Allergies - Chesterfield, VA

hi S.,
i'm a little surprised that your allergist didn't take more time to discuss this with you. the peanut allergy is one of the more serious ones (i don't know about rice). check labels and let your daughter's school and daycare (if she goes) know about it.
good luck!
khairete
S.

Allergies are the first sign of a weakened immune system. There are lots of things you can do to boost your immune system and "lessen" the severity of allergies. Please email if you'd like some help.

S.
SAHM of four- ages 7, 4, 2and 1/2, and 8 months

There is a local support group www.fasgot.com check it out. Also www.foodallergy.org has great info. Some children with peanut allergies are not allergic to peanut oil since the protein is not present. If she has eaten at chick-fil-a or a chinese restaurant (which use peanut oil) she is probably ok with it. Was she tested for tree nuts? Some are allergic to both and some aren't. She should be tested for tree nuts before she eats them. Read labels and ask questions. My 7 year old son is allergic to Tree Nuts, but not peanuts, grass, trees, weeds, mold, dust, animals, etc. My 4 year old son outgrew his allergies to Garlic & Eggs but still has a few sensitivities to foods and many environmental allergies. Soy nut butter is a great substitute for peanut butter on sandwiches and recipes. Good luck!

S., when your child has allergies that severe it can be scary, I know! My daughter outgrew some mild allergies (eggs, corn, soy), but these only caused skin reactions. When she was in kindergarten we discovered that she is deathly allergic to pecans (we have the epi-pen too). Technically, she needs to avoid all tree nuts, but she also chooses to avoid peanuts and peanut products (even though peanuts aren't a "nut" at all, they're actually legumes, but I respect her caution...)

The fact that your daughter didn't have a reaction to peanuts the first couple of times she ingested them is fairly typical. Sometimes children don't react to a food until they've ingested it multiple times. (not sure why that is).

If your doctor gave you an epi-pen, that means the allergy is obviously quite serious. The whole thing is totally managable, if do the following:

1) read every label thoroughly, and teach your child to do the same. Seriously, she is old enough to stand there in the grocery store and read the labels if she's with you while you shop. This is HER life on the line, and you'll not be with her every minute. She needs to know this is not a joke.

2) If the food she's offered isn't prepackaged (no labels to read), she needs to ask the cook directly (in person!) if any peanut or rice ingredients were used. If the cook isn't available -- if, for instance, a child brings in a home-made birthday treat and the mom isn't there to answer questions about preparation, she needs to say NO THANK YOU. This can be upsetting, but most schools do instruct the children not to bring in foods that contain nuts, and most will also let you store something at the school for such "emergencies"...rice crisy treats wouldn't work for your child, obviously, but something that will "keep" and that she CAN eat when the others are enjoying the b-day snacks (maybe some Hostess-type snack cakes, assuming the ingredients are non-threatening, natch).

3) be VERY careful in restaurants! teach her to always, always ask about nut/rice products and oils. again, most restaurants are pretty scrupulous about this these days. IF you ask. But all the ingredients used in prep may NOT be listed on the menu. Also these ingredients can crop up in many foods you wouldn't necessarily think to ask about. Even french fries are sometimes prepared in peanut oil. (my brother had to go the ER once during a wedding reception because he ate shrimp that had been cooked in some kind of nut oil...)

4) she needs to learn to be overly-cautious, so praise her for asking about everything, even when it seems silly. (I swear my kid will read the label on a popsicle box to check for pecans, and grills her own grandmother about the ingredients in her cookies -- a little goofy, yes, but infinitely preferrable to an ER visit, or -- god forbid -- a potentially fatal reaction.

5) IF she accidentally ingests peanuts or rice, take her directly to an ER, and instruct her school to do the same. Even if her breathing seems fine, her blood pressure can drop quite suddenly (anaphylactic shock) which can be fatal.

6) NEVER use the epi-pen on your child unless explicitly instructed to do so by an ER doctor via telephone. That thing is a LAST resort used ONLY if she's already in shock, or having respiratory failure, and the ambulance won't be there in time. (your doctor probably told you this already, but just being "safe")

7) Here's one I didn't think about ahead of time (and caused us one ER visit): be careful about holiday chocolates shaped like characters (santas, bunnies, etc.)! There are websites that sell beautiful, nut-free versions of these, but nearly EVERYTHING sold in stores DOES contain nuts, and the individually wrapped chocolates usually don't have labels.

I know it sounds frightening, but really, truly is very, very managable if you and your child are cautious.

Hi,

I would think anything containing peanut or rice in it is something she should not eat. I am forever reading all the labels on everything because my daughter is not allergic to peanuts she is allergic to tree nuts. I have now discovered that peanuts are not a nut they are a legume!! Who knew!! Anyhow I would definatley check with her allergist as far as the severity of it and exactly what she should and should not eat. Look for the other ingredient label that discusses where the food is made sometimes while the food item may not contain rice or peanuts it may have been manufactured in a plant that processes rice or peanuts.

Annie R

Look into the possibility that your daughter has a skin allergy to peanuts and rice but not when she ingests them. (I have an allergy that is that way.) That would explain it very quickly, I would still stay away from them in her diet even if she isn't allergic that way but at least then you know that you don't have to be so paranoid.

If she is allergic to peanuts, she needs to stay away from peanuts, the oils and peanut butter. Also, you need to read packaging carefully because some things, even though they don't contain nuts, were packaged on the same surface as something that did, which can be just as bad. What your doctor should have told you is that you can't have anaphylactic shock unless you've been exposed to the allergen first and had a reaction.

Hi S.,
There is a website with a lot of useful info. www.foodallergy.org.
My son is allergic to environ. (trees, pollen,mold), walnuts, pecans, and pears. Pear juice is in as many things as peanuts..makes life interesting!
As others have said, you will need to begin reading ALL labels of foods. Do not be shy about asking to see labels. One big thing to watch out for is what restaurants use to fry foods in such as nuggets and fries. Chick-Fil-A uses peanut oil. So does Jerry's Sub/Pizza. Usually you just need to ask the person taking the order and they can find out for you. Let your friends and family know. My son doesn't eat any homemade items from bake sales or family until I check the ingredients. It is common for us to pack a lunch/meal for my son when we go out to eat, especially if its a new place. As far as school is concerned, let them know, they should have a plan in place as peanut allergy is becoming commonplace. I contacted the room moms so that they knew. I also had a special box of things that my son could eat/drink that his teacher kept so that when kids brought in snacks for birthdays and such he would have something too.
M.

My best advice is to read, read, read your labels. I would stay away from peanut oil. They print the allergy information nicely now and peanuts is one of the things they will list. You may have to check more carefully for rice in ingredient listings. I had a thought, my sister has a very severe allergy to tree nuts and she became a very picky eater. My parents didn't know why, but it was because the food she was eating was making her feel bad (due to the allergies) and once her allergies were identified, she started to enjoy eating more.
Adding to what the other poster said, since peanuts are legumes, you might need to be cautious around soybeans and other beans. They are all in the same family. Allergic reactions are cumulative, so your daugther may have been fine the first time she had peanut butter, but this next time she might have a much more severe reaction.
FYI: They make an almond butter for those allergic to peanuts, if your daughter has any interest. Good luck! Remember it is better to be too cautious with allergies than not cautious enough.

My 3 year old is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts and soy. We stay away from peanuts, peanut oil, and anything processed with peanuts. My neice also has a peanut allergy but she was only a 2 so she does eat peanut oil. Since your daughter is a 4 I would stay away from all of that stuff. Peanuts are a legume not a nut so if she didn't test positive to tree nuts then she is fine to have almonds, walnuts, etc. However, she needs to stay away from legumes. I do allow my son to have green beans because he has been fine with those but he's never had any other type of bean. Just get into a habit of reading labels on everything. So much is processes with peanuts so you have to be careful.