Sudden Allergy to Cashews

I would keep him away from all nuts including peanuts. They test allergies for tree nuts separately from peanuts but I would definitely keep him away from all nuts. Also, check package labels for cookies,crackers etc. they could have traces of nuts in them.

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Unfortunately, any nut allergies can come (and go, oddly) at ANY age. I know of a woman in her early 30's that recently developed a peanut allergy! As far as what he can/cannot have - it depends on his system and how much you want to chance. Sometimes it stops at one nut allergy and sometimes once you have a reaction to one it increases chances for the others. The best advise I can offer is to tread carefully, make sure EVERYONE your son is around is aware of the potential hazzard and ANYWHERE he goes there is an adult with an epi pen for him should he need it. Since you are a SAHM, you don't have to worry about people in a daycare, but once he is in school (unless you plan to homeschool) you will have to be sure all staff (teachers, administrators, principal, nurse, etc.) know of his allergy.

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Yes they do allergy testing call your peditrician first thing on Monday because you may need to have a referal from your dr to see a specialist.My sister has a nut allergy but can eat peanut butter.An urgent care facility shouldn't be the only source of medical treatment did they advise you to call your dr for a follow up appointment.

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My son had his first reaction to cashews around the time he turned 2, but his was no where near as severe as your son's--my guy just broke out into hives all over, but didn't have difficulty breathing. We knew he was okay with peanut butter & the doctor didn't say anything about avoiding it, but the doctor did say to avoid all other nuts (even though he had had them before with no reaction). We avoided them for a while, but he's 3 1/2 now & he can have any kind of nuts except cashews. We just started letting him have things with other nuts in it & watched for a reaction & he was fine.

Cashews is kind of difficult allergy b/c you don't come across them as often, so you almost forget about it. We went to an event at someone's house where there was a lot of finger food & things laid out on the table. I was chuckling when my guy started picking the M&Ms out of a bowl of trail mix, until I realized that the trail mix had a ton of cashews! He broke out in hives just from M&Ms that were touching cashews, I'll be more careful from now on. Good luck!

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I agree with the first post...yes, an allergist can tell exactly which nut is an allergy problem. My niece is allergic to cashews and is supposed to avoid all tree nuts, but can eat peanut butter because it is a legume, not a tree nut. Let me know if you are in St. Louis and I will get you info on our kid's ped. allergist. He is very good and well recommended.

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I'd take your son to an allergist ASAP. There is a great one in St. Charles that my daughter and I go to, Dr. Richard Canon (Cannon) on West Clay. He used to be a pediatrician, teaches now at SLU, as well as has an office. He is an older man, very soft spoken, not at all scary like some docs may be. This is not something you want to play around with.
Good luck!

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I know many kids with tree nut only allergies. For now, to be safe, I'd stay away from all nuts. Packaged products now even list if it's been made in a nut free facility. Good Luck.

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Yes, you can be allergic to one kind of nut and not another, especially when it is peanuts vs. tree nuts. Yes, allergy testing can be done this young. My sister has a child that had some nasty eczema and asthma, both of which were caused by allergies. She got both of her kids tested when they were young, like 2 and 3 maybe. My niece is 5 now. She found out that my niece is allergic to a lot of things and once she cut back and eliminated as much exposure as she could, she was able to get rid of the eczema issue and the asthma has improved a lot. Her peditrician did not recommend the allergy testing and would not refer her to an allergist, so she opened up the phone book and picked one. She got really lucky and found a good one. If you want, send me a message and I will find out who she used. All I know is that it was in St. Charles somewhere. Good luck.

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sudden allergies are not uncommon. My son became allergic at age 5, after (according to the allergist) an overindulgence to peanut butter. It used to be a rash as the result of consumption, but now he'll break out just being in the same room with whole peanuts!

I am 47 & became allergic last year. & my case was not overindulgence. I get a sore throat/swollen glands every time I try reintroducing it into my diet.

Both of us are able to eat nuts. Peanuts are not a nut, but a ??legume??? But, by the same token, we both can eat beans & peas. Soooo, who knows?!

Oh, I do have a niece who's allergic to just walnuts & can eat all the other nuts. Crazy, huh.

A.-
Yes they do allergy testing that young, it is just not as extensive as the full panel. We go to a great allergist, they have an office in both Chesterfield and St Charles. Allergy Associates.
Just google them.
Tks T.

Peanuts are in a totally seperate family than cashews. Cashews are considered tree nuts, like walnuts, peceans and macadamens. Its probably safe for him to eat peanuts and panut butter, but the problem comes from cross-contamination. Alot of time the machines they use to unshell peanut is the same machine that they use to unshell other nuts also. This could result in your son being exposed to the allergen even when eat what you think is a safe product. With his severe reaction this could be a problem if you are not around. Keep researching until you find a safe (not treenut exposed) peanut butter (or substitute).

I also really recommend looking into bumpyname (www.inchbug.com) labels. They work great on sippy cuppy or can be worn as braclets and can print with allergy information. I bought a set for my now 4yo when he was 6month and am still using them.

If you go to an allergist, they can test to see how severe of an allergic reaction your son has to every kind of tree nut and legume. I didnt know my daughter was allergic to certain nuts until kindergarten, when she ate a peaunut butter cookie, she swelled up beyond recognition. It was frightening to say the least. She was tested and was 100% allergic to peanuts, other nuts also showed allergic reaction but not as severe as peanuts. Needless to say we keep her away from all nuts period. She was also prescribed the epi-pen, we keep one at home and one at her school. Thanks to god we have not had to use it. Rest assured go see and allergist.

My 10 year old son did the same thing last year, just not so severe as your story sounds. We took our son to KC Allergy and Asthma, and they did skin testing on him and determined that he is allergic to all nuts but walnuts. Not sure how it came about because he can occasionally eat something and be OK, and it was a cashew that set him off. I was told an allergy to nuts can just come on and happen right off. My older son was 5 when we did skin testing on him for his allergies to other things. Not sure on a 3 year old, but if you decide to check into it, KC Allergy and Asthma is excellent with children. Good luck to you

If he is allergic to cashews, I would definitely keep him away from all tree nuts. It is possible to be allergic to one nut and not another, but I believe once they have one tree nut allergy, others are more likely.

Peanuts are not true nuts, they are legumes, which is why many have a tree nut allergy and are fine with peanuts and vice versa.

Good luck!

They def do allergy testing this young. My friends daughter ate peanut butter at around a year old and had a reaction. Apparently you can outgrow an allergy, howeverm she has not. She can't have any nut or nut containing product what so ever. I also know from my ped that you can become allergic to something at any point in your life. I'd def. call his Ped and get some testing done so you know for sure what you are dealing with.

G'Moring A., Yes it is possible to be allergic to one product and not another with in the same food group. A friend of ours teenage daughter a few years ago had shrimp at a restuarant and they had to do the same thing. Almost lost her. But she can eat tuna, cat fish and other fish.

I am not sure of the age you can have allergy tests done, but have heard it is a long process. I really have no idea in this area.

God Bless you and I hope you never have a scare like that again.

K. Nana of 5

Hi A., sorry to hear about your son and his reaction to the cashew. You can be allergic to one nut and not another. we found out that my son was allergic to eggs right after he turned one. We went to a restuarnt ordered him an egg and as soon as he took a bite he had hives all over his face. He didn't stop breathing or anything, thank God. My son had a blood test done when I thought he was allergic to our dogs and we found out that he was along with some other stuff and then we took him to the allergist where they did the skin test ( I read one of your responses where someone says it hurts. It does not hurt at all. I had to have it done to myself and it doesn't hurt) and it showed that indeed he is allergic to eggs. some allergist won't test kids until they are 6 or 7 but some will test when they are smaller. You just have to look around and see what allergist will do it. I would tell them the reaction that your son had and that you want to know for sure if he is. Good luck with everything! God Bless you and your family!

The allergy and anaphylaxis (might be spelled wrong) network has tons of information on the internet. I called once with a question about avoiding peanuts and they were very helpful.

I have seen children will all kinds of nut allergies. tree nuts - peanuts- specific nuts. Allergies come in all kinds.

FYI if you do avoid nuts, you can give him sunbutter (sunflower seed butter). It's yummy...tastes almost like peanut butter. You may be able to find it at your regular grocery store by the peanut butter (our Schnucks has it--otherwise trader joe's or health food store) but you'd still have to look at labeling to see if it's produced in a factory / on equipment that produced nuts.

There are two types of allergy tests that are done. One is a simple blood test, which my son had at about 2 years old. It told us that he is allergic to tree nuts. It was no more specific than that. We carry epi-pens with us at all times, but even when he's eaten tree nuts, he's been fine. (The blood test cannot tell of the severity of the reaction, just that there is a strong potential for reaction.)

The other test is a skin test where the allergen is pricked into the skin. This is much more accurate and can tell which specific things your child is allergic to and the severity of the reaction. This is painful. I do not know at what age they start doing this test.

My son had an allergic reaction to cashews too about a year ago, he's 2 1/2 now. The reaction was mostly around his mouth and we went to the hospital but after an hour my son was fine and we still hadn't seen a doctor - so we left. He also eats peanut butter. There is a difference between ground nuts - peanuts and tree nuts - most other nuts. If he's not had any reaction to peanuts he should be fine - just watch him closely. My son still eats peanut butter and he's never had a reaction. Just watch your ingredient lists on cookies and pre-made pies and cakes especially and you should be fine. We would like to have him tested at some point too, just to make sure it was the cashew - since it was in meal it could possibly have been something else. Good luck. Look up tree nut allergies to find out more info.

My son is allergic to peanuts. Since they are a legume and not a tree nut, I was hoping I could give him tree nuts, but they suggest we avoid all nuts and items containing legumes or tree nuts because they often touch peanuts during processing. That may be a reason for your son to avoid other nuts, but if he's never had a reaction to peanut butter, then it's up to you.

He may have an allergy 2 tree nuts wich is different that peanuts!! Our son is 5 and has eaten peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches 4 a long time but a hand into mixed nuts at a wedding sent us rushing him into the er!! Tree nuts include, walnuts, cashews,peacan,almonds and a few others!! Take a look on the computer and search it!! U will find out there is a lot of foods he won't be able 2 eat anymore just cause they are processed in a plant that processes tree nuts!!
Good luck with your son!! There is testing you can have done but it is quite expensive and painfull!!