Cant get a \"airborne\"peanut butter reaction?

I personally don't believe this is true.

I have had two airborne reactions to peanuts...

1-sitting in a room while someone microwaved a peanut containing main dish

2-sitting beside two children (I had my back to them and couldn't see what they were eating) who were eating pb sandwhiches.

Both times I had pretty good reactions-didn't have to use the epi, but a definite reaction. I had posted a thread about airborne allergies to get some information, and someone likened it to cats-you don't have to eat the cat to react to it, or even see it, right? Same with the peanuts.

I am in the same position-having to get an allergist to advocate for me on the topic of sitting in the lunch room (I work in a grade 3 class with a special needs student). Coming from and adult with pa, it's nerve wracking and is like you face a minefield every day at lunch.

My suggestion? Ask for a second opinion from another allergist.

Absolutely not true! This can happen. Happened to both Lauren and a friend of ours!

lizzytish, welcome! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

Also, welcome to the world where some of us here actually know more about PA than the doctors we see with our PA children do. I know that sounded really high and mighty and it wasn't meant to.

If you look at information from FAAN and Anaphylaxis Canada, they will both state that airborne reactions are rare.

However, when I reported my son's reactions to Anaphylaxis Canada, they wouldn't take them into consideration statistically (for scientific purposes or whatever) because they had been reported by me, the Mother, and not a doctor or the hospital. Yet, here, in Ontario Canada, reactions, anaphylactic or not, are not report-able to anyone by doctors or hospitals.

So, how do they get effective stats that reflect what is really going on in our community?

My son is 8 years old. He has had five reactions, three of which have been anaphylactic. He has had anaphylactic reactions to residue only. He touched it somewhere in his school, touched his hand to his mouth or nose and that entered his body. Do I consider that ingestion? No, I don't.

Also, when my son was 3-1/4 he almost died due to denial and ignorance. His second anaphylactic reaction. He merely touched a pb rice krispie square to his lip. It did not enter his mouth. He did not bite it. It merely touched his lip for less than a minute because his Mother started screaming hysterically at the top of her lungs STOP!

So, basically, you need the allergist's letter to request a "peanut free" classroom?
Does the letter specifically have to say that your child has airborne reactions for the school to take you seriously enough to implement a "peanut free" classroom?

I'm assuming you're American? Have you thought about a 504 Plan being implemented?

I have never had to show the *severity* (don't like that word) of my son's allergy to request a "peanut free" classroom in Ontario. Now, my son has had three anaphylactic reactions and one at school (not in his "peanut free" classroom) so school administration does know that he is anaphylactic and he does have a "peanut free" classroom. But even the child in my daughter's class, who is also PA, but has never had a PA reaction, has a "peanut free" classroom.

Coming out of the school to-day, I noticed that both the JK and SK classes are also "peanut free", new things since school started.

If you can get a letter from this allergist stating that your daughter is PA and needs a "peanut free" classroom based solely on her allergy, get that from him. If you need a letter based on the *severity* of her allergy (airborne) and this guy obviously doesn't agree, you're going to have to find another allergist.

I know one member who had a heckuva time last year getting a letter from her child's allergist that was appropriate to what her son had experienced.

Airborne reactions do happen. I have at least two dear friends whose children have airborne PA reactions.

Of course, you've got me asking another question..... [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/wink.gif[/img]

Please let us know how it goes.

Best wishes! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

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lizzytish, I raised the question last night about how many members here have had children (or themselves) that have had airborne reactions. It's in another thread in Main Discussion. I hope this helps you to know that you're not insane and that there are people here who either themselves or their children do have airborne reactions.

momma2boys also copied some *good* information that you may like to present to your allergist.

Hope this helped. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

Best wishes! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

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[url="http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/Forum7/HTML/001205.html"]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/Forum7/HTML/001205.html[/url]

linking and will reraise the thread to compliment this discussion and others.

I was told by the allergist at Johns Hopkins that the smell of peanut butter wouldn't cause an allergic reaction. But many parents have told me otherwise so I too don't know if there is any black or white answer to this. I guess it depends on the individual child.

The issue in the classroom isn't just the smell of it, but also the movement of it. You've seen by the messages posted here that casual contact can and does cause reactions so regardless of the allergists willingness to submit a letter or not, is the school willing to risk exposing everyone in the classroom to a life threatening food allergy reaction, as opposed to the risk of inconveniencing a few people by asking them to bring other food items to school? 10 years ago it was next to impossible to get p/tn free classrooms - it is steadily becoming the norm and I think your school should do some investigating and educating!