Hi, I'm new here. I have a 7 month old baby that grabbed at a peanut butter sandwich that I was making for my 3 yr old and put some peanut butter in his mouth. A couple of hours laterhe broke out with hives, and I took him to his dr. The dr told me he is allergic to peanuts and to avoid them. I asked for an allergists appt and for an epi-pen after getting advice from another message board on the net. I was told that he's too young for an allergist to see, and for an epi-pen. Is this true? What would you do in my situation? Thanx...
~Steph, mommy to Deuce (3 yrs) and Dakota (7 months)
When my daughter was 6 months, she had an allergic reaction (either accidential ingestion of nut or egg based whipped topping). It took us 3 additional months to get her into an allergist for formal testing and upon postive testing, was immediately equipped with an epi-pen. I'm not sure the size difference between your 7month old and my at the time 9 month old, but I'd be looking for a second opinion or a referral to a ped. allergist. Your doctor I believe is wrong in his belief that your child is too young for an epi-pen.
Warm regards,
Was your son tested with a blood (Rast) test for peanuts? I would definately see another doctor, from what you described it sounds like it was from the pb but you would want to be sure. Also, what were you told to do in case of another reaction since you weren't given an epipen?
Karen
Hi StephR, my dd rec'd her epi jr at age 9 months after her first and also anaphylactic reaction. Epi jr and Epi (adult) go by weight. I know my dd wasn't at 33 lbs but since her reaction was so severe, we still got one. At age 4 1/2, they gave her the adult epipen because her rast scores keep rising. I would find a ped allergist and discuss this. I also looked up the information on the Dey website regarding epi pens for children:
[url="http://www.epipen.com/consumer/5_3.cfm"]http://www.epipen.com/consumer/5_3.cfm[/url]
My Dr felt it was necessary because if she did react badly again- not using the epi would be alot worse. You may also want to contact Dey- they are very helpful and may have some answers for you. Take care!
I would get a second opinion and a RAST test to know the severity. Second reactions can be a lot worse than first ones, and you should be prepared with an EpiPen. If your child reacted, then I think that would be good cause to have an EpiPen.
My son got his first Epi-pen Junior when he was 6 months old. I recommend you find another allergist.
San
My DD saw the pediatric allergist at Children's hospital when she was about 6 months old. They did a RAST test then we had to go back for the skin test (she had to be Benadryl free for 5 days). They gave us the Epi-pen Jr. and said to avoid all nuts (positive only to peanuts). When I asked about keeping a few epi-pens at her daycare they instantly increased the prescription.
Definitely get a second opinion. But don't expect too much even from the specialist - I have gotten way more information and support from this site than any doctor. Love this site!
StephR., welcome! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]
Definitely get a referral to an allergist from another doctor.
More importantly, you need to get an Epi-pen Jr.
Is it only in Canada where you can buy Epi-pens over-the-counter?
To me, it's quite obvious that your child is PA. It's also quite obvious that you need an Epi-pen Jr. should your child ever have another reaction, just to be on the safe side and to have that comfort of knowing you have it. Your doctor is an idiot.
As far as testing, I'm really not sure about allergy testing because my PA son wasn't allergy tested until he was 5 years old when his 3 year old sister went for testing. I didn't feel the need for him to be tested because I knew he was PA from his three reactions. However, I'm wondering, if by testing, they would be able to find other food allergies as well and save you a lot of grief in the long run.
As far as doctors, allergists, etc., I have never learned anything about PA from them. I have learned most of what I know from this website. Seriously. Not to say that ALL of them don't know anything, but I've had doctors prescribe us the Epi-pen and then just set us loose on the world, without instructions. Pharmacists as well.
I'm glad you found this site. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]
Best wishes! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]
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If your doctor says your son is too small for an Epipen Jr., he should prescribe the other epinephrine product, the Ana-kit, which can be used to administer whatever dose of epinephrine your doctor thinks is advisable.
And as far as your son being too young to see an allergist, I say that's total BS. Pediatric allergists treat young patients all the time -- that's what they're for. Your doctor simply doesn't want to provide the referral and also doesn't understand how serious peanut allergy truly is. If it were me, I would find a new pediatrician.
--Debbie
Thanks so much for the help. I am finding more info here than the Dr. could ever hope to give me. (the only thing he said was 'don't let Cody have any peanuts.' grrrr) I did get the allergists appt finally, so hopefully she'll be able to help more. Thanks again!
~Steph
Steph,
It is so dangerous not to have an epipen. Did you ever get a doctor to take this serious and write a prescription for the epipen?
Sue in Sunny Arizona
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