Spinoff: Should I worry about DD developing a peanut allergy??

[JMS]

SHE LOVES PEANUT BUTTER AND EATS IT ALMOST EVERY DAY! After reading through both of the current threads regarding allergies, I'm worried about the possibility that she will develop a late allergy to peanuts. I make sure she eats the healthiest version of peanut butter (organic). We really don't have many food allergies in our family.. but should I be concerned anyway???

TIA

[snowflake20]

I wouldn't worry about it. If she hasn't had a reaction, that means she is not allergic.

[dules]

I respectfully disagree with this post. Kids have allergic reactions on their first exposure or their one hundred and first.

To the OP, I think that's something to ask your pediatrician. I have no idea. We had no family history of peanut allergy but three of my nieces and nephews carry epi pens for it. All had peanuts as toddlers/young kids without reaction.

Mary

[JMS]

Thanks Mary.
I posted my question b/c of all the accounts of kids being able to eat something without incident and then later developing an allergy. It's stories like your DNs' that scare me.

I really don't think there is any way of knowing for sure what will happen in the future. I guess my question then becomes whether I can lessen her chances of developing a peanut allergy if I limit her exposure now. For example, should I only allow it once a week instead of whenever she asks?

Thanks again for your input!

[ilovetivo]

Sorry to worry you w/ my other posts! Good question!

I bet she's ok, but it's a good thing to be aware of should symptoms arise. Being armed w/ info ahead of time can only help you or another family you're around (should something happen).

I believe, there may be some research about stopping the potential allergen and then starting up again a long time later (don't know how long) and then there's a reaction. I know since dd passed her egg challenge and is no longer allergic to eggs, she has to have egg at least once a week. Formerly allergic people that don't eat the food regularly do become allergic again.

So....in my non-medical opinion, i would feed it to her at least once a week, but not everyday. Definitely ask your ped if you're concerned. She's almost 3 and i think that's the current recommendation for non-food allergic families on when they can introduce peanuts.

Part of the problem is the nature of the beast. No one really knows anything about the cause, prevention etc. And, more people are becoming allergic than before. That's why the Children's Memorial Food Allergy Study is so important for people to participate in (food allergic or not). That's exactly what they're trying to figure out. http://www.childrensmrc.org/allergy/study/

Our allergists also recommend that Zoey not eat any traces of the foods we're hoping to not become allergic to. So we avoid the food, as well as anything that's made on the same line or in the same facility.

ETA: does she have eczema or asthma? If so, those are higher risk factors for food allergies. I'd contact a pediatric allergist then and see what they think.

ETA: we're also going to test peanut at age 5. she's not considererd allergic at this point. Dairy is her allergy, the rest we protectively avoid.

[sweetpea]

There are just so many unknowns and theories regarding peanut allergies. I would definately discuss this with your pediatrician though, it is an interesting question.

My 2yo dd has a peanut allergy. We have no family history of allergies and weren't worried in the least when I (stupidly) gave her peanut butter when she was about 13mo. She had an instant reaction - hives, gagging, tongue swelling. We get to retest her when she's 5yo but even if the results show that she's "outgrown" the allergy how can we still not be paranoid about peanuts? I have the same questions you do, but I plan to cross that bridge in a few years when I have to. It's wishfull thinking I'm sure, but I hope at that time there will be more clear answers.

[mapg]

Yeah, sorry about the scare. I live in a different world about food than most of the people I know. The exception are the parents of kids with food allergies. But from time to time someone asks me the same question you asked. The logical part of me thinks probably not, but I don't know if I'd give it to her everyday. Will she eat Tahini? Watch around the edges of her mouth, sometimes a tiny contact rash is a warning. If someone tells me they see that, I always tell them to back off the peanut butter.
MA

[DrSally]

That's how Ds's milk allergy started, several instances of a small contact rash around the mouth/chin. Wish I would've known to look for this. But, to OP, that is an interesting question. How much is too much or too little (as in the case with pp's needing to have eggs every week?) I don't know.

[ilovetivo]

Does tahini have sesame in it? If so, be careful w/ that too, sorry to say. Sesame is the 9th top allergen. (the other's being peanut, treee nut, fish, shellfish, dairy, egg, wheat, soy - not in order)

good info w/ the contact rash around the mouth

[ilovetivo]

I wanted to add that if you do get her tested and she's positive for peanut - skin and/or bood (rast test), it doesn't mean she's allergic to pb. Some people test allergic and have no symptoms when they eat the food, hence not allergic. Again though I'm not a dr and you'd have to defer to your docs.

[mapg]

I have known people who didn't get a clear positive on their skin tests even though they were clearly allergic to certain things. I didn't know you could test positive and not have any reactions. Yeah, Tahini is sesame butter, we don't eat it because of the cross contamination problem. I was thinking of something that would be peanut butter like to alternate with peanut butter.
MA

[mapg]

I'm curious, what was your tip off to your daughter's food allergies? My child's developed later (3 1/2), and there wasn't any doubt about her reaction or what caused it, so I'm always curious what leads to testing?

[ilovetivo]

Definitly people can be allergic even though their tests are negative. Reactions trump test results. If there's symptoms specifically w/ that food, i think they're allergic, as do most allergists i believe.

There's soynut butter that's great! We like I.M. Healthy's Soy Nut butter - original creamy. Personnally i'd do that over tahini. (IMHO :) )

[ilovetivo]

Reactions lead us to testing. When we introduce foods, we do it 2x a day for 3 days.

I knew something was wrong from early days and it wasn't until she was 10 months that it was confirmed. Mysterious dot rashes from 5 months old plus below info. Bottom line: trust your instincts as when to see an allergist and if you need to change allergists (we did)

DAIRY
At a few day's old dd projectile vomited for like 30 min every time she had formula (milk based like enfamil). We were supplementing my breastmilk. We switched to soy (isomil) and had no problems.

At 10 months we did a tablespoon or 2 of cottage cheese. She started vomiting 2 hrs later. She vomited non stop - and i mean literally non-stop, for 4 hours. I couldn't even leave the bathroom sink i was holding her over. Finally it was some blood too. She was so lethargic, she couldn't even hold her head up. Ped thought it could have been the consistency so they wanted us to try again 1 month later w/ yogurt. We tried again 1 month later w/ 1 TBS of Yo Baby drink. Well, 2 hrs later she vomited the same way for 3 hrs w/ same symptoms.

She was diagnosed by the allergist w/ dairy allergy and milk protein induced enterocolitis (MPIES) mainly by reactions. She tested positive for dairy on the blood test w/ low numbers. I think her skin test was negative. If it wasn't for the vomiting, she'd be not "allergic". They think MPIES is what caused the vomiting - the gastro system shuts down and all bodily fluids rush to the stomach and out. Other foods can cause it to in people (FPIES). There's no tests to confirm MPIES/FPIES, only reactions. Usually the reaction is 2 hrs or so after eating the food.

Now, at age 3+ , if her skin test and blood numbers are ok, we can food challenge dairy again with real dairy. However, it need to be in the hospital w/ an IV already in place. She needs to be over 3 to even test it to be able to handle the potential vomiting physically, mentally, & emotionally. That's how serious and dangerous the vomiting is. It literally could have killed her b/c of quick dehydration. They veins collapse too, so an IV is very difficult.. An epi pen wouldn't have stopped it.

EGG
Vomited on day 1 of egg yolks right after having it, but it only was a few seconds. Day 3 we also got the flu shot. 45 min later, full body hives. She tested positive on skin and blood. Diagnosed egg allergy due to tests and reactions. Outgrew egg at age 2. Skin and blood tests were negative so we did an oral food challenge in the dr's office, which she passed.

FISH/Shellfish
Tested positive w/ skin w/ 1 allergiest (we see different one now), but she never ate it so it can't be confirmed. Didn't do blood at age 1. Recent tests (b/c of a food allergy study) were negative for blood/skin. Not introducing anyway until age 5 and numbers can change. Protectively avoiding.

PEANUTS/TREENUTS
Had mysterious reaction several times (severe eczema, diaper rash and screaming) to 365 Rice Milk. Didn't test back then b/c it wouldn't matter. Not into'ing until 5. Plus pn/tn weren't in the product. It would only be cross contamination of the oils. Also had a hive when in the bulk peanut etc aisle at whole foods. Stopped screaming when we left the area. Recent tests (food study) were negative to skin, tiny numbers to blood. Numbers change w/ age though. Highly suspect, avoiding as an allergy.

DRUGS: Sulfa, penicillins, erythromycins - completely miserably w/in a day or so, full body rash by day 7. No tests available.

More than you wanted to know.

[ShanaMama]

>More than you wanted to know.

Actually very fascinating stuff. I'm sorry you had to go thru those scary incidents, & can only hope your DD outgrows her allergies w/o further incident.

[mapg]

Thanks. Em vomitted on her first known exposure to peanuts. I've always wondered if there were little signs that I missed. But I don't really think so. Like the small rash, a friend of mine has a son who did that. I hope I wasn't rude in asking, if I was I apologize. I simply don't know that many people who have kids with severe FA, even though I come from a family that has tons of outside allergies. I wish you well, and I really appreciate all you have done on this thread.
MA

[ilovetivo]

I hope I wasn't rude in
>asking, if I was I apologize.

Not at all! Why would you think that? We'd love to see you over on kidswithfoodallergies.org (geez, you'd think i got paid for it or something...nope, just LOVE them and think that they've saved my sanity a ton of times and can answer just about anything.

You're welcome. Actually, i'm gonna post my experiences w/ dd on my Food Allergy thread, in case someone else asks.

Good luck to you and everyone else dealing w/ FA's too!

[mapg]

I do wander over to that board from time to time, and plan on really doing some looking once it is time to go to kindergarten. (Perfect pre-school in terms of dealing with food allergies, but we will have to venture into the "real" world with lunches and 2 snack times.)
Your description is what I expected food allergies to look like in an infant. And I always wonder how people with really small kids know about peanuts, especially in people who I know are careful about food introduction. The hives in the bulk food makes sense. My mom said I would do that when people were shelling pecans around me.
Marianne

[ilovetivo]

Marianne - I'm ilovetivo over there too, if i didn't say that before. What's interesting is that we don't know what's going on inside the body. She had 1 hive on her finger, and the eyes stuff, scared look on her face, but who knows what was going on inside. Could have been hives there too. Thx for sharing your info too :)

Some infants do just spit up their milk, as the idiotic ped said that was on call. My dd was projectiling every ounce of the milk plus some. And it wouldn't stop for a long time. I knew there was a difference. Same ped wanted us to keep trying it. I don't remember, but w/in a week or less we switched formulas.

Also, what the mom eats during breastfeeding does get into the dc's system in terms of allergies. That would have been causing the random dots on her face. At one point she had eczema, just a little though, on her face. All these things she had alone wouldn't flag it for me, but take them all together, or even 2-3 of them and it totally fits.

[Fairy]

I have a very strong and opinionated stance on this and agree with Dules's post above. There is no reason to give nuts to a child under age 3, because the risk is just not worth it for something like a nut. It's not like it's turkey.

The fact is that peanut allergies and tree nut allergies can kill. The medical standard is that you should never give nuts of any kind to a child under age 1 at the bare minimum. Most recommendations are to wait till age 3 for sure, best till age 5, especially if they ahve the allergy markers (eczema and asthma). Why? Becasue there is a higher incidence of severe nut allergies in children who were introduced to nuts BEFORE that age as there is for kids who are first introduced to nuts after that age.

Also, as PP's have said and I'll repeat, having these markers does not mean there will definitely be food allergies, and the absence of them most certainly doesn't mean your free and clear. Also, remember that tree nuts are different from peanuts. People with peanut allergies may be just fine with almonds and cashews; and people with tree nut allergies may be just fine with peanuts, which grow in the ground.

So, my feeling is why would anyone take the risk on purpose? Nuts are not a staple food. A child won't know what they're missing if they've never had it. So, why would I want to put my child at risk for something like a nut? Or peanut butter? Or Cashew Chicken? Or brownies with nuts in them? The answer for me is that I wouldn't want to. So, DS has never had anyhting with nuts in it on purpose, and we don't keep most nut products in the house and never put out nuts at parties. No onee's gonna miss 'em. One time, I bought whole wheat bread that actually had ground nuts in it. Oops. Who the hell puts nuts in wheat bread?! I'd never have known except DS was eating b'fast and had splotches on his mouth and chin. On a lark I checked the ingredients of the bread, and lo and behold, ground nuts. CRAP! So, it was only 4 or 5 bites, and maybe it wasn't the bread, but I'm taking no chances with his asthma and eczema.

So, bottom line, I avoid all nuts of all kinds, period and will do so till age 5. Now that you've got alot of peanut butter in DC's life, call your ped and ask them what they think is best. I think having an epi pen on hand is not a bad idea cuz no reaction so far doesn't put them in the clear. But call your ped and let them know.

-- Fairy

[lifeintheslowlane]

I would definitely check with your pediatrician as peanut allergies are on the rise, but most children don't have a peanut allergy so I wouldn't panic, kwim? My children had peanut butter at one year of age and there is rarely a day that they don't eat it. I seriously think they'd starve without it! LOL

[DrSally]

I actually check the labels on all breads, but esp. whole wheat. It is surprisingly hard to find a whole wheat bread wo/nuts or seeds of some sort (sesame seeds are also a common allergen), milk, eggs, or honey (before age 1). When I find it, I freeze it so I have it on hand for DS.

[ilovetivo]

You can go to the www.aaaai.org to look into it further. American Acadamy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology.

On http://www.aaaai.org/aadmc/ate/category.asp?cat=1057 you can do a search for food allergy related questions on their "ask and expert" section.

When i typed in "introduction age" the first post that came up (9/26/06 date) was about the taking away an allergen already tolerated if into'd before the recommended age...as was asked on another thread.

Dr. Robert Zeiger an expert in food allergy avoidance measures says there's some evidence that stopping peanuts, that is well tollerated, for a long time " may predispose to an allergic reaction when re-exposure occurs". The responding expert (Dr. Scott Sicherer I think - another major expert) says "this does not mean that peanuts would have to be eaten daily. However, one should not go many months without eating some peanut-containing food." Dr. Zeiger says " With assessed risk of allergy, the optimal age for the introduction of selected supplemental foods should be 6 months, dairy products 12 months, hen's egg 24 months, and peanut, tree nuts, fish, and seafood at least 36 months."