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Hi Heather,

Welcome to peanutallergy.com.

Our allergist does not place a whole lot weight in the numbers on allergy tests. His name is Dr. Michael C Young, author of the Peanut Allergy Answer Book.

We avoid all peanuts and tree nuts (bc of the potential for cross-contamination) on the advice of our allergist. We also avoid all foods made in a facility which handles peanuts or tree nuts to avoid any possible traces and consequent reactions. This was Dr. Young's advice to us and we follow it to a "T". The risks of doing otherwise just aren't worth it to me.

You will find a variety of advice and levels of caution among allergists and allergy families. I would recommend consulting with your allergist to see what he or she recommends in your particular case.

I also would recommend reading Dr. Young's book or one of the other very popular peanut allergy books to learn a bit more about peanut allergy.

Hope this info helps! Peanutallergy.com is a great place to pick other peanut allergy families' brains :)

Best wishes,
Jennifer B

Hi Heather,

I know what you are going through! Don't worry--March is not so far away. My personal opinion--unsolicited, I realize!--is that you should play it safe till March when you get to see the allergist and try to stay away from peanut and nuts till then.

Biggest challenge in keeping away from peanuts and nuts during that time: baked goods. You can do it, though. And if you need tips on "safe" brands or products, poke around peanutallergy.com or ask some questions. There are tons of great tips here :)

Take care,
Jennifer B

Thank you Jennifer B!