bloodtest – K12Allergies

Nathan (1 year old)

k12allergies — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 22:41:00 +0000

Nathan went into anaphylactic shock after a small spoon of peanut butter when I introduced it to him at 7 months of age. He has not overcome this allergy, and since then we have discovered he is also allergic to eggs and milk (after having reactions to ingestion) and cashews and pistachios (after skin prick testing for tree nuts). All allergens were confirmed by IgE blood testing and we monitor them every 6 months.

I really didn’t know much about food allergies (including the top 9) when I started introducing foods. We have no history of food allergies in my family or my in-laws. Since his diagnosis, I have been on a mission to find as many resources as possible- through Instagram, podcasts, health care providers, and the community.

Jaime (@triofudge – 6/4 years old)

k12allergies — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 13:34:00 +0000

When my son was 10 months old he had an anaphylactic reaction to peanut butter. I didn’t know it at the time because that was our introduction into food allergies! Since then we have added some allergens to the list of ones we manage. Between our two children (ages 6 and 4) we manage: peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, egg, shellfish and banana. Peanuts, shellfish, egg, and banana were confirmed from having reactions, and then with annual follow-up skin and blood tests at our allergist’s office. Sesame and tree nuts are confirmed through testing only. Both children are currently undergoing SLIT treatment (SubLingual ImmoTherapy) at Allergenuity in North Carolina. We are hoping SLIT will protect against cross contact and hopefully lead to more free eating.

We use information from FARE to educate ourselves, family members, care takers, and school staff members on food allergies in general, how to recognize symptoms and reactions, how to administer epinephrine, and how to create an Emergency Action Plan that fits our family’s needs. We have used information from FAACT to develop 504 plans for public school.

Daveigh Bea (1 year old)

k12allergies — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 16:16:00 +0000

When we first started introducing solids to little miss we noticed small hives and redness with eggs and milk products as well as an increase in her eczema. At first we did not think much about it and I kept exposing her to milk and eggs thinking she would get use to it but instead she kept getting redness, hives and runny noses. All this would improve with a bath and dose of zyrtec. I had bought some peanut butter banana food pouches and we had given them to her with what I thought was no reactions but one afternoon I came home to my husband freaking out and showed me the baby and she was covered head to toe in welts and hives, he told me all he gave her was the banana peanut butter about 10 minutes prior. She then proceeded to vomit multiple times, now at this point I am still not educated on food allergies or reactions but knew something was wrong so we took her to urgent care by the time we got there the benedryl had kicked in and she was doing better so urgent care pretty much dismissed us. Looking back I realized that she had been having small delayed reactions to peanut butter as she had been vomiting randomly but each time I had given her peanut butter I just did not correlate the two. Currently I am waiting to get into see an allergist as I have had to educate and advocate for ourselves. Our pediatrician did the blood allergy test and gave us an EpiPen and said she was too young for an allergist. Right now her allergies are peanut, eggs, dairy, wheat, oats and peas. We have excluded those foods and have had no reactions and her eczema is gone. We are hoping to try some food challenges once speaking to an allergist. She is now 15 months old still breastfeeding and we have found many safe foods and she is happy and thriving!

I found the websites FARE, The Food Allergy Counselor, and joined some food allergy groups on Facebook. I took it up on myself to learn about food allergies and symptoms of anaphylaxis. I am a mental health therapist and realized I was having increased anxiety around feeding her which let me to the Food Allergy Counselor social media and website where I educated myself on how to help others parents with the same anxious feelings I was having. I educated myself enough to become one of the therapist on their directory for my state I knew if I as a therapist was having these anxious thoughts and feelings there had to be more parents out there that may need an allergy informed therapist!

@peanotforme – 18+ years old

k12allergies — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 01:18:12 +0000

When I was ~1.5 years old, my mom gave me a slice of toast with a thin layer of peanut butter. My whole face turned red immediately and I was given antihistamines. It took hours for the redness to dissipate! We visited my pediatrician and allergist to have me tested. I had huge topical reactions to each nut on the skin prick test. With every reaction to peanuts / tree nuts I have had since then, my allergy became more sensitive and severe to the point where I can’t even be in the same room as nuts without reacting. I cannot eat anything made in a facility or on the same equipment as nuts because I risk anaphylaxis.

I have never been able to overcome my allergy and was instructed by multiple allergists to not pursue oral immunotherapy (OIT) since it was too risky. But, I like to look on the bright side of living with a severe food allergy! I’ve gained great life skills such as awareness of my surroundings, attention to detail, and compassion. And… as someone with a sweet tooth… it’s a good reason to not eat every piece of candy / baked good in sight!

Growing up, I was the only child in my class with a severe food allergy. The awareness for severe food allergies was not very widespread and protocols were not really developed. My mom referred to my doctors’ advice and saw forums online regarding other parent’s advice on having a child with nut allergies.

I have suffered a myriad of reactions from itchy throat / redness all the way to an almost deadly anaphylaxis event. As scary as each reaction is, you learn more about your allergy and develop a routine regarding medication. Recently, I redid a skin prick and blood test to specify which nuts I am allergic to now. It has helped me to quantify and understand my allergy more—though I will still be staying FAR away from nuts.

Lora (@thatnutfreegirl – 18+ years old)

k12allergies — Sun, 21 Aug 2022 08:24:00 +0000

I had my first reaction at five years old. It was Christmas and I was sat cracking Brazil nuts with a metal nut cracker. I wasn’t eating any of them, just enjoying the mess I was making! At some point I rubbed my hand across my mouth and immediately felt my lips start to tingle. I took myself off to look in the mirror and called to my mum, “my lips are bumping up”. One call to the doctor and some antihistamines later, I was shaken, but back to normal. As I got older I started to suffer with food anxiety and avoided any foods that I hadn’t prepared myself. Having a life-threatening nut allergy from a young age made me fearful of any social or unfamiliar situation – I carried two epipens and a pack of antihistamine everywhere I went, avoided any situation where food would be served, and only ate things I had prepared myself. I started following people with similar allergies to mine, and used them as sources of ‘safe’ food finds. Recently I have had skin prick and blood tests to further diagnose which nuts I am allergic to. This has helped me to feel more confident in trying new things and I have recently started eating in restaurants which has been a huge (and scary) step!