Rascal's Severe Tree Nut Allergy

Rascal had his tree nut tests on the 17th of September. We were prepared for the skin test and to have blood work done also.

He had the skin test done first and the results meant that no blood work needed to be done.

Sounds good right??

Well Rascal was relieved not to have the blood work done but his skin test results were so severe, it didn't matter what any blood work showed.

We know now that he is HIGHLY allergic to peanuts, tree nuts and any nut related product including: nutmeg, almond extract, nougat, hickory nuts and the list goes on.

We are told to not even eat it ourselves and that he can not have anything that states it is made in the same facility.

Here is the pictures of his skin test:

This was right after they did the skin test (above), There were 3 pricks total: 2 cashew and one that told them if it was working properly. They prick the skin and then wait 15 minutes to see what the reaction is.

This is after 5 minutes (above)

This is after 10 minutes (above)

This picture is not even a minute after I took the 10 min. picture (above). You can see the dime size welt and the rash that runs up his entire arm.

Needless to say the spots itched some but he said it was painful more than itchy.

This is right after they came in and recorded his reaction.

Both the nurse and the doctor were shocked when they walked in the room and could see his reaction from clear across the room.

The doctor made sure Rascal and I both knew just how serious this allergy is. She gave us lots of information on the allergies and some tips on how to keep him safe.

I love our allergist so much! She takes as much time as we need and always helps us figure out ways to keep Rascal safe.

For the upcoming holidays we have already set up a plan.

Rascal will go trick or treating but all the candy he gets will be given to their dentist (they buy candy from the kids and send it to the troops) and we will have plenty of safe candy for him.

What is safe candy for him??

sweet tarts

twizzlers

plain m&m's

plain Hershey's chocolate

laffy taffy

And there are plenty of others listed on this site here:

http://www.allergysf.com/safety/candy/nuts/

The allergists told us that we need to read all labels and make sure they aren't made in the same facility as any nuts. SOOO MUCH stuff is labeled as "made in the same facility".

It's a lot to get used to but it could be so much worse. It's not become so much of our life that we are always aware of things around us. It's become almost as natural as breathing.