Pecans are a No Go...

Isla tried pecans yesterday. It was interesting to watch because she has loved every nut we've tried so far, and willingly put the pecan half in her mouth, but made the most terrible face as soon as she chewed it.
She really seemed to hate it, which is interesting for her, since she is such a foodie. She held the chewed up pecan in her mouth for about 10 minutes and finally swallowed it after I gave her some M&Ms to eat with it.
About 20 minutes later she started crying and a bout 20 minutes after that she became very flushed and got some hives on her face (these were different than her pinprick rash - more like mosquito bites).
The hives went away after a few hours, but I noticed a few on her torso later that day and this morning. If it weren't for the fact that they came & went & then popped up someplace new I would have thought they were bug bites. She also broke out in her diaper area.

I honestly didn't process it as a reaction because she's never had "large" (for her) hives. I talked to Andrew about it last night & we decided to check in with the allergist. I called today and they told us to strictly avoid all pecans & we will be discussing other tree nuts. Although children can have much more significant reactions to that much nut, it is considered a significant reaction for such a small amount, especially for her 1st exposure. As I already know, allergies can get worse with exposure, so no more pecans for Isla. On a side note, the allergist said it is common for children to have a strong distaste for food they are allergic too.

I felt pretty depressed this afternoon, but I'm already feeling better. Pecans (& tree nuts in general) are so much easier to avoid than other things we've dealt with & we've been avoiding them until now anyways, so things won't really change much. I remember thinking that I couldn't live without nuts when she was 1st diagnosed, but in reality, it hasn't been an issue at all. I really never miss them.

The most stressful aspect of allergies is social events where we don't have control over food prep and even when she has reacted in these situations, it has been minor and manageable.