Guest guest Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 I am not, by ANY means, a physician. But I do have a child here (she's 2) who reacted severely to peanut butter, after having it a few times. We crossed peanuts off her list--probably permanently. I tried to make her homemade almond milk, and she got a severe diaper rash. Next I tried cashew milk--same response. I waited for several weeks, and just this past week, I made her some muffins using pecan flour. She did not have one hint of a reaction! I will be making them again for her. I am also going to try hazelnut and walnut flours sometime in the next couple of weeks. It's possible she will begin to develop reactions after several exposures, but I hope not! If she does, we'll deal with them, and then avoid the particular nut that caused it. I don't want to just avoid ALL good, healthy nuts on the chance she "might" have a reaction. She is not (yet) on the SCD, so we tried Sunbutter (sunflower butter--has some sugar in it) and Peabutter (made with some sort of pea--has sugar in it). She's been find with those. She is also fine with hummus (made with sesame seeds). She has shown reactions to several slices of cheddar cheese (but not the very limited other exposure she had to dairy), soy (no loss), and kiwis (darn it!). Don't know if this answers your questions, but it is our experience. Marilyn2 Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make meals for under $10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 Terry--I had no idea about avoiding peanut butter until AFTER Abby had her reaction. Abby is my ninth child, and I had given all my older kids peanut butter as toddlers, with no reaction. This peanut avoidance warning is a relatively new thing, and us "old moms" are sometimes clueless, I suppose. I have no history of food allergies, and only had one child (my 2nd--half sister to this child) who had any allergies at all. So I just gave her what the older kids were having, never thinking anything about it! The only time I even heard anything negative about peanuts was in my 8th pregnancy, when my OB said pregnant women should avoid nuts to avoid sensitizing their child to them--but I never really ate many nut products anyway! Live and learn. Marilyn2 Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make meals for under $10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 > My mom bought some cashew butter the other day, and I've been > wanting to try it, just to see what it tastes like. I'm pretty sure > I've never had a cashew in my life. Well, tonight I took a tiny > nibble, like a fraction of a teaspoon. Within a couple minutes, my > tongue felt weird and tingly. Then my whole mouth felt weird and > tingly, and itchy. I started having major drainage down my throat, > and also felt like I had a big chunk of something stuck in my > throat. I took a couple of Walgreen's generic benadryl (had one > illegal in it, sorbitol), and headed to the ER, where nausea and > vomiting would add themselves to the symptom parade. No breathing > problems though, and no skin rashes. > > They said I must have a nut allergy and pumped an IV bag though me, > as well as some Zofran and steroids. I'm still having drainage down > my throat, but at least not so horrid as before. The other symptoms > are all gone. > > The ER doctor said I should avoid all nuts from here on out. I told > him I eat almond butter everyday, but he didn't seem to think that > was a good idea. He said nut allergies worsen as a person ages. > > A year or two ago, my primary care doctor gave me a blood test for > the top 8 (I think) food allergens. The doctor said I had a mild > allergy to peanuts, soy, and corn. They didn't say to avoid them, > they just said not to eat gobs of them at once. I've eaten a lot of > peanut butter/peanut products in my life with no problem, so it was > a bit of a surprise to find out I had an allergy. Nevertheless, I > rarely ate any peanut products after that, just the occasional > peanut butter cup or butterfinger (man, do I ever miss candy bars!!!). > > Question 1: which doctor is correct? The one who says never to eat > another nut again, or the one who said I could still eat peanuts, > even with a mild allergy? Obviously I'll stay away from cashew > products, but I'd really hate to permanently give up almond and > pecan butter. It actually makes sense since almonds and pecans are nuts but cashews and peanuts are legumes. So eat the nuts, as long as you continue to have no reaction, and stay away from the legumes (cashews and peanuts). Sorry you had to go through that ordeal. It sounds miserable. > Question 2: should I also avoid the other 2 foods in the cashew > family, mango and pistachio? I've never eaten a pistachio before, > but I have eaten mango in the past, usually with no issues (I ate a > whole one once, and ended up in the ER with an intestinal blockage > later that day). cashews and mangoes are in the same family? news to me. with that kind of reaction, I'd be very very cautious about trying it again. maybe you could get allergy tested for pistachio and mango without having to eat them? Mara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 Hi Mara, Cashews and Mangoes are very very distant relatives evolutionary wise. Jodi > cashews and mangoes are in the same family? news to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 My Goodness Holly, I am so sorry you had to go through such an ordeal. Perhaps the cashew butter your mom bought was processed in a facility that processes different types of nuts- so sometimes it is very hard to tell! > Question 1: which doctor is correct? The one who says never to eat another nut again, or the one who said I could still eat peanuts, even with a mild allergy? Obviously I'll stay away from cashew products, but I'd really hate to permanently give up almond and pecan butter. I don't think you need to think of it as anything permanent. Meaning for now I would stop all nuts!! After you feel better (a while) maybe try home-made almond and pecan butter (I would approach this with extreme caution as I don't want to give you any advice that negates a physician as I am not a doctor) Maybe try the skin patch test first? > Question 2: should I also avoid the other 2 foods in the cashew family, mango and pistachio? I've never eaten a pistachio before, but I have eaten mango in the past, usually with no issues (I ate a whole one once, and ended up in the ER with an intestinal blockage later that day). The mango prompted a blockage? So it was a culprit for you? I would stay away from mango and pistachios for now. Get a bit better and then reevaluate. Better to be safe than sorry. Jodi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 Holly As to question 1, both doctors are right, in some ways. You can often continue to eat foods to which you tested having a "mild allergy" as long as you don't have them too often and build up a stronger allergy. Also remember that peanuts are not tree nuts, they are a legume. But as to tree nuts, as with any food, your body can build up a sensitivity to them with repeated overexposure and suddenly react allergically. Also remember that as our bodies age, our dietary reactions change and can become more extreme. Now your body might not tolerate tree nuts in any form, whereas a year ago it could. Now that your body has reacted to cashews it might well react to other tree nuts. I would definitely use extreme caution when/if you give almond and pecan butter a try. As to your second question, I didn't know mangos were in the same family as cashews, nor pistachio. Shows how much I know (don't eat many nuts, although I do make peanut butter regularly)! I would use caution and probably stay away from them, now that your body has reacted violently to cashews. That has been my experience. Once my body reacts strongly and violently to something, it is very sensitive to it forever more. Some foods I can continue to eat as long as it is a very small amount and about once a year. Other foods (and supplements and medications) are off-limits once my immune system responds strongly, as it reacts the same way each time. Kim M. SCD 5 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 Hi Marilyn2, According to the American Academy of Pediatrics one should wait until a child is at least 3 years of age before exposing them to peanuts and peanut butter--it is one of the top 8 allergy producing substances. I did not allow my children to touch it until they were 5. And Holly, if you have a mild allergy to something, the more you expose yourself to it, the stronger the reaction. The body becomes more sensitized to it. This is why people can take penicillin for years and then one day they become severely allergic. My suggestion is if you have any questions concerning your allergies or sensitivities that you consult an allergist, get tested for mangoes and pistachios and follow the recommendations, as allergies are nothing to play around with--it can be fatal. In my dental practice, we take allergies very seriously. I have witnessed one anaphylactic response in my life and I never want to experience it again--it was incredibly scary. Fortunately, the patient survived. Terry Re: Cashew allergy? I am not, by ANY means, a physician. But I do have a child here (she's 2) who reacted severely to peanut butter, after having it a few times. We crossed peanuts off her list--probably permanently. I tried to make her homemade almond milk, and she got a severe diaper rash. Next I tried cashew milk--same response. I waited for several weeks, and just this past week, I made her some muffins using pecan flour. She did not have one hint of a reaction! I will be making them again for her. I am also going to try hazelnut and walnut flours sometime in the next couple of weeks. It's possible she will begin to develop reactions after several exposures, but I hope not! If she does, we'll deal with them, and then avoid the particular nut that caused it. I don't want to just avoid ALL good, healthy nuts on the chance she "might" have a reaction. She is not (yet) on the SCD, so we tried Sunbutter (sunflower butter--has some sugar in it) and Peabutter (made with some sort of pea--has sugar in it). She's been find with those. She is also fine with hummus (made with sesame seeds). She has shown reactions to several slices of cheddar cheese (but not the very limited other exposure she had to dairy), soy (no loss), and kiwis (darn it!). Don't know if this answers your questions, but it is our experience. Marilyn2 Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make meals for under $10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 Marilyn2-- So you really ARE a Mom of 9!!!!! God Bless you! I also ate tons of Almond butter during my pregnancy ( I was not SCD--didn't even know it existed 11 years ago and I did not have UC until last year) Just my body craved it--couldn't look at peanut butter. My nephew, who is 21, was one of those peanut allergic/asthma kids before peanut allergies became so well known. My sis-in-law tells of opening the jar of PB when he was a toddler and when he smelled it, his eyes rolled in the back of his head and he passed out, just from the vapors. It's why I was so cautious with my boys. What are the ages of your kids? I have enough doing SCD for my family, I cannot imagine doing it for yours--it's a full time job. All the best. Terry Re: Cashew allergy? Terry--I had no idea about avoiding peanut butter until AFTER Abby had her reaction. Abby is my ninth child, and I had given all my older kids peanut butter as toddlers, with no reaction. This peanut avoidance warning is a relatively new thing, and us "old moms" are sometimes clueless, I suppose. I have no history of food allergies, and only had one child (my 2nd--half sister to this child) who had any allergies at all. So I just gave her what the older kids were having, never thinking anything about it! The only time I even heard anything negative about peanuts was in my 8th pregnancy, when my OB said pregnant women should avoid nuts to avoid sensitizing their child to them--but I never really ate many nut products anyway! Live and learn. Marilyn2 Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make meals for under $10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 At 02:17 AM 3/27/2009, you wrote: Question 1: which doctor is correct? The one who says never to eat another nut again, or the one who said I could still eat peanuts, even with a mild allergy? Obviously I'll stay away from cashew products, but I'd really hate to permanently give up almond and pecan butter. Question 2: should I also avoid the other 2 foods in the cashew family, mango and pistachio? I've never eaten a pistachio before, but I have eaten mango in the past, usually with no issues (I ate a whole one once, and ended up in the ER with an intestinal blockage later that day). Probably both doctors are correct, to a point. Once you've had an anaphylactic reaction to something, it's probably wise not to test that again unless you have an epi-pen with you. Cashews are not a tree nut (something the doctor might not be aware of.) They are a legume. Peanuts are also legumes, but, I believe, a very different family, so it is possible you might tolerate them when you don't tolerate the cashews. Almonds, pecans, walnuts, and hazelnuts are all tree-nuts. I'd be inclined to wait at least a week or so to let your system settle down before trying anything nut-like. (Keep in mind that I am not a doctor!) If a whole mango gave you major issues, I would avoid that. <g> There is such a thing as overdoing ANY food, y'know! My inclination would be to leave pistachios off your list of things to try. Also consider that there may be cross-contamination issues, depending on where you got your supplies from. — Marilyn New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001 Darn Good SCD Cook No Human Children Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 Thanks all for your replies and advice! Gives me plenty to think about. I'll be seeing my primary care on Tuesday, and will request he send me to an allergist. Hopefully he'll agree to it, and I can get a skin test. Can they test for each individual nut? My ER doctor didn't seem to think they could. If I could just be allowed one nut, I would be quite happy. I debated for at least 15 minutes about going to the ER. In the back of my mind, I was thinking about a lady I saw getting her first round of chemo (I was there getting an iron infusion). After the chemo, she said she was having trouble speaking, but said she could breathe fine. I also was having a little trouble speaking because of the massive drainage down my throat, but could breathe fine. Right before they sent the chemo lady home, she started gasping for breath and freaking out. Even after they gave her steroids and oxygen, she was still gasping and panicking. I didn't want to end up like that! The whole mango was a learning experience. I had moved to Arizona from Nebraska to go to school, and it was my first time living by myself. Within one week, I was hospitalized for a blockage (stress was probably the big factor). After that, I was on prednisone and eating a lot more raw fruits and veggies than I should have been. Exactly one month to the day, I ate a half a mango, and it was so good, I ate the other half (dang prednisone hungries). I was in the hospital with a blockage by that night. Then to further creep me out, I was hospitalized a month to the day later with valley fever/pneumonia (again, dang prednisone for lowering my immune system). Needless to say, I began fearing the 29th of every month, and no longer over-indulged on a single food again. I have tried mango since then, but rarely, and only a small slice. It's not a huge deal if I have to give them up though, as well as pistachios. One more question. The ER doc gave me prescriptions to take prednisone and benadryl for the next few days. I know benadryl is full of illegals, and my generic Walgreen's benadryl has sorbitol in it. Does anyone know a benadryl equivalent that is legal? Thanks for the support! Holly Crohn's SCD 12/01/08 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 All this discussion on cashews made me curious about where it grows, what the tree looks like, etc. Here is some interesting information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashew Hannah IBS since forever SCD 08/08 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 That's interesting that poison ivy is in the same family as cashews! I looked further and found this site: http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/cashew One segment says, " Cashews are in the same family (Anacardiaceae) as mangoes, pistachios, sumac, and poison-ivy. Many plants in this family produce Urushiol, an oil that can cause a nasty, painful rash. Our friend Dan had not been told about this when he came across them in Brazil, and burned his mouth on a fresh cashew. Ouch. " I'm still a little confused by what the cashew really is. I've seen it called a tree nut, a legume, and a seed. Holly > > > All this discussion on cashews made me curious about where it grows, > what the tree looks like, etc. Here is some interesting information: > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashew > > Hannah > IBS since forever > SCD 08/08 > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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