peanut allergy

[onlyjuststillme]

It appears my DD has a peanut allergy. She had a reaction to a corner of toast that had some peanut butter. The reaction was severe enough to scare me.

DD has shown no evidence of a reaction like this to anything else. Is it possible to just be allergic to peanuts and not other kinds of nuts or is it a catch one catch all kind of situation. Am very new to this so appologies for the complete lack of knowledge!!

Anyone???

also. Although the reaction was not great - hives and red itchy face (minor swelling) IT THANKFULLY was not anaphalaxis. What do I do now Do I take her to the doctor and try to get her an epipen just in case?

I would make appointment withthe GP and ask for allergy referral and avoid anything with peanuts in in the meantime. If your concerned then call NHS direct.

You can just be allergic to peanuts which is great because they are in almost nothing even in a 'may contain traces' sense whereas tree nuts seem to be in everything. I have heard its more usual to be allergic to a few things rather than have a single allergy but I don't know if thats true.

You can treat her with an oral antihistamine such as piriton, which you need to carry everywhere. The pharmacy will sell you little bottles to decant a bit into so it fits in your bag.

Your GP will refer her for allergy testing which may be a RAST (blood test) or skin prick test or both. Some people choose to have these done privately due to some areas not having peadiatric allergists (we don't have a single one in the whole trust). If she tests positive then you should get an epipen but they seem to be easier to get hold of in some areas than others.

If she is only allergic to peanuts then other nuts may be dodgy because they may be packed on the same line as peanuts hence the 'may contain traces of nuts' warning on bags of nuts.

Hives, itchiness and swelling are signs of anaphylaxis

From anaphylaxis website

generalised flushing of the skin
nettle rash (hives) anywhere on the body
sense of impending doom
swelling of throat and mouth
difficulty in swallowing or speaking
alterations in heart rate
severe asthma
abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting
sudden feeling of weakness (drop in blood pressure)
collapse and unconsciousness

An individual would not necessarily experience all of these symptoms

Peanut allergy is sometimes linked to an allergy to other nuts, sometimes to an allergy to other legumes (peas and lentils) and sometimes one can just be allergic to peanuts (it depends on the part of the peanut protein you are allergic to).

Def buy and carry some Piriton or other liquid antihistamine (it needs to stay w. your daughter at all times) and go to your GP and ask for a referral to an allergy clinic/pediatrician.

You may not need an epipen (my ds1 does not have one) but always be aware that subsequent reactions can be more serious. Equally they may not be and unfortunately no-one can tell you which group your lo will fall into. If you think you may have a serious reaction on your hands call 999.

Above all, avoidance is the best policy. No peanuts and nothing that may contain traces of them til you've had some specialist advice (GPs are not specialists imo).

Thank you! Will call doc in the morning. The rash went within half an hour but was def enough to scare me esp as she only had such a TINY amount.

She has been fine with peas (And I am fairly sure she has eaten lentils and has been fine too). I have not been overly careful with traces of nuts stuff in the past and she has never reacted before so I am hoping it is just peanuts.

Thank heaven for MN

This sounds a bit like my DD. She had a corner of toast with peanut butter when she was just over 1 years old. She vomitted within 30 seconds and then went floppy and her lips and face swelled before my eyes. She went to A&E and it was a very scary time but she recovered by the time we got there. After all that we went to our GP. He referred us to a specialist at Addenbrookes for some skin prick tests. She came up as positive for peanut allergy but negative to everything else, including other nuts. The doc did give us an epipen for future use but we've never had to use it and DD is 5 now. The doctors at Addenbrookes said there is no need to avoid things that say 'made in a factory where nuts were present' or the like as this is a very low risk. Funnily enough DD has had recent tests (she has them every year now) and she has this year come up as allergic to other things now ie. other nuts, mould, pollen, cat. She's not asthmatic but can get a bit wheezy.
I would definately call your GP and get a referral to a paediatric allergist. How old is your DD by the way? As someone else said the first reaction is often milder than the next but the specialist can advise you on an epipen or not. Has she had any reaction to egg? They go hand in hand apparently. My DD did have egg allergy but grew out of it at 2years. Has your DD got any other allergy or asthma or eczema?

My 3yr old ds has a peanut allergy,we found out after a bowlof crunchy nut cornflakes, his face swelled up-one eye even shut, had red rash all over his face and tummy, he was sneezing and sounded wheezy, he was also distressed. Took him to a&e, had tests to confirm, now has epipens just incase n medicine. I got told to avoid all nuts as there is alot of cross contamination.

She is 19 months and thankfully her reaction was not as bad as some mentioned on here but I wont be taking stupid risks!

She has very mild eczema which we controll mainly by using a LOT of aqueous cream and no soap etc.

Oh and no reaction to egg thus far but she has never been in contact with Raw egg which is supposed to be an allergy all of its own.

my ds isnt allergic to anything else that we know of, but does have asthma and ezcema too which my gp said come hand in hand with allergys too