r/peanutallergy

So i'm going on a thailand trip with some friends soon, but I have a severe nut allergy. I was looking at other reddit posts and people said that having a card to explain this helps. Buying one online is kind of pricy for me so I thought I could print a message myself, but I don't really trust google translate too much so I was wondering if someone could help me translate this message

I have a life-threatening peanut and tree nut allergy.
If I eat this food or have any food that has been cooked with or touched it, (including cross-contamination), I will have a severe allergic reaction and require medical attention. This includes nut oils, extracts and flours.  Peanuts and tree nuts can be found in pesto, sauces, spreads, and baked goods. Tree nuts can include:

• Almond
• Hazelnut
• Pine Nut
• Macadamia Nut
• Brazil Nut
• Pistachio
• Cashew
• Pecan
• Walnut

CAUTION! Please use clean gloves, utensils, surfaces, cookware and frying oil to prepare my meal. Thank you for your help!.

Does this food contain nuts, nut oil, peanuts, or peanut oil, or has it been cross-contaminated with nuts.

My 3.5 y/o daughter is in the running to join a peanut patch trial. I really want to do it but one step of the process is to give her enough peanut butter to lead to an allergic reaction involving 2 systems. I was trained that this is anaphylaxis.

The trial is amazing and happens at a children’s hospital so we will be in the right setting…

Help me justify!!!

I gotta couple buddies in China right now, so I decided to research how to travel with a peanut allergy in China, Vietnam, and Thailand. The general consensus on safe eating in these places seems to be all packing your own meals or sticking to corporate fast food (McDonalds,etc). Personally I’m someone who travels to eat and explore different cuisines. Not to say I didn’t expect this news, just kind of bummed as I think I wouldn’t enjoy a trip to this region if I was eating stuff I could have at home. Maybe I’m short sighted here, idk.

Hello peanut allergy people on Reddit,

I have been with my partner for 6 years and we have occasionally had our disagreements on ways that I can support her with her peanut allergy. More specifically, there are times in which I believe she requests things that are too onerous for me to follow.

To start, I do not bring any peanuts or peanut containing products into my home, my roommate has also agreed to not do so either. We do still have may contain warning label products, but that's it. When I fly or eat peanut products (super rare), I will wash hands/brush teeth, change clothes when I return home.

Her allergy is pretty severe, the number of restaurants in our local area that serve absolutely nothing with peanuts in it or fry with peanut oil is very small. Lots of places have like a peanut butter sandwich on the kids menu, or serve a peanut butter milkshake, or have a prepackaged peanut butter brownie, or use a peanut sauce for their salads, or something like that. A ton of places will have literally one menu item with peanuts in it.

Our two disagreements have followed:

Regardless of whether or not I order or eat anything with peanuts: If I go to a restaurant without her where peanut products are served, I should not sit in any of the seeds or touch the tables, or if I do, immediately change my clothes and shower upon returning home. I may not sit in her car, or touch anything else in our house.

And,

Again, regardless of whether or not I actually ordered/eat any peanuts: I may not bring home any leftover food prepared in said restaurant.

My argument, is that this unfairly places a burden on me that also limits me to only the restaurants that she can eat at because I'm not going to order food and not touch any of the furniture and not bring any leftovers home, Even if, as I mentioned before, I don't actually eat or order any peanuts.

Furthermore, I said if I'm out and about in public and I sit on a park bench, or on a bus seat or at my work, I have no idea if someone else who has touched peanuts has also touched that item.

(Literally One time I did watch a man make a peanut butter sandwich on the bus. Her reaction when I told her? I guess I can't ride the bus anymore. And I'm like people have been doing this forever, the only difference is now you know about it.)

Also, I have a roommate as I mentioned before. He already agreed to not bring home peanut containing products, I cannot possibly police him to the degree she wants.

Her argument is that I should just do what is most likely going to reduce her allergy risk. And that if I didn't want to follow it and she just wouldn't come over to my house anymore. As it is, she and I will clean off all of my countertops etc when she does come over.

I acknowledged to her that her allergy is very significant, but I believed she was letting her anxiety lead her to create excessive safety rituals that might not be evidence based.

To me, I just don't think what she is asking is a fair expectation to place, and feels unduly burdensome, where I feel I am already being accommodating. But that's why I'm reaching out.

Who, if either of us, is being unreasonable here? Is there any documentation one way or another about such a cross cross contamination risk?

Thank you for your time.

I wanted to share my experience as a warning to others with severe allergies.

I have a diagnosed anaphylactic allergy to nuts and sesame and am usually very careful with what I consume. I eat products with “may contain” warnings regularly and have never had an issue before.

However, I recently had a serious allergic reaction requiring hospital treatment after eating Koko Black milk chocolate (Easter bunny product).

I had eaten the same product from a different pack the day before with no reaction, but this occurred after opening a new pack/batch. This has raised concerns for me about potential cross-contamination and batch inconsistency.

I understand that “may contain” warnings exist, but this experience highlights how unpredictable exposure can be and how severe the consequences are for people with allergies.

If you have a serious allergy, I would strongly recommend exercising extreme caution with these products, even if you have previously tolerated them.

I honestly don’t know if I’m overreacting anymore or if this is as insane as it feels.

I have a severe, *carry-an-epipen-at-all-times*, “a trace could send me to the hospital” level peanut allergy. This isn’t something I casually mentioned once either, it’s documented with HR, my team knows, and I’ve reminded people multiple times because… you kind of have to when it can literally kill you.

I’ve worked at this company for 8 years, and this coworker has been here for 7 years, so this isn’t a situation where we barely know each other or she somehow forgot. We’ve worked side by side for a long time. Also, this isn’t some big corporation with hundreds of employees. There are literally only 10 people working here. It’s a small, shared environment, which makes this feel even more unavoidable.

She regularly brings in a jar of peanut butter and just… leaves it open on her desk. Not even loosely closed. Fully open. Sometimes with a spoon sticking out of it. And we work in a SAME office space, just us 2.

I’ve brought it up politely more than once. I said something like, “Hey, I have a severe allergy, would you mind keeping that sealed and maybe stored away?” She always says “yeah, sure,” but nothing changed.

Because of this, over the past 6 weeks I’ve started bringing wipes and spray every day to clean my desk, chair, computer, basically anything I might touch. Not because I want to, but because I feel like I have to. Now it’s somehow turned into a joke in the office that I have “OCD.” I don’t. This only started because I’m trying not to end up in the hospital. Also I don’t really like people joking about things like OCD, its just not appropriate.

The latest incident was yesterday. She moved her peanut butter into the communal kitchen and left it on the shelf where everyone’s food goes, and it had leaked down the side and onto the shelf. I pointed it out to her and said, “Hey, your peanut butter has leaked onto the shelf.” She said sorry and that she’d clean it up (she did) , but some coworkers overheard and started joking that my “OCD is so bad” that I’m asking other people to clean up their messes.

At this point I just felt angry. I’m not trying to control anyone, I’m trying to stay safe. It’s getting to the point where my anxiety is so high that I’ve been waking up in the mornings dreading going to work. That’s not normal for me, and it’s directly because I don’t feel safe in my own workplace.

And yes, I have reported this to HR on multiple occasions. What happens is she’ll stop bringing it in for a few days… and then it slowly starts again like nothing ever happened.

**ALSO… her son also has a severe peanut allergy**.

She of all people should understand how serious this is. The anxiety, the constant awareness. But at work she acts like it’s no big deal, and now other coworkers are turning it into a joke. Now I find myself constantly on edge, wiping down surfaces, avoiding shared areas (basically isolating myself), and feeling unsafe in a place I have to be every day.

I don’t want to escalate things, but I also don’t want to end up in the hospital because someone couldn’t screw a lid back on, or because people think this is all just me being “OCD.”

Am I tempted to pretend I have ‘accidentally’ touched her peanut butter to prove a point… is that wrong for thinking this is a good idea?

This fear has completely overtaken my life. I cannot eat, i cannot peacefully sleep, i cannot enjoy any sort of activity, nor can i just simply exist. I am in a constant state of either unease or full blown panic all the time. Just a heads up, alot of this is fully devoid of logic and Im aware.

I cannot eat any sort of food, it doesnt matter if ive made it myself , if its completely certified allergen free, or if ive eated my whole life from childhood til now with zero issues, it results in panick , anxiety. It doesnt matter if I reassure myself with complete logic , the end is always the same. I absolutely love food, I eat everything i can. I used to eat out restaurants all the time, excited to try new foods, never had issues or close calls nor have I ever had to use my epi, and now i sleep with my epi pen out of pure fear and I feel as if my mouth and throat are itching constantly even if i havent eaten in a full 24 hours.

Every time I eat food one of the three things happens, I have the feeling of being winded, something starts itching, or I get a lump in my throat ( It never actually impacts my breathing), none of which actually persist after 10 mins and all end IMMENSE panic. It doesnt matter that nothing ends up happening because the next day I fear the same exact safe food as if i didnt safely consume it yesterday. When i read packages i dont go " okay it only says contains soy and milk, which are safe for me" i instead go "What if im allergic to soy and I dont know it " which usually ends up with me not eating anything at all.

I carry my epi pen with me on walks because im afraid my seasonal allergies might set me off, which has led me to no longer leave my house. Its ruined family outings, i dont eat out with them anymore , i dont go on walks, none of it. I mean this morning i panicked because i thought the very deodorant that ive worn everyday, would give me a reaction. Its completely unreasonable.

Its on my mind constantly,not a second goes by that im not worried about it. Nothing helps, gaming, tv, tiktok, drawing, talking. Nothing, often times I completely zone out into this blurry anxiety filled world while doing something.

Im honestly not sure how long i can keep this up, i want to go back to normal but I have to wait weeks for a doctors appointment, and finding a psychiatrist and then finding the payment for therapy , theres just so much that leads up to a month of work. Ive looked into Xolaire, but im afraid of the blood clot and cardiac risks just as much as this.

I havent been comfortable or content in months, I miss being happy. Please if anyone has dealt with anything similar.

Hello. Would like to find a product that keeps EpiPens in the recommended “ room temp” temp range even in the hot summer. Can find plenty of products for refrigerated meds such as insulin, but can’t find anything to keep it at room temp. Products, hacks, etc all appreciated!!

Context: Trying to get a hold of someone at a restaurant that I just placed a pickup order at, to let them know I have a peanut allergy.

They didn't accept notes in Doordash hence me calling.

Except that location sent me to voicemail 3x 🫩 tried calling the same restaurant but a different location and they picked up

Me: Hi I have a peanut allergy can you please let them know

Guy: Yes I'll let them know. But just so you know there are peanuts, ground peanuts, on the line so cross contamination will be a risk. Also the spring rolls come with a peanut sauce.

Me: Okay 🫩 [wasn't in the mood to argue so I said the cc is fine, also I was really hangry lol I just needed sometjing in my stomach so I don't pass out]

can you tell them at least don't put the peanut sauce in with the meal

Guy: Yes

**Begin rant**

Number 1: whyyyYyyyyyyy is that not stated on the menu that it comes with peanut sauce !! ARGH I'm sick of restaurants not stating major allergens on the menu

Number 2: WHY DON'T THEY LET ME ADD NOTES TO THE ORDER!!!! I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt that maybe they didn't know that was an option on Doordash.

But also could be off because other customers have abused it in the past and they got sick of it and turned it off. But then that ruins it for people that REALLY NEED TO ADD NOTES TO INFORM THEM OF AN ALLERGY

Number 3: Every single time restaurants tell me cross contamination is a risk and there's nothing they can do all I hear is EXCUSES

They don't feel like cleaning surfaces/utensils and changing gloves so that my body doesn't fuckin explode

Okay I get it when it gets busy ain't no time for all that but wouldn't they rather at least TRY to accommodate allergy sufferers and show they care by saying something like I'll change my gloves like

I was at an ice cream shop a few weeks ago and the lady said on her own that shes gonna use new gloves like I don't even care to ask anymore cause I'm tired of restaurants having us as an afterthought but when she said that I was like dang this should be the norm not us trying to chase them down and beg them to not kill us

Speaking of which I need to leave a glowing review for that shop cause no one is that thoughtful anymore I s2g

Number 4: bRO why did i get sent to VOICEMAIL what the hell how is that gonna help anyone when you block notes and you're probably already making my order ARRRRRGHHHHHHHHHH

I couldn't even tell if their phone was connected cause it just played music for me for a minute and then sent me to voicemail

I've been trying to get a hold of someone ANYONE to talk to at this organization in my state cause I saw they do a lot of volunteering events and lobbying for peanut allergy-related issues BUT NO ONE HAS RESPONDED TO MY EMAILS, THE VOICEMAIL BOX IS FULL AND THE LAST POST ON THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE WAS LAST YEAR

I really want to make it a mandate starting locally, then statewide and hopefully nationally that TOP ALLERGENS NEED TO BE DECLARED ON THE MENU

AND IF SOMEONE SAYS THEY HAVE AN ALLERGY YOU NEED TO MAKE REASOMABLE ACCOMODATJONS TO NOT CROSS CONTAMINATE but I CAN'T CHANGE ALL THAT BY MYSELF AND NO ONE AT THIS GOTDAM ORG IS ANSWERING ARRRRGHHHHHHH🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

I came here to vent cause my usual venting group there's a guy that worked in food service a lot and I vented about it one time and bro said everytime someone brought up an allergy we had to change gloves

LIKE BOO FUCKIN HOO I feel so BAD for you that YOU HAD TO TAKE 10 SECONDS OUT OF YOUR DAY TO REMOVE FLOVES FROM BOTH HANDS, TRASH THEM, AND GRAB ANOTHER PAIR OF GLOVES FROM THE GLOVE BOX OH YOUR LIFE MUST BE SO HARD

I ate at a restaurant a while back and puked my guts out cause the curry had peanuts. I didn't tell them I had a peanut allergy BUT there were some menu items (apparently NOT ALL) that clearly stated it had peanuts.

So I thought i would have been fine with what I ordered thinking they clearly had their menu labeled.

spoiler alert i was not fine

So I chewed out the restaurant owner and told her bro you need to put this shit on your menu and she tried to gaslight me talkin bout "oh but you're not really allergic cause you ate other stuff and you were fine??" BITCH tf idc about the other food the issue was YOU WERENT CONSISTENT WITH YOUR MENU DESCRIPTIONS

One of the staff came over after the phone call ended (she was standing nearby cause she had given me the phone initially to talk to the owner and heard everything) and was so nice to me and said I was right that the menu should have been consistent and I have a right to be scared and she's sorry for the owner's response and all that

And that was all I wanted was some empathy and that they'll do better but idfk what the bitch ass owner was on some crack for sure

I'M TIRED GRANDPA

ALLERGIES SHOULD NOT BE AN AFTERTHOUGHT AND RESTAURANT OWNERS AND STAFF NEED TO DO BETTER AND START CARING

End rant

Thank you for coming to my tedtalk🫩

Any recommendations for peanut and nut free restaurants, or places where they take allergies seriously and you felt safe eating there?

I just need fast food/snacks to bring while I’m on the road I’m located in the mid west ND,SD,MN,WS around there I just need food I’ve had a eating disorder because of the allergy and it’s getting to the point where I can barely pick up my son anymore without getting nauseous and light headed. My main thing is the panic of eating something new or different it sends me into a flurry anything helps please

Well, I had high hopes for positive news regarding my allergy test, but unfortunately, I received the disheartening news that my allergy level remains “level 2” to all nuts and shellfish. This is incredibly upsetting, and I’m at a loss for how much longer I can cope with my food anxiety. I feel terrible because my wife is Vietnamese, and her family eagerly wants me to try their traditional cuisines. I genuinely want to do so, but my anxiety physically prevents me from doing so because it’s not on my comfort food list. I’m terrified of having another anaphylactic episode. My anxiety has taken over my life, and I’m at a loss for how to overcome it. I feel like I’m holding my wife back from enjoying the foods she desires, and it’s embarrassing when everyone else is eating while I’m not because of my anxiety. I’ve had accidental nut ingestion before without any adverse effects, but my anxiety still controls my life. Food is supposed to be a source of comfort, not a trigger for full-blown panic attacks in public. I only pray that I’ll eventually overcome this challenge, and anyone who’s going through the same thing will find a way to do so as well.

I have had a severe peanut allergy since I was a baby. My older sibling had a nut allergy so my parents decided to test me as well. Because of this I did not eat nuts for the first 15 years of my life until I got tested again and saw I was now only allergic to peanuts. However my reaction to peanuts is very severe. Doctors have told me that I will most likely not get results from the medical trials and exposure. He said the best possible outcome is that I will not have a life threatening reaction from 0.1 gram. I have always known my allergy is severe but I never have really known what exactly would happen except that I would stop breathing. I know this is a case by case basis but I am really curious and want to learn more about my allergies

I have wiped down the area twice with dish soap and hot water and then followed up with a sanitising wipe. I don't believe she has a severe allergy but I would like to treat it is as such just in case.

Is there anything else I can do to ensure no contamination?

Hi everyone,

I have a severe peanut allergy and like to think I'm a pretty well experienced traveller, having travelled through various continents now with only (probably still too many) 2 allergic reactions...

While I was in Guatemala I had a bit of a scare when the Spanish word I had learned for peanut was not the same, I later realised that there are 3 different words for peanut across Spain, Mexico and then the rest of Latin America...

I am working on a passion project I am incredibly proud of, allowing users to create digital allergy translation cards, add them to apple wallet for quick access, and also access emergency SOS translations for quick help. One of my favourite features is localising translations, for example allowing allergy cards for Spain and Guatemala seperately, and using the correct translations for that region (I can't find a single other app or physical card like this).

Any feedback or suggestions regarding this idea would be very very welcome! Also really happy to collaborate and work with a community to build something very useful for allergy (and other dietary requirement) sufferers!

Do you have any travel horror stories with your allergies? Could an app have solved the problem?

I know people don't want to be bombarded with promotions so I'm not going to add a link here but if someone wants access to just let me know and I'll share! I currently have a live version but I am in the process of adding professional and native speaker verified translations for each language/country as we speak.

Ben (fellow peanut allergy sufferer!)

My 6-year-old daughter is allergic to cashews and pistachios. She has had reactions to both before, and her allergy testing for those was strongly positive.

She recently had testing for other tree nuts too:

- Walnut blood test was barely positive, but skin test was negative

- Pecan blood test was negative, but skin test had a very small reaction

- Allergist said walnut and pecan may actually be safe to try

We are nervous about introducing them and wanted to hear from other parents.

Has anyone had a child allergic to cashews/pistachios but NOT allergic to walnuts or pecans? Did your child pass a food challenge or tolerate them fine?

Just looking for others’ experiences before we decide what to do.

Parents, how did you introduce peanuts to your baby while being mindful of your own severe allergy. Did you combine peanuts with any specific foods? Did you have someone else give them peanuts?

My plan is to have my partner do this at our neighbor’s house in order to keep our home peanut free. However, this doesn’t seem sustainable if my baby is not allergic and would need to eat it more often.

Hello everyone, I have a peanut allergy and use to live traveling when I was younger. When I think about traveling I get sick.

So, I have decided that I can’t live like this, I need to take control of this instead of it controlling me. So, I have been doing therapy with a person who specializes in allergy anxiety.

We just barely started exposure therapy, so I won’t be able to eat out…working on it… so I will be packing lunch.

It still just makes me nervous like this huge city and I have an allergic reaction will they get to me in time.

If I think about eating out, do you all have any recommendations.

I hope I am making a good choice, I am excited but also nervous.

Thanks for any recommendations or helpful info/reassurance you can give.

I just found out I have a peanut allergy in my 30s. I’ve never had a severe reaction and have eaten peanut butter and peanuts occasional throughout my life. Has anyone else been in a similar situation?