possible nut allergy

[mera2]

Really worried. DD ate a biscuit with pecan nuts in it and had reaction, itchy swollen eyes and swollen red lips with tingling mouth but no difficulty breathing etc. after piriton she was ok. she is 4 now and has never shown a reaction to nuts before - she's has had pecan nuts before in crumbles muffins which is why i thought it ok to give biscuit. GP says no nut products or trace nut products allowed and given epi pen for home and school. however we can't get appoint for tests for at least 6 weeks. is he beig over cautious or am I in denial, can you get an allergy after quite a few exposures. dd has eczema and possible viral asthma as she cannot shake off coughs. please give your thoughts, this whole thing is making me feel ill with worry, I'm even thinking now did we imagine her reaction or were her eyes itchy due to her bad cold

I think the swollen lips and tingling mouth fit very well with an allergic reaction, and wouldn't be explained by a cold.

As far as I know, allergies can happen after any amount of exposure - for instance, I never used to get hay fever but have developed it as an adult. I had 30+ years of exposure to pollen before I started reacting to it!

Because the reaction could be worse on the next exposure, you do need to be cautious until you have a definite diagnosis so do be as careful as you can.

My ds has is allergc to nuts and seeds and it always starts with the symptoms you described and the severity of it depends on the quantity he has had. It doesn't take much for him to get the tingling feeling in his mouth - it can come from traces - or full on vomiting if he has just had a small nut.

We found out last year when he was 5 and got him tested and we now carry epipens - he has 2 at school and i have 2 on me at all times and antihistamine too. At first it was really daunting but it soon becomes second nature and he knows to check with everything he is given if it has nuts.

I have been told that they allergies can get worse everytime you have one so perhaps it has been building without you realising...? They can also grow out of them too so perhaps it will won't last too long.

I would go for the test - it is better to be safe than sorry. My ds had a reaction after he was tested to something they didnt test him for and luckily I had the antihisatmine on me and he was fine minutes after I gave it to him..

Hope that helps...?

Your gp is being cautious but not over cautious, sensibly so. Nut allergies can develop anytime, they are unpredictable for severity and it is extremely rare to have a death in anyone carrying an epipen. Deaths do occur in those who don't have them or forget to carry them.

With careful management your child will rarely have a reaction. However if they are going to live something like a normal life they will get reactions (impossible to avoid traces all the time). So you need to be able to manage them when they happen.

If she was OK before the food and swollen afterwards its unlikely to be anything but the nut. If it isn't nut allergy your gp has wasted a small amount of money (but I could find the pens a good home). If it is the epipen could save her life.

Exactly what Tatt says, I'm afraid. Allergies can appear at any time.

The worry/fear you are feeling is normal when your child is newly diagnosed - suddenly the whole world seems unsafe. But you, and she, will learn to cope (if tests prove positive) and you will get used to it (they told me this when ds1 was diagnosed with peanut allergy and I didn't believe it at the time but tis true).

thanks for the messages I am not feeling as danted and terrified today and now realise that that the GP has been really sensible I was probably in denial and freaking about the epi pen - will have it on me at all times!!