Sesame Allergy | Imamother

mummy-bh

Tue, Nov 07 2006, 9:27 am

Does anyone here have a child who is allergic to sesame?
My daughter is, and it appears to be getting worse. Each exposure seems to trigger a worse and worse attack. She's only 8 now, but I worry about when she is older, when she goes to camp or out to eat. She is very mature and responsible about it, and not at all embarrased, B"H. It's difficult, though, because it's not a 'normal' thing to be allergic to.
She is also allergic to a few other things.
Chizuk, please! And a few coping strategies if anyone has any advice? Thanks.

melalyse

Tue, Nov 07 2006, 9:57 am

I am allergic to sesame, poppy and to nuts. The most important thing is that she should tell parents of her friends that she goes to. And she should always look at packages because many things have sesame hidden.

HealthCoach

Tue, Nov 07 2006, 2:17 pm

My child is very allergic to sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and all nuts. I know others that are allergic to seeds as well. I'm not really sure type of advice you are looking for. Feel free to pm me.

mummy-bh

Tue, Nov 07 2006, 4:58 pm

Thank you both for responding. The truth is, I don't really know myself what advice I was asking for. I guess I just need to hear that it's possible to live a 'normal' life, always with the worry of having an allergic reaction, cv"s.
Interesting that you both mention poppy seeds. I don't like them on the challa (we bake "undressed" challa in our house!) and I never put them in homantaschen, so I don't know about that one. She is allergic to peanuts and also a few of the hoetz nuts as well, but the reactions to those are by ingestion only. The sesame is the biggie - she once had a reaction at school because a girl sitting 4 feet away from her was eating a sesame-covered product. THAT is the scary part, - I'm afraid to take her into a bakery.
About telling everybody - like I said above, she is very open about the whole thing, and is very happy to take a bottle of piriton (antihistamine, works wonders, B"H) everywhere.

Mommy3.5

Tue, Nov 07 2006, 5:13 pm

I have two anaphalactic allergies. I lead a fairly normal life (who's life is really normal anyway?!?!), but my allergy is to is not something that hides in foods. eight is still very young to be responsible for looking into ingredients, I don't think it can be expected of her yet.

If the reaction is so bad that it had an effect from 4 feet away, you should really have a talk with the school about banning it from her class. No mother wants her kids lunch to be the cause of someone elses child going to the hospital. (My sons all go to peanut free schools and I do not find myself inconvienced by it.)

Ask freinds parents to please check ingredients before giving her anything in thier homes, or invite friends to your house instead.

Also if the reactions are getting worse, you can ask your Dr. to prescribe an epi pen. BH, I have never had to use mine or my sons, but its always good to know that you have it when you need it. Make sure a teacher in school has one just in case of a severe reaction in school, also show the teacher how to use it. Make sure your daughter also knows how to use it in case she needs to herself.

mummy-bh

Wed, Nov 08 2006, 9:42 am

It's not really so much of an issue at home, since I bake mostly rather than buy breads and cakes. Obviously I also check every other bought product as well. It's more of a problem when she is out. For example, she recently went to a friend for shabbos and afterwards the mother called to tell me that even though she was really worried about having my daughter as a guest, it wasn't that hard. She has one son who loves chumous, but she just explained to him that "we can't have it on the table this week as it could make --- very ill".
The school is very understanding and did actually implement a no-sesame rule last year, but unfortunately there is one mother who for some reason doesn't take it very seriously. (Yes, I have tried speaking to her) But the teachers are very sweet about it and always make the girl move to the other side of the room to eat, rather than have my daughter move.

I think I will go to the doctor and ask about an epipen. How does it work? If a person uses it, is that enough of a treatment, or do they then have to go straight to the emergency room?

mother48

Wed, Nov 08 2006, 12:03 pm

I have a child also allergic to sesame (and nuts) does poppy run along the same lines?

I'm sure you know to stay away from chinesse and pasta bars, and don' t take her into pizza shops if she's so seriously allergic.

ideally, epi pens should be always taken with you, but hopefully never used. I personally would call hatzalah,my doc first, unless I was 1,0000%sure the reaction was from the nuts, but that's me. they do recommend a medical professional be involved even after giving the epi, and you take it along with you to the hospital to show them how much went in etc. there are reactions to an epi pen, so be sure you are well briefed.

why didn't your allergist give you an epi till now? I'd go over all poss scenirios with him.

if you want more info, don't hesitate to ask.

amother

Wed, Nov 08 2006, 12:32 pm

I'm amother because this post will identify me. My husband is a paramedic in hatzalah, and I consulted him on this response.

I have a child severly allergic to nuts and seeds. We have spent our share of time with her in the emergency room.

Noone has reactions from epipens (epinephrine). The epipen is adrenaline which is always in the body. There are side effects, though, such as getting jittery, flushed, and a racing heartbeat, which children can handle much better than adults. If someone is having a severe allergic reaction, it's always better to give the epipen, then call Hatzalah. Seconds are precious. It's important for schools and teachers to know that, and not to be afraid of the epipen.

The hospital can not tell how much went in from the epipen, but whether the needle was ejected, and the epipen used. From my daughter's reaction I can say that more medication is needed in the hospital and afterwards for a few days.

Mommy3.5

Wed, Nov 08 2006, 9:48 pm

an epi pen, is a shot that you carry all the time in case of an allergic reaction. It is the first thing you do, even before calling 911. It gives a dose of epinephrine, which forces the body to speed up and rid itself of what is causing the reaction.

I have a son who we think may have a severe allergy, the doctor told if you see any reaction at all, give him the shot and run to an emergency room. even if it is only one hive. I was specifically told NOT to wait for breathing trouble, because at that point it may already be too late.

I have had an anaphalactic reaction, it takes minutes to develop, in 2-3 minits you can be gasping for breath if you are severly allergic. give the shot, ask later. It will not hurt the body if injected correctly. It must be injected into the outside of the thigh. It can be dangerous if it is injected into the thumb /fingers or other parts. As with any medication make sure you know how to use it BEFORE anything happens.

HealthCoach

Wed, Nov 08 2006, 10:18 pm

Mommy3.5, if you think your son is severely allergic to something, why don't you have him tested? The standard rule for giving the epipen is to give it if 2 systems of the body are affected, or for breathing problems. I would not give the epipen for one hive. My daughter has been given the epipen when necessary, and has taken benedryl for hives. There is a protocol for when to give epipen, benedryl, or both. While it is dangerous to give the epipen in a thumb, if administered in the thigh, there is no wrong way to give it that would make it dangerous. It is always better to give.

TzenaRena

Wed, Nov 08 2006, 10:50 pm

My son had his first allergic reaction to sesame when he was six months old and was sucking on a breadstick. He got blotchy on his face.

When he was over a year old he reacted to whole wheat noodles with sesame with coughing. I was told to give him benadryl.

When he was 22 months, at a simcha he dipped his hand into a bowl of techina, and licked it, he started getting hundreds of hives all over, and his face blew up, his eyes were like slits. Is that an anaphylactic reaction? We sped to the doctor, and he got a shot. we had him tested and confirmed that he was severely allergic to sesame.

However, as he matured (he is now over Bar-mitzvah)he seemed to be less allergic, and eating mezonos rolls doesn't cause him a reaction anymore. we can now serve humus, although he still doesn't eat it.

Mommy3.5

Wed, Nov 08 2006, 11:16 pm

liveandlearn wrote:

Its a bee allergy, and he is too little to be tested. If they test he'll come up positive either way. so we were given epi pens as a precaution based on family history.

Marion

Thu, Nov 09 2006, 3:56 pm

I also carry an Epi-Pen...for peanuts. And I also didn't have a prescription for one until I asked for it...talk about learning the hard way! It also comes in a child sized dose for children under 7; 0.15mL instead of 0.3. Make sure you have the right one!

Sregion28

Thu, Nov 09 2006, 4:09 pm

but unfortunately there is one mother who for some reason doesn't take it very seriously. (Yes, I have tried speaking to her) But the teachers are very sweet about it and always make the girl move to the other side of the room to eat, rather than have my daughter move.

WHAT??? One mother doesn't take it seriously and no one does anything about it? I'm sorry, but I think that is disgusting. If your child has a life threatening allergy, then a mother "not taking it seriously" is a HUGE problem. My children go to a school with a nut free classroom and one sesame free classroom, I have good friends who have children with severe allergies, and I have an adult friend who is severely allergic to tree nuts. I am VERY careful in all these situations and I don't think that that's me going above & beyond - I think it's the only right thing to do!

Bored

Thu, Mar 01 2007, 2:32 am

do poppy and nuts go along with sesame? my son is allergic to sesame too and it seems that ppl are mentioning the 3 together. I have an allergist appt for him in 2 weeks, so we will find out, just curious

micki

Thu, Mar 01 2007, 8:48 am

my son had a weird allergic reaction to SOMETHING while in school. we thought it was to the food he ate- potato chips, almond cookies, and peaches.
but yesterday wewent to the allergist and they did those skin pricks, and it turns out he has NO allergy to tree nuts or ANYTHING for that matter.
oh dust mites came out a minor allergy.
so this guy wants to do a blood test to see if it just didn't show up in the skin test.
do I really need to do that?
no one knows what triggered the allergy all we know is that he was sent home from school cause his face becamse red and swollen.
are these skin tests 100% positive?

emes

Wed, Mar 07 2007, 11:45 pm

Be careful when using Benadryl. We've been told that it can mask symptoms of an anaphylactic reaction. If there is any doubt USE the epipen NOT benadryl.

The skin tests are notoriously unreliable. We were told my daughter (peanut allergy) had probably outgrown her allergy (skin tests were negative twice over a year) and were scheduling a blood test and a peanut trial at the hospital. Before the blood test and trial she actually ate a peanut accidentally, and had a severe reaction - mouth blew up etc... and so is obviously still severely allergic!