More On The Seriousness of the Peanut Allergy

So the more I learn about the peanut allergy, the more questions I have. I hope to talk to as many parents as possible to find out more but I'll most likely share all of the information that I learn on the blog. I'm hoping that our extended family is as concerned as we are about this issue. Like many of you, I did not fully understand food allergy until this happened. For most people (and many of you), we say we have a food allergy when what we really have is lactose intolerance or something similar. This is not a food allergy. Lactose intolerance is an inability to digest lactose. It makes you uncomfortable but as far as I know it's not life threatening. True food allergy is rare and causes anaphylaxis, which is a condition where the tongue and throat swell (possibly closing off the airway), the blood pressure shoots up, the lining of the lungs swell (making it very difficult to breathe), and there are some other symptoms that sometimes occur such as hives.

Even I, who have had symptoms of anaphylaxis in the past with tree nuts, and my dad, who has also reported anaphylaxis, did not understand how dangerous this condition was. Aidan's doctor was horrified when Jason told him that I had experienced these symptoms and did not see it as a concern. He insisted that anyone who has ever experienced anaphylaxis should take appropriate measures by at least carrying an epi-pen.

So before all of this I did know that food allergies required an epi-pen. What I did not know was that the epi-pen in itself is not sufficient. The doctor said that if anything more than a slight rash occurs, give the epi-pen. Anytime the epi-pen is used, Aidan should be taken directly to the ER. The epi-pen in itself is a pretty serious thing to deal with.

Another thing that I did not know is that there seem to be two different situations in which people find out about food allergies. The first is that a person goes to the allergist for some other reason, get the skin test, and the doctor reads off a list of things that they should avoid because they had a skin reaction to that substance. While this person might have a food allergy (or not), the skin test is high in false positives. So is the blood test. Both will often indicate that a person has a reaction to a substance but the person may continue to eat that food with no problems or may have had the food in the past with no problems. First of all, just because you can eat the food doesn't mean that you are not allergic. Second, just because you had a reactive skin or blood test does not mean that you are allergic.

The second way that people find out about a food allergy is by having an anaphylaxis response to the food upon eating it, usually the first time that they are exposed. This is what happened with Aidan and this indicates a severe situation. This is also what happened with me when I first had cashews, although I did not understand the seriousness of it. The point of my writing this is to stress to our family and friends the seriousness of our situation. This is not a case of "He's allergic only if he eats it." If another person has been eating peanut products and touches him or even breathes on him, it could kill him. Approximately 125 people in the US die each year from anaphylaxis, most of those are children. Peanuts contributed to 94% of those deaths. Since only 1-3% of the population of the US is at risk for anaphylaxis, about 5% of those at risk for anaphylaxis will die from it this year.

I know you may feel that I'm going overboard with this, but this is life threatening. We need the support of our family and friends as we try to navigate through the world full of this food that could be fatal to our little guy. I'm calling on you to notice for the next week how many foods in your life contain some kind of nut product. And imagine how you would feel if every nut you see, eat, touch, could potentially kill you or one of your children.