Is dd13 allergic to nuts? if so what do i do?

[longwaytogo]

Over christmas there have been nuts in the house and last night we were sat wathcing a film and dd2 and i got peanuts out. DD 1 said i cant eat them they make my throat itch and my skin. Immediatly alarm bells started to ring but am unsure as to what to do next. Do I keep anything containing nuts away from her, take her to the gp - if i do will they do anything? Or do I not worry about it too much as it obviously wasn't a huge reaction. But could it be worse next time?

Flipping heck I am sooo confused.

I would definitely go to the doctors. Am not sure what they would do, but I would hope at the very least they would give you medication to keep at home in the event of her having a very bad reaction in future.

Get her tested.

I'm allergic to various fruits and they make my throat itch - an apple won't kill me, but it makes my mouth very uncomfy. It doesn't sound like she's got a severe reaction, but it's definitely worth getting it checked out as they can get worse.

Well that's what i thought, what if next time it's worse? She is a pretty sensible 13 yr old so i know that now that it has happened she wont try it but also don't want her to avoid a food for life in case she has a reaction.

Will have to ask her how she was after lunch today as the stuffing had nuts in it - or is it usually just peanuts?

Keep her away from anything containing nuts until you have had her tested. Unfortunately allergies can develop at any age and peanut reactions are unpredictable, the next one could be a lot more serious. The problem is that other nuts are often stored with peanuts so there is a cross contamination risk with any nut. If there is a long wait for a referral (and there usually is) you could ask for a blood test. This still means a wait of several weeks for the result but can be a lot faster than actually seeing a consultant for skin prick/ blood tests.

Until you have a test it is wise for her to have a small glass bottle containing 10ml of liquid piriton. You can buy the bottle from a pharmacy - explain why you want it and ask for one without a child resistant top as you want to get into it as fast as possible in an emergency. Any reaction that causes her a problem in talking and you phone for an ambulance immediately, any reaction involving the throat and you should really head for a&e even with the piriton.

Even if she was OK after the stuffing don't take any risk until you have her tested - my nut allergic child has had quite a few minor reactions and one serious one.

If she tests positive the anaphylaxis campaign are great and well worth joining. She will also need to have other tests if positive - for lupin flour and sesame in particular. Both best avoided until you know.

oops - sorry that might sound like you can buy a 10ml bottle of piriton. You have to buy a standard size bottle, then get the pharmacist to sell you an empty bottle and decant some. We have several bottles so one can be left at school.

I'm with tatt and feel her explanation is good. The problem with nuts is that the reactions can go from slight itch to full blown shock with no intermediary. This happened to me at the age of 33. After my own experience I don't think you can be too cautious and just ignore anyone who thinks you're being ott. Tatt's right that there is normally a long waiting list but be careful with the bloodresults. I have a severe allergy to brazil nuts (so can eat peanuts funnily enough but no other tree nut) and this didn't show up on the blood results. My allergy is severe enough that I can't even touch them. Just a warning the blood results can return a false negative.

Just wondering if you've seen a doctor about this yet and if so if you got anywhere with them?

Yes, it could be worse next time and definately get her tested and avoid nuts/peanuts. I ignored by dd telling me she was allergic to sesame seeds (already knew she was allergic to nuts) because I thought I had fed her sesame bagels when she was a kid but she insisted she was allergic. Gave her hummus one day for the first time and she had a full blown reaction in which i had to give her the epipen. we had her tested, and surprise, she is allergic to sesame seeds. You should get her to a doctor quickly so if she is allergic, she can get an epipen as reactions can vary and are very unpredictible.

stories like this really bother me. Anyone else feeling upset by it or am I the only one to worry about the kid?

my friends son had a reaction to peanut butter trace that was on a knife and he had tingling tongue she took him to gp who referred him to hospital for allergy tests he is allergic to several nuts including peanuts and now carries an epipen for him but they told her not to worry about it, it is quite common

I'm worrying about it because I don't know if the mother has actually taken the child for testing or if she's avoiding dealing with it. With an epipen the kid will be fine, if she really has a problem and doesn't get one she may not be.

longwaytogo

i definately would advise you to make an appointment asap for allergy testing and epipen