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Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

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Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby Andyp » 08 Jan 2021, 20:15

My daughter has a peanut allergy. She has been through the hospital induced tests and succumbed to a full anaphylactic shock after ingesting one whole peanut, so traces in low doses are not a problem.

She has had one other close call since when a school friend offered her half a cereal bar which had come from a multi pack bought at Lidl. The school had to call for the ambulance. The multipack had the allergy warnings labels the individual bars do not. This is not against the law.

There is well known and highly reputable chocolatier close by in Caen. My daughter's school as a fund raising event offered boxed assortments of these hand made chocolates prior to Christmas.
We ordered some on the off chance of taking them as gifts to the UK. We didn’t go so had to eat them ourselves.
There is not pictorial id sheet listing the contents, there are no allergy warnings on the boxes, their website has no mention of possible allergens.

If you have made it is this far don't worry.

A possible near fatal disaster was averted when I happened to chose a peanut filled chocolate. We immediately opened another box, found the same chocolate photographed it and sent it to the chocolatier who confirmed its contents and assured us it was the only one that contained peanuts in the box.

The school have been advised and will specify in future that this particular chocolate not be included in the boxes.

I am awaiting a response from the chocolatier as to why there are no allergen notices on their boxes nor their website.

Caveat emptor perhaps. Well if that was the case why are allergen warnings published at all.

So if any of you have loved ones with allergies and buy assorted boxes of hand made chocolates be careful.
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby billw » 08 Jan 2021, 20:28

A genuinely fascinating topic is how peanuts have been around for thousands of years yet it's only in the last couple of decades that allergic reactions have become commonplace.
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby AJB Temple » 08 Jan 2021, 20:52

I don't think it is just the last couple of decades. Allergic reactions have been known for a very long time but in the past 40 years or so have become better understood and the allergen tests are much better. I am similarly very allergic to walnuts. At one time there was a fashion for putting the things in bread, which was real threat for me. Glad your daughter is OK.
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby Trevanion » 08 Jan 2021, 22:07

I believe I have a blueberry allergy, I've never had it properly confirmed but there's been a couple of times in the past where I've eaten something with blueberries such as a muffin and felt a bit funny and short of breath afterwards, no serious reactions though and it may just be total coincidence.

billw wrote:A genuinely fascinating topic is how peanuts have been around for thousands of years yet it's only in the last couple of decades that allergic reactions have become commonplace.


I'm not sure if there's actually more people with allergies now or if it's just more widely recognised but since allergies are for the most part hereditary, I wonder if advances in medicine in the last 100 years has saved lives of people who have had severe allergic reactions who would've in the past have died from it which has contributed to the amount of people who have allergies now after having it passed down from previous generations.
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby StevieB » 08 Jan 2021, 22:11

That is scary! Glad all was ok. My middle son is anaphylactic and carries epipens everywhere, has a special diet of approved foods and no deviation from that. He is now 15 but it has been tough - no birthday parties at others houses, no food while we are out for day trips, holidays restricted to self catering and restaurants a no-no apart from one or two we use locally - very few have a comprehensive allergy book although the Beefeater chain are surprisingly excellent at this. McDonalds chips are fine, Burger King ones put him in an ambulance - must be the coating but often we do not know what has caused a reaction. Not often so severe that he needs an ambulance fortunately but anyone that complains about 'food allergies being a fad' get's short shrift if I overhear them :D
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby jimmy s » 08 Jan 2021, 22:21

I'm glad everything worked out ok.

My daughter also has problems with allergies, some foods and oddly, horse dander, which she is very allergic to and ended up in hospital over. She carries an epipen now.
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby AJB Temple » 08 Jan 2021, 22:23

Definitely hereditary. It can also be seasonal.

At certain times of the year things like peas and apples can cause throat swelling.

I've ben told it's a fad and all in the mind many times.
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby Mike G » 08 Jan 2021, 22:42

StevieB wrote:.......My middle son is anaphylactic and carries epipens everywhere.......


That's the nub of the matter. I am sorry to hear of anyone who has peanut allergies. Some people can have it so badly that airlines will take all the peanuts off a flight, and schools will ban any peanut-related snack, because the risk of death is so high. Having an epi-pen, and having others around you know the issue and know how to deal with it, is just so important.
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby billw » 08 Jan 2021, 22:54

Trevanion wrote:I'm not sure if there's actually more people with allergies now or if it's just more widely recognised but since allergies are for the most part hereditary, I wonder if advances in medicine in the last 100 years has saved lives of people who have had severe allergic reactions who would've in the past have died from it which has contributed to the amount of people who have allergies now after having it passed down from previous generations.


Indeed it could be the same as the current increase in diagnosis of mental health issues, it's simply because they weren't previously understood/diagnosed/recognised and not because they didn't previously exist. (Caveats that I accept the prescription of anti-depressants has perhaps stretched to covering people who are "a bit fed up")
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby Mike G » 08 Jan 2021, 23:12

There is much more to the anti-depressant thing than that. A doctor tried to persuade me to take anti-depressants last year to treat my bad back. There was no suggestion that the agony I was in was psycho-sematic, but apparently addictive anti-depressants are prescribed for people in chronic pain. I point blank refused.
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby AJB Temple » 08 Jan 2021, 23:24

It's funny. I think (Mike) that some people are very resistant to taking addictive or mind altering drugs. I am one of them and find it hard to understand people who get addicted to tobacco or pain killers or anything. Just a personal perspective and not judging anyone else. I worked in an industry that was awash with booze and cocaine. People thought I was odd not to take the powders.

Epipens. Super useful, but people thing they are a cure all, whereas in many cases they just buy time to get to hospital. My walnut allergy is capable of killing me through throat constriction. However, over time serious allergy sufferers learn to be super careful. I can detect even the tiniest about in food. I think it is far harder when trying to protect children.

I've dealt a few times with the kind of idiot who "tests" people by putting stuff in food without disclosing it, to see if someone is truly allergic. (Can also be a n issue for Coeliacs - close girlfriend is one and failure to avoid gluten is a big deal for her). I rarely get annoyed but that behaviour is guaranteed to get an adverse reaction from me.
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby Cabinetman » 09 Jan 2021, 01:21

Bit ashamed to say it now, but I thought it was funny when my ex found she couldn’t talk ( certainly made a change) after eating Chinese food, everybody now says that it is MSG. But we pinned it down to lychees. Ian
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby Andyp » 09 Jan 2021, 07:49

Well it is certainly not hereditary in my daughters case. No other family members have any allergies to food that we know of.
We are guilty of becoming blasé and took our eye of the ball. You will have to imagine our angry my wife was as much with herself than anyone else. Because her tolerance of peanut is actually quite high it is easy to be lulled into a false sense of security.
A timely warning.
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby Woodbloke » 09 Jan 2021, 09:16

I'm sincerely glad to hear Andy, that your daughter is well. A timely reminder as you rightly say.

Fortunately, I'm not allergic to anything except oddly perhaps, the skin on hazelnuts which makes my mouth start to tingle and go numb. SWIMBO though, is allergic to cat and other animal dander so although we love the wee beasties, we can't have any pets. When we did used to keep cats, she used to take a steroid nose spray for years but as soon as they died, she didn't need to take it any more after just a couple of days - Rob
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby Phil » 09 Jan 2021, 13:35

Woodbloke wrote:I'm sincerely glad to hear Andy, that your daughter is well. A timely reminder as you rightly say.
Rob


Yes, I feel for her.
Eldest son is allergic to peanuts but has to also be careful of other nuts.
Our food labels are very good and studied in depth before buying. Most, maybe 90%, restaurants have on their menu that nuts are used in their kitchen for other foods and where peanuts are in a meall it is clearly stated.
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby billw » 09 Jan 2021, 14:11

Phil wrote:
Woodbloke wrote:I'm sincerely glad to hear Andy, that your daughter is well. A timely reminder as you rightly say.
Rob


Yes, I feel for her.
Eldest son is allergic to peanuts but has to also be careful of other nuts.


Peanuts are legumes not nuts though ;)
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby Phil » 10 Jan 2021, 08:45

billw wrote:
Phil wrote:
Woodbloke wrote:I'm sincerely glad to hear Andy, that your daughter is well. A timely reminder as you rightly say.
Rob


Yes, I feel for her.
Eldest son is allergic to peanuts but has to also be careful of other nuts.


Peanuts are legumes not nuts though ;)


A peanut is a peanut whether it be a legume, nut or whatever. Whether it grows in the ground, hangs on trees the pea-legume is still allergy fodder. :lol:
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby SamQ aka Ah! Q! » 10 Jan 2021, 09:08

Kiwi fruit. Anaphylactic reaction takes form of raised 'hives' forming 1-2" wide barrel hoops around the body, from knees to hairline. And, reciprocated on the throat lining from.the mouth down. Scariest thing to witness. Epipens are just a minor brake on events, hiving you just about 10 minutes to get to hospital for proper treatment.
I'm an ex-teacher and ( for 30 years, a First Aider) so I attended a few episodes - mostly before awareness was ramped up. Nut allergy symptoms tend -initially - to be more restricted to the face and upper airway but both conditions require speedy epipen use and 'blues'n'twos' to get steroid- based A and E treatment. What many folks also don't realise is that you can get a 'rebound' of symptoms about 4 hours later.

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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby Woodbloke » 10 Jan 2021, 09:32

SamQ aka Ah! Q! wrote:...restricted to the face and upper airway but both conditions require speedy epipen use...

Sam

A few years ago we were on holiday with a group of other folk, one of whom was a young lady from NYC who appeared to be allergic to almost anything and onions of any sort were particularly bad for her. She used to carry an epipen and had to use it regularly and could only eat in one or two NYC restaurants where they knew her exact dietary requirements. I recollect her saying that in NYC she had to pay $2-300 per pen (I can't remember the exact amount, but it was a lot!) I follow her on InstaG and she's now happily married and free of all her allergenic problems - Rob
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby RogerS » 10 Jan 2021, 09:51

Glad to hear you averted things, Andy.

I'd add a timely reminder for any coeliacs and that is that guar gum and xanthan gum that they stuff in 'gluten-free' cakes can still cause issues for coeliacs. Not that those idiots at Coeliac.org.uk would admit this.

Also disregard anyone or any organisation (like coeliac.org.uk again :evil: ) who say that all wheat dextrose is OK for coeliacs. It all depends on the manufacturing process. People will quote the only 'study' carried out to "substantiate" this fact. Run by a Professor in Finland. I contacted him and asked him :

(a) how many subjects in the study ? Answer : 19

(b) was the wheat dextrose randomised and several samples bought from normal retail outlets ? Answer: No. Sample supplied by the industry.
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby Andyp » 10 Jan 2021, 10:21

Woodbloke wrote:
SamQ aka Ah! Q! wrote:...restricted to the face and upper airway but both conditions require speedy epipen use...

Sam

A few years ago we were on holiday with a group of other folk, one of whom was a young lady from NYC who appeared to be allergic to almost anything and onions of any sort were particularly bad for her. She used to carry an epipen and had to use it regularly and could only eat in one or two NYC restaurants where they knew her exact dietary requirements. I recollect her saying that in NYC she had to pay $2-300 per pen (I can't remember the exact amount, but it was a lot!) I follow her on InstaG and she's now happily married and free of all her allergenic problems - Rob


And those pens have a limited shelf life. We us the out of date to show everyone else in the family how to use them, normally on old orange.
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby Andyp » 10 Jan 2021, 10:22

RogerS wrote:Glad to hear you averted things, Andy.

I'd add a timely reminder for any coeliacs and that is that guar gum and xanthan gum that they stuff in 'gluten-free' cakes can still cause issues for coeliacs. Not that those idiots at Coeliac.org.uk would admit this.

Also disregard anyone or any organisation (like coeliac.org.uk again :evil: ) who say that all wheat dextrose is OK for coeliacs. It all depends on the manufacturing process. People will quote the only 'study' carried out to "substantiate" this fact. Run by a Professor in Finland. I contacted him and asked him :

(a) how many subjects in the study ? Answer : 19

(b) was the wheat dextrose randomised and several samples bought from normal retail outlets ? Answer: No. Sample supplied by the industry.



I hope you passed those answers on to coeliac.org.uk
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Re: Peanut allergy, a warning - and a bit long

Postby RogerS » 10 Jan 2021, 10:53

Andyp wrote:
RogerS wrote:Glad to hear you averted things, Andy.

I'd add a timely reminder for any coeliacs and that is that guar gum and xanthan gum that they stuff in 'gluten-free' cakes can still cause issues for coeliacs. Not that those idiots at Coeliac.org.uk would admit this.

Also disregard anyone or any organisation (like coeliac.org.uk again :evil: ) who say that all wheat dextrose is OK for coeliacs. It all depends on the manufacturing process. People will quote the only 'study' carried out to "substantiate" this fact. Run by a Professor in Finland. I contacted him and asked him :

(a) how many subjects in the study ? Answer : 19

(b) was the wheat dextrose randomised and several samples bought from normal retail outlets ? Answer: No. Sample supplied by the industry.


I hope you passed those answers on to coeliac.org.uk


I did. I was very polite. No reply. Tossers.
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