Talking Allergies

My newly-diagnosed PA son had a (mild) reaction after visiting a Costco bakery, walking into a candy/fudge shop, and while sitting in an enclosed classroom with 25 other students, all biting into chocolate chip cookies at the same time. HAS ANYONE EVER HAD THIS KIND OF PROBLEM? His bottom lip swells (which results in what I can only describe as bloody blisters), his tongue and cheeks swell and he gets hives, when directly exposed to peanuts or items cross-contaminated with peanuts. The conditions I described above (the visits to the various places) resulted in the swelling of his lip and blistering. He had not eaten anything, nor had he touched anything. I have been told this is rare, if not psychological. He will be traveling on an airline this summer and for obvious reasons, we are concerned. Has anyone else had a reaction like this?

Thanks, Jennifer.

Hi JenniferC, bakeries and candy shops can quite possibly contain allergen dust. When this is ariborne, it can be inhaled and can cause a reaction. This is possible and while it might be rare, it is not unheard of.

One does not tend to react to the smell of an allergen because the allergen (protein) is not carried in the scent. These are the reactions that are thought to be psychological in the same way that you might feel nauseous at the smell of a food which made you sick in the past.

Is this where kids are going for field trips these days?

Regarding airlines, yes, it can be a concern to have several packages of nuts opened at the same time. Allergic Living has many articles about this. Check out the Travel section of our website:
http://allergicliving.com/index.php/cat ... allergies/

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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

I could see nausea or itching to be 'psychological' but not blisters!

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me: allergic to crustaceans plus environmental
teenager: allergic to hazelnuts, some other foods and environmental

Yes Susan, sadly it is. Costco bakeries, fancy cupcake shops etc. SIGH.

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DSs 7,7,9 all PA

What did the teacher or administrator say when you told them of the reactions?

That just seems wrong to take a child on a field trip to a site full of their allergens?

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me: allergic to crustaceans plus environmental
teenager: allergic to hazelnuts, some other foods and environmental

I almost hate to admit this, but these weren't field trips. I took him there. We were just grocery shopping. The trip to the candy shop was a family outing to Sutter's Creek, and the cookie fiasko took place at AWANA. Who knew? This allergy is so new to us. I had no idea it would be a problem. He is twelve years old and we have been fighting sores in the corners of his mouth for about three years now. The dermatologist told us there was no cause; it was just something he had to deal with. It wasn't until this year that the doctor's nurse suggested we look at a food allergy. Anyway, it appears that the reactions have gotten worse, now affecting more than just the corners of his mouth.

My son is now very leary of going places. When we go to the grocery store, he now (wisely) doesn't touch anything, including the cart, just in case someone touched it who might have had some sort of peanut item with them.

I'm trying to get up-to-date on all the things I need to be cautious about, but had no idea that walking into a bakery could be a problem. Thank you all for your patience with me. This is why I joined the forum!

Sorry JenniferC, the way I read it, it sounded like a class trip.

If it's any consolation, I took my daughter for a walk/stroller ride when she was about 20 months old. On the way home, I stopped at a local bakery for some fresh bread for dh and my lunch (I knew she had milk and egg allergies at the time).

Later that morning, I noticed she didn't look like herself, her face had changed...it wasn't until years later that I came to realize that it was facial edema due to the dried egg powder that was airborne!

Many of us have made mistakes. We do our best but we're human.

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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

Most of us have been there done that. Both of my daughter's serious reactions were from my error One was even "epi-pen worthy" plus paramedics and emergency.

Even as a teenager, when we have to go through an aisle at Costco full of her allergens she waits at the end for me while I get what we need. At our Costco, all of the nuts are across from all of the chips.

I think when you also included the "25 cookies" Susan and I both read it as a school trip. Makes sense now!

Welcome to the forum - it is an incredible resource for information and also support.

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me: allergic to crustaceans plus environmental
teenager: allergic to hazelnuts, some other foods and environmental

What had he eaten in the previous two hours??? Is it possible that it was from something eaten earlier and that the reaction just coincided with being in the bakery?

How old is your son? If he's newly diagnosed there may be another culprit other than just the peanut? (Im assuming as he's a student that he's a bit older and that probably he's has had peanut prior to his diagnosis???-sorry lots of assumptions!)

Edited.....sorry have just re read the entire thread and I see he's 12. Has he been formally tested and diagnosed by an allergist? My son's main symptom (other than when he's had anaphylaxis) is swollen lips which then dry, crack and bleed. For years I thought the reaction was because of his lips being so cracked that he was excessively exposed to allergens that caused them to swell....but now I can see that they swell first ....and then about two days later are cracked and peeling and bleeding. We give him antihistamine at the first sign of swelling (he feels them getting ''fat' way before we can physically see them swelling-often the antihistamine kicks in before they even get very swollen but he still ends up with them peeling a couple of days later).

My son outgrew his egg allergy at 3 years but then developed heaps when he was about 6years old (all to things that he'd previously eaten in abundance....all in very close succession-not suggesting that this is happening to your son but just putting it out there that maybe it was something other than peanut....or something he was exposed to earlier?)

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twin boys-
c-eosinophilic oesophagitis
j-avoids peanut, sunflower, pineapple all ana-sensitised to maccadaemia.pecan.Passed barley (previous ana) last year...out grew egg ana and peanut at 3 years..became re sensitised with ana at 6 years to peanut.

JenniferC,

First, sorry to hear of the reaction. And, as everyone's saying, probably all of us made a no. of errors managing food allergies in the early days of it.

What worries me is this:



I'd hate to see him living less than a full life because of his allergies. If he's getting contact reactions, packages of wipes should become his new best friend. Lots of us live (as adults) with multiple food allergies but still shop, dine out (carefully choosing restaurants) and travel. There are some precautions to take, but they can become second nature and not make a person miss out - aside, perhaps, from things like visiting bakeries.

FYI, when you have some time, check out some of our articles from the homepage of this website (click on the big Allergic Living logo at the top. You and he may find them helpful.

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

I can relate all too well. Just yesterday I walked into an art studio where walnut oil paints were being used (I didn't know that ahead of time) and had an immediate reaction from the airborne particles. It sucks, but we learn to deal with it and avoid places that trigger reactions.

Your son is starting to figure it out, and it will take some time for him to adapt to common places and situations. Most grocery stores have antibacterial wipes you can use to clean the trolley handles. And perhaps baking cookies at home will replace trips to the bakery. It's not always about giving up things (besides the allergen itself), life with allergies can bring a lot of enriching experiences as well! (Plus, he has a concerned mother who will help him along the way - kudos to you!)

As you can read here, we all make mistakes. There are some really wonderful suggestions in this thread already and I can only echo what they say. This is a wonderful forum and you will find a lot of knowledgeable people here who can answer questions and offer support.

As for flying, airborne sensitivity could definitely be a problem! Try to choose an airline that doesn't serve peanuts/nuts and have them provide a buffer zone where they request passengers to not consume nuts/peanuts for the flight. WestJet will even make a full cabin allergy announcement. We often pay more to fly with allergy-friendly airlines to reduce anxiety and potential reactions (because I've had a few on aeroplanes, now that I look back). Bring lots of wipes and ask to pre-board so you can wipe down the arm rests, table, etc. If the airline won't do it for you, ask the fellow passengers in your row to not consume nuts/peanuts. We often bring extra snacks for other passengers who brought nutty foods to eat.

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anaphylaxis to tree nuts and peanuts; asthmatic, dairy intolerant, vegan
other family members allergic to to dairy, egg, peanut, peach, banana, sesame, environmentals