could avoiding an allergen make it worse?

[greenishmama]

my son ate peanuts from the age of 1 or so. No readily apparent problems. He ate eggs as well. He was getting recurring rashes on his buttocks that got me wondering about eggs. because he was saying he hated eggs (we eat scrambled eggs for bkfst every day) sometimes to the point of tears. The pediatrician did the blood test for eggs and he was allergic. Not highly but he said to keep him off eggs for at least a few years. Went to allergist and found out he is also allergic to peanuts! That was a surprise. He's been off both since December but eggs we keep cheating on as it's so hard to avoid baked goods, etc. I do think the rash reoccurs when he's had too much egg.

but as for peanuts..... I've read that there are many people who test positive for peanut allergy and aren't really allergic. And so I wonder if he tolerated peanuts for 4.5 years and then we suddenly keep him off peanuts will his tolerance decrease and he'll end up more allergic. ? I wonder too because a friend was mildly alleric to peanuts. she could have a small amount of peanut butter but if she had too much she'd start to feel her throat swell. when pregnant she stayed off all peanuts as it was too risky to her baby in utero if she had to use an epipen. She says now after avoiding peanuts for so long that she can't tolerate even a little peanut like she could before.
so I'm concerned that keeping my son of peanuts when he showed no definite signs of reaction before could lower his tolerance.
anyone know about this? links? info?

[ReadingMommy]

I've wondered about this too. :cup

[Glitterfish]

I don't have any links, but this is my theory. When you are allergic to a food that you constantly eat, your immune system is constantly running and worn down. It doesn't react to the offending food *as much* because it's ALWAYS reacting to it. Once the offending allergen is eliminated, the body starts to heal and the immune system starts to function more normally. Then, when the allergen is introduced again, the healthier immune system reacts to it fully, which is usually a much more pronounced reaction. It's what it should have been doing all along, but was too run down and unhealthy to do so.

[canadiyank]

My understanding is it's basically your body giving "warning" signs. Like my bff went to the Caribbean on her honeymoon, knowing she had a mild reaction to shellfish. She ate it a couple times and then BAM, third time she was in the ER. Her dd1 was the same way with peanuts...mild rash on belly the first couple exposures then BAM anaphylactic reaction.

I am learning a bit about bee allergies b/c I recently started keeping bees. There is a high incidence of anaphylactic bee allergies in commercial beekeeping families. I am just a hobbyist but I want to be informed. Everyone is "allergic" to a bee sting...but if you experience rashes or swelling *anywhere* besides the site of the sting, that is your body warning you that the next time could be an anaphylactic reaction. We told our girls that if they ever get stung to come straight to us, that way we can monitor if they have a "normal" reaction (pain/swelling/itchiness at sting site) vs. swelling/hives/rashes anywhere else on body (torso, throat, lips). Hope that makes sense.

[greenishmama]

My understanding is it's basically your body giving "warning" signs. Like my bff went to the Caribbean on her honeymoon, knowing she had a mild reaction to shellfish. She ate it a couple times and then BAM, third time she was in the ER. Her dd1 was the same way with peanuts...mild rash on belly the first couple exposures then BAM anaphylactic reaction.

I am learning a bit about bee allergies b/c I recently started keeping bees. There is a high incidence of anaphylactic bee allergies in commercial beekeeping families. I am just a hobbyist but I want to be informed. Everyone is "allergic" to a bee sting...but if you experience rashes or swelling *anywhere* besides the site of the sting, that is your body warning you that the next time could be an anaphylactic reaction. We told our girls that if they ever get stung to come straight to us, that way we can monitor if they have a "normal" reaction (pain/swelling/itchiness at sting site) vs. swelling/hives/rashes anywhere else on body (torso, throat, lips). Hope that makes sense.

My son did not show any obvious signs of peanut allergy in the 4.5 years he ate them. The rash on his buttocks seems to be from eggs. I suppose maybe it could have been from peanut too. But now when we let him eat too many eggs or challenge it he gets a rash 2-4 days later. But with peanuts we're not sure he had any symptoms. ? So it wasn't something that got worse and worse.

I had read something opposite about bee keeping but maybe it was more the hobby bee keeper than commercial. I had read that they are less allergic- something about more exposure and tolerance. ?? But I don't think it's true of everyone. Is bee allergy one that if one gets bad reactions and then doesn't get stung for many years are they not as allergic anymore? Just curious. My brother became allergic after getting attacked by gnats I think. But I don't think he is severely allergic anymore.

[canadiyank]

No, beekeepers and families are at a much higher risk. It is very well-documented.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15985817

SUMMARY: Beekeepers and their family members are at an increased risk of severe sting anaphylaxis and therefore need especially careful instruction with regard to avoidance of re-exposure, emergency treatment and specific immunotherapy with bee venom.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9824397

RESULTS: As expected, allergic beekeepers had been stung most frequently before the first allergic reaction.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8933782

CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of systemic and large local reactions after bee stings is high among beekeepers.

etc.

There does seem to be some success with desensitivity shots, but that's something I'd do in a controlled environment and not just hope got better with time. Allergies are so unpredictable. I do think they can spontaneously get better for whatever reason, but for an anphylactic reaction I would never mess around. It is something I've experienced first-hand (shellfish) and also seeing my friend's nut-allergic daughter react. Terrifying, even though we were knowledgeable and prepared.

[WanderingJuniper]

I'm kind of following along because of the mention of bee allergies. My son has a reaction in his ears not always at the site of the sting. He could be stung on his foot and his ears will swell and itch and get hot and a rash develops but no anaphylactic reaction. yet. . .

[greenishmama]

ok. thanks for posting all the links. I guess what I found was not that accurate- it was a site about bees I think, not a medically oriented site. Goes to show that there is plenty of inaccurate info out there.

I guess my concern is that my son didn't seem to have a noticeable reaction to peanuts in the past and now if he continues to stay off peanuts but then has some will he react badly? Just worried he'll end up with bad reactions when he never had any before with constant exposure.

[canadiyank]

I'm kind of following along because of the mention of bee allergies. My son has a reaction in his ears not always at the site of the sting. He could be stung on his foot and his ears will swell and itch and get hot and a rash develops but no anaphylactic reaction. yet. . .

Those are concerning symptoms to me and exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for if my daughters get stung. You are being warned by his body. Do you have Benadryl on hand? Honestly, I would go straight to the dr. and get an epi-pen at this point.

---------- Post added at 01:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:38 PM ----------

I guess my concern is that my son didn't seem to have a noticeable reaction to peanuts in the past and now if he continues to stay off peanuts but then has some will he react badly? Just worried he'll end up with bad reactions when he never had any before with constant exposure.

Why not try a challenge in the doctor's office to find out? My friend did this with her daughter. Kids and adults *can* outgrow allergies, which is wonderful news. They did a challenge and her daughter failed (dramatically, very, very scary), but at least they knew!

[MrsHutch]

I don't have any links, but this is my theory. When you are allergic to a food that you constantly eat, your immune system is constantly running and worn down. It doesn't react to the offending food *as much* because it's ALWAYS reacting to it. Once the offending allergen is eliminated, the body starts to heal and the immune system starts to function more normally. Then, when the allergen is introduced again, the healthier immune system reacts to it fully, which is usually a much more pronounced reaction. It's what it should have been doing all along, but was too run down and unhealthy to do so.

Yes. This. This is what I've found to be true. :yes

[camperjen]

My older son was dx with a dairy allergy at 5yo. We immediately cut out all obvious sources (no milk, cheese, yogurt, etc, but we allowed minimal amounts in other items i.e. granola bars). After two months we found he was reacting to smaller amounts so we cut out the granola bars and whatnot. He was never anaphylactic but had an obvious delayed reaction (vomiting, rash delayed 12-24 hours). Now that it's been four years, he is still reacting to something with the rash (he gets pimple-like rashes on his face) and we don't know what. It might be some sort of trace amounts from "made in a facility" type things.

Anyway, my point is that yes, your son could react to smaller amounts, but only if he is allergic right now. My son obviously didn't outgrow it, but your son might have. I agree with the doctor office challenge if you are interested in knowing for sure.

[sweetpeasmommy]

Peanut allergy is not something I would challenge outside a Dr's office. That particular allergy can become ana quickly.

If he's truly not allergic, avoiding wont make him allergic. If he is, avoiding wont make him react stronger than if you kept giving peanuts. Two roads that both go the same place which unfortunately could be anaphylaxis.


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[WanderingJuniper]

Those are concerning symptoms to me and exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for if my daughters get stung. You are being warned by his body. Do you have Benadryl on hand? Honestly, I would go straight to the dr. and get an epi-pen at this point.

---------- Post added at 01:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:38 PM ----------



Why not try a challenge in the doctor's office to find out? My friend did this with her daughter. Kids and adults *can* outgrow allergies, which is wonderful news. They did a challenge and her daughter failed (dramatically, very, very scary), but at least they knew!

Yes. We have Benedryl everywhere. It's in my wallet, in both our cars, and in multiple rooms in the house and when he goes to play at other places he has it in his pocket.