Aivah's Story (Gluten/Dairy)
Liam's Story - Peanut Allergy
My son, Liam is a little over 2 years old and has a peanut allergy.
One of the biggest concerns as a parent of a child with a peanut allergy is cross-contamination. Also, one thing many people don't realize about other nuts is that they may be OK for someone with a peanut allergy to eat except you have to be aware of how the nuts are processed. For example, almonds are often processed either WITH peanuts or with peanut oil, which defeats the purpose of thinking you can be safe with any nut!! It's so frustrating because you just never know the extent of how a food was handled. That's why I love the Enjoy Life brand. Everything in their plant is safe!!
One of the other things that is tough is knowing the difference between a peanut and a tree nut. A tree nut is a dry fruit, but due to the above paragraph, not always safe due to cross-contamination. Many physicians and allergists will tell peanut allergic people to stay away from tree nuts, too, unless they have been extensively tested. Liam has to stay away from ALL nuts until the age of 3 or 4, or when he's next tested. Which I'm happy to say is going to be on July 21!! We're hoping for the best!
As for signs and symptoms...I am giving you my own personal experience here. One of the things I've learned is the difference between an anaphylactic reaction and a systemic reaction. Anaphylactic effects the tongue, esophagus, lungs and overall breathing, and is much more dangerous. (Not that systemic ISN'T dangerous!) But systemic is more of the rashes and other signs.
Liam's reaction first showed up on his hand where the peanut butter touched him. He had tiny hives, white with redness all around. Then his belly and legs started itching and showed a red rash. By the time we got to the hospital it basically looked like he had 3rd degree burns over his entire body and his joints were puffy, kind of swollen. But other than tugging at his body in various places he was pretty "normal". He was still actively running around, being the all-boy that he is! But the doctors kept him overnight because (and this is the scary part) a systemic reaction can lead into anaphylactic with no warning signs until the person is having difficulty breathing. Especially in a child (or any age person, for that matter) with their first reaction, you just don't know what is going to happen.
People with peanut allergies can't have most chocolate on the market, as it's usually processed with all sorts of nuts. Think about this....Liam will never have an M&M!!
Molly
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