Was this mild anaphylaxis?

[clipclop5]

DD age 15 has no known allergies however had a very scary reaction after eating foods she normally has no problem with.

Symptoms all came on very suddenly: extreme tummy pain, nausea, diarrhea, flushing, clammy skin, very itchy palms + soles of feet (sign of histamine release), racing heartbeat, went completely grey and fainted.

Have spoken to GP who don’t want to prescribe epipen unless we know what she is actually allergic to or has a worse reaction. No idea what to test for either as she had such a wide variety of foods which we are now avoiding.

Anaphylaxis isn't just airways closing. Look at the allergy plan I posted and the symptoms that mean you should use an epipen.

@Graffitiqueen Thank you so much for providing a bit of clarity on the situation. Have seen 2 GPs, both very dismissive of this being anything more than a mild allergy because no airway symptoms/swelling. We have been referred by another GP to an allergy specialist but i suspect waiting times will be through the roof. Trying to find someone who we could go to privately as I don’t want to wait long incase DD has another big reaction.

@kirstyjj Nope, no hair dye or henna! That sounds horrible for your DD though.

Thank you for all the great advice everyone. Now starting the search for a good allergy consultant! NHS waiting lists are huge so am going to use our health insurance. We are in Northern Ireland so not many around here that I can find who will work privately. Would be willing to travel to England if anyone can recommend someone good there? Preferably London however any suggestions welcomed!

In the meantime we are being very vigilant and carrying Piriton at all times. GP has also put her on another daily antihistamine to calm her immune system down a bit.

You mentioned pollen and dogs, I have allergies to pollen and rats (and allergy induced asthma), I get itchy hands and feet (and throat) but obviously not digestive discomfort. I'm more likely to suffer allergy symptoms like itch hands if my asthma is playing up, e.g. because I've got a cold or something, even though the cause and effect are meant to be the other way around.

I'm just thinking it could be some sort of interaction where the digestive issue is effecting her immune system and she's reacting to pollen because of that, rather than the digestive issue causing the itching in the first place.

Dr Fox in london - runs the Evelina clinic but also sees patients privately, blackheath I think. Or any of the Evelina consultants, look up their private practice details.

I would def reconnect Dr Fox. We saw him at the Portland. I can also recommend Dr George du Toit, we saw him a lot when we were on the LEAP study. He is so nice and calming.
www.londonallergyconsultants.co.uk/

Thank you @wtftodo and @LokisLover - will definitely try and arrange an appointment with Dr Fox, have done some research and he sounds great.

She seems to have developed oral allergy syndrome. Has been getting an itchy mouth with apples, peppers + grapefruit + hay fever is getting worse so fairly sure it is this. Her immune system must be working overdrive as one reaction seems to make her more likely to have another.

It is really stressful and horrible that you’re all living with this at the moment.

I’d recommend keeping a food & reaction diary to take with you to any appointments so patterns can be looked at. I’d also include a daily pollen count and maybe even the weather. Pollen, especially tree pollens do have crossovers to food. I am by no means an expert but this has been my experience.

This is something I have quickly pulled off the internet but it might be worth some further research until you can get further clarification from a specialist?

Birch pollen: apple, almond, carrot, celery, cherry, hazelnut, kiwi, peach, pear, plum
Grass pollen: celery, melons, oranges, peaches, tomato
Ragweed pollen: banana, cucumber, melons, sunflower seeds, courgette

Also working on good gut bacteria can be beneficial. Antibiotics at 11 weeks due to suspected meningitis killed off everything good in my ds and I think this is the route cause of his allergies and as he has grown he has got stronger as his gut has improved and he has grown out of some allergies.

Op my DD (Tree nut allergy at age 5)developed oral allergy syndrome with apples and raw carrots(cooked was fine) but now at 16 she’s ok with it. The allergist told us it wasn’t harmful just uncomfortable.

I would get her to see a specialist ASAP. You can develop allergies at any time in your life, and people who have had previously mild reactions to an allergen can have an anaphylactic one next time. Your dds reaction sounds fairly severe.

It’s sounds similar to Dds reactions and although she is younger we are prescribed epipens. The allergy specialist we saw said that to some extent adults can ‘self Medicate’ as they know what’s happening and release their own adrenaline. I think that’s what my db does as he’s severely allergic yet has never used his epipen when he should have, and he’s still alive after several very scary incidents. I’m not suggesting this is a good thing, btw. You need to carry epipens even if there’s a hint of severe reactions imo.

Thanks again for more helpful advice. It’s very much appreciated as due to crappy GPs and the limitations that covid has placed on medical services we are pretty in the dark.

Would anyone be able to advise whether we should be contacting a paediatric or adult specialist? She is now 16. Personally, I would prefer her to see paed but just wondering if a paed specialist like Adam Fox would actually see her due to age?

@Dinocan That’s really interesting. I feel that this is what happened to DD to some extent. She had an absolutely racing heart rate and then quite suddenly the symptoms lifted by themselves. Sounds like adrenaline release to me?? The fact that she got better by herself is one of the things I’ve wondered most about but that seems to make a lot of sense.

I would still contact Dr Fox and see if he will see a 16 year old. If not I expect he will be able to recommend someone and given his reputation I expect they’ll be good!

My DD suddenly got better too after her reaction. Didn’t even have time to get anti histamine from the bathroom.

@clipclop5 hows ur daughter now ? X

Pp who said it is very unusual to develop sever allergies later in life - I began getting food allergies in my mid 20s having never been allergic to anything except animal hair. Now aged 40 and very allergic to nuts and various other food.

@Starrr123 DD is now 19 and absolutely fine, she’s never had any other severe reactions and still no idea what caused it in the first place!