Any moms out there experienced with cashew allergies? I've read some stuff that indicates a cashew allergy can be linked to a more severe reaction to poison ivy. I suspect my three year old is reactive to cashews. But, at this point, it is only when she chews on an actual nut...contamination doesn't seem to yield any problems.
I am planning an appointment with an allergist (recommend anyone in Houston?), just looking for some input from moms with experience. There are no known allergies on either side of my family...but don't have too much information from my ex-husband's side. If you or your child is allergic to cashews, are you also allergic to pistachios?
Thanks for the first four responses. The funniest thing is that I can practically ROLL in poison ivy and not have a reaction. I knew mangos were related (I have a horticultural background) but it is really going to be terrible if she develops and allergy to those...lol...she LOVES them.
I used to make a horrible joke when I was pregnant that I would trade her in if she was allergic to peanuts (I lived on peanut butter sandwiches and milk for months while pregnant)...I guess this is my karmic kick in the patooty.
Thanks everyone...the only reason I was thinking about an Epi-Pen because from what I read, reactions to cashews can go from bad to worse very quickly. I said "suspect" because I haven't actually had her diagnosed. She picked a cashew out of a bag of mixed nuts on the plane last week, chewed it for a few seconds and started having a fit and telling me it was burning her tongue. She spit it out and it didn't progress beyond a red mouth. I was ready to call the flight attendant! It wasn't the first time that I've suspected it.
I have a cashew allergy, but it's limited to cashews and pistachios. No problems at all with walnuts, pecans or peanuts.
I have never had any issues with poison ivy, so I can't tell you if there's a link. But I did have a reaction to dry grass when I was younger (before age 8), I would get horrible rashes on my legs, but evidently grew out of that.
I was pretty sure that the cashew is a tree nut, I looked that up and found this website, hope it ihelps. If you suspect ANY reaction to a tree nut, I would avoid them all until your child is seen and or tested. Good luck!
http://www.allergicchild.com/tree_nut_allergies.htm
I am allergic and can't have any nuts. I also can't have pistachios. Mangoes are in the cashew family and can also cause a reaction (this is not as common, but I do avoid them.) It's true, they now think cashew allergies cause bad reactions to poison ivy and oak. (they are also n the same botanical family) I have never had wither, so I don't know this from personal experience. When you take her to the allergist, make sure they test for all tree nuts and mangoes.
My 3 (almost 4) yr old has an allergy to Cashews. When he was 2 he ate a cashew and had a violent reaction (vomiting, hives, etc). He saw an allergist to have testing done. Basically, peanuts are a legume and all other nuts are tree nuts. So if your child has an allergy to any tree nut he needs to stay away from all tree nuts. This might also include things like sesame seeds. The protein strain in all tree nuts is very similar so there can be cross reactions. Over the past 2 years we've discovered he also has a "true allergy" to cashews, pistachios, walnuts, and almonds. Children only have a 17% chance of outgrowing a tree nut allergy. I have also heard about the link between cashews and poision ivy...and believe it or not, mangos!!! BTW, we have no family history of tree nut allergies and my 21 months old has been tested and he's fine too. I wish your little person well!!!!
Wow, I've never heard about poison oak or ivy before and cashew allergies. Great, one more thing to worry about!
My daughter has a severe allergy to cashews. Three years ago, she ate a cashew and had a horrible reaction. She vomited some of it up, but she had horrible pain, hives, and her eyes swelled shut. It was scary! I now have to have 2 epi-pens with her at all times. She also can't eat mangoes (even though she's not allergic to them) or any other tree nut (she's only tested allergic to walnuts in addition to cashews).
If you only suspect that your child has an allergy, it sounds like it must be pretty mild. Some allergies are progressive (they get worse with each exposure), others aren't. If your child has had multiple exposures and you only suspect an allergy, it sounds very mild. I'd definitely see an allergist (always a great idea), but it doesn't sound like you will need an epi-pen. Just avoid cashews!
Over the last 3 years, my daughter hasn't had any additional reactions until about 2 weeks ago, when she probably had a cross-contamination reaction (probably to walnuts). It was pretty mild and Benadryl took care of it right away! I never had to use an epi-pen! Yay!
My daughter has this allergy. Last exposure was at 15 months - hives and itching. Contamination used to be an issue too, but, based on no reactions for a while, I think it's just the actual nut. Had her tested and no reactions to any other tree nuts or mango. Just the darn cashews.
I was allergic to cashews as a child, nothing severe, just an irritating itchiness in my throat if I ate them (not through contamination.) The only other allergy was to macadamia nuts, which was ironic, because my mom's family is from Hawaii and could never understand why I refused to eat them. I eventually outgrew the cashew allergy, a fact I discovered after growing tired of picking the cashews out of Chinese food. I still refuse macadamia nuts - even the smell reminds me of how itchy I got - so I'm not sure if I outgrew that one. No other allergies, though, except for poison oak.
I have a severe tree nut allergy; reactive to cashews, pecans, & pistachios in particular. It started when I was a child and has gotten progressively worse over time; when I was a kid/teen/20s I got itchy & a little swollen, now I go into full anaphylactic shock when exposed. Don't mess with this, it can be really serious really fast. Funny about mangoes - I can eat them all day and not react, but wave a cashew under my nose and my lips swell up like octomom!
FYI - an epi-pen is needed if your child shows symptoms of anaphylactic shock after exposure; swelling of airways, rapid heart rate, low blood pressure. Just hives & itching typically won't need one. I carry one all the time because my anaphylactic shock reaction can go from itchy to deadly in a scary short time.
I have many food allergies and/or sensitivities. I've eaten cashews for years but had to stop recently because they cause me to feel nauseous and my throat feels a bit itchy. I've learned to recognize this reaction because I've experienced it over the years. I tested allergic to chocolate. I can eat small amounts, weeks or months apart, but if I get careless and eat too much I have the same feeling.
In response to Michelle B.'s post, and to add to my knowledge and to confirm her info in a small way, I do easily get poison oak and I'm allergic to mangoes and pistachios. Instant response to those foods. Break out in hives, internally with itchy ears and throat.
I also have reactions to walnuts and sometimes almonds. I wonder if the amount of protein in nuts is different in different nuts because I can eat all nuts in small amounts and infrequently without getting a reaction.
Babies frequently outgrown food allergies. My granddaughter is no longer allergic to milk protein and eggs. Hopefully, at 3, if she's allergic, she will outgrow it. If not, both of you will get used to reading labels and limiting exposure. It's tough at first but I'm used to it and my 10 yo granddaughter reads labels all the time for the presence of peanuts and seems to actually enjoy doing it.
Later: I'm puzzled about the epi-pen comment. No one in my family has an epi-pen except for the one with peanut allergies. The school nurse has epi-pens for 6 students and they're for peanut allergies. It just doesn't sound like your daughter's allergies are that serious; so I'm really curious what the allergist says.
I did have a serious reaction to poison oak. Put me in bed with a fever for several days and it took weeks for the patches to heal. I was so sick, I only got out of bed to go to the bathroom. Didn't even eat. I did go to the doctor after a couple of days because I wasn't sure it was poison oak. I'd not ever been sick with it before. I went back a few weeks later because the oozing patches didn't improve and in fact got worse. Doctor said this was a serious reaction and started a round of cortisone. Doctor didn't suggest an epi-pen and my reaction was quite serious according to him. I don't think I've been exposed since but now I'm concerned. I am aware that successive exposures usually result in increased responses and that response was bad.
