[stone]

My Brooklynn broke out in hives last week after eating some chocolate.Apparently the chocolate had traces of peanut???We are not sure at this point.We thought she must be allergic to chocolate like her bmom. Unfortunately, we have a PEANUT allergy.I know nothing about food allergy,as it is not in my family at all!!I plan to research and to become very knowledgable about this area.Any info,advice,etc. isrequested......Anyone here ever dealt with this???I just cried in the office when he described the dangers,etc.....This is my baby,and I want to protect her....It will be tough to eat out,etc.so many places cook with peanut oil....
According to her biological family medical records,bio grandmother has peanut allergy......The doctor said there is a small chance that she could still outgrow this...PLEASE PRAY that she does....He will retest her in 3 years.My family and I are going to pray daily that she will outgrow this.My bestfriend's little girl tested positive for peanut allergy at 2 and outgrew by 5....It is possible....Anything is possible with prayer...
He gave me epipens and Benadryl....I have been practicing with the trainer pen,so I will know what to do in a real life emergency..... I am so glad I found out about her allergy before giving her peanut butter or something.....AMEN!!!
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Stacie Cahill

[redhedded]

Stacie, My 14 month old has a peanut allergy (only nut we know so far as we have not had serum testing). We discovered it when he was 9 months old; I ate a peanut butter cookie, apparently inadvertently touched my arm, washed my hands and he touched my arm where I had. Resulted in the giant hives. Very scary. This was not incredibly surprising to me though as he has horrible eczema which is often accompanied by food allergies, and we had already discovered his allergy to peaches and pears. Right now we have been advised to limit his diet tremendously.

It can be very scary, especially if it is new for your family. I have lots of food allergies, all fruits/juices and all raw vegetables (can eat a few after cooked), lots of nuts (though not peanuts). In every case it causes swelling of tongue, lips. I used to carry an epipen everywhere (no longer do so because I am very very careful and never eat if there is question for me). I also always carry Benadryl.

One of the issues is that many food allergies become worse over time or exposure; so what may be hives today might be anaphylaxis tomorrow.

Peanuts are very scary, because they are ubiquitous. B is just a babe, but school is particularly daunting for me. I would consider homeschooling if the allergy is one of severity that does not require being ingested for reaction. Know how to use the epipen and make sure that anyone who spends time alone with your daughter knows how. Eating out poses a huge challenge, always, because there is always always the danger of cross contamination in a professional kitchen.

I am not sure how old she is but now is the time for her to be aware of the thousands of food items that may contain traces or cross contamination of peanuts, so that as she ages, caution becomes second nature to her.

Don't hesitate to be an aggressive advocate, being overly protective and consistently advising people of the dangers and seriousness (teachers, friends, family). A lot of people are clueless, will never get it and will act like you are neurotic. Know it, have lived it for 20 years. Ignore them.

Sending thoughts of strength to you and your babe.

[BoxerLady6]

I know where my mom teaches school all the classrooms and lunchroom are "nutless" because of so many kids with serve nut allergies. No nuts allowed anywhere

[AdrienneG]

Breathe, you will be okay. I have peanut allergies. I will tell you it just means you have to be admant in restaurants that they NOT cook her food in peanut oil or anything thats been used to cook food with peanuts in it.

Make sure all of her teachers know she cannot have peanuts and they will haev to have a peanut free table if the children are having snacks with peanuts and she is having a peanut free snack. Some classrooms just dont serve peanuts at all so that everythings equal for children with peanut allergies and children who are not allergic.

It means you have to read the ingredients label of snack foods and any processed foods you buy in the grocery store. The name of the food item isnt good enough in letting you know if the food has peanuts in it, so you gotta read the ingredients on the back. Also look out for food products that were manufactured in a plant that processes peanuts.

She has to be informed of her allergy if she is old enough to comprehend and be sure her teacher and the school nurse knows how to administer the epipen shot and how to tell if she is starting to have an allergic reaction.

In my case my allergic reaction begins with itching and hives and coughing. Coughing is a symptom of the throat swelling closed, and so is wheezing like you are having an asthma attack.

It will be okay.

[rjjacob]

My daughter broke out in a rash and it has spread.
I took her to the ped and she says its a contact allergy but we can not figure out what it could be. Nothing has really changed.
Here are some pics of her rash.

[stone]

Jacie may have a dangerous allergy.....I would contact an allergist and have the testing done.I wanted to confirm what I thought was an allergy to chocolate.The allergist stated that chocoalte allergy is EXTREMELY RARE!!
I wonder if Brooklynn's bmom may have the peanut allergy instead of an allergy to chocolate??

I appreciate all of your recommendations and suggestions.......Information is Wonderful!!Keep the info coming!!

[chrisandaaron]

This is second hand info., but it makes sense. My friend (with a peanut allergy) always had to stear clear of the dessert menu at every restaraunt. They usually store all the deserts in the same cooler and many of them contain peanuts

[traceyk]

My 10 mo. old has a severe peanut allergy and needs to carry an epipen. We found out when they did allergy testing at 6 mo. because her excema was very bad as well as her stomache problems. We stay clear of anything nut and anything that says "may contain traces of nuts". We were happy we found out that way instead of the hard way. We give her sunflower butter and tahini instead of nut butters. In fact she has trouble with all legumes when it comes to her excema.