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A question about nut allergies....

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happy mommy:
This is about me rather then my kids.  Is it possible to be allergic or sensitive to only one kind of nut?  I've noticed lately that I don't feel as well when I've been eating cashews.  Yet, I seem to be able to pack away the honey roasted peanuts and not feel the same way.  My dad seems to think that if one is allergic to nuts it would be to ALL nuts...but that just doesn't make sense to me. 

Anyone know?

Holly :wink:

Kayna:
I know when testing for nut allergy's there's a Peanut and Tree nut catagory. If one is allergic to peanuts that doesn't necessarily mean an allergy to other nuts. Not sure how the "tree nut" catagory works. A nut allergy can be very serious be very careful if you suspect you've had a reaction. Our allergist told us that reactions can get worse the second, third, etc. time. HTH.

You might also wanna post this on the allergy board. :wink:

happy mommy:
Well I TOTALLY overlooked the allergy board!  Can someone move this or copy it or should I just ask again overthere? 
Here is what I'm experiencing...I've always loved nuts and have never noticed a reaction to any of them.  Earlier this year I started consuming cashews in LARGE quanities cause I like them and I was too busy (lazy) to look for a snack that required more then opening a lid!  In February, allergy season took off big time here...have been told it is one of the worst ever.  My biggest complaint is post nasal drip...it's driving me mad!!!  I've been to the dr. ever so many times for it and finally got on a combination of medicine that seems to do the trick.  One day, a couple months back I was feeling moody wondering if I was ever going to feel normal again when I started thinking about the amount of cashews I'd been eating...in fact I was having them in my chicken fried rice as I was thinking this.  That's when I began to wonder if I wasn't having a bit of a reaction to the nuts.  It causes a thick/almost kind of swollen feeling in my throat....very similar to how the post nasal drip feels.  So I stopped eating them for a few days then tried some again.  My throat felt irritated pretty quickly.   I tried this every few days and experienced pretty much the same thing.  I called my dad, who has some food allergies, to ask his opinion and he thought maybe it was the salt that was irritating me.  I didn't eat any for a couple months...until recently.  I still had some in the house and  wanted them.  They didn't irritate me right away so I kept eating them...for 2 or 3 days I ate them by the handful ( :oops: Okay, I'll confess, I was just eating them out of the jar with a spoon! :oops: )  I've noticed that thick/swollen feeling again.  BUT that could entirely be because I've forgotten to take some of my meds lately...but I thought I'd ask anyway.  When I was taking a break from the cashews I was bienging on honey roasted peanuts and I never felt that way...
I am going to have myself tested for allergies (had it done once when I was a kid) as soon as I feel good enough to go off my meds for a week.  I was supposed to do it in June, but I wasn't ready to stop the meds for that long.  Blech!  I hate having allergies!

Thanks!
Holly :wink:

carolyn:
It sounds to me that you have done a pretty good job of narrowing it down to the cashews.  I would definately lay off them and call the doctor.  The "thickness" in your throat could be a swelling reaction.  You really don't want to mess with that.  Anaphylaxic (sp?) is the reaction that is so dangerous because it swells up your throat and can basically strangle you.  And from what I understand, though I may be mistaken, reactions can worsen the more you are exposed.  So something that used to cause a minor reaction may suddenly be a horrible reaction.

So, drop the spoon and stop eating those cashews!! Call your doctor for an appointment. 

BTW, peanuts are not really nuts; they are legumes, more akin to soy beans than cashews.

happy mommy:
Wow, Carolyn!  Thanks for that!  I had no idea about the peanuts...that's awsome!  So, is it "normal" though to be able to eat something my whole life (I'm 26) and then suddenly begin to have a reaction to it?  I'm thinking to myself now....Is it possible that I've always had a slight reaction to them and just never noticed...and never ate them in large enough quantity to cause a more noticable reaction?  I mean, come on, nuts are kinda on the pricey side so I'm sure my parents didn't let me chow down on 2 pounds of them by myself as a kid...which is pretty much what I'm doing now...2 pounds can be gone in less then a week!!

If the cashews are causing a reaction, should I be weary of other nuts...like almonds and walnuts?

Thanks again!

Holly :wink:

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