How Old Are You/Your Child and How Many Reactions Have You/Your Child Had?

Matt is 2, and he has had 2 reactions that were know were peanut reactions. The second was anaphylactic, but was effectively treated with Benadryl. (We didn't know about anaphylaxis or epipens at the time...)

Isaac is 14 months old and had his first and only reaction a couple of months ago after getting some peanut butter on his cheek. He developed hives and wheezing (as well as screaming his head off) and that was the beginning of our journey. We do carry our EpiPens everywhere now but so far so good.
Miriam

Hi Cindy - I'm 48 and have lived with PA my whole life. I'm lucky I haven't died from exposure. When I was very tiny, my parents discovered my severe allergy by accident when I had a reaction to something else. They took me to a doctor and because I was soo tiny (only about 6 months) the doctor had to draw some of my blood and inject it into a college student that wanted to make money!! That's when they discovered the severe allergy. Of course, that was before anybody labeled anything. I learned very quickly that the best way to eat anything new was to take a small bite and wait for a reaction (of course, we know now this is a big no-no). Luckily, I grew up in a small tight community and all the other parents looked out for me, too. However, as I got older, I made a couple near-catastropic mistakes. The last time I had a reaction was (thank heaven) several years ago and was told that my only option was a tracheotomy to help my breathing!! Can you believe that?? My husband and kids know they can eat peanuts as long as they are not around me and brush their teeth before they kiss me. My husband learned the hard way that I wasn't kidding about that. He came home one night after eating peanuts and kissed me on the cheek. Well, you can only imagine how badly he felt only a couple minutes later. He hasn't done that again. We have certainly come a long way from when restaurants even got offended if I asked what kind of oils they used in their kitchens. Thank goodness. I know carry my epi-pen everywhere - the people at work know about it - my family - even my sons know how to activate it and inject it if need be. It's been a long road but I'm so lucky. Well, I've rambled on long enough. I have lots of stories (oh yes, don't forget about hamster, rat and bird foods - fed my hamster food that I didn't realize had peanuts in it and the hamster bit me and POOF - my arm looked like Popeye). If you want more, let me know.

My son is 8 and was diagnosed at 2. He had one episode at 4 in preschool. My husband picked him up from school and his face was swollen 3 times the size and his eyes were swollen shut. I immediately shoved benadryl in him and called the allergist who prescribed cortisone for a week. Thank God he didn't have trouble breathing. Took 3 days for the swelling to go down. It turns out eventhough I send his food to school, he asked for a jelly sandwich. They gave it to him they knew not to let him get near peanut butter. Unfortunately, someone wasn't thinking clearly and handed him the sandwich without washing their hands and used the same knife from the PB&J. "But I wiped it off" was the response. Needless to say, I gave them hell and they knew never to go near him with food again. Whew sorry for the ranting but everytime I think of this I get so mad!! Best is they didn't call me!! "We knew you were coming to get him any minute" AAAAARRRGGGGHHHH! We all have these crazy stories I'm sure! B-Well! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

My DD is 6yrs of age and has had three reaction's, none were anaphylactic.
Take care

I am 42. My PA child is 3. DX with PA at 11 months. Has had 2 rections. The first one was hives , the second was anaphlaxis. Kim

My son is 10. Anaphylaxis at 9 months old, 3 years old and 8 years old. Many contact and airborne reactions that needed Benadryl and albuterol. The reaction at 8 changed the comfort zone by showing us that it was still very much there and a force to be reckoned with!!
(I'll edit here noting that when I say anaphylaxis I mean epinephrine and the emergency room. I know that anytime multiple systems are affected it is technically anaphylaxis..blah, blah, blah.. I mean 3 big ones)
[This message has been edited by Head Cook (edited April 01, 2001).]

My daughter is 6 and has only had one reaction at 14 months. I am 31 and have had many reactions to airborn peanuts but thankfully none anaphylactic just alot of swelling, sneezing, and bit of wheezing. As a child I have had a few anaphylactic reactions to fish.

My dd is 2, she has had many contact reactions. It took me some time to figure out the reactions were to the peanut butter I was eating.
Deanna