anaphylaxtic reaction

allgood

Sat, Nov 15 2008, 8:38 pm

I just read somewhere that anaphylaxtic reactions can occur up to one hour after the allergen enters the body. I am now very nervous that I don't know what symptoms I'm suppossed to be looking for after my child eats something she's not allowed to have. Mydaughter was given an epipen, but I assumed I'd see the reaction right away and know that it needed to be used.

Anyone who unfortunately had experience with this, that can give me a bit of an idea what I'm up against.

Thanks!

anon

Sat, Nov 15 2008, 8:50 pm

I would suggest looking up all the possible reactions on the internet, but I can tell you what happened to me (I had one anaphylactic reaction)

My face blew up (eyes get REALLY puffy, whole face looked distorted) and I slowly started to feel like I couldn't breathe....first my nose started to feel like it was VERY stuffed but there was no mucous to blow out, and then my throat started to feel like it would close up. With me, this all took a while to happen...it was a slow progression with plenty of time for hatzalah to come.

Did you ever see the movie "Hitch" with Will Smith? Well my face looked like his face when he had his allergic reaction.

Marion

Sat, Nov 15 2008, 10:46 pm

My build-up reaction is a bit different to Anon's.

First (and this is quite possibly TMI) my body likes to rid itself of the allergen, or at least try to. That means I spend a good 20 minutes in the bathroom with diarrhea and vomiting. At some point during that time I start coughing up mucous and my mouth gets itchy. My lips feel like I've had a filling done at the dentist, although they don't seem to actually puff up. My eyes get red and runny. I wheeze, and it gets very, very difficult to breathe. Other people can actually hear me trying.

Sometimes I can keep my airway open with my asthma inhaler (ventolin) so I can avoid the Epi-Pen. My last reaction I really should have used the Pen.

You need to watch for a rash, and listen for changes in her breathing. Also, the Epi-Pen is adrenaline. The worst thing that can happen if you give it to her unnecessarily is an elevated heart rate for about 20 minutes. However, whenever she gets a Pen you should already have 911 on the phone anyway, and they'll be able to monitor her.

Ima'la

Sat, Nov 15 2008, 11:48 pm

IOW, if someone's anaphylactic reaction would take and hour to "get underway," it would still occur even if Benadryl was given immediately?

Also, recently a poster advised that if someone is having an anaphylactic reaction and doesn't have an epipen, she should pour liquid Benadryl down her throat. I was surprised to read that and a little skeptical - is that good advice?

(I have a son with allergies. B"H, B"H, B"H, he has never had a severe reaction or any serious breathing difficulty as a result of eating the wrong thing - but I like to stay informed and daven I should never need the info!)

daamom

Sun, Nov 16 2008, 12:20 am

I don't think that once anaphalaxis has set in, chalila, that Benadryl would be of any help, if only because it takes so long to take affect when you're talking about breathing. Benadryl is an antihistamine, and I know it's given once the epinephrine was administered, usually along with Prednisone, until the allergens are out of the system. This is from my experiences with my son. His symptoms of anaphalxis, as I could see, were definitely the nose closing up this Marion was talking about, as well as hives, and he lost his voice soon after. This hives can get so huge, they spread all over the body - on him they just became one big swollen mass. Ears bright red and swollen, bloodshot eyes, and he vomited. But you're right, it took about 1/2 hour after he had eaten the allergic food before this all began.

Marion

Sun, Nov 16 2008, 12:52 am

If you're going to have an anaphylactic reaction, the initial symptoms are going to set in really quickly, even if your throat doesn't close immediately. Benadryl can still help with the mucous at the beginning (slow it down), just like I said my ventolin helps with the airway. But it won't prevent the reaction once it's been set in motion.

Daamom, I forgot about the voice loss. I get that too. And the doc said I had a lovely hive...the size of my whole belly the last time.

RichWithNachas

Sun, Nov 16 2008, 1:13 am

A number of years ago (perhaps more than 10) I got stung by a bee. I had never had an allergic raction before to a bee sting. It was on the holiday of succos, and I was in shul at the time. I decided to finish davening. About five minutes later I started to feel weak and realized I should head home. 2 blocks later I felt even weaker and turned into the street of my doctor. By the time I got to the doctors office I could hardly talk and I asked someone to call the doctor for me. When the doctor let me in to his office he opened all the lights although it was then yomtov,and told me he was glad he was able to help me because it could have been fatal G-d forbid. He then administered a shot . Thereby after that I was told to take an epipen wherever I went. My allergic symptons were only extreme weakness.

Stepmum

Sun, Nov 16 2008, 1:57 am

Every child reacts differently. As a teacher, I've been trained several times, each time with a different child in mind. With some children I was told to give Pirotin (UK equivelant to Benadryl), and epipen if no reaction/symptoms get worse, with others, to give the epi-pen immediately.

B"H, I've never actually had to administer it, but the signs they warn us to look out for are blueish lips, abnormal coughing, child out of breath or struggling to breath (with an older child, this would also be panting whilst talking - getting out only a couple of words at a time), rashes, abnormal lethargy, etc.

I was also told that anaphylaxic reactions get more severe each time they happen, so the symptoms would be more apparent next time.

Remember, the dosage of adrenaline in the epi-pen is small enough that if you were to administer it by mistake, your child would be ok (you'd only have the pain of having to rush to hospital), so if in doubt, you're better off administering it.

May you never need it!

emes

Mon, Nov 17 2008, 8:07 pm

Please please do not give Benadryl in case of a suspected anaphylactic reaction. The newest research shows that Benadryl may actually mask the symptoms of anaphylaxis because the outside symptoms look to be subsiding (hives, swelling etc...) However if it is a true anaphylactic reaction internal symptoms could be building up and building up without realizing CH"V. We were told to no longer send Benadryl with my daughter to school. If the reaction is that severe that they would consider Benadryl they should give her the epi-pen. As others have said - epi-pen is safe - but it does mean a trip to the hospital.

As soon as two body systems are involved in the reaction then you should immediately administer the epi-pen.

This is not to say that we don't use Benadryl. We still use it for severe itchiness due to eczema, hives unrelated to anaphylaxis etc...

pacifier

Sat, Nov 29 2008, 5:05 pm

emes wrote:

I didn't know about not giving benadryl. the first time my daughter had a reaction to touching milk, her face got all red, eyes puffy, and something like pimples coming out around her eyes. she started coughing. I was lucky the people we were staying by had benadryl.
now I do have an epipen, but if I suspect a beginning of reaction, I give benadryl first. and it works.

emes

Sat, Nov 29 2008, 7:06 pm

I know - not many people know about not using Benadryl. I think in our community the word has spread because there was a case where the reaction continued internally even with the Benadryl and the child was in very critical condition. Anaphylaxis is not just hives and swellling - I think that is the key point that is not always understood. Not all reactions are anaphylactic so at times Benadryl is appropriate.

In any case, always check with your own doctor. By the way, at my daughter's first reaction - we also grabbed the Benadryl from someone that had it and only found out after that we should have taken her straight away to the hospital. In any case, B"H it did work at the time.

montrealmommy

Sat, Nov 29 2008, 7:42 pm

I was recently informed about the Benadryl; but ws cautioned that it is only applicable with a known anaphylactic reaction. Also, I have not seen it mentioned here but there is a OTC product called Primatene Mist (brand name) which, although the package says it's a bronchio-dialator, it's actually inhalable epinephene (adrenaline). I have not found a dr who could tell me the safetly of the product on children, although dh has been using it since he was in elementary school if his memory serves well. You can take 2 doses which will stall - NOT PREVENT an anaphylactic reaction which will give more time to seek medical assistance - the dosage is too low to arrest a reaction. dh uses it before the epi becuase he is so thin that epi, although it will save him, will also make him very very ill.

I have used my epi before, altough my reactions now are under 5 minutes - not easy to deal with.

myomi

Sun, Nov 30 2008, 6:40 am

If you suffer from allergies, you might want to consider getting a twinject instead of an epipen. It costs the same but it has a second dose of epinepharine because there is a one in three chance of needing a second dose within 10 minutes and the anaphalaxis society recomends carrying two doses at all times. look at www.twinject.ca

emes

Sun, Nov 30 2008, 9:49 am

I used to carry the twinject - but then we switched back to the epi-pen because the twinject is quite a bit more complicated than the epi-pen and my daughter's teachers were way more nervous about the twinject. There have been reports about the twinject misfiring or not being used properly. However, I did feel much more secure with the two doses and it was less to shlep.

Now we have to have two epi-pens available at all times.

mommymommy

Wed, Aug 12 2009, 9:30 pm

I know this has been posted a long time ago, however, as I was browsing the topics I realized other women may do the same and I just want to add my two cents if I may. My two year hold has had several anaphylaxtic reactions which resulted in emergency visits.

A few pointers to remember:

Reactions generally start with external swelling, thats the best way to see it. My daughter starts sneezing and itching as well. She reacts just from touching something she is allergic to!

Give Benadryl right away. If given right away it COULD help ward off a reaction. In my daughters case it only helps if she touched something. If she licked it she needs more help. BTW I also heard about pouring the benadryl, I wouldnt give her more than two-3 teaspoons

Have a prescription bottle of Prednisone I give two teaspoons right away to ward off a reaction if I know for certain that she licked something.

Monitor the breathing. If you see the breathing getting labored - trust me you'll notice, then it is generally time for the epi-pen. If you are close enough to a hospital, call hatzolah. you are better off having her get the steriods in the hospital while she is monitored. If you are too far or hatzolah adminsters the epi you MUST go to the hospital. I found that some hatzolah members dont know this. The epi works instantly for approximately fifteen minutes, enough time to get you to a PEDIATRIC emergency room. Additionally, it is such a strong dose of steriods that the child MUST be monitored. DONT PLAY AROUND WHEN IN DOUBT CALL HATZOLAH! You as a mom can know better than them. Insist on the hospital if there is any respitory problem. I never yet was told that I came in for nothing. Hatzolah is not always sure. BE EDUCATED!

May Hashem help and heal all!