tree nut allergy

magdusia

Just curious, if you are allergic to tree nuts, are you tested for every type of tree nut? (walnuts, almonds, cashews...)

My son has a peanut allergy and i know he's okay with Almonds (he eats them daily) but we've never tried any other nut and my co-worker just told me that his daughter was diagnosed with a cashew nut only but can handle all other tree nuts. 

So if my son was tested for tree nuts, would it have been all types of tree nuts? 

Hope this question makes sense. 

thanks!!!!

terpsfan

I don't think we were tested for EVERY type of tree nut but most of the major ones (almond, pistachio, cashew, walnut)....I don't have the report in front of me to see exactly which but I remember those big ones.  Her initial major reaction (which lead to testing) was cashew and the testing proved positive to almond and pistachio as well...we stay away from all tree nuts now including pine nut (so pesto) and hazelnut stuff.

julandjo

I have a tree nut allergy (but not peanut, which is weird because peanuts bother me way more than tree nuts ever did...).  I was tested for almond, cashew, walnut, pecan, and pistachio.  Only pecan and pistachio were positive, but the allergist told me to avoid all tree nuts regardless.  *shrug*

ZacksBride

my son was tested for peanut, hazel, brazil, almond, cashew, pistachio, pecans walnuts and pine nuts.  he was allergic to all but pecan, walnut, pine nut.  i have no idea how the pedi decided to test for which nuts. 

Court0026

I think DS was tested for about 8 tree nuts.  He did not test positive for all of them, but I know one of the reasons they say to avoid all has to do with the usual cross-contamination.  I know they label a lot of things "tree nuts" and not specifics. 

HazelBee22

Court0026:

I think DS was tested for about 8 tree nuts.  He did not test positive for all of them, but I know one of the reasons they say to avoid all has to do with the usual cross-contamination.  I know they label a lot of things "tree nuts" and not specifics. 

This. I know that a lot of companies process all tree-nuts together because they are lumped under the same allergen statement. Similar I suppose to watching for gluten and the fear that oats are processed on the same equipment as wheat. 

I didn't test positive for all tree-nuts. I usually just avoid all, but occasionally I answer when cashews are calling my name. Macadamias are safe too, but I have no problem avoiding those gross expensive nuggets.

ZacksBride

yeah we were told to avoid all as well, but he has had walnuts without problem, so i will give them to him on occasion.  we do not avoid things that were just made on shared equipment and have never had a problem.

mrs_kelly1014

They don't typically test for all tree nuts.

We know DS is allergic to TNs (both from tests and a reaction when he ate something that sat next to a chicken salad with nuts on a plate when he was very young), and we avoid all TNs with him.

I'm deathly allergic to TNs as well, but not all of them. Walnuts are my worst (anaphylactic reaction with exposure), and cashews, pecans, and some others also cause me to react. However, there are some that I ate without incident for years, although, I'm completely nut free now because my reactions suddenly started getting much more severe a year ago (in the tune of 1+ anaphylactic reaction a day even when I was 'eating' only Neocate Splash... yeah, that was good times - my body was just having rebound reactions).

So, if you know he's not reactive to almonds, there's really no reason to take them away unless you start to get concerned. It's definitely possible to be allergic to some and not others.

magdusia

thank you everyone!

the main reason i asked is that he's been eating almonds like they are going out of style (not in public - i have this "what if someone is allergic to TN like he's allergic to PN) and i had an opportunity to give him a wallnut but i started having a panic attack.  He was tested negative for TNs but then the thought came to my head, what if he's allergic to ONLY wallnuts and he wasn't tested for that particular nut. I think i'm just going to avoid all except for almonds.