Lately, I've been talking with several other moms of PA kids, and I've found a similar thread. It seems as though the parents of the kids whose past reactions only included nausea and vomiting have less anxiety than those whose kids get hives and swelling. In fact, many of these moms don't consider their kids' reactions to be serious, let alone life threatening. (One mom told me she feels silly carrying an epi-pen!) Is the nausea/vomiting reaction less severe than hives and swelling? How can we know which peanut allergies will lead to anaphylaxis? Is there any true indicator? Are they all potentially anaphylactic? Will some, even with several exposures, remain mild? Do the test results give us an answer? Sorry for all of the questions. No matter how much I read, I just can't get a handle on this. Perhaps it's because I'm so afraid of the truth. (I've read that only 6% of peanut allergies are anaphylactic. How on earth can we know which our child has?) Thanks for any input on this.
Which reaction is worse?
Posted on: Wed, 11/24/1999 - 1:59am
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Hi Tina,
This allergy is so overwhelming and education is the key element in keeping our children safe. After 4 1/2 years of dealing with this, I am still learning. I know and feel your frustration!!!
The "Links" board has some great information and one of my favorites (there are so many) is titled "Peanut Allergy-What you need to know" and it was prepared by the Allergy and Immunology Society of Ontario. It is already on the links board but I will put the link on here for faster access for you. Click on the following:
[url="http://www.oma.org/phealth/peanuts.htm"]www.oma.org/phealth/peanuts.htm[/url]
Stay safe.
[This message has been edited by Connie (edited November 24, 1999).]
Tina,
Just thought you might want to hear from a mother of a pa child whose reaction to putting peanuts in her mouth is to spit it out and throw up violently within 15 minutes.
I understood that a PA could be serious, but my current ped shrugged it off and said I might want to consider watching what she ate and that allergy tesing won't really tell us anything.
If I had been less concerned I would have accepted his response. As it was I found a different ped who ordered a RAST and when she got the results (a class 6) perscribed an Epi Pen and reffered us to an allergist.
I have since found out that the kids who throw up are the lucky ones. If my child did not throw up she could have died. I have to worry daily, one day she might not throw up...
MaryLynn
I don't have much to add but from everything I have heard and read reactions do not always remain consistent and the next reaction may be anaphylactic even if the last one was very mild. It is for this reason that vigilance and prevention are so important.
I too have found that some parents do not take the same precautions and after talking to them I find that they have never seen an allergist or that the allergist they did see did not do any education with them other than prescribing an epi-pen.
Take care.
Every PA (and other foods) person reacts differently. Just because one person has immediate and violent vomiting and doesn't have breathing difficulties, does not mean they are not having an anaphyactic reaction.
I had to use the epi-pen when my 2yr old son took a sip of milk. Within a few minutes he had hives and violent vomiting. I remember the 911 operator asking if he had trouble breathing. Respiratory distress is the most common reaction. I gave the epi-pen because why wait for the throat to close? Every major organ is affected. I could see his skin and gut react, I am sure the respiratory system would have reacted next.
[This message has been edited by Susan K (edited November 29, 1999).]
My daughter has had two reactions to peanuts that have resulted in hives and difficulty breathing. Over the Thanksgiving Holiday we went to a local Mexican resturant, we have been there many times and we always remind the server that our child has a fatal allergy to peanuts. By the time we got home she was vomiting, I called the hospital to let them know we were on the way, and wouldnt you guess she had no further symptoms. Could she have had peanuts and reacted diffrentley then in the past?
Hi,
My daughter reacted with hives and swelling as well as vomiting. But, the worst reaction came after she vomited, and the ER doctor said that was because by vomiting she reintroduced the peanut allergen into her system, and it was like eating it all over again. Also, her allergist told me that if she starts with hives and swelling, start with Benydryl. If she vomits, give her the Epi. I wonder if this means it is unique to each person, based on their body chemistry and how they react to things. Again, this allergy is confusing and frustrating to me, too! I just pray everyday I children stay safe and free from any reactions!
Take care,
Linda-Jo