ok, been stabbed and allergy tested and now got epi-pens.........ADVICE PLEASE.......[smile]

[Psychomum5]

waaaaaahhhhhh and a big

got many holes in my arms, got blood taken (tons it feels like but probably not much in reality), and got given a quick lesson on epi-pen usage and sent on my merry little way, SCARED TO DEATH.

I am allergic to milk (I knew), apples, tree fruits (which would include grapes and strawberries too apparently), house dust mite (very HUGE reaction on my arm to that!), tree pollen, grass pollen, cats and dogs (and most likely rabbits which we do in fact have).

also got allergies to medicines...

I need tocontact some allergy place which give epi-pen alerts thro your mobile to tell you whne your's is running out, plus I need to go back to the asthma nurse as wheezing is getting more apparent, and also then need madi-alert bracelets too.

any advice welcome on how to make DH and girls aware on how to handle me if I react badly as I am afraid they may panic, and also where is the best place for medi-alert style jewellery please......

bumpin myself

wel if the reactions are really bad then they will have to b shown how to use the epi-pens on u or at least know how to call for help id guess, but would depend on their age

Psychomum-god poor you,whata lot of allergies to cope with,milk must be a real bugger to avoid.

ANywya this is the medic-alert bracelet ds wears .

I just write it down on the calender when his epeipens are due for renewal.Some have short life spans some long.

Have you joined the anaphylaxis campaign here.I would really recommend going to a workshop ,it is so helpful to meet others and discuss ways of coping.

Your family will need epipen training as well won't they.Maybe the surgery or the allergy clinic could sort that out,we all had training at the allergy clinic in southampton general.

thankyou both for the replies.

ggirl.....who is your doc for the allergy's?? the doc I saw today at b'mouth normally works on southampton......he said it is a big wallergy clinic up there!

he also said that I would need to probably contact them for training for DH and my elder girls (they are 14 and 12) as most GP surgery's have no idea what they are doing as they don;t routinely train people or themselves IYGWIM. I am worried tho as DH seems to takes all this so lightly (altho since ringing him today he seemed more attentive), but the girls were so scared on my last bad reaction thay they ran around like headless chickens!!! Altho I think they would certainly benefit from knowing what to do, I still worry that actually seeing me react will make them forget it all....and of course if DH isn;t there, and I am reacting badly, then it is all seeming a bit

thankyou for the links, I will get onto them and register etc.

now got to try and sort bedding and curtains and carpets apparently too[eek] (oh, and mattress too maybe???)

wallergy

*allergy

Have you got allergy matress protector, duvet and pillow covers etc?????

Get rid of your carpets (vital in the bedroom) we have mainly blinds, leather sofa, only 1 carpet in the whole house. It has def lessened the affects of my dust mite and cat allergy (we have a cat)

Do you routinely take anti-histamines?

ds' consultant is Mich Lajeunesse
but he is a Paediatrician so I think you may have to find out if there is an adult allergy clinic.

Why could bournemouth not do the training for your family.
You can buy an epipen trainer pen from www.epipen.co.uk and also register your expiry dates to be reminded by email.

yellowcross.co.uk sell kits to carry all the bumph around

It is scary but we have become used to it.I'm sure tatt or williamsmummy will be around soon to offer you their expert advice.

cargirl.....nope to the allergy pillows etc as yet......DH is home now and I have told him that we will need to go down that route, plus the carpet will eventually need to come up too......he is rather because of cost etc!!!

he will agree of course because of me and my quality of life, but still....money is an issue .

I am still in tho at the moment as it all seems so big and scary, but I am sure that in a couple weeks or so it will be more normal and I will relax again.

and yes, I am on regular anti-histamines. am on fexofenadine hydrochlorid ATM, plus I have bottles of piriton about as when I am reacting bady I cannot swallow tablets as I feel like throat is closing.....which now I know is the symptoms apparently for epi-pen use!!

ggirl.......I am going to ring bournemouth in the morning to see if they will see DH, me and the girls (oh and flame too as she is with me lots and looking forward to stabbing me too apparently) for training....

First kids use epipens on themselves, your children will be fine. I find kids take to it much more readily than adults once you assure them that it doesn't hurt much, that the person having the reaction won't even notice it at the time and that it won't do any harm if they use it when you aren't having an allergic reaction.

Not all allergies are equally serious. You need to get your asthma under control as that is more of an issue than the allergy, except the allergies may be causing the asthma.

Epipen trainer pens are brilliant, everyone with an epipen should have one. They have a similar action to a real epipen but no needle - you just get a click. So you can practise to your heart's content.

The anaphylaxis campaign used to do videos, do DVDS now. Although it says for parents of children the information is the same. They are well worth the money. www.shopcreator.com/mall/productpage.cfm/TheAnaphylaxisCampaign/VID1/77472

Latex mattresses are good for allergies but you can just get a mattress cover.

Are your rabbits outdoor? If so and you wash your hands after handling them (or use gloves) you can minimise the effect. And of course it means the children need to clean them out (there's often a silver lining if you look for it).

sorry if I didn't sound sympathetic - been out all day and it was tiring, I needed some food and a rest.

Being told you have allergies is scary stuff but it's much better than not knowing because you can take action to deal with it. And it is very important that the first thing you do is contact the asthma nurse and make sure you have any asthma medication you need.

I'll log on in the morning if I can in case you have other questions.

thanks tatt......I am now eaten and relaxing myself, with a nice glass of red wine, and feeling a little calmer.

one thing tho.....all the allergy testing earlier was about 11am. the worst welt I had on my arm was from the dust mite and tree pollen, plus the grass pollen was also next to the spots for those IYGWIM.

anyhoo.......have still got those welts on my arm, have rubbed in eurax cream and calomine lotion, have taken TWO anti-histamines and yet I still have a 2inch wlt AND lump under my skn....almost in the muscle. is this normal???? am worried

anyone else about to reasure about my lump.....my entire arm hurts.

is this normal so long after allergy testing???

I would take some piriton to help bring it down more quuickly and anti-histamine cream if you have some.

I do not have asthma, never the less I have been on Telfast 180 (same as you) and 2 piriton and night for years!!!! Pescribed by the allergy clinic at Royal Surrey, I have found more recently my allergies have improved I think partly by getting rid of the bedroom carpet (huge difference) and partly once it is under control it's just better.

My worst allergen is silver birch trees - which gives you all the fruit allergies etc but fortunately I'm okay to eat fruit again but if I eat non-organic the mouth itching comes back??????

thanks cargirl...will go and do that now.

arm still swollen and honestly hurts so much. amd guessing the pain is more cos the skin is quite taut. I have to say I am quite shocked at how bad the reaction is as it have gone deep into my arm and not just surface swelling IYGWIM. never thought it would look and feel like this....

I have benedryl (sp?) allergy cream too so will go do that aswell.

KM....do you remember how you told me off back in january cos I had had a really bad allergic shock reaction to my DD's making me a smoothie, and I just took myself off to bed......

t'was from then.....got referred and the appoinment was today!

ooh.....will add air purifier to my list then.

already damp dust as I was always coughing when I cleaned and thought it helped, which it has and will continue too!

I have a dyson with a allergy filter I THINK......will have to double check that.

am worrying silly tho about bed etc......altho it xplains why I am so itchy and restless all night and why I constantly have 'scratched to buggery' legs.

We found out in January that DS is allergic to dustmites so we bought a memory foam mattress topper (couldn't afford the full mattress), and then used anti-allergy mattress cover, pillow and duvet too. The difference in his breathing at night has been amazing and his eczema is much better too.

This is what it says about memory foam mattresses "Tempur-Pedic® Sleep Systems are well-known because of their revolutionary, pressure-relieving TEMPUR® material, but these Swedish mattresses are also resistant to dust mites, mold, bacteria, and other microorganisms."

Mind you according to The Cochrane Collaboration anti allergy bedding and high-efficiency vacuum cleaners do nothing to stop dustmites and we should all stop wasting our money

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7349069.stm

Sorry, I'm no good with links. Hope this one works

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7349069.stm

quickly popping in as off out in a mo for school, coffee with the PFA at dancing and then eye apps. for DD2 and DD3.....

ta muchly for the more info, and TIA for any new info too!

was neg on peanuts, shellfish (phew as live on prawns given the chance), sesame, latex, mould spore, fungus, feathers (which was a surprise as I do react to down bedding unless it isn;t the down thethe dust mite instead)....erm.......cannot remember the rest but am sure they didn;t do soya.

am all yacky this morning and now can understand it is the bed rather than me being 'brewin' something as that is how I have been feeling for a while ...!

ok, runnin to school.......bye

glad you are feeling better this a.m. No it isn't usual for large bumps to stay for hours after taking antihistamine, they usually shrink fairly quickly to small marks and disappear totally by the next day.

They really ought to have tested for soy but they were obviously going big on inhaled allergens. The negative for peanut is hopeful for soy as they share proteins so if you react to one you often test positive to the other even if not really allergic to it. Your gp could do a blood test for soy, if you aren't due to be seen by the allergy clinic again.

Have you considered the medinose type devices? I would not be without one for OH. Lloyds sometimes sell them quite cheaply and amazon have medinose at 47.01.

We've found a dehumidifier helps, but if you aren't posititve for mould it may not help you. We also use an air purifier to help remove airborne particles. It doesn't make a vast difference but then we haven't got rid of carpets.

Will have to read the cochrane studies better. I suspect the clue is the bit about average houses having such high allergen levels that nothing helps. You're going to have to be super-fussy about cleaning the HEPA filter in the vacuum and wet dusting .

Still you are MUCH safer with an epipen than you were before and if you get the AC DVD you will all be well trained in how to use it. I know its hard to see an epipen as good news but really it is, they are brilliant.

This is too early for you to try, but when your epipens HAVE expired, it's good to keep them to practise with. Inject them into an orange. It's very different to using the trainer, much more realistic, and can help you to feel much more "prepared."

I still think Psycho is being selfish... she won't let me feed her apples so I can play with the pen

We plan to get the allergies tattooed on her bum (we figured if she lost her hand/head then the bracelet and necklace could fall off )... although she may have just been humouring me there