Should I give ds2 nuts?

[TheWoodenSpoonOfMischief]

Background - ds2 had quite a few allergies when he was younger. He had eczema and his lips would swell. He's thankfully grown out of a lot of allergies but he reacted really badly to pistachios and cashews. Lips swelling and vomiting 30 mins later after being given piriton.
I had him tested and he's allergic to pistachios and cashews. The other nuts didn't really come up much in a skin prick test.
I know he's had Nutella before and my mum once gave him a bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes for breakfast. He also had some wafers that contained hazelnuts and I'm sure he's had Ferraro rocher. He had no reactions. But my memory is a bit fuzzy about all this. This was before I got him tested.
When I mentioned this during his testing, the dr said that it's probably true that he only reacts cashews and pistachios and their recommendation is to avoid all nuts but if I think he's fine with particular foods then it's my call.
Ds really wants to eat foods that contain other nuts but I'm too scared to give them to him.
I'm not sure what I should do.

WoodenSpoon, I'd personally try him on them if he's had them before without incident. Current research suggests that best thing to do is include foods where they are tolerated as if they aren't included, can potentially develop to ana reactions..

Sounds like hazelnuts and peanuts are fine. Suggest you trial by introducing small amounts and build up and keep a close watch / food diary just in case. You seem to know what to look out for if something does go wrong.

Best of luck.

Thanks. I do want to but it just scares me.
Ideally, I'd like to give ds nuts in the hospital with a dr present

Yeah, it would scare me too.

You sound a little bit vague up there about the reactions althoguh it obviously sounds as though your DS can tolerate some quite well. I'd want a bit more guidance and a hospital setting before pushing on...

When I was given the go ahead to let ds try certain nuts we went to the hospital and walked around the site for a couple of hours while he nibbled them and I watched him like a hawk . His skin pricks had the all clear so the consultant said to just try little bits at a time.

It was an exciting afternoon, we chatted about the MRI scanner unit, the mortuary, the nurses shift patterns......

We began by rubbing on her lip, then a tiny piece, then an hour later a bigger piece, etc until she ate a whole nut.

Although our consultant did offer to have her in to try them in hospital.

Thanks.
I'm still procrastinating. Maybe I'll try something this weekend. It would be good to know if he can have peanuts, almonds and hazelnuts as they seem to be the most common ones.

Cashews and pistachios are tree nuts, in the same family as almonds, hazelnuts, brazil nuts etc.

Peanuts are not nuts, but are a legume - different family, so he could well not be allergic to peanuts.

However, exercise caution and only try him on a tiny bit, have Piriton to hand and seek medical attention immediately if he starts to react.

I am allergic to the entire legume family and tree nut family but within the tree nut family there's a sliding scale of severity for me ranging from only itchy mouth & vomiting, to a life-threatening reaction.

Be wary that an allergic reaction of even the mildest type means that food must be avoided because apparently every allergic reaction a person suffers makes the next reaction likely to be more severe.

This is what I'm afraid of.
I know he's had slight amounts of other nuts and I'm worried that he may have had a slight reaction but the reaction might be stronger this time.
There's nothing to say he reacted but he was young when he had them so maybe wouldn't have realised.

How long ago were the skin prick tests? And how old is he?

My Dd was tested at 6 as allergic to peanuts, Brazils and I think almonds. When on holiday one year she accidentally ate a hazelnut choc chip cookie. She was fine. She then declared she was going to eat Nutella and was fine, it's now her favourite breakfast
She still has allergic reactions to other nuts and avoids anything with it in. She uses piriton and carries but has never used, an epipen. She is now 17.

Wooden spoon, if he's not reacted before, i would have very low levels of concern.

WRT NewShoes' comment about the reactions becoming much worse, I strongly suggest you get your own advice, from someone who is actually "Current" in treating allergies. My understanding is that if you keep your child away from the foods that you are scared of, because they had a small reaction previously, then when they are actually exposed to it again (albeit possibly accidentally), there IS a chance that it will have worsened. However, if you continually expose them to it (eg i give my son baked egg twice weekly, now that he can tolerate it with minimal reaction), then you are very unlikely to worsen the reaction, and it is likely that the reaction will be lesser over time.

I should point out, that until relatively recently advice was to avoid the foods (as NewShoes suggested) - so you may still find gps etc who are still saying the same thing (but usually only those who haven't done any recent cpd training in allergies!)

I should say that DS is allergic to the entire legume family, as well as every tree nut we've tried (though reactions vary).

I'm not sure that trying other nuts out at home is a great idea. Is he under the care of an allergy consultant / clinic? The usual in my DD's clinic is to get them in for a day to try different nutty biscuits.

I wouldn't. Can you get a hospital challenge?