Posted: 7/30/2010 12:46:28 AM EDT
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Gents,
Had a scare today. My 3 year old son was on a school field trip to Chucky Cheese in Richmond. This is about an hour from home. While getting back on the bus, he started to get hives, swell up, and his tongue began to swell and stuck out of his mouth. He had trouble breathing. They drove him around the block (literally) to a very good hospital, where the ER had him fixed up before either my ex-wife or I could get there. He's ok, laughing, playing, and being silly again. We've gotten prescriptions for Epi-Pen Jr's, and my ex-wife's gonna fill them tomorrow (she's a PharmD). Haven't really come to any good survival conclusions yet, other than I've been an EMT for 10 years, and seen a few people in anaphylactic shock. It comes on very fast, and the airway can be physically closed off (even to the point where intubation is difficult) in a short period of time (think minutes) If you or a loved one has an allergy, have Epi-Pens or some other medicine availalble. Even if no one you know does, you may be near others who do. Or, a previously unknown allergy may pop up. If you have an advanced first aid kit, beg borrow or steal an Epi Pen. I have one in my monster first aid kit, but it's in the shed right now. I didn't have a Jr Pen in there, but I will now. If you only have a basic kit, throw some Benadryl in there. It's better than nothing, that and some Prednisone were all he needed. This time. I was scared shitless, my little man couldn't breathe and I was an hour away. |
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What do you mean by " in the shed ", if in Virginia it is to hot to be stored in a shed, must be kept cool.
You and only you are in charge. 1) school nurse.....idiot or not, find out. part time or full time, find out. travels to every school in the area as needed, find out. ..............Has the nurse been trained on epi pens, find out........auto injectors are all different, they (the manufacturer)will send YOU a training DVD & a empty training pen. ...................YOU MAY NEED TO TRAIN THE NURSE............YOU MAY NEED TO TRAIN THE NURSE......... Get the nurses cell phone # and make sure your phone numbers on on all medicine 2) teachers and teachers aids SAME AS ABOVE, GET INVOLVED 3) make a card of all the local hospitals and keep it in juniors backpack 4) make a card of all the local pharmacies and keep in in juniors backpack, stapled to a current prescription. 5 What is junior allergic to ? 6) get a rubber stamp made that reads SEVERE ALLERGIC REACTIONS and stamp all permission slips for class trips, you will need this for the next 15 years. 7) each allergic episode may be more severe than the previous one. 8) You must get in peoples faces, talk to trip chaperon's, tell them to watch out for red face, swollen lips, sweating............MOST PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA AND HAVE NO TRAINING...YOU ARE IN CHARGE |
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What do you mean by " in the shed ", if in Virginia it is to hot to be stored in a shed, must be kept cool. You and only you are in charge. 1) school nurse.....idiot or not, find out. part time or full time, find out. travels to every school in the area as needed, find out. ..............Has the nurse been trained on epi pens, find out........auto injectors are all different, they (the manufacturer)will send YOU a training DVD & a empty training pen. ...................YOU MAY NEED TO TRAIN THE NURSE............YOU MAY NEED TO TRAIN THE NURSE......... Get the nurses cell phone # and make sure your phone numbers on on all medicine 2) teachers and teachers aids SAME AS ABOVE, GET INVOLVED 3) make a card of all the local hospitals and keep it in juniors backpack 4) make a card of all the local pharmacies and keep in in juniors backpack, stapled to a current prescription. 5 What is junior allergic to ? 6) get a rubber stamp made that reads SEVERE ALLERGIC REACTIONS and stamp all permission slips for class trips, you will need this for the next 15 years. 7) each allergic episode may be more severe than the previous one. 8) You must get in peoples faces, talk to trip chaperon's, tell them to watch out for red face, swollen lips, sweating............MOST PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA AND HAVE NO TRAINING...YOU ARE IN CHARGE I second the above. You need to find out what caused the reaction, and rubber stamp that on all permission slips as well. I am amazed at how many sheeple have no fucking clue to any medical emergency. Read the drowning thread... Ops |
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Glad your son is OK.
Good thing the adults had the sense to go directly to the hospital. Six years ago I had a very nice reaction to tree nuts, and almost bought the farm. Sad thing, I already had an Epipen for bee stings, but had no clue I was so close. Luckily I knew it was some form of reaction, and drank a few swigs of liquid benedryl we had on hand and headed to the hospital. The ER doc asked why I didn't use my pen. Won't make that mistake again... I had NEVER had any reaction prior to treenuts, and had actually eaten them quite regularly... IMHO a bottle of the liquid would be a good addition to the house med cabinet, as well as in the kit. This would be in addition to capsules for less severe allergic episodes. Nice things too about the liquid, makes a good sedative/sleep agent. NOTE- I'd asked my doc about good-past-exp-date. He said as long as it is still clear it is good. I still prefer to have fresh. |
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I was scared shitless, my little man couldn't breathe and I was an hour away. I'm glad to hear your little guy is OK. 
Food for thought: might want to consider keeping two epi-pens everywhere you keep pens stashed. Sometimes the reaction can rebound when the epi wears off and if you're still a distance away from definitive medical care, you'll be thankful to have a second pen available. There's a pen on the market that has two doses on board, Twinject, but having two standard pens on hand accomplishes the same thing. |
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Glad to hear your little man is OK. In the ER I deal with reactions all the time, children are the scariest, and you really have to bring your '"A" game.
I have even caused a few reactions myself when giving medications. Before you give any med, you ask "Are you allergic to any medications?" Most often the answer is "no", and once in a while it is followed a couple of minutes later by "well you are now"  (this said as you are injecting the eppi).
No matter how many times you see it, it is still a pretty frightening site. The skin goes red and blotchy, the lips and tongue swell. And it all happens very quickly. You can loose the airway in a matter of minutes. Lots of good advice from posters about keeping several eppi pens and Benadryl on hand and in several locations. Good advice on making sure the right people at the little guy's school have what they need on hand and know what to do with it. stasiman |
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http://www.survivalblog.com/2010/06/treatment_of_allergic_reaction.html
interesting read on this topic. |
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If you or a loved one has an allergy, have Epi-Pens or some other medicine and Benedryl availalble. The epi-pen just tries to buy you time. Once it's in, get antihistamines in as well! (You know that, but I thought I'd add it for others) Just be aware there is no studies showing Benedryl (or steriods) improves the outcome of anaphylaxis patients. Logic says it should, and without a doubt it will improved the non life threatening symptoms (eg hives,) but there is no evidence it affects the anaphylatic shock (the low blood pressure and constriction of the bronchi). This is why an Epi pen doesn't come with Benedryl- without evidence you can't market Benedryl as a drug for anaphylaxis. (Don't mention the Anakit, the got away with including chewable chloratriminiton, but thats off the market.) Now no one will say don't give Benedryl, but Epi is the life saving medication, and Benedryl, steriods, oxygen and IV fluids are supporting therapy. Also remember that anaphylaxis isn't fatal necessaraly fatal without treatment. By all means give Epi, by all means transport the patient. But don't give up hope if help is a long way away. |
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In 2001 I had a severe allergic reaction to fish. I have a food allergy to fish (NOT shellfish). Catfish, Salmon, Trout and Flounder seem to cause the most reaction.
I ordered crab cakes - specifically asking if it was 100% crab meat. I was assured yes. I was lied to. It came on within minutes. My mouth and esophagus felt like I had just swallowed acid. I had hives coming up all over my body. My tongue started to swell. Luckily, there was a Walgreens across the street and I was able to get some Benadryl in me. I was rushed to the hospital - it was a 5 - 10 minute ride. By the time I got there I could barely breathe and my vision was getting quite blurry. I was immediately taken to the ER and administered an Epi-Pen injection. I was kept for the next 10 hours for observation. I was on oxygen for about 8 hours and was pumped full of prednisone. I also got a prescription for it for a week. I really thought I was going to die. I got myself tested so I would know exactly what I was allergic to. I got a prescription for epi-pens. And I carry 2 with me at all times. I carry Benadryl (both tablet and dissolving strip form). As noted above - do not depend on others to know what to do for your child. Have a plan and a back-up plan. Keep all emergency numbers close at hand. My son was born 7 weeks ago - and the fact that I have such bad allergies (bot seasonal and food) really concerns me. I pray he doesn't suffer with the same allergies that I do. |
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Just wanted to let us adults know that you CAN develop new allergies later in life.
A few years ago, I started getting hives/anaphalxis/swelling for no appraent reason. Happened 3-4 times in a few months. My Doc had me keep a diary of everything I ate, and we found the culprit was RAW APPLES. I have eaten raw apples all my life, but in my lat3 '40s I developed an allergy to them. My doctor told me he had developed an anaphalaxys to Tylenol in his niddle age. So be aware it can happen. |
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If you or a loved one has an allergy, have Epi-Pens or some other medicine and Benedryl availalble. The epi-pen just tries to buy you time. Once it's in, get antihistamines in as well! (You know that, but I thought I'd add it for others) Just be aware there is no studies showing Benedryl (or steriods) improves the outcome of anaphylaxis patients. Logic says it should, and without a doubt it will improved the non life threatening symptoms (eg hives,) but there is no evidence it affects the anaphylatic shock (the low blood pressure and constriction of the bronchi). This is why an Epi pen doesn't come with Benedryl- without evidence you can't market Benedryl as a drug for anaphylaxis. (Don't mention the Anakit, the got away with including chewable chloratriminiton, but thats off the market.) Now no one will say don't give Benedryl, but Epi is the life saving medication, and Benedryl, steriods, oxygen and IV fluids are supporting therapy. Also remember that anaphylaxis isn't fatal necessaraly fatal without treatment. By all means give Epi, by all means transport the patient. But don't give up hope if help is a long way away. Yep, epinephrine is the drug of choice for use in anaphalactic reactions. Epinephrine performs multiple actions inside the body which both stop the continued release of histamine, counteract bronchoconstriction, as well as constricting the vasculature to increase blood pressure. In an anaphalactic reaction there is no substitute for epinephrine. |
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I "used" to have allergic events, hives, swelling of hands and feet, etc. I went to a specialist after the 1st event and he sent me to have tests completed. Came back I was allergic to shellfish. Well that test was wrong, eat shellfish before and continue to do so. I would have a reaction about every two years and could not pinpoint the source. After 15 years, I had to go to an ER on a business trip. When I returned home, I noticed a large blister, size of a quarter, on my temple. So had my doc look at it, he sent me to another specialist that day. The new doc looked at the blister and went out to get a big book of pictures and related descriptions of skin conditions.
I finally found the source....ibuprofen and/or acetaminophen, generally the drug class of NSAIDs. Looking back to the first reaction, it happened after a few days of taking a large dose of Motrin following wisdom tooth removal. The very last reaction I related to taking something for a headache. After finding and eliminating the source, I have not had one reaction since. I can only take aspirin or a narcotic for pain. |
| Forgot to mention the active ingredient in Primatine mist is epinephrine and if I remember right it has 0.22mg mg of epi in each metered dose. The epi-pen delivers 0.3 mg of epi and the jr delivers 0.15mg. Most inhaled medications require a higher dosage than injected medications and that discussion should be had with your physician. Might be something worth having a few bottles of and is available over the counter. |
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Forgot to mention the active ingredient in Primatine mist is epinephrine and if I remember right it has 0.22mg mg of epi in each metered dose. The epi-pen delivers 0.3 mg of epi and the jr delivers 0.15mg. Most inhaled medications require a higher dosage than injected medications and that discussion should be had with your physician. Might be something worth having a few bottles of and is available over the counter. I have no idea how effective this is, but the USFS used to include Epi Inhallers in there first aid kits for the reason. They also included chewable chloratrimiton (not Benedryl) with them. |
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Just wanted to let us adults know that you CAN develop new allergies later in life. A few years ago, I started getting hives/anaphalxis/swelling for no appraent reason. Happened 3-4 times in a few months. My Doc had me keep a diary of everything I ate, and we found the culprit was RAW APPLES. I have eaten raw apples all my life, but in my lat3 '40s I developed an allergy to them. My doctor told me he had developed an anaphalaxys to Tylenol in his niddle age. So be aware it can happen. Quite true. I had taken Augmentin at least 10 times without any problems over the course of my life. Last time I took it, it almost killed me. I was fading in and out of consciousness en-route to the ER within 25 minutes of taking the first dose of Augmentin. |
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My little boy had a reaction to peanut butter, face and mouth swelled, hard to breath, gave him benadryl and got him to the ER. went to the alergist the next day and found out he was allergic to peanuts and eggs. and several dust's and pollens. have several epipen jr.s now
if you havent already you need to get him to an alergist to be tested and find out what he is allergic to, you may even consider alergy shots as it will cure the allergy in some folks, |
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My little boy had a reaction to peanut butter, face and mouth swelled, hard to breath, gave him benadryl and got him to the ER. went to the alergist the next day and found out he was allergic to peanuts and eggs. and several dust's and pollens. have several epipen jr.s now if you havent already you need to get him to an alergist to be tested and find out what he is allergic to, you may even consider alergy shots as it will cure the allergy in some folks, Most of the children I have encountered with peanut allergies get real bad, real fast. I had one that played with another kid that ate a PBJ sandwhich and had a reaction. As an aside, some folks with egg allergies don't do well with some vaccinations. |
| ********* Possible cause may have been an allergy to soy, which is found in sausage and maybe pepperoni on pizzas. My brother-in-law is allergic to soy and has reactions similiar to the one the OP described. Soy is used in lots of things, like even cream of mushroom condensed soup. |
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I was scared shitless, my little man couldn't breathe and I was an hour away. I'm glad to hear your little guy is OK.
Food for thought: might want to consider keeping two epi-pens everywhere you keep pens stashed. Sometimes the reaction can rebound when the epi wears off and if you're still a distance away from definitive medical care, you'll be thankful to have a second pen available. There's a pen on the market that has two doses on board, Twinject, but having two standard pens on hand accomplishes the same thing. Feral is spot on. My wife is allergic to fireants and yellowjackets (A big issue if you live in FL) and she keeps 3 epi pens, liquid benadryl, Zyrtec and Claritin. We are uber cautious. However, being out in the middle of nowhere, we may not make it to the hospital by the time the initial dose of epinephrine wears off. A little preparation may save a life one day. Best wishes ot your son, OP. |
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Having allergenic children has been life changing to say the least.
My 6yo son has severe peanut and walnut issues, diagnosted at nine months old, epi-jr's go everywhere with him in a first aid kit with the other items mentioned. 4yo daughter has tested for tree nuts, learning from the first child, we have luckily avoided any reactions with her. Freaking idiot once offered my son a snickers bar, we stated "no thank you - he's allergic to peanuts", dude offered a reese's instead 
Good luck OP - It'll be real difficult letting him out on his own. |