Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Peanut Allergy

Last week my hubby and I brought Billy to an allergist to have him tested for peanut allergy reaction. We were hoping that now he is 2 years old, he no longer has to avoid peanut butter sandwiches. But nope, unfortunately, he still has it. Just minutes after the allergist put a tiny bit peanut solution on 2 spots on Billy’s back, both spots turned reddish and swelled. So not much the allergist has to elucidate except to return for another test when he is 3 years old or older.

He still has it.

Pretty bad.

It reminded me a year ago when I discovered in a hard way for the first time that he has allergy to peanut. It was the day after his 1st birthday when my eyes caught the lists of food may be given to one year old and above on the clinic flyer. A peanut butter sandwich was one of them. I do not blame the clinic as they also state the risks and advise it to be given only after two years old.

Thinking that neither our family had any history of allergy reaction to peanut , I thought our son has a great chance to not have it. Presumed he was going to be okay, I had given him a few bites of my peanut butter sandwich lunch. That was a lot of peanut butter eh. Right after the second or third bites, he started rubbing his eyes and scratching all over his body. Then I see hives appear on his body, that’s when I started to freaks out. I called dear hubby at work and told him everything and he told me to call his pediatrician. Gotten nurse on the phone and after the explaining and describing, she asked if I have a car to get Billy to the clinic right away. She insisted that I bring Billy to the doctor as it can be fatal and to call 911 if he has breathing problem. By that time I was shaking. I was checking on him every seconds. Never was in a million years I would have given my son peanut butter sandwiches if it harmed him.

I was on the phone with dear hubby shortly after and he was already on the way out from the lab. He said the nurse called him at work to get Billy to the doctor soon. Thank God, Billy does not have trouble breathing and we got him to the hospital less than an hour later. He was given a shot and couple of hours later the hives gone and he was fine again.

Billy's EPI-PEN after a year inside my handbag.

We would surely return for another test when he is 3 years old. By that time we hope to get a different result. Crossing our fingers.

12 comments:

JenJen's Place said...

Billy's mom,
Wow! That sounds really scary! No wonder you need to carry an EPI-PEN in your bag all the time for Billy.
Take care yah!!

Rose world said...

Oh no! Poor boy! I guess if that the case, he is permanently allergic to peanuts. A colleague's nephew also tested for allergy test, and he is allergic to egg and peanut permanently!!!

Luckily that my little gal is not allergic to anything at the moment. She loves peanuts so much! She can finish a whole bowl if we didnt stop her!

KristyCK said...

Hi Jen,
Thank you for stopping by. Yeah, I have the shot inside my handbag all the time. I just hope we never have to use it. Kind of scary. :-(

KristyCK said...

Yeah, so frustrated indeed. The allergist said it might change when he is older. I really hope so.
Thank God, he only have allergy to peanut.
Oh?? permanently allergic to peanut and egg? Poor one.

How lucky your Little J can eat peanuts without any problem. :-))
Thanks Rose.

Mama Tatana said...

Adui kesian dia. Jangan lagi kasih itu peanut butter gia. Pity little Billy. Hope he is okay now..I am lucky my boyd are not allergic with anything..touch wood!. Take care.

KristyCK said...

Hi Luthie,
Yup, no more peanut butter for him until we are sure he get his next peanut allergy test next year.
Whooops, the EPI PEN expired sudah pula...hehe. We need to get a new one....grhhh.
Bagus kan your boys can eat anything. Nanti kalau sudah besar tengok kawan-kawan makan peanut butter sandwiches, kasian kan, tengok saja.

Unknown said...

Hi - I'm another mom of a boy with PA who surfed in via google alerts. My son is now 9 years old and we're reconciled to the fact he is very unlikely to outgrow his allergy. He's adjusted very well and is a "normal" kid in every way, except that he can't eat peanuts.

If you haven't found them yet, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is a great resource for families dealing with food allergies.

www.foodallergy.org

Also, I belong to a message board that provides great support for sharing stories and experiences.

www.foodallergysupport.org

Take care and best wishes!

KristyCK said...

Hi Greenlady31,
Sorry to hear your son is very unlikely to outgrow his PA. Glad to hear he's adjusted very well.
I hope my son won't have problem to adjust if he gonna have to live with it.

Thank you for the links. I really appreciate it. :-))

No longer valid said...

Dear puan Hilda. What an hazardous. This is my first knowing with such peanut alergic. May I put this news into the blog tebakmanggis, please. I wish people alert with this thing. We wish Billy would recovered soon.

No longer valid said...

Excuse me, I meant not hazardous but alerting for more be carefull.

KristyCK said...

Sure, you can Aa. I never heard about such a thing either until I had Billy. It's hard to believed it can be that serious and deadly for babies. Scary stuff.

KristyCK said...

You are right Aa. Thanks. :-))