Sneaky Tree Nuts

 

  Well, as careful as we are to try to always check food for tree nuts, Son #2 ate a cookie with tree nuts in it. We had a family BBQ yesterday, and someone brought chocolate chip cookies. They looked fine on the plate, they looked like regular cookies. At some point, Son #2 he ate one. He asked Hubby if he could take an antihistamine, but didn't say why.


Later on, I asked him what was wrong and he said he didn't feel very good. His little sister, Kitty, said "The chocolate chip cookies had nuts in them!!" I found out later that the person that made the cookies chopped the nuts up really fine-so you couldn't really see them in the cookies.

What Son #2 DIDN'T tell me was that his throat was itching and then his face started itching. RED FLAG!!!!!! He was having an allergic reaction, that's why he took an antihistamine. I told him if he EVER start to feel that way again-suspect tree nuts. Because that is the only reason he would have a reaction like that. I also told him to let me know immediately if he ever feels that way again. I would have pulled out the Epi Pen.

I am worried because his body is now "primed" and the next time he accidentally eats a tree nut, it may be a worse reaction, he may be more likely to have anaphylaxis. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) has a section about anaphylaxis.  It's an allergic reaction that can kill you.

I told Son #2 to use his Epi pen next time and call for help. I think he didn't want to make a scene, so he quietly went inside. Dumb teenager. He could have stopped breathing and died. This is serious. But how to you make a teenager understand that?

Guess we'll have a little chat when I get home from work today...