Child just diagnosed with Anaphylaxis to peanuts, any other mums?

[DB&O]

Hi, my name is Brooke & my 13 month old daughter Olivia has just been diagnosed as being severly allergic to peanuts and I was just wondering if there are any other mums or dads out there who have children that also suffer from sever allergies & if yes have they found any resources that have really helped them?
I'd love any info that you have to share.

[poshBecks]

Sorry I cant help. But I was wondering how you found out?

Sorry this happened to your little one. :hugs:

[Chickadee]

Hi Brooke. Sorry to hear the news :( I know the issue has been raised by other mums on here so I think you'll get some good help soon. Just to let you know, there is a special sub-section set up for Anaphylaxis under Parenting/Serious Health Issues. I've moved your thread there, and you may find some answers to your questions in previous posts.

[Lauz]

I have had anaphylaxis training... any easy questions i may be able to answer for you :D

[wattle]

Yes, ds has peanut, egg and shellfish allergies. They're not serious enough to require an epipen at this stage though.

There's a few threads about this, it's good if you can get as much support as possible. It takes a lot of planning and thinking. I printed off some basic information sheets for his relatives to keep on their fridge - what NOT to feed him, emergency procedure etc.

[DB&O]

Hi everyone thanks for your responses & to Martha for moving this thread to the appropriate place :thumbsup:

Becca-Rae; we only found out when Liv was given a small amount of peanut butter on her toast to try for the first time, within a few minutes her face & lips were swollen, she was covered in red raised hives & was having a lot of trouble breathing. We called an ambulance & once she was treated in hospital & admitted to the childrens ward, the Dr's advised us that she was severly allergic to peanuts & possibly other nuts but we wont know until we can visit an allergist & have her tested, pity the current waiting list is about 12-18 months long :mad:
She now has an EpiPen that will deliver a life saving dose of adrenaline if she comes into contact with nuts of any kind, even in trace amounts & will also have to wear a Medic Alert bracelet to let ppl know.

Lauz; thanks I know I will need all the help I can get, I don't have any Q's at the moment, I'm still struggling to understand & cope with her diagnosis.

Wattle; how do you get on with food shopping, are there any products that you can buy off the shelf or do you make everything for him, do you know of any good cookbooks?

[wattle]

Hi. I'm glad you're finding some help. cooking is a little more difficult, although you might find that if you cook alot of your own food there's not too much trouble. I don't use packet stuff much, only for gravy powder and that sort of stuff which is fine.

The first couple of trips to the supermarket took ages while I read all the labels, but after I found safe products I just stuck to them.

Actually I'm finding no eggs much more difficult that no peanuts. eggs seem to be in so many things.

The allergist said to me that more accidents happen in the home because
a) bub eats more meals at home, and
b) mum or dad just get a bit slack or forget to check a label.

Also I couldn't deal with waiting the totally ridiculous waiting time of 6 months, so I kicked up a real stink and they squeezed me in after 2 weeks! I'm so glad I did. Make a fuss, carry on, cry on the phone, whatever you can to get in sooner. It's worth it. I'd highly recommend getting her tested for all allergins while you're there - just for peace of mind. No point calling the ambulance again.

Of course no easter eggs for our little ones (as they all seem to contain traces of nuts). :( That's not a problem this year, but next year might be trickier once they know what's going on a little more! We can't even boil eggs or decorate them either instead of chocky ones.

Anyway, if you want some meal ideas let me know. I can write down what Max usually eats.

[WeThree]

Hi :)
My nine yr old has anaphylaxis to peanuts and walnuts. it is alot easier now he is older as he is aware of how scary it is when he has a reaction and he is super careful. his school canteen is almost completly nut free, which i think is wonderful of them and he has an epi pen at home and one at school. good luck with it, it is really scary at first, but the older they get, it does get easier, if anyone offers my son anything to eat, the first thing he says is 'does it have any nuts in it?'

[DB&O]

Thanks everyone, for the support & well wishes. I am slowly trying to adjust to the news but am finding it hard to comprehend how Liv was able to eat foods with nuts in them with out having a reaction but had such a severe reaction to the peanut butter. I mean the Dr has said that she is not to have any contact at all with products that contain nuts & we are observing this vigilantly but in the past she would have biscuits, muffins, cakes & rolls that may have contained nuts, she even ate part of a macadamia nut biscuit while at her granparents, all without any fuss at all. How is this possible? I am really struggling to understand.

[Chickadee]

... in the past she would have biscuits, muffins, cakes & rolls that may have contained nuts, she even ate part of a macadamia nut biscuit while at her granparents, all without any fuss at all. How is this possible? I am really struggling to understand.
Ok, I'm no expert at this at all but will offer my thoughts and the "rumours" I've heard about this. Firstly, there are different types of nuts. Walnuts, hazelnuts and I think macadamias are grown on trees and are the fruit of the tree. Peanuts grow on a vine and are a slightly different type of nut than the tree nuts. One mum who's son has a peanut allergy told me that she also has to keep him away from lentils, because lentils are actually similar to peanuts. That's not something I'd have guessed.

Also, I've heard that reactions tend to escalate. That even though he may have had no or little reaction previously, once he's had a big reaction he is much much more likely to continue to have big life threatening reactions.

[poshBecks]

Oh wow!!! At least by being aware of it now you can monitor her food hey. That must have been so scary for you when you first saw the reaction. That is a long waiting list!! Lets hope it doesn't take as long as they say! :hugs:

[Hokey Pokey]

My 7 year old daughter had an anaphylaxic reaction to a green ant bite.
We have had to since move states because next time she won't make it.
I'm sorry to hear that there are a few Mums with kids who suffer this allergy, it is a very traumatic experience to have to watch your little one go thru :crying:

[Hokey Pokey]

Liv's Mummy - in regards to your previous question about why your daughter may not have reacted before to nuts, i was tiold that the first exposure may be nothing and after that it can slowely get worse.
My daughter (Olivia too!!) had her first exposure to a green ant bite a year earlier and had a mild reaction.
Her second time almost took her life (her heart stopped beating).
She now has an epi pen and is seeing a specialisit next month to rule out other insects. I am so worried and nervous about that!

[DB&O]

Hi Kristy, I know what you mean when you say it's scary, I don't think I've experienced anything worse. The Dr's also told us that we were very lucky to be taking her home, apparently its only because we panicked & called the ambulance straight away that she did. My Olivia (btw love the name, we have great taste:laughing: ) also has an epipen & is currently being reviewed by a specialist, I have my :fingerscrossed: that all goes well with your Liv, I just hope that you never have to experience it again.
I think that I am struggling with now is trying to get other ppl to understand just how serious it is, I think because they didn't see her at her worst that they think I am overreacting & being far to protective, did you get the same thing?

[wattle]

How frustrating is it when people just think you're over reacting. grrrrrr.

I made up an information sheet for ds's grandparents and auntie & uncle. It was easy to follow, and I even put pretty pictures on it. I asked them to keep it on their fridges so that they could always refer to it before they fed ds.

All of them just put it in the cupboard and didn't bother reading it. :mad:

And they wonder why I'm not happy letting them babysit him. :banghead:

Let me just say that it's the icing on the cake as far as my MIL goes - she is really giving me the pips!!!!!!!!!!!! (Just needed to get that off my chest)

[sarah81]

My son is allergic to peanuts and has an epipen. He has not had severe breathing problems yet and is aged 3. Hopefully it stays this way :fingerscrossed:

I would try and hurry the specialist appointment along. Can you ask to see a specialist privately. We do this and the waiting list is much shorter than the public hospital clinic. We also get quite a bit back from Medicare and I am willing to pay the gap. We have lived in SA and WA so I know a bit about specialists there, let me know if I can help at all.

It is scary :hugs: If you want a support group, a while ago Anaphlaxis Australia was thinking about starting a group in SA, I never followed through with going but maybe if you contacted them they may know of one in your area.

Good luck with you little girl :D

[Hokey Pokey]

I DEFINATELY know what you mean there about people not realising how serious it is because they weren't there to witness it.
We were oh so lucky she made it through. Infact, the ambulance had to pull over on the centenary highway in Brisbane and call for an intensive ambulance to come, she went code blue :crying:
It has caused us alot of trauma that is for sure.
But I am slowely getting there.
It is such a hard thing to deal with.

[Aquamarine]

Hi there,

My 3 1/2 year old son has an allergy to peanuts. He snatched a piece of toast with peanut butter off my mother in laws plate and about half an hour later had a rash all over him. He didn't have any other symtoms other than the rash but I still took him to get tested. They did a skin prick test and it came back that he was allergic to peanuts, cashews and eggs.
He has had eggs on numerous occasions and had no reactions but I keep him away from all nuts and eggs because I have been told that there is more chance of them growing out of it if they are taken out of their diet all together.

My son was tested at the allergy unit at RPA (Sydney). They also skin prick tested his younger brother and his came back clear, so thankfully he isn't allergic to anything.
I send an epipen jnr to kindy with my son, just in case. He has never had anything other than a rash, but I believe it is better to be safe than sorry. I also keep an epipen jnr at home too.

Food allergies seem to be so common these days among alot of children. In my mothers group of 12 there are 3 children allergic to peanuts or other nuts.

I will be getting my son tested again next year to see if any allergies have gone. So fingers crossed as he starts school the year after and as you say there are so many people out there that think you are overeacting. Some of the people that are like this have actually got children with allergies.

Good luck with everything.

Sally (30)
DH (30)
DS (3) Allergies
DS (2)
Bub #3 due 9/9/06

[Aquamarine]

Of course no easter eggs for our little ones (as they all seem to contain traces of nuts). :( That's not a problem this year, but next year might be trickier once they know what's going on a little more! We can't even boil eggs or decorate them either instead of chocky ones.

Here is a tip with the easter eggs. Aerobar chocolate is made in a nut free factory so it is safe. The first year my son had his peanut allergy we melted down aerobar chocolate and made easter eggs from moulds.

[Hokey Pokey]

Hi Ladies
Has anyones little ones had a skin prick test?
How long does it take and does it hurt them?
Olivia has one on 15 May and I am a bit nervous!

[Aquamarine]

Hi Ladies
Has anyones little ones had a skin prick test?
How long does it take and does it hurt them?
Olivia has one on 15 May and I am a bit nervous!

Both of my boys have had a skin prick test done and it wasn't really that bad. All they do is dip these tiny needles into the different vials of food etc(eg peanut,egg)
and then they stamp the childs arm with a stamp that says the different names.

Pretty much straight away there will be a reaction or no reaction to each substance. My children were aged 3 and 18 months when they had it done and it was no big deal. It is only a tiny prick with the needle so they weren't hysterical or anything like that.

[Hokey Pokey]

Oh i'm so glad!
I worry what if she reacts and then I worry what if she doesn't but she still may be allergic, what if they don't use enough if the vial as you call it?!

[Aquamarine]

Oh i'm so glad!
I worry what if she reacts and then I worry what if she doesn't but she still may be allergic, what if they don't use enough if the vial as you call it?!

Where is your daughter having her skin prick test done?

My boys were done at the allergy section of RPA Hospital in Sydney. I wasn't nervous about any bad reaction as they are in a controlled environment anyway.

As far as I know the reaction will only be a little lump on the arm.

[Hokey Pokey]

She is going to a private Dr down in Hobart, they said they have all facilities and a nurse on hand...

It is just daunting hey when one tiny ant can do sooo much damage, but I am sure she will be fine :fingerscrossed:

[My Miracle Baby]

Check out the website:

http://www.allergy.org.au

Hope this helps.

[ChubStar]

Hi

My little boy had an anaphylatic reaction and had to be rushed to hospital as well.

We did an allergy test privately (in Adelaide) and found out he was allergic to dairy and egg. The waiting list is normally very long, but because he was only 14 months old at the time of the reaction, they pushed his test up and he was in within a few weeks. The egg allergy was practically off the scale. The test was a skin prick test. What they did was scratch his skin slightly (just to break the surface) and then wipe a small amount of the allergen over the broken skin. Kaleb (DS) was tested for heaps of things in one sitting. They drew his back up with a grid and number each allergen and then measure the size of the lump that came up, the larger the lump the worse the allergy.

Our allergist then referred us to a paediatric dietian and she helped us work out what he could eat and what he had to stay away from. She gave us a little book which contains the different names they use for egg and dairy products. She also gave us the name of some foods she knows don't contain the allergens (i.e. McVities Digestables or HobNob biscuits).

We also have an epipen Jnr, but have not had to use it. My family and friends are really good and are very careful about what food is around. We have also found that kissing Kaleb after eating egg or dairy can bring up little lumps on his face, so everyone knows to stay away or wash their mouths!

For anyone who wants some guidance about anaphylaxis, try contacting Anaphylaxis Australia, they are a nation wide organisation and are very helpful.

[Hokey Pokey]

My little girl is having her tests today.
Keep your fingers crossed that all will go well :fingerscrossed:

[JenM]

I am new to this forum and have just read through this thread and wanted to add a few points.

Firstly, about us. My son is 2 years old and was diagnosed with severe allergies to a number of foods after an anaphylactic reaction to cheese at 10 months of age. He has had 2 skin prick tests. The first at 11 months (after our GP had us placed on the cancellation list at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne) showed severe reactions to dairy, eggs, soy and peanuts, and less serious reactions to tree nuts. His second, at around his 2nd birthday, showed a very slight reduction in his allergy to dairy and egg, but an increased reaction to soy and peanuts, some new nut reactions and a reaction to lentils. Pretty scary to find new allergies. We are due for retesting at his 3rd birthday early next year.

A quick note on peanuts vs other nuts. Our specialist explained that peanuts are not actually a nut, but a legume, along with lentils, peas, beans (including soybean). So a person can be allergic to peanuts but show no allergy to other nuts. But as we've seen with Sam, a child can have no reaction to an allergen at one test, but develop a reaction over time. Sam seems to have no problem with beans or peas, but has had a mild reaction to lentils.

We manage by cooking most of our food from scratch, and by reading all labels, even on foods that we've used before. We have noticed labels change over time, eg a beef stock we were using had none of his allergens, but then suddenly started being labelled with a soy based ingredient. Again, pretty scary.

There is an online store that specialises in foods for allergy sufferers, and am happy to name them but not sure of the rules. Could someone advise whether it is appropriate to name the website in this forum? The site is great as you can limit a search through their products by ticking the particular allergens you want to avoid.

Would love to hear from anyone who has a good private allergy specialist in Melbourne somewhere, as we are finding ourselves a bit rushed in our dealings at the RCH (but are very happy that the allergy clinic exists at all).

Sorry for the long post! Hope all went well with Olivia's skin prick test.

[Palagramsi]

Hi there!!

My name is Pam and a little under 2 months ago my now 17 month old daughter had her first anaphylactic reaction and ended up in hospital.

We were afraid from the time I found out that I was pregnant that we would have an "allergy" baby as my partner is anaphylactic to bee stings.

How we first found out she has these life threatening allergies is when she was only roughly 6 months old and had eczema so bad she was almost admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital but luckily we got it under control within the 3 week deadline the Dr gave us.

We decided to take her to an allergist to find out what the underlying problem was and ! skin prick test later we knew she was allergic to peanut, egg and potato amongst other things such as dust mites and fragranced soaps.

We had been so vigilent with everything she touched and ate and all it took one day was for her to quickly grab her cousin's drink bottle which had the tiniest traces of peanut and/or egg on after her cousin had eaten a biscuit and drank from it.

My daughter only put it to her lips before we grabbed it and immediately she started scratching her tummy which had turned bright red, started welting and had hives coming up everywhere. Her nose started running with a very thick green mucus and she got very chesty and was coughing and in a daze.

I am so glad that only a couple of days before I had bought PHENERGAN, a liquid antihistamine which I immediately gave her 5mL of because I had read to do that somewhere.....this is now a part of her "Anaphylaxis action plan" that her Dr gave us. She also has to have 2 Epipens wherever we go.

I strongly recommend to anyone who hasn't got to see a specialist yet to get phenergan or some form of liquid antihistamine because if you don't have an epipen it could at least buy you a bit of time to get to the hospital.

Also, peanuts are not actually a nut but a legume which is why people with peanut allergy aren't always allergic to other nuts- but still be careful.

It's really hard to adjust to at first because I feel that it's really a life changing ailment. Shopping was taking me twice as long but like someone else in this forum wrote...once you find safe products stick with them but still always check the label before giving it to your child as some companies will spontaneously change their ingredients without forewarning.

I have just joined a food allergy support group and it has made such a difference to us. We live in a country town and I was amazed at how many people are affected by this.

I really hope to hear back from some of you guys, especially the woman who just found out about her 15 month old??...

Pam and Lacey.:wave:

[Hokey Pokey]

Well they did not end up doing tests for other insect bites as she has to be pre exposed to it... so we more or less have to wait till she gets a bite from a bee or other insect before we can tests :thumbsdown:
But they tested for everything else and she had no reaction to dust, pet hair, nuts, seafood etc :thumbsup: