I know a lot of you out there are not comfortable with peanut free classrooms for various and I respect that. My big concern is peanut butter because it is so tactile it sticks to faces, hands, desk tops, etc. My daughter had a skin contact reaction once when peanut butter brushed her face as a baby. She did not go into anaphylactic shock but she got a dark red rash on her face where the peanut butter lightly brushed her face. Later she had a scarier, more severer reaction after ingestion.
Some people have told me that she would probably be OK since the contact reaction was not anaphylactic. My concern is, yes, I agree there is a *chance* she would be ok and only get a rash after brief contact but how comfortable am I taking that gamble with my daughters life? Are there tests to check for tactile reactions?
Another thing that concerns me is my child had two skin tests within a three month period and the results of both tests were very different. I don't think these skin tests are very reliable. Are the blood tests more reliable? Can they tell you how severe the allergy is? Also, do any of you know when contact or tactile reactions are considered dangerous?
Sorry for all the questions.
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~ LeeAnne
Hi, LeeAnne! First, you'll find a lot more info to answer all your questions by searching the boards. I'll do my best to answer, though.
We were concerned about the contact reactions, too, so we did a "touch test" of sorts in our allergist's office. She put a minute smear of pb on our son's back. Within 20 minutes he had a hive in that area. No more than that happened until the Dr., upon trying to clean the pb off with a wipe (not a good idea), smeared the pb oil all over his back. He had hives all over his back before we got home - still nothing more, like coughing, etc. We feel pretty confident that he will only react to contact exposure this way, BUT WE KNOW that his reaction could be worse at any time. The allergist said he should be fine around peanut products and residue at school, etc., as long as it doesn't come in direct contact with his face (mouth, eyes, nose...). His reaction will probably be worse in that case. So far, (our son just started preschool) we think we're going to take the wait-and-see approach with kindergarten. If he starts showing more sensitivity to contact or airborne exposure, then we'll take the necessary precautions. I know some people can't understand that - sometimes I don't even understand it! - but that's how we're going to start out. "Comfort level."
As for the tests, as far as I know the tests do not tell how severe the reaction will be - only a child's reaction history can help predict that. My son has had the skin and blood tests. Both indicate a very severe allergy, but he isn't as sensitive (airborne,etc.) as some of the other children who scored much lower than he did. It's confusing, I know. Every child is different, and every reaction can be different. Keep reading these boards, educate yourself, and find your 'comfort level' as best as you can. Good luck, and know that we are all here to 'listen' and help when/if we can!!