'In minutes my neck doubled in size and I had hives all over my body'

Published on Saturday 18 July 2009 19:46

FOR the parents of a child with a nut allergy, every shopping trip requires extra vigilance to avoid the danger of a serious reaction.

Mhairi Aitken, from Forfar, Angus, was just three when her parents found out she had a serious allergy to nuts.

"I was at a friend's house and there were peanuts on the table. I didn't know I was allergic at that point so I tried a peanut and within a few minutes my lips went really puffy, my neck doubled in size and I had hives all over my body.

"I was just really sleepy and my breathing was difficult as well.

"My mum and dad did not know what was happening and they were worried."

Mhairi, now 16, was taken to the doctors and given steroids to combat the reaction and was diagnosed with a nut allergy.

She suffered her second attack at the age of four.

"I was at my auntie's and there was a chocolate biscuit which had peanuts on top of it but was covered in chocolate so I didn't realise it had peanuts on it.

"I had that and then the same thing happened again. I took one bite of it and straight away my lips started tingling. I told my mum and took my inhaler and then we went to the hospital because we knew the same thing was happening again."

Through careful management of her allergy and avoiding any contact with food containing nuts, Mhairi has not had any further attacks.

"I have got used to it now and when we go shopping it's just a case of checking and double checking ingredients.

"If we buy something regularly we still have to check the ingredients because the packaging changes and where it's made changes."

But Mhairi is still wary of the chances that she might come into contact with nuts again, and carries around a supply of antihistamine tablets and an adrenaline pen in case she needs it.

"I think about it all the time. We're going on holiday and that's always a bit worrying being on the plane because people have nuts around. It's constant thinking of what-ifs."

Her mother, Linda, said:

"We just have to be very vigilant and checking everything all the time, even regular stuff. If there is a chance of nuts we always avoid it. We may be overly cautious at times but that is just the way we are and the way we have to be."