Mild reaction to nuts

[QuercusiaQuerca]

Just after some advice please. DD (2years) gets a rash and white blisters around her face every time she eats something with (we think) hazelnuts in it. E.g. Chocolate, Nutella (this was the worst time, she was also pulling at her tongue as if it irritated her), cake/pies. She has been sick several times after eating breakfast cereal, but this could also be travel sickness. The rash and blisters last for an hour or so and then start to fade. Other nuts don't seem to be a problem, she eats a standard nut mixture not problem and strangely whole hazelnuts don't seem to give her this reaction.

She has her 2 year check today and I was going to mention it to the doctor but am unsure if I should insist they check it out. Last time when DS had a similar reaction (we think it was cheese, we never really found out what it was) we were told just to wait and see if he grew out of it. It makes me uneasy purely because it is nuts, which I'm sure is a bit daft, but I always avoid anything with nuts in when she is a lone with me. DH is of the opinion that she should have as much as possible to get her used to it and so gives her whenever he has, and that I'm being over protective because she's my baby! Any advice on questions I should be asking. Thanks

you need to go to GP and ask for referral to a pead allergy clinic, or for testing/local pead hospital. This will depend on were you live in the uk.

Do not give your child any nuts until then. The idea of giving as much as possible is for food intolerance only, and even then may not be suitable.

The reactions you describe are IgE, allergy related and you need a medical guidance. The fact that you mention cheese (cheese can be high in histamine ) being a problem as well as nuts also indicates the need for medical help re pead immunologist.
Please have some antihistamine handy in case of another reaction, and review some advice given from the anaphylaxis campaign website.

good luck.

I agree with eragon. Don't give her any more nuts until she's been properly tested. Really. She could have a mild reaction one day and a much stronger one another time if she is generally under the weather. And get a bottle of piraton asap.

Thanks for the advice. I did go to the doctor (paediatrician) as she had her check up. He said that they don't check for allergies before they are 3, so to avoid giving her anything with nuts in it and keep an eye out on things that she does react to.
Didn't ask about piraton and he didn't say there was anything that he could give her.
Guess what DH has just given her....a plateful of nuts to eat

This is what her face looks like, she has been asking for water and is now sucking her thumb (this is not unusual as she is tired, but she seems to be doing it rather vigorously and has been fussing with her mouth)

As others have said, a mild reaction could turn severe. The sickness your DD has had could veryw ell be an allergy/intolerance to nuts. An intolerance (with stomach syptoms being the mains ymptom) can also turn into an allergy, and since she already is having blisters sometimes I'd say this is a warning sign. A person can grow into and out of an allergy/food esnsitivity at any age, so ust because your DD is only two doesn't say she'll grow out of it.

I know a couple of people who progressed from nuts being a minor irritant to having full-scale anaphylactic shock as teenagers. It definitely needs to be checked out.

Children under three can be tested for allergies. If you're in the UK, link to NICE guidance here and it might also be a good idea to contact the Anaphylaxis Campaign, as suggested above, or Allergy UK, who have advice on obtaining a diagnosis for allergies in children here

My son was tested for a nut allergy at Guy's after a severe reaction then given epi pens.

My dd3 was tested at aged 2 for a nut allergy. It's very simple to do. There is no real reason to wait until 3 to test as far as I can see.

If your doctor is refusing to test, could you go private?

see another GP in your practice, take the NICE guidelines.
or
ring allergyuk or anaphylaxis campaign for any other advice they may have.

show your picture to gp.

Keep on asking. pick the youngest newly qualified doctor in practice, they may have had better training on allergies.

Do not be put off by dr excuses. Save photos of your child to show dr and allergy specialist when you eventually get your referral.
Go back to dr and insist you want your child referring as you have seen she has a nut allergy and she does need to see a specialist.
Also tell your husband he may infact provoke a larger allergy problem by giving her plates of nuts to eat. It isn't safe to give nuts to a child whom you know has a nut allergy, it won't cure the child - if she goes into anaphylactic shock she may die (particularly as you don't currently have adrenaline injections to hand to use in an emergency). You really need to have a very stern word with your husband to stop trying to feed her nuts. He is causing her pain, sickness and discomfort by his actions - he also risks killing her. Seriously.