How severe is a walnut allergy?

[JoySmith]

Today I had some ice cream that had walnuts in it. In the past I've had nothing more than itchy lips and throat. Today, however, my symptoms were vastly different. With in 30 minutes of ingesting 2 spoonfuls of the ice cream I experienced the following:

*itchy face, eyes, throat, neck and ears
*itchy, swollen lips
*oral ulcerations
*itchy, swollen and later numb tongue
*numb hard and soft pallet
*nausea
*headache
*tightness in chest

I know that each allergy has it's different ratings. Based on what I've shared ... how severe is this?

[RyansGrandma]

Several years ago my friend made a walnut cake-  not 10 minutes later, my throat closed-   rushed to hospital- given a shot- Dr said NEVER touch a walnut again-  some so badly allergic to-   so, if we are out, I always ask HOSTS what is in a dish--

[FurballsMom]

Oh, my!  Not knowing the icecream had walnuts in it.  That's what I was talking about when I was mentioning being aware of what's in your food.  From now on you will have to be even more vigilant than ever.

The severity of the allergy to walnuts varies from person to person.  But, I do know that allergies to walnuts is more common than I thought it was 'til I read some information about it recently.  To be on the safe side, you need to avoid all nuts, because of something called cross reactions.  If you're allergic to one kind of nut, then in all liklihood you're allergic to all kinds of nuts.

[JoySmith]

In all honesty, I had no clue there were walnuts in the ice cream until after my second or third bite. It's something his father handed me not realizing that I'm allergic to nuts. Until this incident I've managed to avoid walnuts and pecans for the past 6 years knowing that I don't like having an itchy and sore mouth.

My body's reaction surprised me, and I was even more surprised when the pharmacist who helped me open the Benedryl because my hands were shaking too much suggested that we watch my breathing and he was prepared to call an ambulance and even pulled out an Eppipen just in case. So ... that's why I was asking how severe this allergy is.

[FurballsMom]

If you know you're allergic and you're reaction is worse than you've had it before, then I would steer clear of walnuts all together.  I would also consider that there are cross reactions shared with other tree nuts.  I don't have this severe of reactions from walnuts, but bad enough that I don't want to risk it.  I have the same reaction with all nuts.  Peanuts are technically an underground legume, but there is still a cross reaction between tree nuts and peanuts.  I react worse to peanuts than I do tree nuts.

Since you didn't mention going to the emergency room or going in an ambulance, that's a good thing, BUT since your reaction was worse than you ever had before, you're at greater risk of having a life-threatening reaction.  Your symptoms are mildly anaphylactic already.  You should definitely avoid all nuts in the future.

You should also make an appointment with your doctor to discuss your symptoms.  Your doctor should be made aware of the reaction you had.  Your doctor will help you decide if you should be carrying an epipen to use in case of emergency.  When eating away from home, you must now be very aware of what is in your foods.  Be careful about which oils your salad dressings are made from.  Some foods may not contain actual nut ingredients, but they are made on equipment that has processed nuts.  You should definitely have a thorough discussion with your doctor, so you'll know what else you need to be aware of.  From your list of symptoms, I can see that your reactions are worse than mine.  

You don't need to be alarmed, but you do need to be aware, because your next reaction could be much worse.

I didn't used to have sensitivities to nuts and peanuts, but now I get a little bit sick, so I know that the reactions can become worse in the future from personal experience.  I used to be able to have all the nuts I wanted to, but now I get symptoms in my throat that scare me.  I really don't want to risk anaphylaxic shock, so I steer clear of nuts.  You need to be even more aware than I do.

If you're not allergic to Benadryl, taking Benadryl will help alleviate your symptoms.