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.

Dr. Oz Talks About Anaphylaxis

I must admit, I've never actually watched The Dr. Oz Show. But my mom mentioned the other day that he had done a segment on anaphylaxis, so I thought I should check it out. Here's the video:

Overall, I thought it was pretty good. I love that he's creating awareness and teaching people what an anaphylactic reaction looks like, and what to do about it.

However, I also had a couple of issues with it.

First, he made it look like the only symptoms of a reaction are the skin symptoms (hives, redness, swelling), the mouth symptoms (tingling), and the lung symptoms (wheezing, coughing, hoarseness). He didn't even mention the gastrointestinal symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea, pain) or the cardiovascular symptoms (weak pulse, paleness, lethargy, unconsciousness). And he said that the breathing problems were the most serious, but the rapid drop in blood pressure is also a major factor in whether it's going to kill you.

Also, I don't think he should have had her hold the EpiPen like a pen. I know you don't need to apply a whole lot of pressure to get the needle to deploy (you really don't need to stab the person), but holding it like a pen doesn't give you much control over the device. It's much better to hold it in your fist, like so:

Anyway, creating public awareness for anaphylaxis is awesome. Good job, Dr. Oz.

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.

A Peanut Allergy?!?!

I couldn't believe it when I found out Ella was allergic to peanuts. There was no family history, I had done everything I could think of to avoid this allergy, and yet, there she was, in the middle of the kitchen, throwing up and turning blotchy after taking her first bite of peanut butter. It was terrifying. It was something that I had feared, but not something that I actually thought would happen to my child.

Of course, we rushed her to a doctor nearby who told us, "She's allergic to peanuts. So don't let her eat them." Thanks, that was helpful. I made an appointment with our family doctor, who referred us to an allergist (an appointment we had to wait an excruciating 8 weeks for). The allergist did the scratch test, which confirmed that Ella was indeed extremely allergic to peanut. He taught me how to use an EpiPen, he gave me a brochure on anaphylaxis, and he sent me home.

But I needed more. I spent hours on the internet learning everything I could about anaphylaxis and peanut allergy. I read blogs. I read government publications. I read research studies. I thought the more information I had, the better able I would be to keep Ella safe. So then I went to the library. I read books. I watched DVDs.

But what I really needed wasn't more and more information. I needed to know that I wasn't alone in this. That there were other moms out there who were just as paranoid as I was. I found reading blogs to be really helpful, because along with the information, they spoke about how it feels to live with a peanut-allergic child.

So that's why I'm writing this. Because I'm sure you're out there, hoping to find someone who is going through the same thing you are. Well, here I am.