Hi Teri -
Sorry to hear about your run-in with cashew nuts. The cashew tree products both a fruit and a nut (basically the nut shell is at the bottom of the "apple" or fruit). The nut shell contains urushiol oil and if improperly opened, the nut itself can be contaminated with urushiol oil. This is likely what happened in your case. Here are a few links to good information about the cashew apple and nut:
I have read of 3 week reactions to eating improperly processed cashews. The prednisone (a steroid) is prescribed to short-circuit the immune system and therefore keep the outbreak to a minimum (of sorts). It may be that you still have time to go for your outbreak. Remember, this is an allergic reaction and as such the outbreaks will vary from person to person and time to time. What the others are seeing may not be typical for you (as you've noticed). If you continue to find that the outbreak is not abating as you expect, you should discuss this with your doctor. |
