Nutella reaction

[Osory]

My 12 year old daughter (who has no allergies previously) had Nutella and pancakes in a friend s house yesterday and shortly afterwards felt really unwell.

She started sneezing, eyes watering, crying, sore ear, sore throat. She was as sick as I've ever seen her so took a Piriton and a Panadol and went to bed.
An hour later she felt fine again. But her face looked weirdly swollen (eye sockets, nose). As she said her eyes were a different shape

Was this an allergic reaction do you think and what should we do about it?

Many thanks

It does sound like it could have been. Did you take photos? (Not to share here but to show the doctor!).

Quite a few top 14 allergens in pancakes with Nutella, but really could be anything.

Make a GP appointment and start to keep a food diary. Ensure you have antihistamines to hand, read up on anaphylaxis signs and don't hesitate to call an ambulance if she has any anaphylaxis indicators.

Could have been the Nutella, the Pancakes or anything else in the house. I would message your daughters friends parents and see if they have any animals or if she ate anything else.

I'm dealing with simular after getting a new puppy, youngest son sneezing/itchy eyes and rash on face. Same breed as our previous dog he grew up with. However symptoms are now gone & we've worked out its either been the new bath bombs we got him for Christmas or our change of washing powder. Avoiding both but relieved it wasn't the puppy x

I'd assume the hazelnuts if she doesn't regularly eat these

I really wouldn't assume anything with allergies!

Had she eaten hazelnuts before? If it is a hazelnut reaction, be aware that hazelnuts are in a lot of food items and even the smallest amounts can trigger my allergy.

I had a reaction to hazelnuts recently (out of the blue) that turns out to be a cross reactivity with my birch pollen allergy. I had skin prick tests to confirm this. It would be worth seeing the GP and /or allergy specialists and getting the skin prick tests. It my mind at rest that I wasn’t about to develop a full on food allergy.
You did the right thing with the piriton btw.

Needs checking out. I mean, it could have been environmental, but the hazelnuts may be the guilty party.

Her face was swollen and she was really ill and you let her sleep?
You didnt think about taking her somewhere??

I'd recommend getting her properly testrd - ask the GP for a referral.
Take a note of everything in the ingredients of the meal so they can test all possible allergens - in particular anything she doesn't normally eat.

It sounds like quite a nasty reaction. Agree with the advice above to educate yourself on the signs of anaphylaxis and how to respond. Anaphylaxis UK is a good resource

If mine are having even a mild reaction I make sure they rest and that I can see them the whole time - no baths or exercise.

I had a friend who didn't like nuts but didn't appear to be allergic if he came into contact with any. Until one day in his late 20s he ate a curry, had a massive reaction, ended up in hospital and then had a series of increasingly dramatic reactions to ever smaller contacts. Allergies can appear out of nowhere and need to be seen by a doctor. Get an appointment asap and if she has another reaction in the meantime get to A&E as soon as possible.

It might not even have been the Nutella or pancakes

She could have touched some kind of food residue or food dust or particles anywhere in the kitchen or house fur that matter

I'd say the hazlenuts are the most likely culprit but as others have said there are numerous other possible explanations. But yes, this sounds like a significant allergic reaction that merits further investigation. I would make an appointment with the GP asap and request a referral for testing. The only reliable way to find out what it was is skin prick testing and/or blood tests interpreted by a properly trained clinician. Don't be tempted by any of those tests you can buy online - hair tests and the like - they're nonsense. It's hard, as you don't know what the cause is but personally I would probably steer clear of nuts, especially hazelnuts, whilst awaiting testing as subsequent reactions can be worse than the first.

Her symptoms could be an anaphylactic reaction which could be much mroe serious next time. She should be tested by an allergy specialist and maybe carry an epipen depending on the results.

Thanks everyone. Her brother had the full skin prick testing as has bad dust allergy so I'll try book her in with that doctor directly and go via GP if they ask for a referral.
Hope it isn't the hazelnut but does seem possible.
It didn't cross my mind that it was an allergic reaction until she reappeared 💯 better after resting with Piriton, it was only then did I notice the swelling. I just thought it was a weird sudden onset cold.
I had only given her Piriton to help her sleep it off.
Thanks everyone I'll get the skin prick testing done asap.