Hi there,
I have suffered with food allergies ever since I was little. I am severely allergic to anise and cold cuts (the allergist donesn't know what allergen in the cold cuts: too many variables). I also now have a son who is severely allergic to Hazelnuts. At first I took my own allergies pretty lightly but when I had my son diagnosed with a nut allergy everything changed.
Hearing your story, it makes me cringe. I reminds me of me and my reactions to the information when it was first given to me. Unfortunately, doctors don't give enough information about how to react at first sign of an allergic reaction. And they especially don't give the support needed. It is really stressful when you or your child has an allergy. You have to be on high alert all the time. You have to become obsessed with food labels, what is being served at a party and what, where or who can cause your child to be at risk. It is stressful for a mom and can feel overwhelming. When my son was diagnosed I felt guilty, alone and scared to make a mistake knowing that his life was at stake. Just knowing how severe a food allergy can be, how could I protect him from the having one, how could I protect him from other!?
I just want to give you some advice and the right tools to help you make the right decisions at the right times. And to give you the support that I did not have.
First I suggest you read this article written by a mom who is an allergist whose 3 kids have severe food allergies. She explains what an allergy is, how the body chemically reacts to the allergen and what the epinephrine injection does to stop the reaction:
http://theallergistmom.com/2012/01/12/the-science-of-anaphylaxis-an-allergic-storm/
Her whole blog is just wonderful and she tells her side of the story on how she is living with 3 allergic kids. She gives medical and emotional support.
Next I wanted to tell you that my son's allergies started out like your child's. Just skin rashes and/or stomach disturbances. I did not know then but his reaction counts as an anaphylaxis reaction. I should have injected him the epinephrine right away but I would just give him Benadryl instead, thinking this was the right thing to do. His allergies quickly progressed to more severe reactions the next time.
He went from skin rash to this:
He had been given a cake that contained no nuts at a family party recently but it must have had traces of hazelnuts. He started screaming in pain crying out that t he did not feel good and that it hurt when he swallowed. I was terrified! But I did not hesitate, I injected him with the Epipen needle within minutes and called an ambulance. When we got to the hospital, the doctor had to give him a second injection as the allergy had come back. He told me that I had saved his life by not waiting to inject him. I can't tell you how that affected me. First I felt guilty for not being more careful about what he was eating. I had trusted the person who had brought the cake and told me there were no nuts in it but that was my first mistake. Never take chances! Next it taught me another valuable lesson: always administer Epipen at first sign of reaction, never wait. Like the doctor said, I had saved his life. I always was scared to give it to him in the past thinking "oh I'll give him Benadryl and it will stop the reaction". Boy was I wrong. As you can see in the article Benadryl only reduces the external inflammation and skin rashes. It does nothing internally where the danger really lies.
Here are the signs of anaphalactic reactions so you know when to inject:
An anaphylactic reaction can involve any of the following symptoms, which may appear alone or in any combination, regardless of the triggering allergen:
-Skin system: hives, swelling, itching, warmth, redness, rash
-Respiratory system (breathing): coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest pain/tightness, throat tightness, hoarse voice, nasal congestion or hay --fever-like symptoms (runny itchy nose and watery eyes, sneezing), trouble swallowing
-Gastrointestinal system (stomach): nausea, pain/cramps, vomiting, diarrhea
-Cardiovascular system (heart): pale/blue colour, weak pulse, passing out, dizzy/lightheaded, shock
-Other: anxiety, feeling of impending doom, headache, uterine cramps, metallic taste
I am telling you this not to scare you but to provide you with the information I was lacking to make the right decision.
Check out Allergic Living at
http://www.allergicliving.com/ for information and support groups to help you in find ways to better live with your child's allergy.
A child can grow out of the allergy cause his/her body is still is changing so keep your fingers crossed. I sure hope mine will grow out of his.
I send you tons of pixie dust and hope all turns out for the best!