Talking Allergies

I had a friend relate the latest incident of reacting to her mothers cooking.

At one point her mother asked if there was something she could take for the reaction and she explained that she had an epipen but if she took that, she would have to go to the hospital and she was avoiding this because she had some pressing work she needed towork on.

I have heard this form a few people now. Often enough to suspect it's fairly common amoung those new to the alelrgy world.

When we say, "Give the epi and go to the hospital." We don't mean that the drug epinephrene is so dangerous that you need to go to the hospital because you took it. The drug is to counteract the allegric reaction. You go to the hospital because it might not be enough. You may have a second reaction once the medication wears off.

The drug will not harm a person for whom it was prescribed.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

Susan.. I second that.

Our family is living proof of why we MUST go to the hospital upon administering the epipen. We witnessed our little girl go into biphasic anaphylaxis within one hour of getting the first epipen shot. Thankfully, we were in the hospital when that happened. And for those of you who think it is a waste of time, you'll be interested to know that the second wave of anaphylaxis not only required a second dose of epinephrine, but multiple other drugs along with it to keep anaphylaxis from setting in again. So please, for your own safety, if you require the use of the epipen, first of all make sure you carry it with you at all times, and if you administer it, please go to the hospital right away.

Better safe than sorry.

Noha

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Daughter: ana to milk, eggs, peanuts, allergy to pet dander, asthma, eczema
Husband: ana to aspartame, shellfish, allergy to pet dander, eczema
Myself: asthma
http://www.allergymom.ca