More Allergies (sigh)

Last month, Nick ate a walnut and we ended up in the emergency room. Here is the link to that post: http://parkaysplace.blogspot.com/2012/02/er-trip-with-pickleagain.html

Tim and I were sure it was just a case of cross-contamination as the walnuts were processed in a plant that processes all tree nuts. To make sure of this, we set an appointment with his allergist to do a food challenge. A food challenge is where the patient goes to the allergist's office and under controlled and monitored conditions, eats the food in question, starting with a very small amount and continuing until a large amount of the food is consumed. After each portion the allergist or the assistant watches for a minute and then waits for awhile before giving another portion. A food challenge takes between 2 to 3 hours to be completed.

We had to provide walnuts that we knew were not contaminated at all. Thanks to Grandpa Dutson, we had 5 that were broken up. Around 9 am Nick was given a very small piece of walnut, about the size of his pinky nail or something. The doctor said it was a 1/32nd of a whole walnut, so pretty small. She left the room and not even 2 minutes later Nick said to me, "Mommy, my tongue hurts. My throw-up hurts." (FYI throw-up means throat). I told him to take a drink and he goes, "Mommy, I feel better." Then 10 seconds after that, "My throat hurts." I let the correct people know and in they came. The doctor, Dr. Cassall (who is phenomenal) checked his mouth and throat. It looked a little red. The assistant noticed his cheeks were red. Then he said his belly hurt. Nick got some medicine to help counter the reaction. Before it kicked in we noticed hived around his mouth. He was also making a weird swallowing motion with his head. Finally everything cleared up, he wasn't red anymore, nothing hurt and he was running and jumping all over again.

We were there a total of 1hr and 40 minutes. The diagnosis is: he can eat peanut butter (peanuts) and nutella since he has been eating those and been fine. He cannot eat any other types of nuts. He has to get some blood work done (the fun just never ends here) and then we'll know more. Now more than ever, we have to be so diligent in what he eats. He has already started understanding he can't eat certain things. When I was shelling the walnuts this morning he said to me, "I can't eat those. They make me sick." He didn't want to eat them at the doctor's either but I said, "It's OK, you'll be fine." Boy was I wrong! He wouldn't even eat the peanut M&M he found the other day because it had a peanut inside. However, so many things are processed in plants that also process tree nuts.

So now he is allergic to: walnuts, pecans, pistachios and cashews. He will not be trying pine nuts, macadamia nuts or brazil nuts. He will not eat almonds or coconut again either until after the blood work is back. What does he get to eat? Peanuts and hazelnuts. It could be worse though. It appears he has to actually ingest the nut for a reaction. So just being around it won't do anything. But we won't tempt fate, only peanut butter and nutella in our house from now on.