Peanut Allergy - No Reaction Yet - Would you carry EpiPen?

First of all you probably need to go back to your allergist and get a comprehensive understanding of all your allergies, the severity of them, and what preventative measures are required. It sounds as though you were not well informed by your doctor. Also, if you have never had a reaction to peanuts what caused you to get an allergy test done? The second thing you might want to consider is a blood (RAST) test and a food challenge to confirm the skin test if you have been eating peanuts without issue in the past. Sometimes the skin test is wrong and it's important to have several types of tests done. Demand a food challenge in the doctor's office and have the allergist watch for reactions. I'm not sure why the allergist would tell you a reaction can sneak up suddenly. If you avoid peanuts and peanut products and products that might have come into contact with peanuts nothing can sneak up on you. However, peanut allergies tend to go from mild to severe and often the reactions worsen over time. You could start off with just a small rash and then years later get a rash and hives and then years after that get swelling in the lips and face. Each reaction tends to be worse than the previous reaction which is why an Epi-pen is recommended. At the very least you should carry Benadryl with you at all times. Google "peanut allergy" and get some tips. There are tonnes of great websites that can help you learn to read labels correctly and avoid peanut products. You can also get some great information about avoiding hidden peanuts and what restaurants are trustworthy and how to be safe in the kitchen. Either way it's a pretty serious allergy and not one you can take lightly.

If your doctor wants you to have an epi-pen, he would have given you a prescription for it. A lot depends on where you live. My brother has severe, life-threatening reactions to certain types of seafood, but he lives in a city and never carries an epi pen. He was a firefighter/paramedic, so he is certainly knowledgeable. If, however, you live in a more rural area, where help would take longer, an epi pen can make the difference as to whether you would get to the hospital alive. What the allergist hasn't told you, however, is your severity of peanut allergy. My cousin's daughter has peanut allergy, but they've never had to be super strict as her reactions are mild. Another child may go into allergic mode just touching peanuts. You are an adult. Have you had serious reactions to food? Peanuts are in a LOT of foods. If not, then your need for an epi pen may be overkill. Life threatening reactions to peanuts is far more common when under the age of 20.

Please, carry the Epipens. They give the paramedics a few extra minutes to get you to hospital. The severity of an allergy to something such as peanuts can change over a few days, for instance I'm allergic to blackberries, there was one day when i was about 14 i hadn't had blackberries for years because i was allergic to them so i decided to see if i was still allergic and ate a handful of them with no reaction whatsoever, the next day when i tried again my throat, mouth and tongue had swollen so much it made breathing harder. Now that i can look back at that day i know i was stupid for even trying to see if i was allergic when i wasn't even carrying my epipens with me and that if the reaction had been worse i would probably have died picking blackberries. Because i'm allergic to raw fruit and vegetables as well as nuts and other foods i carry my epipen around everywhere i go, university, clubs, trips etc. So far i've never had to use my epipen in the 4 years i've had it, but its always reassuring knowing you have them with you. My younger brother is also allergic to nuts, his first reaction wasn't too severe either, however his allergies worsened, and now the number of times his epipen has saved his life makes the effort of carrying around a slightly larger bag for the epipens to fit in is entirely worth it.

the problem with allergies like yours is that your first one may kill you. So you cannot take a chance with your first one, to "to see how you would tolerate it. You can easily forget and consume peanuts by mistake , e.g. in a Chinese take away. Therefore please speak to yourGP and get an epipen and carry it with you always. It may save your life.