I hope I am not jinxing myself by putting this in writing, but we have gone 1 year without an allergic reaction in our house! Last March we had a scary episode with my then 1 1/2 year old. We believe Collin ate a cracker or bread crumb off the floor when he started coughing, sneezing and fussing. He was not in distress, so I gave him Benadryl and took him straight to pediatrician’s office. He was doing pretty well, but it was hard to get any more oral medication in him because he was so fussy.
Shortly after taking steroids, they checked his vitals again. By this time he had calmed down and started to fall asleep in my lap, so I thought we were in the clear. When they checked his breathing it was compromised so the pediatrician said we would need to move to the trauma room, administer an Epi pen and call 911. Now, I have always loved my pediatrician, I am so grateful for her calm and efficient manner. She did give me the option to administer the Epi pen, but I preferred to watch her give it. Having seen the injection given by a doctor, I feel better if I ever have to do it myself.
Epinephrine is an amazing drug. Collin was mad, but otherwise fine by the time the EMT arrived. We went to the hospital where we were observed for 2 hours and released. It was difficult to keep Collin occupied, as he wanted to explore everything. Since we were there during meal time they did offer to bring some food for him to eat. I was a little surprised that they were not really prepared to deal with all his restrictions. We made do with applesauce and milk.
When all was said and done, he was and is fine. An experience like this brings on a multitude of feelings – guilt, anger, worry stress and exhaustion when is it all over. I was also left feeling very unsure on how to determine if Collin needed and Epi pen. His symptoms were not violent – no hives, no vomiting, he did not gasp for air like I had imagined he would. If I had not gone to the doctor I would have thought he was just sleepy from all the crying. I really began to doubt myself and my ability to asses his allergic reaction. I have done a lot of research into what anaphylaxis looks like, which I will write about later. I just know that I have to be vigilant at all times. Navigating the food allergy world is rather daunting. Hopefully others will contribute to these stories and you will find that what I have to contribute is useful. For now I am going to re order some new Epi pens.
2 comments:
I hate having to get new epi pens ever year. They are $40 each x 3 kids x 2 sets each (one for home and one for school). None of my girls have ever needed to use one, they have accidentally eaten peanuts before and a Benadryl has always taken care of it, but daddy is anapylactic so we figure better safe than sorry. You are a very diligent mom and a good role model for moms like me...I need to get their allergy tests redone too. I'm enjoying your blog, keep up the good work! :)
Thanks for your comment. I am so happy to get responses so quickly. :) I know the cost of the Epi pen is insane -especially if yor insurance is not great. (like mine). I guess there is no price tag you can put on peace of mind. I read a story recently about a boy who died fom a peanut allergy because the mom was not properly informed on when to use the Epi pen. - Tragic!
Post a Comment