Touch, Smell Sensitive

My son is definitely touch sensitive. We unexpectedly ended up testing the "smell sensitivity" when he went to get a haircut a few weeks ago. The stylist was eating a snack while we were waiting. When she called us over to the chair, the smell was obvious that she'd been eating peanuts. I asked her if she had, she replied yes. I asked her to please wash her hands as my son has a serious allergy to peanuts and has reacted by touch. She was very happy to do so. While we sat in the chair, my son in my lap, I could totally smell the peanuts on her breath, and all the while thinking, 'Well, here is the test to see how he reacts to smell.' He had no reaction at all. Now I am not sure if just smelling it on someone's breath would be enough to illicit a reaction in the smell sensitive person or not. I would think it might be as the smell was very strong in my opinion. So I am not so sure this helps to answer your question. But I was sure glad he was fine. It will be interesting to hear other's experiences.

Kevin is both smell and touch sensitive. He has reacted to the smell of peanut M&Ms on a friend's breath from about 2 feet away!

Amy

How severe was his reaction? Do you ever bring him on a plane?

My daughter has had significant reactions to touch and smell. We did not know that she would react to smell until we were on a plane when peanuts were accidently served. Both reactions actually fit the definition for anaphylaxis because they involved internal systems and respiratory, but I hate to call it that. (Probably to make myself feel better for not using the epi-pen when I should have.)

We have done the "touch test" in the allergist's office. We suspected a contact reaction and wanted to confirm it, especially before we put our son in a school setting. The Dr. put a tiny smudge of PB on our son's back (so he couldn't touch it and get it all over) and after 15 minutes he broke out in hives around the site.

I'm taking our son to his future school to have lunch in the cafeteria today. I want to know if he can even be IN the cafeteria with others eating PB. We don't know for sure if he is airborne reactive (suspicious, but not sure). We have no idea how he may react, so this trip to the cafeteria is my way of finding out with ME there, and well ahead of time. We may even do this a couple times before school is out this year.

HTH,
Tammy

It is my understanding that there really is no such thing as "Smell" sensitive. However, there are "Airborne" reactions. To smell the odor, the allergic child is not necessarily being exposed to airborne particles. If someone is boiling peanuts, there would be both a strong smell as well as definite airborne particles. But to smell someone's p.b. sandwich, there may or may not be particles. That would explain why often there is no reaction to smell, but sometimes there seems to be.

David is touch and smell sensitive. Last year on a ride home from school a child opened a box of Ritz Bits Cheese crackers in the car he was riding in. He had a huge reaction and was in the hospital most of the night. The only positive thing about this experiance was that until that time my husband just couldn't accept that David was allergic by smell too.
Oh, the box lable when inspected later said, may be processed in a plant that processes peanut products.
Scary, very scary!

------------------
Brenda

Well, I'm pretty bummed. It's looking like my 4 yr. old son is becoming "smell sensitive".

I attend a class with him (moms & kids) preschool like setting including lunch. We sit at a separate little table to avoid the peanut butter sandwiches during this time, per teacher's suggestion. No problem.

Yesterday, towards the end of lunchtime, he started rubbing at his eye furiously and couldn't get relief. I know that it wasn't from the turkey and crackers he was eating. It was right after a little girl came over to his table, though I found out later she had eaten peanut butter for breakfast, not lunch...though her mother did for lunch. I rinsed his face with a wet paper towel and we continued w/ the last few minutes of class, itchy eye and all. We get home shortly afterwards and he tells me that he is itchy all over, though he has no hives. I ask him to show me where and he draws a circle around his whole body and ends by pointing in his mouth. So I gave him benadryl.

After thinking on this, I realized that he had been near the trash can and maybe as people were throwing their food away it was close to him. I can't be sure, but I know that it was all of the sudden and intense for him.

I talked w/ the allergist today and told him the situation. I asked if my son just being around others eating peanut butter could be making him more sensitive and setting him up for a stronger reaction later. He said it is possible. I asked him point blank if I should not have him in this type of environment and he said that it would be better if he was in a peanut free class. I can't believe it. It just seems so impossible, which I also told the allergist. I also asked him if he had other patients who have tested similar to my son-Rast class 6, if they can't even be around it. He said yes. He mentioned the vaccine that may be available in a few years that it might be something that he could really benefit from.

It also isn't helping that my husband isn't convinced that one can react from just smelling it. But then again how can I blame him if I witnessed it and I still am having trouble believing it!

Thanks for the vent...it's my therapy. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/frown.gif[/img]

Guess I just want to add that I haven't ever doubted other's description of their child being smell sensitive....it's just that my son hadn't ever shown this sensitivity and I really hadn't prepared myself for it happening to him.

[This message has been edited by Love my C (edited October 04, 2002).]

Love my C,

Sorry to hear about your son.
This is kind of wierd that you brought this up since my son has shown smell sensitivity before.
Today, I just received the sunbutter sample and my pa son has never smelled peanut butter nor tasted it or seen it. So, I opened the little jar and it looked like peanut butter, I smelled it and it smelled like peanut butter. He smelled it and I said, "This smells like peanut butter but your not sneezing or itching your eyes or coughing, so we know it's not peanut butter BUT SUNBUTTER".
He then said, "Andre's breath smelled like this at school and it made me cough".
Unbelievable huh?

I really hope that this is not making your son's allergy worse(him being around it in school)but it only makes sense that it can't be totally helping, right?

Thanks smack,

Well, I guess I got an answer to the smell sensitivity before he starts any official school. Now I know that he really does need a peanut free room. I love the class we take and I thought it would be good to stay for lunch time and see how he did in that environment with me there present to observe him before putting him in preschool or kindergarten not knowing and hoping the teacher would be watching him closely. Kind of a test run, you know?

Glad the Sunbutter is working out for your family. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img] I received mine and realized that I don't know if my son is allergic to sunflower seeds. So I've been hesitant to eat it myself and then have him react to any trace of it on me. He is allergic to other foods as well. Oh well, maybe when I'm feeling brave I'll pop open the jar. Thanks for the support!

Love my C,

Sorry to hear of your son's reaction.

Is there any chance it could have been from residue? Since you said PB is allowed there, maybe the surfaces haven't been sufficiently cleaned? Just wondering.

I'm not sure if this is the correct link or not, but it's kind of on the same line of thought.

I've always wondered about taking my PA son to a mall that has a Chick Fil-A, or a Steak Escape in it. Both of these fast food places fry their food in peanut oil.

Are we exposing our children to peanut by letting them breathe the air around these places?

Just one of those paranoid thoughts that I always worry about before entering a mall.

Sherlyn

Lam, there is a chance it was from residue, even though I checked his chair and table well. I don't have any definites other than he was eating fine for 10-15 minutes and as soon as the little girl came to his table there was an immediate reaction for him. (Maybe he's allergic to cute little girls [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img] I'll be wishing that one in about 12 years) Anyway, when we went to class yesterday, we left before lunch time. I hate to give up the class and think we will either eat outside in the courtyard and come back for the remaining circle time or just leave each time at lunch time. It's only 2 hours a day, 2 days a week.

The teacher has been so wonderful concerning the allergy. She has addressed this class as well as the one last semester about food allergies in general. She has handed out the 'Be A Pal Brochure' to the parents in ALL of her classes which I gave to her after she asked me for info to share w/ parents and other staff, and she is always mindful of my little guy. Apparently, she has witnessed a child go into anaphylaxis from a peanut allergy at a preschool where she used to teach or direct.

Spudberry, I have read on these boards about someone having a reaction just walking past a Chinese restaurant where the food was cooking. I would think it would be easier to have a reaction from that where it is aerosolized than just being in the same room with a PB sandwich. But then again, I obviously don't have all the answers. BTW, Welcome to the boards! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

[This message has been edited by Love my C (edited October 05, 2002).]

Quote:Originally posted by Lam:
[b]We have done the "touch test" in the allergist's office. We suspected a contact reaction and wanted to confirm it, especially before we put our son in a school setting. The Dr. put a tiny smudge of PB on our son's back (so he couldn't touch it and get it all over) and after 15 minutes he broke out in hives around the site.

I'm taking our son to his future school to have lunch in the cafeteria today. I want to know if he can even be IN the cafeteria with others eating PB. We don't know for sure if he is airborne reactive (suspicious, but not sure). We have no idea how he may react, so this trip to the cafeteria is my way of finding out with ME there, and well ahead of time. We may even do this a couple times before school is out this year.

HTH,
Tammy[/b]

thanks for info will take little virginia to school cafitera to test love this site

Quote:Originally posted by B G L:
[b]David is touch and smell sensitive. Last year on a ride home from school a child opened a box of Ritz Bits Cheese crackers in the car he was riding in. He had a huge reaction and was in the hospital most of the night. The only positive thing about this experiance was that until that time my husband just couldn't accept that David was allergic by smell too.
Oh, the box lable when inspected later said, may be processed in a plant that processes peanut products.
Scary, very scary!
[/b]little virginia eat same thing after reading ing.foun out last ing was peanuts they just recently inculed peanuts