Talking Allergies

hi all! DD (13 months old) was recently diagnosed with allergy to egg and peanuts. She has had terrible eczema, and has had two food reactions which required Benedryl (thank goodness I'm an overachiever when it comes to being prepared! LOL). I requested a visit with the allergist and got in this Tuesday. They did the scratch test for the most common allergies and this is what came up.

My biggest issue is that the allergist didn't explain anything to me... just said. "yep, allergic to egg white, egg yolk, and peanut. keep her away from these... it's mild, so no need to have an epipen, and her eczema should go away." and then he walked out of the room. that was it.

I've been researching a bit since then, and now I don't know what to do... do I have to be supervigilant, as in absolutely no contact.. or can others eat these foods around her.. but just her not ingest them... I already went through our cupboards and got rid of anything that had egg or peanut in it or said made in a facility with nuts or eggs... and my DH is already making me feel like nazi mom... but this is my Baby!

ok.. gotta go with the little monkey... she want`s to walk!

jacqui

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DD: 11/19/08 allergy to eggs and peanuts

Gertie girl, first off, welcome!! You are not alone and I know that this forum will be a wonderful place for you to get many many parenting tips (allergic wise), recipes, ideas and support. A great start is the parenting forum. On the second page back there is a good link called 'what do I need' - May 5th. I don't know how to attach it, sorry. It was a thread where many of us put down all kinds off daily tips that we use for outings etc.. Another great thread on the parenting forum talking about our different comfort levels as far as allergens in the house is from Nov. 27 called 'am I doing this wrong'. The parenting forum in general is amazing for the support you, and the rest of us look for, many of us have had our children's allergies start as infants so we know what you are going through.
I'll PM you my peanut free list I've accumulated so far of safe foods.

BC2007

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DD 12 yrs -no allergies
4 yr old DS - asthma/eczema Anaphylactic to Peanuts, all tree nuts, sesame , all pea/lentil legumes, gelatin.
Allergic to trees, grass,ragweed, feathers, dander, mold and dust.
Outgrew eggs, fish, shellfish

I must have missed the line about no need to have an epipen. Are you in Canada??? You can have your family dr. prescribe you one or buy them over the counter without a prescription at any pharmacy. Without a prescription you can't use your medical coverage though. UM, last I heard any allergy mild or severe can change at any time. Is he actually saying he forsees NO chance whatsoever that your DD allergies may at any time become severe or require an epipen. He must have a work with a crystal ball more than facts. My personal opinion would be to get an epipen ASAP.

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DD 12 yrs -no allergies
4 yr old DS - asthma/eczema Anaphylactic to Peanuts, all tree nuts, sesame , all pea/lentil legumes, gelatin.
Allergic to trees, grass,ragweed, feathers, dander, mold and dust.
Outgrew eggs, fish, shellfish

Jacqui-I'd ask for another allergist! http://www.allergysafecommunities.ca/pages/default.asp?catid=19&catsubid=35

I've always been under the impression that a peanut allergy requires an auto injector.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

thank you for the responses... I already told DH that I was going to get our regular doc to prescribe one.. we are in Canada btw... so I think I will get one OTC until we get a script...
I will also talk to our doc about getting a referral to another allergist.. I wasn`t all that impressed with this one.. so I`m going to do that at her March 1 apt.

thanks for the info!

jacqui

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DD: 11/19/08 allergy to eggs and peanuts

Hi there, and welcome to the board. The people on here have a wealth of information and are a great support when you need it.

If you let us know what city you are in, members may chime in with good/bad allergists in your area. We originally had an allergist who didn't give much information and was unapproachable, so we switched and am so happy that we did.

Given what doctors know about peanut allergy, I would personally feel more comfortable carrying an epipen and be more safe than sorry.

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DD 2004 Allergy to peanuts, egg, sesame, and new: lentils and chick peas
DS 2006 Allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, kiwi fruit, eczema

thanks Alison's mom! I am just North of Toronto... near Newmarket.

My other concern about the epipen issue, is that we live in a rural area.. it's a good 30 minutes to the nearest hospital.. so I'm definitely going to get one before I see the doc!

jacqui

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DD: 11/19/08 allergy to eggs and peanuts

Don't think about time to hospital...think in terms of time for an ambulance to get to you! EMS are trained on how to respond to anaphylaxis emergencies and they have the tools and medicine to treat.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

»Susan... you`re right.. unfortunately we would still be probably 15 minutes for an ambulance...

so I`ve been trying to get an epipen... I can`t seem to get one OTC... but my pharmacy is really good... they are working with my doc to try to get a script, as they agree that it`s important we have one.

btw... just wanted to mention that even though the allergist said the allergies were mild... when I looked at the paper he gave me closer, the egg whites were a 3 and the peanuts and egg yolks were a 2... on a 1-4 scale! that doesn`t seem mild to me!

jacqui

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DD: 11/19/08 allergy to eggs and peanuts

The first time I called an ambulance from here, the response time was 25 minutes. We have 2 epi-pens because of that, but I know better next time I call, i'll make it sound worse than it is, because they didn't even show up with lights on! I was lucky that time the epi-pen had kicked in and hadn't worn off by the time they got there! Glad the pharmacy is helping you get a prescription, it's important to have, because another reaction can be worse, and it's so hard to tell!

Our first allergist was horrible as well, and we asked for a referral to another one, who was great, as much as it's a hassle, it's worth jumping between one and the other for a while until you find one that works for you. Hope your next one is good!

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Daughter 3.5 years) - Dairy, Eggs, Peanuts, Sesame, Beef; asthma and eczema
Daughter (2 years) - Peanuts Eczema
Son (7 months) - Contact allergy to something food undetermined

Wow, I'm not sure what you told them or how service is in Quebec but here, when I say, "Child having an anaphylaxis reaction to food, have given Epipen, resting cofortably." The ambulance is here within 5-10 minutes. It seems much longer, of course.
It helps to give cross street or any particular land marks.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

Surprisingly, I told them my daughter was having an anaphylactic reaction to dairy (diagnosed), that I was giving the epi-pen but she was having difficulty breathing at that point still (it was just after I gave it, it hadn't kicked in yet). I thought maybe I just thought it was an eternity, but when I looked into what time I placed the call to 9-1-1, it was over 25 minutes until they showed up at my door. I guess it was a bad time of night, or the guys just didn't care. Ambulance service here has never thrilled me and they charge a bloody fortune for the horrible service. They wouldn't even transport to the hospital of my choice, which really annoyed me, because they took me too the worst hospital in the area for dealing with children (which may explain our 5 hour wait in the waiting room after that without seeing a doctor, at which point we left and went to our pediatrician. That god the reaction didn't come back, that's what they were waiting for apparently).

I was very specific about where we lived, with the cross street and everything. Maybe the fact the call was made on a cell phone makes a difference?

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Daughter 3.5 years) - Dairy, Eggs, Peanuts, Sesame, Beef; asthma and eczema
Daughter (2 years) - Peanuts Eczema
Son (7 months) - Contact allergy to something food undetermined

Cell phone shouldn't make any difference.

I'd write a letter to the paramedics' overseeing body (ministry of health?) and the paramedics assn., noting the date/approx. time of the call and your concern that it took 25 mins. in a potentially life-threatening situation. Ask for a response to your letter.

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

that is crazy that it took that long for an ambulance!! I agree... I would definitely write a letter... that should be unacceptable!

we got an epi pen... so now just to wait for doc appt to get another referral..

jacqui

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DD: 11/19/08 allergy to eggs and peanuts

Glad you got that epi-pen, it'll really help you relax a bit in case of another reaction! I hate that ambulances here take so long, especially since if I had driven her to the hospital I would have been there in less than 15 minutes, but sadly I didn't have the car that night and would be reluctant because wwhile driving I'm in no postition to be treating her safely if something happened. I was considering writing a letter to both the amblance service and the hospital, but I didn't do it, dealing with the private ambulance service has been nothing but a nightmare in my experience, I just hope it doesn't happen again.

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Daughter 3.5 years) - Dairy, Eggs, Peanuts, Sesame, Beef; asthma and eczema
Daughter (2 years) - Peanuts Eczema
Son (7 months) - Contact allergy to something food undetermined