A Reaction!

Well, it happened. I guess I always knew it would, sooner or later, but I had really hoped it would be later. Here's the whole story...

For me it started with a phone call as I was driving to my anaphylaxis support group meeting (I know, ironic, right?). I don't usually pick up my phone while I'm driving, but I was at a red light, so I figured I'd just make it quick. All Joel (my husband) said was, "Where are you? You have to turn around. Ella had a reaction, I gave her the EpiPen, she's doing better now, and the ambulance is on the way." So I hung up and started driving home. I'm not really sure how I made it the whole way without freaking out, actually. But I did. I met them at the emergency room, and of course by that time, Ella was ok. But I had to see it with my own eyes.

For Ella, it started at dinner time. She started wheezing and coughing, then turning red all over her face, neck, chest and back. Her mouth and cheeks were swollen. And the wheezing was worse than any asthma attack she had ever had. So Joel grabbed the EpiPen, grabbed Ella, and jabbed it into her thigh. She screamed, as this was the first time she'd ever had the EpiPen and I don't think she realized until that moment that there was a needle inside. But within seconds, she was able to breathe better and she calmed down. Joel immediately called 9-1-1 and the paramedics were there within 3 minutes (awesome!). They told Joel to give her some Benylin, and then some Ventalin (from her puffer) in the ambulance, as she was still wheezing. By the time she got to emerg, she was doing much better.

So we all spent the evening in the emergency room, where they kept her for observation for a few hours. Keeping the kids entertained was quite the task, especially as bedtime approached and then sailed on by...we didn't get the kids home to bed until after 9pm. But the nurses and doctors and paramedics were amazing. The kids got teddy bears from the paramedic, and the nurse gave Ella a little TinkerBell game.

As terrible as the experience was, there were a few good things that came of it. We now know that we can handle it - Joel was amazing (I'm pretty sure I would have freaked out, but he was so calm and did everything right). We now know that she can survive it. We now know the benefit of having an emergency plan on the fridge - Joel used it, and the paramedics said that it was great that we were so educated and prepared (yay us!). And most of all, we now know that it is SO important to be prepared for an emergency AT ALL TIMES, even when we're certain the food is "safe."

We're still not 100% clear what caused the reaction. Ella was eating leftovers from the night before, which were made at home with safe ingredients. We think that some peanut residue must have been on a Slurpee cup that Joel was drinking from while he fed the kids dinner. It could be as simple as someone eating a Reese Peanut Butter Cup while they restock the Slurpee cups, then Joel touching the cup and then Ella's food. That's why cross-contamination is such an important issue. And that's why I look like a crazy woman anytime we eat at a restaurant - wiping down Ella, the table, the chair, the cup, etc, etc, etc.

Anyway, bottom line: Ella's ok.

Training is Key

I recently received an EpiPen trainer, and once I had it, I wondered why I didn't get one sooner. (As in, right when Ella was first diagnosed. In fact, I often wonder why they don't give you one right after the allergy test is done.) For those of you who don't know what a "trainer" is, it's an EpiPen that contains no needle or drug, but works just the same as a "real" EpiPen. So it allows you to practice using an EpiPen, so that if an emergency arrises, you'll be ready.

Aside from being able to practice myself, I have found the trainer SO useful for teaching other people how to use it. When I first showed it to people, most of them didn't know how to use it - including those I had previously showed the real EpiPen to, and who I leave Ella with on a regular basis. Scary! But having the trainer available has allowed me to give them a much more hands-on training, so that now I am assured that they will be able to use the real thing if they ever need to. I actually carry it around in my purse, and I'm surprised at how often people are interested in checking it out.

So, perhaps you're wondering where to get one. If you have a kid with an allergy, or if you are a caretaker of a kid with an allergy, or if you are an organization which cares for kids (like a church or a preschool), you NEED and EpiPen trainer. The best place to get one is the EpiPen website - all you have to do is sign up for the "EpiPen Resource Centre" and you can order training materials totally FREE! In fact, you can order one Patient Starter Kit every year if you want. The kit includes a training DVD, a quick reference guide, and an EpiPen trainer. If you are an organization, you can get a bigger kit which also includes posters.

Just as an extra note, the EpiPen website also offers some other great stuff. You can set up a reminder service for up to six EpiPens, so you will get an email when they are about to expire. There's also a recipe centre, for allergen-free meals and treats.

An Emergency Plan

After reading The Complete Peanut Allergy Handbook by Scott H. Sicherer and Terry Malloy, it was clear to me that I needed to prepare myself for an emergency. Don't get me wrong, I had an EpiPen, and I knew how to use it, but that was the extent of my plan. The book made me realize that a written plan would mean that everyone would know what to do in an emergency, and that everyone would know how to spot an emergency.

So I looked on the internet to find an emergency plan that I could fill out and print off, to give out to the people that Ella regularly spends time with. I found a couple of good emergency plans, from Anaphylaxis Canada, and the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. But they didn't quite have all the elements that I was looking for, so I decided to make my own.

(This image can be seen larger here.)

I wanted to share it here (minus the personal info, which is blacked out) to give other people an idea about how to make up a plan, and what to include. Our plan had to be very easy to read and understand because the main place that it's used is in the nursery at our church. In a place that's filled with 2-year-olds who may have had peanut butter before coming to class, it's fairly important to make sure the teachers in the class know how to handle an emergency.