? About Food Allergies

One thing I have noticed is that some people are really weird about food allergies. My daughter recently developed a reaction to some foods and some of our family members actually DENY that it could be true. She gets terrible migraines. Her grandma insists that it "can't be true" because she "used to eat that food." Well, things change!

Another one of my friends has a son who had a reaction to peanut butter. She actually got depressed over it and wouldn't talk about it. She acted like he was diagnosed with a terminal illness and had a lot of trouble coming to terms with the fact that she'd have to change everything about her cooking and house to deal with it.

It's hard, I know.

I'm surprised the doctor wasn't more concerned about the reaction to peanut butter. My friend's baby had that same reaction to peanut butter and he was fine after Benedryl, BUT the doctor warned that each subsequent reaction could be more and more deadly so they had to completely avoid peanuts and she has to carry an epi pen. All he got was a rash around the mouth after eating a peanut butter sandwich.

The RAST test is often inaccurate and a score of 1 is not that dangerous. I'm surprised that the doctor did not advise the skin test after peanuts showed up on the RAST. BUT, I'm wondering if your sister either downplayed the peanut butter reaction or failed to mention it to the doctor. The reason I say this is peanuts are a 1 on my RAST test, but I've never had a reaction to peanuts so the doctor was not worried about it. I eat peanut butter and such things and I have no allergic reaction. BUT my friend's baby had the rash around the mouth after eating the peanuts and it showed up on the RAST test (I don't know what the score was) but because he had the rash after eating it he had to have the skin test. That showed up very positive right away.

Since your sister insists that her child is only allergic to milk, I would bet you a lot of money that she told the doctor that she only had a reaction after eating Mac and Cheese and didn't mention the peanuts.

I wouldn't back off. Your niece could possibly have a life-threatening reaction to peanuts. What's the harm in making your sister upset if it saves your niece's life? I'd rather have an upset sibling and a LIVE niece! Besides, her being upset at YOU is nothing to what she's going to feel if she has to rush her daughter to the hospital because she can't breathe! With peanuts, it can be a matter of MINUTES before asphyxiation.

Good luck!

The thing with peanuts (and any allergy, but peanuts are the most life threatening...usually) is reactions get worse. When I was young, my lips would only tingle if I came into contact. (I'm fairly sure, that would be considered a 1 or 2.) Each reaction has become worse. I almost died at 19 from peanut contact, and again at 27 with accidental contact. Both times, I used an epipen. Had I not, there is no way I would have survived. I was and am EXTREMELY careful about every little thing I came into contact with, and I still had life threatening reactions. Can you imagine how much worse it will get, with her not even caring about what the girl eats? Allergies are not something to be messed with. Especially, anaphylactic allergies, such as peanuts. I carry an epipen everywhere with me. Mild only means mild in that MOMENT that she was tested. That can change in a matter of seconds, to a deadly reaction.

This woman needs to pull her head out of the sand and deal with this. She is being irresponsible and negligent, as a parent. She is not doing her job, to protect her daughter. She NEEDS to be told how to mother, if she is ignoring tests and doctors...and turning a blind eye to something this serious.

Well, it sounds like no matter what we advise you to say, she is not going to accept it because she doesn't seem to be very open to others' advice other than her "expert" doctor.

If it were me, I would simply encourage her to do her own research and get a second opinion.

My parents gave my son peanut butter when he was 9 months old (I was IRATE!) and he ended up having a reaction - my husband and I were out of town, to make it worse...needless to say our fun evening out at a baseball game was cut short. Our son's doctor recommended seeing an allergy specialist for further testing, but because of insurance reasons and because he hasn't had ANY other issues with ANY other food we are avoiding nuts, carrying an epipen, and waiting until he is older for testing - in case he might "grow out" of it, which sometimes kids do.

Even if an allergy is considered "mild", it certainly can "turn" life threatening later. I have a friend who was NEVER allergic to peanuts until she was an adult!

I really wish you a lot of luck in talking to your SIL...it doesn't sound like she is very open to others' advice...I hope she starts thinking more clearly, for her child's sake! :-(

Allergic reactions can be compounding. Think of the visible reaction as your body trying to warn you about something being toxic to it. Generally people start with mild reactions. If you stop exposure that's all you'll ever get. If you ignore those mild reactions, your body will talk louder (for example, my ex-husband used to get a "tingly tongue" when he ate shellfish... then one day after steamed clams, is whole face and mouth swelled up like Hitch! The doctor told him the next time his throat could close and he had to start carrying and Epipen) .

The mac cheese she reacted to probably had egg in it. She should read the ingredient list on the box.

Did she ASK the doctor if she should avoid the things she's allergic to? The doctor didn't tell her NOT to avoid... I think most rational people who take their child for a RAST test are doing it to find out if their child has an allergy so that they can AVOID those things. The doctor may have thought that went without saying! She should call and specifically ask the doctor if she's unclear.

HTH
T.

Three years of age is generally the standard for peanut butter. Mothering a child is about nourishment and protection and love-and these concepts seem to have eluded your SIL-a mild reaction to a tiny body is profound-I think the question is-why does your SIL deliberately want to hurt her child?

Hi, CW:

There is a test called ELISA/ACT that tests for allergies.
Check the web for more information.
See if that is something you can recommend.
Good luck.
D.

Wow, poor niece!

I know your SIL is mad at you, but she really should be mad at herself for not taking this seriously.

The baby needs to see an allergist, asap, especially if your SIL is going to be so recklessly stubborn about it. The baby needs a full workup.

my daughter who is 7 is allergic to eggs. We just found out about a year ago. She LOVES scrambled and boiled eggs, so it was a regular in our home. She is not too big on eating chicken or other meats, so we gave her protein through eggs. But, she kept breaking out in hives, all over! Head to toe just covered. I took her to an allergist. Skin test was negative. Blood test came back positive. THe allergist said that skin tests are not accurate allergy testing for food. A blood test is really the only way to tell. It ended up that she also had facial swelling. We have since cut out all eggs (although she does do fine with baked goods, no reactions at all) and we have not had any problems since. Allergies can get worse every time you put it into your body. They do not just stay the same. You are right about that.

RAST testing is not terribly accurate (est 60%) and false positives do occur. Since she has had several apparent allergic reactions, she should see an allergist who will likely recommend skin testing.

shes wrong, a mild allergy can turn deadly in a matter of minutes, but tests can be wrong too itd be best to retest

I would be so worried about this baby. She is only 13 months old and has been eating PB and stuff like this for 6 months???????

That is ludicrous in my book. Babies should not even have PB until they are at least a year old and most will say 2 years old. It has such a strong allergy reaction that most are staying away until much older. Plus it is a serious choke hazard. Have you ever took a spoonful in your mouth to eat and it kind of stuck half way down? It's so thick and sticky it won't go up or down.

I think it is sad this baby had a parent who is determined to think she is right and science is wrong. I would keep this baby in my sight as much as possible. NEVER EVER let this child eat while walking around. If they have a reaction to food they are eating and their throat swells up she may not be able to get help and pass out from lack of oxygen and die.

Poor baby. Sounds like you are a good Aunt and really care about her.