Welcome!
Things will be a little rough at first, but once you get the flow of things, it will get easier. Educating your child will be the best. Dont lie to them, and let them know exactly what to expect. My parents were very upfront with me, and I was my best defense while growing up. I checked everything I could, didnt eat what I didnt think was safe, and would tell the teachers and my parents everytime something happened.
Living the PA life isnt that bad, it just means you have to be on guard a littel more than other people. Use the allergist as much as you can, talk with teachers, principals, and the school board. Keep your child involved. It might seem overwhelming at first, but it will get better.
Everyone here on the board is helpful with suggestions and support. Keep coming back, and read all the information you can. I wish this board was around when I was a child so my parents had a better support group when I was growing up. This is a great place.

I just started having allergic reactions to peanuts by process of elimination. Have not been to the Dr yet as I am in between Dr's (mine moved), but have had 3 reactions in 3 wks and they are getting worse each time. Most info that I find on peanut allergies pertain to kids. I am 42 yrs old! Does anyone know the statistics on how many people acquire this allergy as an adult?

Welcome! It is so hard at first to figure out how to manage this. It will get better with time and information. I'd recommend the book "The Parent's Guide to Food Allergies" by Marianne Barber. In case I messed up the title, I know it's been discussed in the Books discussion board! It helped me the most in figuring out what I needed to avoid and how to manage life with this allergy. My 6YO DD developed PA at age 1, but it took us until she had an anaphylactic reaction at age 5 to really figure out that this is serious and that we need to take serious precautions. She got only hives for years, and the doctor was not helpful. Many people with PA get increasingly serious reactions with additional exposures, although it may not be a steady, regular increase. It's pretty unpredictable, so it's best to be very careful about not letting him eat anything risky and always having your Epi-Pen and any other meds recommended by your doctor (probably Benadryl) with him at all times. Boy, that stinks that there are peanut shells all over at your other son's baseball! We'd have to steer clear of baseball if it was like that here. My son has been in it for 2 years, and my PA DD is starting this year. My main concern is that the parents take turns providing snacks at the end of games, so some things may be peanut stuff. But I've seen actual peanuts only once in 2 years, and we can always avoid the snack, and everyone leaves immediately afterwards with the snack in their hands. Yes, visiting people can be a challenge. I have to admit, I'm not much of a visitor, so I don't run into trouble regularly. We stopped doing playgroup in the neighborhood before we even knew about DD's allergy, but I can see that being a hard thing. Visiting relatives who make peanut butter desserts has been my challenge. We have discovered that peanut butter traces left by other people can cause my daughter to have a reaction! But everyone is different. You'll learn his thresholds over time. Best of luck to you!

Do you have an epi pen? If not, get one now. I am amazed at how many people I have heard about that have PA and had minor reactions and don't carry pens, it is unpredictable. I was wondering if you can talk to the park where your son plays ball and request that an area, say one set of bleachers have not nuts around them? We attend a play group that is nut free (thank goodness), but people still bring things with trace nuts (that can be hard to avoid) and so my son doesn't share snacks, and we leave after snack time. My son was 2.5 when dx and I have been talking to him since, he knows, and just seems to accept that some things can make him sick. He told me today, those are safe for other kids but not Joseph. WIth a 14 month old, it is tougher, because they are not able understand as much, so for awhile I think it will be hard, but start talking to him now, tell him, even if you don't think he will understand, as repitiion will help in the long run. In my playgroup, I trus the person who rund the group and one other person if I needed someone to care for my son. That number is small. Most people don't know and don't realize, and I think it is our job to educate. My SIL oldest has PA and TNA and so grandmas house and SIL house thank goodness is safe. Due to other allergies, we eat at home. Your world seems so small at first, but it does get bigger again.
Glad you found the boards.
Therese

Thank you both for replying!
Yes, I have epi pens, they go with us whenever we leave the house. I hope things open up a bit at some point, it is frustrating always having to "secure the area" kwim.
Karen

Welcome Ben_Mom! I hear you and know how frustrating and scary it can be. It will get easier in time.
The most important thing is that you've seen an allergist and get an EpiPen if the allergist deemed it necessary.
Keep in mind that past reactions are not always and indicator of future reactions. Future reactions can be mild or severe depending upon numerous factors at the time like how the immune system is doing, when the last allergic reaction was, etc.
If your son is truly allergic to peanuts then you should avoid them completely including products with warning labels like "may contain" or "processed in" as these items might contain trace amounts of peanuts.
Of course--if you haven't seen an allergist--I strongly suggest you do and get advice from that allergist based on what is going on with your son.
Over time you will find foods that work for you and are safe and you'll be a pro at choosing them. Give yourself some time to get used to the diagnosis.
Hope that helps!
Ruth