Epipens - what next?

[BlueCowWonderss]

I'm new to this (and in a state of shock, I have to admit) but dd (8) has just been diagnosed with severe nut allergy and we are now in the world of epipens etc.

But I'm wondering, what happens to the child if the epipen has to be used? I know they have to go to A&E immediately etc, but what about the longer term consequences? Does it have an impact on the severity of the allergy?

Does anyone have a dc that has had to use an epipen?

Thanks for any help.

Make sure the school have one and are trained to use it!!! And get refresher training at frequent intervals.

Try not to worry too much about this. It is a shock initially, I agree. All school nurses should have an epi pen for each child in school with a nut allergy. The child will also need to carry a pen when they are on school trips and the teacher will need another one. My daughter has had a severe nut allergy for the past 6 years but is now very sensible about watching what she eats. At both her primary and secondary schools they decided to remove nut based products from their menus and on school trips a letter is sent out asking parents not to provide their children with nut based foods. Schools are really switched on to this nowadays. Did you know that you can also get an anapen which is much easier to administer than the old fashioned epi pen?

The way I understand it, if you need to use the epi-pen the yes, always call an ambulance (999). Generally, using the epi-pen will be enough but your child will need to be checked out in A&E.

More importantly is knowing when to use the pen. Have you had training in this?

Using the pen won't worsen an allergy (it is the cure) but the fact that you needed to use the pen means your child has had a potentially serious exposure to 'their' allergen and that can mean that the allergy will worsen. Nut allergies are particularly unpredictable in this sense, unfortunately . Having said that, I do have one friend who has peanut/nut allergy carries an epipen and regularly manages to ingest bits of nut (cause she is a careless idiot imo) and her allergy has never got worse (guardian angel maybe). Wouldn't recommend this obviously.

Anaphalaxis Campaign is a good source of info - have you been given their details?

Finally, yes it is really scary when your lo is diagnosed but you will get more used to this. And there is very exciting work going on at the moment re: treatment of severe nut allergy and many of us here are keeping our fingers crossed because the future for sufferers is finally looking brighter

I agree with wb re Anaphylaxis Campaign - DS has nut allergy and epipen - DH and I went on a training session run by Anaphylaxis Campaign and found it really useful to meet other parents etc and the trainer was good. It is a big shock to start with - are you getting some training and support? Our sequence of events was DS had anaphylactic attack at nursery (thankfully we knew he had nut allergy and nursery had made sure staff trained, phew), went to A&E (and yes, I understand that you must always give epipen and then phone 999). We then got outpatients appointment with consultant, and he in turn referred us to one of the specialist nurses in his team for a 1:1 training session. I was really worried at first, thinking how often will this happen, will we remember what to do, etc, but again, I am optimistic like wb, the research and things that are emerging about nut allergy at the moment are so encouraging. And I find MN invaluable. good luck

Epi-pen is an antidote to the loss in blood pressure/heart rate during an anaphylactic shock and nothing else. To give relief from the extreme swelling, hives etc you will also need to give a dose of antihistamines at the same time. The adrenaline in the Epipen is quickly broken down by the body and so another dose needs to be given after 15mins of the first dose otherwise the blood pressure/heart rate could well drop again. You always need to dial 999 once Epipen has been administered as the patient may need steriods or oxygen as well to help with breathing. Adrenaline is a substance produced naturally by the body and using it in an emergency will not make future use any less effective or indeed any reactions more severe. It is the body's over reaction to the allergens and the over production of histamine in the body that causes each reaction to get progressively worse. My dd had 3 reactions before they got severe enough to be diagnosed as anaphylactic.
Join Anaphylaxis Campaign for more advice/help & support.
I sell allergy alert gear for kids and Epipen/inhaler pouches which might help give you some peace of mind. Google alwaysreadthelabelinfo

a second dose of adrenaline is not needed for most reactions and risks overdosing. It should only be used if there are still problems.

I've used a single epipen on my child, we didn't go to hospital (after phoning gp and discussing).

In a rush today - check out www.penautallergyuk.co.uk (not my site but I visit) for good advice on everything nut allergy related.

The second dose should not be given unless there are no improvements within the next 15 minutes. Observation is required in the next hours, in case a second dose is needed when the effects of the first one wear off

bit more time now - if there are long term effects of adrenaline I've never heard of them. Allergies can worsen over time and they can develop new allergies, often to tree nuts or sesame or both.

Being well informed helps deal with the shock and seeing other people with the same problem is very helpful. The Anaphylaxis meetups are worth attending.

Although its hard initially to get this in perspective there is more risk to your child from a road accident than their allergy.

Trainer pens help give confidence, they are often handed out at AC meetups.

Thanks Tatt, but in fact I think I might be down-playing the risks. (She's got to the age of 8 and only just been diagnosed etc, can't be that serious etc)

I realise that I am still in shock, and no doubt in denial about it as well, despite now always carrying the epipen and Piriton. So getting lots of info is so important for me.

There is no age for allergies, I'm sorry to correct, one of my friends has just been prescribed an epipen at 39 year old, she had an anaphylaxis a couple of weeks ago, up to that point she always said, rightly, that she didn't have any allergies..

It is a serious thing but, in the world of allergies, there is nothing easier to avoid than nuts. Most things are clearly labeled and most people takes the allergy with a healthy degree of respect.