oh dear, think I might need to join the 'mums of anaphylactic DCs' club

[mintyneb]

I'm not sure if I need full time membership yet (perhaps you can advise?!) but think I need to pay the joining fee :(

You will probably know from my previous posts that DD (4) is allergic to CMP and whilst we have managed to keep her dairy free since the age of 6 months we had an accident in the last year resulting in hives and a swollen eye after she accidentally touched some icecream.

we have just come back from holiday and unfortunately one morning we slipped up. This time she ate a bread roll which we now think either had milk in it or a milk glaze. She was absolutely fine at the time but about 5 - 10 mins later on the way back to our room from the restaurant she started to cough a bit. This got worse back in the room and I thought she was going to make herself sick so held her head over the toilet. It was soon clear though that when she said she felt 'sick' it was just a 4 year old's way of saying she didn't feel well so I quickly gave up on that idea. Then she started to wheeze (which she has never done before) and you could see her chest pulling in really tight. Finally, to my shame, I worked out that she was having an allergic reaction and quickly got some Piriton down her which eventually seemed to work.

Once her breathing came under control and she was lying down resting, it was obvious that her eyes had puffed up and her lips were swollen. She was also complaining a lot that her throat was hurting her.

So I guess this was the first stage of a full on reaction? Could it be worse next time? Fortunately the Piriton worked this time but I'm going to take her off to the GP to see if we need anything stronger just in case.

I was always wary of what foods DD was eating or being exposed to but now I so much more stressed out about it. I guess I am now experiencing what some of you mums have had to put up with for a lot longer :(

Hate to say it, but yes mintyneb it could be worse next time as allergies have a nasty tendency to escalate so please get your little one to the doctors for that epipen. It's scary, I know, but a lot scarier not to have it and find out the hard way that you should have had it, if that makes sense?

I will 2nd that advice for a epi pen, you have described quite a severe reaction, and next time you will need a epi pen and go to the hospital to check that reaction has finished and wont re-emerge (bi-phasic reaction)

if there is such a club, then i might have to have a card too

DD (4yrs) has had 2 x seperate anaphylactic reactions, and so far tests have been -ve as to her allergen, so we have 2 x epipens on repeat 'script now

it's totally terrifying watching your DC react in this way, but at least with the back-up of these, you can feel more confident that any further episodes can be halted until medical attention can be sought.

i felt a bit of a fraud for even thinking of asking for them at 1st, but our GP said it's a must, they really are that important and effective!

good luck, although i'm sure you won't need it

thanks everyone for your replies. I had really hoped we wouldn't end up in this situation, what with all of DDs other health issues as well. I don't think I've still quite got my head around what happened, its all a bit surreal if that makes sense. I think the thing that is in mind my is how she said her throat really hurt which suggests to me it must have got very tight :(

just glad it didn't happen at the start of the holiday (it was 2 days before we came home) otherwise I don't think I would have let her eat anything!

I am also glad that it happened now (if it had to happen at all now that is) as she is starting school in September and at least now I can describe a reaction to the staff and make sure they have an appropriate plan in place. One of our neighbours daughters goes to the same school (she'll be going into yr 5) and she has severe multiple allergies so I think (or at least hope) that they have some decent plans in place

Sorry to hear you need to join the club too Auntie Monica :(

So sorry to hear you DD had such a scary reaction. As others have said, make an appt asap. At least if you have the right Meds, there's a little reassurance that you can help her.

Oh crap - I'm so sorry for you both! Do get the epi-pens, they are magic wands, however, horrid it is to have to use them!
Auntie, my son has inexplicable reactions too - we have him on a nasal steroid and a nightly antihistamine and they seem to be staved off reactions quite well - maybe worth a chat about what preventative measures you can take.
I reckon membership cards of this club ought to come with free choc and wine!

glad there is no charge but I like the idea of complementary wine and chocs!

So we are back from the GP armed with two epi-pens and the promise of more if we need them. Also, strict instructions to take DD straight to hospital should she suffer from breathing problems again.

Now, reality is really hitting home and I'm getting a bit panicky over everything which is daft in some ways as we've avoided dairy pretty much 99.9% of the time for the last 4 years but I guess its the .1% that causes the problem.

Why????? :(

Hi, it's horrible isn't it. Our ds (19 months) is allergic to nuts, milk, fish and eggs. We have the piriton and 2 epipens. I find it really scary and try and avoid everything which he may react to, which is really hard as he would love to have cheese and icecream! I managed to find dairy free chocs which luckily he likes, but not found an alternative to icecream yet.

xx

have you tried Swedish Glace icecream which is dairy free www.swedishglace.com/? Also, Worthenshaws Freedom icecream www.worthenshaws-freedom.co.uk/?gclid=CNOowfX3xqkCFYEMfAodb0rMUw? I personally prefer the swedish glace as its slightly creamier but DD happily wolfs down either type, particularly the chocolate ones!