Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu to worry about my dc peanut allergy

58 replies

3gorgeousgirlies · 24/09/2018 20:32

After reading the second story in the news about a girl dying from an allergy and her epi pens not working , aibu to worry that my dc might not be ok if they have a reaction?

OP posts:
Johndoe10 · 24/09/2018 20:32

YANBU. How old are they ?

waffledoggy · 24/09/2018 20:35

Both my girls have peanut allergies and the news has frightened me further :(

RandomMess · 24/09/2018 20:36

My teen has just developed tree but allergy and has epi pens she's straight out to pretty much fending for herself and not taking it seriously Sad

Original poster
3gorgeousgirlies · 24/09/2018 20:38

It’s scary isn’t it . My dc is 3. I’m petrified. What are we supposed to do?

OP posts:
MeAgainSparkle · 24/09/2018 20:38

My DD has a peanut and sesame allergy. She is only 7 and carries epi pens. It is a worry Flowers

Original poster
3gorgeousgirlies · 24/09/2018 20:40

Why wouldn’t epi pens work?

OP posts:
LittleMissNaice · 24/09/2018 20:40

It's terrifying and tragic. But do remember that the girl in the news at the moment was on a flight when she had a reaction, so it's likely that there was a delay in her being able to access further treatment.

Notacluewhatthisis · 24/09/2018 20:42

Dp has a life threatening allergy. It's awful. It's garlic. Which is in everything. Last Christmas he picked up what he thought was some Pringles that he knows he can have. It wasn't, it was a Christmas edition in a similar colour tube. We got him in the car and to hospital. His epi pen helped a bit but not completely. It scared the fuck out of me. The most recent story, though isn't as clear cut as food being mis labelled or people passing something off as something it's not. There are thousands of people who have these allergies. Thankfully the fatal cases are relatively small.

LittleMissNaice · 24/09/2018 20:42

My understanding (I'm not an expert) is that they can wear off after a while if the reaction is strong, which is why some people carry multiple pens. Normally by the time they've worn off the person would be in an ambulance/hospital, but as I said, this unfortunately doesn't seem to have been possible for this poor young lady.

GreenPillow · 24/09/2018 20:43

DS is 13 months and has been diagnosed with peanut allergy (amongst others). It's easy enough to deal with atm but I worry for when he goes to nursery or school and I won't be able to control things. yanbu

Original poster
3gorgeousgirlies · 24/09/2018 20:47

My dc consultant said I probably caused their allergy as I didn’t eat peanuts when I was pregnant😩.

OP posts:
MeAgainSparkle · 24/09/2018 21:24

3gorgeousgirlies - don’t blame yourself! I ate loads of peanuts and peanut butter with DD1 (because I love them) and she ended up with a peanut allergy. I didn’t eat them when pregnant with DD2 and she isn’t allergic. Luck of the draw Sad

HollowTalk · 24/09/2018 21:27

My son has a peanut allergy - we didn't find out until he was in his 20s, though when he was little and my daughter tried to feed him a peanut butter sandwich, his face blistered. He eats very plain food and enjoys it. He makes most of his food himself. It is a massive worry.

YouAndMeAreGoingToFallOut · 24/09/2018 21:35

My toddler also has a peanut allergy and this kind of thing is a huge worry.

BTW I ate tons of peanut butter when I was pregnant and she still has the allergy!

puzzledlady · 24/09/2018 21:36

Do you know how bad the allergy is? My son has a cashew nut allergy - level 3, chicken allergy level 2, egg allergy level 4. He can eat a tiny amount of chicken and 1 cashew nut and have a reaction (hives) but the smallest amount of eggs will set him off (hives) - what is your childs level for peanuts?

Boyskeepswinging · 24/09/2018 21:37

If you want to be 100% sure of avoiding your triggers you need to only eat food you've prepared yourself or food that is pre-packaged because they have to list all the ingredients. Unfortunately eating at Pret and suchlike has always been a lottery because they don't have to list every ingredient and the risk of cross-contamination is huge. (Sorry can't do paragraphs) I am super, super careful with my allergies but I recently suffered anaphylaxis due to cross-contamination in a well-known restaurant chain. I'd been through my allergies with the staff and they had assured me it would be fine but it was not. My family are crap at checking ingredients and have caused me to have anaphylaxis too many times when I trusted them. So I now feel like I can't trust anyone apart from myself to feed me. It is shit and frustrating (and anti social) but at least this way I am alive.

Bechetdiagnosed · 24/09/2018 21:43

My DD has had an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts. We were told next time it could kill her 😢 This is because the body now knows how to “react” and the reaction will be faster and more severe. I’m terrified.

Snowjive · 24/09/2018 22:06

It is frightening and wearing (DS has had multiple food allergies all his life) but it’s important to understand what epipens can (and can’t) do. They aren’t intended to “cure” an anaphylactic attack. They are intended to buy a little time (to keep the heart going, sorry to be blunt) so that the person can be got to a hospital. You have two because (a) very rarely, the first doesn’t work and (b) sometimes, consecutive doses are needed to keep the person alive long enough to get proper treatment.

Andro · 24/09/2018 22:09

Why wouldn’t epi pens work? - epi pens are not there the 'fix' the reaction, they (hopefully) control the reaction enough to keep you alive until you access emergency care. If you have used an epi pen, you need a&e! I have to use 2 pens if I ingest my allergen, unless I'm very lucky I'm still going to spend a few days in the hospital...normally I spend a couple of days in the ICU.

AgathaMystery · 24/09/2018 22:15

Agree re: above. The epi pens are there to keep your airway open until help arrives to protect and maintain your airway.

If in doubt, always give the epi pen. If there are 2, give them both. Some people need them minutes apart, some can go a little longer. I have a colleague who needs both her pens moments apart. They buy us a few minutes until the crash team arrive to intubate her. Her allergy is the most extreme I have ever seen or heard of.

I'm sorry that so many of you are so worried. It is scary I agree.

Thankyouforthemusic · 24/09/2018 22:15

My dd is allergic to all nuts and yes, it's very frightening. To the pp who mentioned levels of severity, I was told 5 or so years ago by an allergy hospital consultant that he couldn't tell us how severe it is. We were signed off as told she won't grow out of it so haven't seen a consultant since. Has there been progress in the last 5 years in being able to judge severity?

anothermansmother · 24/09/2018 22:22

I'm allergic to all nuts, but worst is peanut( discovered when I was 3) didn't have another reaction until I was 7, as it wasn't really believed then. But I've managed it well all my life 3 reactions since the age of 7. My ds also has a but allergy but only peanut. He's never had a reaction and was tested as a baby. From a very early age he's been taught to ask what's in food and wouldn't just eat anything at parties etc. He's 11 now and is still the same.
I'm hoping they are able to find a way of getting rid of or reducing allergies.

Original poster
3gorgeousgirlies · 24/09/2018 22:26

I haven’t been told a level of severity. In fact I haven’t been told much at all. They failed the food challenge and we were just told to avoid peanuts. Next seeing the consultant in 2 years!

OP posts:
Reythelastjedi · 24/09/2018 22:30

Please do call the Allergy UK helpline if you have concerns. www.allergyuk.org/get-help/helpline

Mistigri · 24/09/2018 22:30

My dc consultant said I probably caused their allergy as I didn’t eat peanuts when I was pregnant

Wow. I didn't eat peanuts when I was pregnant for the simple reason that I am allergic to them. Neither of my kids is peanut allergic. And one of my abiding memories of childhood is my mum eating peanuts with a G&T every evening and I am sure that she ate peanuts when PG with me.

I think the issue for this poor girl was the delay in receiving treatment - there seems to have been a series of poor decisions and errors that may have contributed to her death.