dh wants to give dd the nuts she isn't allergic to where as i am too scared...

[bitofcheese]

allergy specialist said we should regularly give our dd the nuts she doesn't appear to be allergic to ie cashew, almond etc but i am too scared for fear of cross contamination ie at the factory/packaging plant. she is highly allergic to peanut and hazelnut. it's alright for the specialist to sit there and calmly suggest that this is safe to do BUT it isn't his child. scares the shit out of me tbh, dh is tougher than me and has (once) previously chopped up some cashews (i think) and put a little in a yoghurt when i was out working, i would have been very nervous had i been there, constantly watching her lip colour etc. do any of you with allergy to nut or a child and eat nuts that you are not allergic to or do you avoid. specialist said more likely to develop an allergy to nuts you could eat but don't....

direct from shells,imo.

have had this problem with this idea from doctors myself.

The first time I did it with DS (walnuts which we were certain were safe) we sat in (and wandered around) the hospital car park for a couple of hours while he nibbled them every so often.

He's had them a few times at home now, but, yes, I watch him like hawk just in case, epi-pen at the ready. We will soon be moving onto having them in chocolate brownies though as I'm sure walnuts are ok.

That is the complete opposite of what we were told by our specialist.
Ds1 is now 13 and we discovered his peanut allergy when he was 5. He hasn't eaten any sort of nut since then. we went to see Dr Blyth last year specifically for a peanut challenge to see if he had outgrown his allergy at all, and if he could eat any other type of nut.
Ds1 was still allergic to peanuts but not to any other nut... but we were told to not eat any nuts at all as there is the possiblity that exposure to nut protein can make the peanut allergy worse. Ds1 will be tested again next year in the hope the peanut allergy is even more reduced.
Ds1 was gutted though, he thought he was going to be able to eat marzipan, bless him

my dd had an allergic reaction to peanut last year and following on from tests we were told she was allergic to peanut and tree nuts (walnut and brazil in particular) and that we were to follow a nut free diet. Some nuts she was "barely" allergic to such as cashews but our consultant at the time told us that we needed to be careful as allergies to other nuts can crop up at any time if you already have a nut allergy. We were also told that the less exposure she had to nuts the more likely she way to grow out of the allergies - how true this is I don't know but sounded good to me! DD has just been for her annual testing and we have been told that she appears to no longer be allergic to any of the tree nuts but still allergic to peanut. We have been told that we should still keep her on a nut free diet for the time being, which is what we'll be doing and we'll see how things are at the next round of testing in 12-18mths time. I certainly feel it's the right way to go for now for us and I totally understand your apprehension in not wanting to give your child nuts that she isn't allergic to, it's also difficult to reason with your husband in the face of what you've been told by your consultant. There are other medical opinions though as to what is and isn't ok, as this thread has shown so perhaps dig up some official research/papers and show him those. In my experience men don't hold much heed to a mumsnet thread but might change tack if there's "evidence".

Ds is allergic to cashews. Didn't test positive for any others, but I'm steeling myself for more possible reactions when we return in December, as most of the nuts tested for last time were probably his first exposure and he hasn't been exposed since of course. The allergy nurse at St Thomas's advised me that if he only tests positive to cashews next time it is likely that they may challenge him in the hospital with other nuts with a view to including them in his diet. I feel the same as you - scared! In a hospital setting is one thing, regularly at home is another...

However, the latest research done through the EAT and LEAP studies does seem to suggest that regular exposure from an early age may help to prevent sensitisation. We are feeding ds peanuts a couple of times a week, and have been doing so since he was about eight months old, to try to prevent him becoming allergic on the advice of Adam Fox. The studies aren't complete yet, but it does seem that this may be the way forward. Much easier to contemplate in theory than practice though!

My friend has a son with a severe nut allergy (peanut) and she tried him on other nuts parked near the hospital - just in case!

I've recently been diagnosed with an allergy to hazelnuts, but have been told not to eat peanuts, but that I'd probably be ok with nut traces. Even though I was tested for, and am not allergic to peanuts.

I'm told by my immunologist that regular exposure is best to stop me developing new allergies. Also, it worries me when people think that people allergic to peanuts (which are legumes, ie a type of bean) are likely to be allergic to tree nuts. There isn't a reason why they should be, peanuts aren't really nuts at all.

I can understand that if your child is allergic to cashews then you'd be more hesitant about, say hazlenuts though, although even then, our bodies view each one individually and don't see the biological relationship. For example, it's very common to be allergic to cows' milk protein but not goats' milk protein.

To be honest, I'd talk to a dietician who specialises in allergies about what to introduce when. mine has really helped me keep a varied and healthy diet.

when i go into holland and barrett and see all the packaged up nuts on the shelf and peanuts are always among them, in my ignorance i imagine them all being packed up on the same line or in the same room (one nut selling company usually sells more than one type of nut). we went private re dd as nhs was a bit of a nightmare (long story) and it cost a FORTUNE....about £800 for consultation, skin prick test and blood tests.....he was very specific about giving her regular nuts that she isn't allergic to, told me off as well when we went back the second time a few years later. call me over protective but it terrifies me, far more than dh, when she has had a reaction to something in the past. he says he will give her some chopped up cashews but he must make sure that the packaging doesn't mention peanuts, he is far more laid back than me (although he does still check). my heart sits in my mouth whenever we go out to eat although lately we haven't much but i watch her like a hawk although in a way that she isn't aware (on the outside i am all smiley but inside i can't wait until she has finished eating). and don't even set me off on asking politely when out what sort of cooking oil they use for frying chips....some places react REALLY badly to being asked this :(

well, I'd get a second opinion if I were you bitofcheese
We saw Dr Tom Blyth through the NHS and he's the paed allergy specialist at Guy's, St Thomas's and Pembury. Didn't cost a penny.
See your GP again and insist on allergy testing.

at conflicting advice coming out of the same hospital, Ingles!

Bitofcheese, I think you are right about a lot of nuts being processed in the same factory, that's why it's generally advised only to eat other nuts straight from the shell, that way you can guarantee no cross-contamination.

£800 seems a hell of a lot for a private consultation, I think we only paid about £300 in total to see Dr Fox. Agree that you should see the GP again and ask for follow up testing/advice. Did you know that you can ask to be referred to anywhere in the country now? We go to London even though we are nowhere near - it seems worth it to me for something so important, and not too much hassle as appts are few and far between.

My dh is also far more laid back than me, but I think when you are the one that's had to wean your child, and then helicopter them around various playgroups and activities where there are hordes of children all clutching various mystery items of food, and trailing them around the floor to be picked up and eaten you see things slightly differently! When DH said to me, 'but he's doing really well, we've never seen him have a reaction,' I had to explain in words of one syllable that this is because I am watching him like a hawk every waking moment, it's not just down to luck!! Thankfully he now takes more responsibility, so the burden is not all on me. You're not alone with your anxiety though, I can't even begin to think about eating out at the moment

Has your dd been prescribed an epipen? If not, do you think that might help take away some of the fear?

Thinking about it, it probably depends on the exposure the chlld already has CasaBevron each case is probably looked at individually.
Take my DS1, he's had no exposure to any sort of legume or tree nut in 8 years, which probably explains why we were told to continue as we were, with a no nut diet.
If your child's younger or had less of a reaction, or more exposure to other proteins within the same or similar food group then they might think exposure reduces sensitivity....
Who knows, but I take back what I said earlier, follow the advice of your specialist

she does have epipens, two at school and two with me or for her to carry around when she is old enough. our gp had barely any understanding of food allergys and he said to me when i asked to be referred to a specialist as we couldn't afford to have another private consultation (quote) 'my take on food allergies is that they grow out of them so there is no need to see a specialist'.....couldn't believe it, i felt i knew more than him! he reluctantly referred us to a london hospital which was awful, run down, friendly nurses but 'allergy specialist' people who were crap as i had something to compare to having been privately beforehand. ie the women attempting to do the skin prick test kept making mistakes and tried 3 times to do it, the same for a little boy who was in the waiting room before we got there, then eventually she told us she was allergic to milk but not peanuts (actually, it is the opposite to that...). we don't involve our gp anymore. no point. we have paid and seen possibly the top 'bloke' in the country, guess that is why we have had to pay out. he is a bit scary though, i don't like meeting with high profile consultants, very intimidating. they think it is all so easy and clear and treat us mothers like blithering idiots which of course i am :)

we were told to give ds the nuts he isn't allergic to
he's had a food challenge with tree nuts other than cashew and pistachio which he is def allergic to
he was very keen to eat nuts when we finished the challenge..loved the nut biscuits they fed him there
we even bought a cadburys nut bar and some honey nut cornflakes in the hospital shop
the excitement lasted a few days only ..he's not keen on nuts but does have them occassionally.

he hasn't had any sort of reaction to the nuts he has eaten
he has had serious reactions to unknown things though which is worrying

ggirl - were you worried about cross contamination when you gave him ie cadburys nut bar and the honey nut cornflakes? dh doesn't worry, i worry enough for the both of us :(

no I wasn't tbh
if cadburys or kellogs regularly used cashews or pistachios then i probably would have been worried or not bought them

We do avoid foods that are prone to being near those nuts..like indian/chinese/pestos etc

This really worries me...my DD tested positive to peanuts roughly a year ago after a reaction to an unknown source. We already knew that she was allergic to milk and eggs. Our consultant told us to avoid all nuts due to the risk of cross contamination. My Dd wasnt even tested for any other nut allergies...I just asumed that she would likely be allergic to all nuts based on the advice that we were given.

Our consultant is actually only a paediatrician who does the alergy clinic. We are in Scotland and I dont think that there are any immunologists up here :(