Peanut Allergy :: How we knew
This one's a bit long, I'm 'winded', I know! ;) I can't help it, I talk a lot. And, I'm apologizing for it! Lol. I tried cutting some of it out, but it's still long! {The pictures are all from 2007, with the exception of the bottom 3. The first one, Carter is about 18 months old.)
Carter was about 8 months old, when he had his first reaction to peanuts. He didn't go into anaphylactic shock, and it wasn't life-threatening, but I'll never forget that incident...
He was crawling on the floor at Mark's parent's house and got ahold of crumbs from a Scotcharoos bar. I swiped it out of his mouth almost immediately, only thinking of the choking hazard.
His little body broke out in hives from head to toe within about 15 minutes.
It had been a sweltering hot spring day, and shortly after that incident, I'd nursed him under a light blanket. At first, I was thinking he'd gotten too hot, yet my gut kept telling me it was the crumbs. {At the time, my sister's son had recently been diagnosed with peanut allergy, so I was well aware of it. Although, before that, I'd never heard of it.}
As time went on, I kept wondering about that incident. It was always in the back of my mind. I was hyper-cautious anytime we were around peanut butter. Although, we still ate it in our house at that point. {I LOVE things with peanut butter, especially bakery. Although, I have never liked peanut butter and jam sandwiches. Ever. Not even as a kid.} And, Carter was still a baby, and not yet eating the things we were eating. So, we were just 'careful' and cleaned up well afterward. {Looking back, I think that's crazy.}
About a year later, after that first incident, we were at the local campground park with a bunch of other ladies and their kids and Carter got ahold of someone's discarded peanut butter sandwich crust. Before I had a chance to notice, he put it to his mouth. I immediately grabbed it from him, but it had already touched his skin. It was too late. He got a rash around his mouth, and, eventually, a runny nose, and wheezing.
It was at this point that I would've put money down on the peanut allergy. And I was starting to fear it. We got rid of all peanut butter foods or packages with warnings from our home and cleaned out the pantry.
A few months later, he got ahold of another crust, when we were at someone else's house. This time, too, he only put it to his mouth before I yanked it away. But, once again, it was too late. He got the rash around his mouth and a runny nose and wheezing, within a few hours. {Most of his reactions have only been a rash around his mouth, a runny nose, a little wheezing, and nothing more.}
It was at this point where I feared potlucks, after-church coffee, Halloween, and other get-togethers, because there was always bound to be something with peanuts or peanut butter, and he was too young to know better. He was at the age where he always wanted what everyone else was having.
He's had only two really bad reactions, to date. 'Really bad', because, although we were lucky and he didn't go into anaphylactic shock, he started wheezing (and, I mean, struggling to breathe wheezing) and we had to fight it with Benadryl (a couple of times a day), and the nebs many times a day, for many days, before the wheezing would subside...
About a year ago this spring, we were visiting my family in Michigan, and they had thrown a surprise 30th for me. The cake was Costco cake (my favorite!), and the warning said it 'may contain peanuts'. {For anyone, like myself, who may not know exactly what that means... It generally means that it was processed in the same facility and/or around peanuts. There is a possiblity that it could be contaminated with traces of peanuts. Those tiny traces can be fatal to some people.} Someone unknowingly gave Carter a bite. Again, although not life-threatening, that was one of his worst reactions to date...
He broke out in hives throughout his entire torso and over the next couple of days, he began wheezing. We administered nebs (Albuterol - many times a day, and, Pulmicort - twice a day) for about a week and a half, and the wheezing eventually subsided. That was scary, but looking back, we consider ourselves lucky! It could've been much worse, now that we have a final diagnosis...
He has a severe peanut allergy.
So, it isn't a wonder that he reacts merely from the touch of (traces of) peanuts. With the exception of that aforementioned bite of cake, he has never eaten anything with peanuts, only put it to, or in, his mouth. He's never swallowed anything else. If he does, there is a strong possibility that he could go into anaphylactic shock, or worse, because of the severity of his allergy. It's terrifying, to say the least. But knowledge, awareness, caution, and most importantly, avoidance, are our only protection.
We had him tested for a bunch of allergies a while ago. He's not 'allergic', but he has a dairy/milk intolerance, as well. {There's a difference between an allergy and an intolerance. I didn't know that before about a year ago, when I started doing my research.} I'm hoping he'll outgrow that one! The peanut allergy, I don't allow myself that hope. Not because I'm pessimistic, or feel like there is no hope, but because I'm being realistic. Only about 30% of kids with it, will outgrow it.
Carter's allergy level, if you will, is 21.70 for peanuts. That's extremely high. {In order to have no allergy your numbers have to be less than 0.35.} So, he's classified as a Class 4 allergy ('Very High Level'). If you look at the scale (below, 2nd picture), there are two more levels higher than his, but they are also classified as 'Very High Level'. {This all makes more sense, when you look at the scale.} My nephew is in the same classification as Carter. What are the odds?!
The scale reads like this:
I don't have a scanner, excuse the mess above. ;)
I'll be doing more posts on peanut allergies soon. This one is long enough!
This is a very serious allergy. I wanted to write about it because I know there are many others out there dealing with this same scary allergy. I also think it helps to get the information and awareness out there. It is scary, even terrifying, to a parent but there is also hope. There is research being done about possible vaccines in the future. And, I have great hope that in the coming years there will be something available for peanut allergy sufferers that will, at least, help to ease the amount and level of severity of their reactions.
Please Note (this pertains to a picture above): No chickens were harmed in this experiment of raising children.
