How quickly do your reactions begin?

I fed my son PB toast for dinner, he touched it with his index finger and just touched it to his tongue several times. He immediately began crying and we thought he was tired so I took him out of the high chair and he ran across the length of the kitchen, when he turned around the reaction was full force. All in all, I'd say 30 seconds, tops.
Forgot to answer how fast it progressed. It really didn't beyond the initial symptoms which were red, swollen face (eyes swollen shut) and hives.
[This message has been edited by Heather (edited October 17, 2000).]

My son's first reaction to peanut butter (at 12 mos) happened about 20 minutes after ingestion. He had swollen eyes and all over body hives. Benadryl took care of everything in about 15 minutes.
He had a few more minor reactions to touch. He broke out in hives at the point of contact and also around his eyes within minutes. Bendadryl also worked in about 10-15 minutes.
At 18 mos, he had a bite of candy at my MIL's house. My husband drove him from that town to my mom's house during which he fell asleep in the car. The trip took about 10-15 minutes. When my husband brought him inside, my son woke up and immediately started reacting.
He had swollen eyes, lips, tongue, all over body hives, uncontrollable coughing and sneezing, drooling, and he had trouble breathing. We gave him benadryl before we went to the ER. They gave him a shot at the hospital and he was fine within a matter of minutes. Deanna

I feel it on the tip of my tongue the second I eat a peanut. I feel it as it goes down my throat and over the next hour or so I know I will get increasingly ill. Andy

When my son reacted this summer, it was just upon smell. It happened immediately. The peanut butter was thrust towards his face and his eyes immediately puffed up to nearly unrecognizable and he started to welt. We gave him his epi and benydryl and nothing further happened and the swelling had started to go away by the time we reached the hospital.

Our son's first ingestion reaction happened from a smear of PB (too small to even swallow) at about 15 mos. Within a span of 2 hours, he coughed until he threw up, then was fine. The second reaction, same exposure, at 18 mos. was immediate vomitting followed by wheezing. We had NO idea what was happening. Thankfully, the reaction stopped on its own. He has had no ingestion reactions since then - thanks be to God!! He has had some contact reactions which started hives in about 20 minutes. Benadryl took care of those reactions almost immediately.

My son is 4 1/2 and his last reaction, at 16 months, was his worst. He took one bite of my cereal (I didn't know he was PA) and immediately started clawing at his mouth and screaming. I checked the cereal ingredients, noticed peanuts and thought, hmmm, wonder if he's allergic. He screamed and raged for about 20 minutes. He was not verbal at that age and I thought it was a temper tantrum. Then he laid on the floor and fell asleep. I thought he was worn out from the tantrum. I put him in his crib and went downstairs to read. Twenty minutes later I heard a strange snoring noise, went upstairs to investigate and it was his labored breathing. He was covered in hives head to toe. I couldn't wake him and called 911. I told them peanut allergy. By the time the paramedics AMBLED up to my door (I saw them chatting and walking CASUALLY across my lawn) my son was awake, breathing normally, and acting normal, still covered in hives.
After he was diagnosed I realized he had several earlier reactions to peanuts, most involving crying or screaming and then falling asleep, and once he had had hives.
The emergency room personnel failed to impress me. Mr. Know-It-All resident, who looked like he might be about 17, said no big deal, he'll grow out of it, I used to be allergic to chocolate when I was a kid. I thought, "And you're a doctor? You idiot, do you even read the newspaper, peanut allergy is Serious!" Unbelievable.