So it's pretty certain that Alex has a peanut allergy. Obviously as of yet, we haven't had to deal with this too much since he's so young. He also doesn't seem to have an extreme allergy, which is good (I've heard of some kids who can't be in the same room as peanut butter). Still, we've had to deal with some things.
Right now the treatment for peanut allergy is avoidance. The thing is it's not as easy as not feeding Alex peanut butter and peanuts. Have you ever looked at the label of foods and seen something like, "This product is processed on equipment that also processes peanuts and tree nuts"? So even though the product doesn't have peanuts, it can still cause a reaction because there are trace amounts of peanuts. Last Friday we went to Costco and got some animal crackers. When we got home I gave him a couple and then noticed that his cheeks broke out in hives. I looked at the package and found out that it was made on equipment where they process peanuts. Nice. Luckily it wasn't a strong reaction, and really not a big deal, but for those who are extremely allergic, this little amount could cause anaphylactic shock.
And did you know that peanut allergies have doubled in the last 5 years!? That's crazy. They're not sure why except that maybe it's from living in too clean of environments. Is that not weird? I feel like the next time I have a baby, I should lay him or her in the dirt outside to make sure he or she doesn't develop allergies (because I hear it's not just peanut allergies that are on the rise because of environments that are too sterile).
But there is good news for those with peanut allergies. Some studies concluded recently that exposing kids to small amounts of peanut flour each day--raising the doses incrementally--can help their system get used to peanuts allowing the children to even eat peanuts. Articles can be read here and here about it. So there's a hope that Alex will be able to at least tolerate peanuts one day. I want the pediatrician to test him though so we know how severe his allergy is and what to watch for.
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Jillena, that is interesting about the peanut allergies, I know it is fairly common but never knew anyone personally with that food allergy.
ReplyDeleteThings are hectic around here but was glad you called a while back. I need contact with my other children and grandson.
I was hoping to visit Utah this month but with gas prices and such, it does not look like it. Zach is getting married on the 27th and I really wanted to be there.
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Love, Mom