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wildcatgirl · Nov 17, 2006, 07:54 AM

I have a 4 year old nephew who is allergic to nuts. I do not know as to how severe it is, but my sister said the doctor told her to always keep an epi shot on hand just in case. I am also getting ready to build a house on a 14 acre parcel and there are a lot of walnut trees on the tract of land. Does anyone have any experience with nut allergies? Should I cut all these trees down to keep him from having a reaction? Or, am I just over-reacting? Thanks!

Sentra · Nov 17, 2006, 08:18 AM

Ingestion of nuts by someone with an allergy to them can cause anaphyletic shock, which is why the mother was advised to keep an epinephrine injection on her at all times. Even without ingestion of nuts, reactions can still occur simply by contact to the skin according to this site.

http://www.calgaryallergy.ca/Article.../treenuthp.htm

I recommend staying away from the area with the trees at all costs, until you and his mother find out if he is allergic to both regular nuts and tree nuts.

Thomas1970 · Nov 17, 2006, 08:18 AM

Hi Wildcatgirl,
I really couldn't tell you for sure, but most nut allergy reactions, I do believe occur from ingestion, even trace amounts in most cases. I know serious reactions with peanuts have been known to occur from simple skin contact, and I assume inhaling cooking vapors could be equally harmful -- but I would guess that generally contact with the actual nut meat and the oils or proteins contained therein would be necessary. Walnuts have a very hard shell, difficult to break. Unless trampled, there probably wouldn't be too much to worry about.
As for contact with leaves or pollen, I really wouldn't know. Hopefully someone has more or better information.
Take care.

J_9 · Nov 17, 2006, 10:55 AM

You should find out exactly which nut, or all of them, he is allergic to.

While some people/children are allergic to peanuts, they may not be allergic to walnuts.

So before spending all the money to have the trees removed find out which nuts he is allergic. If all of them, which is possible then I would consider having them removed.

wildcatgirl · Nov 17, 2006, 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by J_9

You should find out exactly which nut, or all of them, he is allergic to.

While some people/children are allergic to peanuts, they may not be allergic to walnuts.

So before spending all the money to have the trees removed find out which nuts he is allergic. If all of them, which is possible then I would consider having them removed.

Thanks for the input! I have e mailed my sister about the different types of nut allergies and sent her the link that Sentra provided. I do know that he is not allergic to peanuts. Apparently since peanuts are a legume they produce a different type of oil. Usually people that are allergic to peanuts aren't allergic to regular nuts or vica-versa. I did not know though that one could only be allergic to one family of nuts. But, I have heard that in people with severe allergies, just by coming in contact with the nut they are alergic to can cause the anaphylatic shock.

J_9 · Nov 17, 2006, 12:51 PM

Oh, yeah... My daughter went to kindergarten with a boy who was so allergic to peanuts that if he even smelled peanutbutter he would go into anaphylactic shock. The school had to ban peanutbutter!!

wildcatgirl · Nov 17, 2006, 12:54 PM

See now, that's scary--he's only 4 right now, but I can't imagine what it would be like once he gets in school. I mean, what about cross-contamination? I read in my local paper where a little girl died from this even though her food had NO NUTS in it--it was from a turkey sandwich from Subway of all places! Apparently someone there didn't change their gloves before making her sandwich. It's some pretty scary stuff!

Thomas1970 · Nov 17, 2006, 01:08 PM

I myself am highly allergic to rum. I used to hang out at a Chinese restaurant occasionally with a friend, where the bartender knew me, and this fact, relatively well.
One day, he had an off night. He mixed my drink in the same shaker as my friend's Mai Tai. I'll never forget the look on his face when he turmed around and saw me. Needless to say, I was extremely dizzy and blotchy skinned for the rest of the evening. Not good. :)

wildcatgirl · Nov 19, 2006, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by J_9

You should find out exactly which nut, or all of them, he is allergic to.

While some people/children are allergic to peanuts, they may not be allergic to walnuts.

So before spending all the money to have the trees removed find out which nuts he is allergic. If all of them, which is possible then I would consider having them removed.

Just wanted to let you know thanks for the advice. My nephew IS allergic to walnuts, and believe it or not, coconuts too! My husband and I were at the building location yesterday cutting trees down--we're giving them to my father-in-law to use as firewood. Better safe than sorry. Thanks for the advice!:)