago.

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L.C.

answers from Cleveland on

Become a member of FAAN. They send out updates when anything hits the market that has been contaminated with peanuts. This organization has been a blessing. We have three children with severe food allergies! I thank God every day that it's just food... something we can control.
Be well,
L.

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J.S.

answers from Columbus on

This is my first post so I hope I do it OK!

I am the mother of a 22 year old who was diagnosed with a peanut allergy when he was around 1 year old.

Having a peanut allergy can be difficult but it is manageable if you are vigiliant. When he was little was the hardest, because of birthday parties, snack at school, etc. You must inform teachers, friends parents, etc. because peanuts and traces of nuts are found in the strangest foods. I have spent alot of time in the grocery store reading labels. Nut oils and traces of nuts are found in everything from potato chips to frozen foods! Trick or Treat can be rather disappointing to a child with a nut allergy. If in doubt of a piece of candy, it went in the trash!

We have avoided all nut products due to possible cross contamination. He carries an Epi-Pen with him wherever he goes just in case something happens. The pediatrician should be a great help and the public is much more aware of this allergy now than they were 20 years ago.

Be vigiliant and you should be fine. Make your child aware of this allergy from the beginning but don't frighten them. My son spent a semester in France and took translation cards with nut allergy information with him for dining out with a language barrier. It is very manageable if you are careful.

J. S.

www.mygc.com/julieseiberling

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S.S.

answers from Toledo on

This can be the scariest moment of your life. I am glad that your daughter is alright. At 9 months, my middle child pulled up onto my older daughter's little table and grabbed ahold of her PB & J sandwich. Her reaction was so severe, that she had to be life flighted. As her parent, this was my worst nightmare.

Your changes/decisions will be based upon the severity of your daughter's reaction. Obviously, my daughter's was quite severe. We were referred to an allergist and see him yearly unless she has a reaction. He monitors her and will retest her peanut levels this fall (2 years after the initial reaction) and then again before she begins kindergarten.

It may also become a lifestyle change for you and your family. We do not allow anything with peanuts in it or products processed in a peanut facility into our home. We will not take any chances! The security comes in knowing that she will never be given anything that could compromise her health by mistake. Additionally, when we have a sitter watching the girls, they do not need to carry that burden of giving her something she shouldn't have by mistake. This means not giving my daughter anything that I do not read the packaging of or know for certain what went into it to make it. I pack a lot of her own foods when we go places, such as to parties, weddings, showers, etc. And I read labels for everything, even it I just bought it the previous week. You NEVER know when something will change.

We carry an EPI pen, prescribed steroid, and Children's Benadryl with us everywhere we go. I wipe down anything she touches that I feel could cause a reaction, such as her seat at a ball game or on an airplane.

This can be very overwhelming, particularly for the mother who typically does the grocery shopping and predominate caring of the child.

If you would like to talk some more, please send me a personal message.

Good Luck!
S.

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B.C.

answers from Columbus on

My son has a peanut Allergy , Take your child to an Allergiest and let the child be tested and you will find out that your child is probably allergic to more than just peanuts that way you will be aware of everything that your child is allergic to right then, My son is allergic to Eggs, peanuts, and fish. Plus he has an EPIE pen just in case we are somewhere and he has an issue.

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A.L.

answers from Cleveland on

J.,
My daughter was 14 months old when I discovered she was allergic to peanuts/peanut butter...she is now 19 years old. I would be happy to share with you what we did to keep her safe over all these years!

Sincerely,
A.
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www.HopeShared.com

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