Reacting from smell

Actually, I think the medical literature says there has never been a confirmed case of anaphylaxis caused by inhalation. Sampson and others confirm that there are less severe reactions, with symptoms similar to what people with environmental allergies experience--watery eyes, runny nose, coughing, etc.

Let me just tell you this, they say that there is very little chance of this being true. My son walked by a peanut shop in Cape Cod and could bearly breath,needed benedryl right away and inhalers. He was fine after we got him away from the store. I know that he has anaphlaytic from nuts. The symptoms were more mild than that of eating the nuts. In school the children at his table never ate nuts around him. One day by accident a child sat by him with nuts and sure enough he got sick. Maybe coincidental,but we totally avoid any nut products do to the fact that seeing the baby I gave birth to almost die and have to go on a breathing machine from eating one small bite of nut we choose not to have it around him. It doesn't hurt my family to go without and substitute another food. i am a stay at home mom and I just rather make meat sandwiches or egg salad. Some believe touch or smell will not bother a child.I personally believe it does bother them. I can not touch a shrimp without getting covered in hives. I get all stuffed up just touching it. So therefore I believe a child can react from smell and touch. Good luck Claire

This summer a child threatened my PA child with a chocolate bar containing peanuts. Believe me, there was an immediate reaction. His eyes swelled up almost instantly, he started to wheaze and choke up. I quickly got him indoors and got him to take his inhaler and benadryl and we went straight to the ER where they monitored his condition for the next 4 hours. We were taken very seriously, no one there seemed to think this wasn't serious just because he hadn't eaten it.

Two weekends ago we were at a small county fair where they had several 'stands' containing peanut products. They even had roasted peanuts and boiled peanuts. My four year old son got very lethargic and almost fell asleep in my younger son's stroller. Less then fifteen minutes after we left his energy level sky rocketed and he seemed fine. Coincidence? I will always wonder.

I can't quite remember my science from school, so forgive me if I don't get this just right!

Smell is caused by molecules of *something* becoming air borne and finding their way into our nose (for want of a better word). Given that fact, I can't see the difference between smell and air borne reaction, shouldn't they be the same thing? Also, it seems that it would be entirely possible for someone who is highly sensitive to react to even the few molecules needed to produce the *smell* from peanuts.

Gwen

NaomiR - My son also reacts to being near or exposed to peanuts with lethargy. When I educated the school, I let them know a contact type reaction may not be indicated by him alarming them that he is having a reaction, but rather by him looking distant, grey and lethargic at the onset. With ingestion however, we expect he will get hives and vomit immediately. Is your child similar in reactions?

Gwen--that kind of explains something I learned off a decorating website once. You're not supposed to put your toothbrush holder too close to the toliet. The closer the holder is then the more likely toliet "particles" will settle on your toothbrushes. Gross to think about but it's kind of the same thing with reacting to the smell of peanuts. It is particles of peanuts that pa people are reacting to when they smell it. Makes sense to me. My son reacts to touch so I fully expect him to react to smell also. He's never been around the smell so we don't know for sure. Deanna

Brett reacted to smell when he was about 18 months old. He was in a room for about 20 minutes with a very strong odor of peanut butter. A class had made pb pine cone bird feeders earlier in the day. I am confident that he didn't touch anything in the room and I noticed how strong the smell was and was very vigilant. I didn't know at the time he could have a reaction to smelling it but by the time we got home he had quite a few hives on his face and one eyelid almost swelled shut. Benadryl took care of it but it has really stuck in my mind.

Laura J-

The last reaction my son had to peanuts was in December and he had hives, major throat pain (grabbing his throat screaming it hurt), excessive saliva, and diarhea. In April he reacted to three small pieces of cashews. He also had the same symptoms as above but his saliva was much worse (I put a bowl in front of him because the towel was soaked) but he also had vomitting and what I believe was a drop in blood pressure. Very much like the lethargy that I posted about above. I must say it is all very scary! Be careful!

My son had his first reaction (that we were aware of) playing with two acrylic peanutbutter jars. The lids were loosened by our son, or were already loose, and he broke out in terrible hives, screaming and clawing at himself. The jars were almost brand new, with no dicernable residue on the jars. My allergist said that the sudden release on peanut gases/odor can cause an allergic reaction in some PA people. I'm a believer...

My son reacts from the smell of peanuts. I KNOW this to be a fact. I was also confused by the lack of literature supporting this. My first allergist even said it was impossible. The next allergist we saw said that this is absolutely possible and indeed our son was reacting from smell. He said it is rare and most dr's will see maybe one case of this type of reaction. We were told that our son would never be able to participate in a challenge test of any kind because he is SO sensitive, that it would be life threatening and they would not risk his life to test him. I am wondering if that is why there is no literature on these reactions. They are simply too dangerous for the PA people that are this sensitive. I know anyone would be a "believer" if they had seen the reactions that we have seen-including Dr. Sampson or any other expert in this field.

I dislike the smell, but I can usually endure it. At 24, the smell is definately not as bad as the taste. I can usually bear with it. I'll ask a friend or acquantance to take it easy on the peanuts, but I often won't say anything to a stranger.

I can't stand the smell, but it don't hurt me, like the sound of a coin, it don't help me either.

As was pointed out already, 'smell' is actually the presence of particles in the air, just as 'sound' is vibrations in the air picked up by your ears - you can't see them. I think of it more as reacting to 'breathing in' than 'smelling'. If an allergic person 'breathes in' peanut particles, he could react. Makes sense to me.

Hi!
I'm in my twenties.....and I will challenge any doctor who says they can't document a case. (I'm in medicine myself, (as a student to be an ear doctor) but we learn the WHOLE body!
All I'll say is NORTHWEST AIRLINES....peanuts by the abundance....and my face swelling up, and throat and insides of the mouth right along with it!
I shot myself with the anakaid kit 37,000 feet up. The reaction was purely to smell. and the guarentee was in writing that they would not serve any nuts. It was a big coverup how the airline tried to hide it, back date letters and cast the blame on me. Now that I look back, I should have sued them for the cost of my school loans!! If it hadn't been for final exams...I would have...but I lived through it...(another memorable reaction).....however...it is documented....=) and don't let anyone assure you differently.

Yes, my child has also reacted from smell. The most recent was June 2000. My husband bought me a Reese's peanut butter cup on our wedding anniver. so I could eat it after my p.a. child went to bed. I forgot about it and the next day while she was playing outside I ate it very quickly, threw the wrapper in the trash, and washed my hands several times. Two hours later....she came in the house and reacted immediately. Her expression changed immediately. Had face swelling and severe sneezing. Couldn't stand up because she was sneezing so hard nor speak due to the sneezing. Her nose even started to bleed from the violent sneezing. Had to give her Benedryl twice to get it under control. Her ped. later told me that the allergen protein can become airborne. I was shocked that one little p.b. cup could do that to my child! Other airborne incidents involved trips to Farmer's Markets where she got sick (similar but worse...also doubled over with stomach cramps, crying hysterically something was wrong, face swelling, hayfever symptoms). Don't go to open air markets anymore due to the South loves to boil peanuts there. She also had stomach cramps, face swelling from entering a room where pine cones w/p.b. were made.