wibu to rush kids to docs with these symptoms?

[SophieofShepherdsBush]

Out on a forest walk with friends. Ds1 and 2 climbing on roots, logs, trees, log stacks. Suddenly ds2,5yrs starts spitting and clawing at his mouth, saying his mouth, Luo's and tongue hurt so so much. He is hysterical, sobbing, bawling, spitting and bubbling at the mouth. Then DS 1, 6.5yrs starts doing the same. I assume either allergic reaction or poisoning....toadstools, berries msybe squashed on the logs they were climbing on.

I leave DD with friend and tear off down the hill with two hysterical spitting frothing red faced boys.

At car I give each a spoon. Of antihistamine and dash off to docs, about 12 mins drive away. By the time I get there thry are a lot better.

Doc checks both, they both have slightly dilated pupils and rapid heart rate, but he decides they are ok. Not sure what has caused it, possible pesticide poisoning, except the pupil dilation doesn't fit that. The kids insist they didn't actually eat anything other than an apple wr gave them.

DH arrives, alerted by friend. He thinks I rushed them to docs unnecessarily and should have just given antihistamine and waited snd watched to see how they were doing. I feel like a dick for taking them to doc, as I wsd there yesterday with ds about something that turned out to be nothing. Am i an overanxious hypochondriac? I'm not, I know im not.

More to the point has anyone any idea what could have caused it? Googling not much help.

Thank you. I don't suppose anyone happens to be a mycologist/foraging expert? Who can tell me my kids are going to be ok if they only licked their hands after touching poisonous mushrooms/plants? Googling poisonous fungi is terrifying. Some lethal types have no symptoms at all for hours,/days. scared.

anyone can make a decision after the event. I would have panicked and been flustered. You did really well in the situation you found yourself in. What if the symptoms hadn't settled so quickly?

Absolutely the right thing even if it was just for the peace of mind knowing they were OK.

I'd have done the same as you and I don't over react to things like this and rarely go to the doctors etc.

There was a story shared on here recently about a child getting seriously ill after eating something on a walk. I can't remember what she ate but it was really serious.

I would have 999 called in that situation I think. I take NO risks at all when it comes to the kids. It sounds horrendous and so scary. Glad everything turned out ok

I'm allergic to apples. I have food pollen syndrome. If the apples hadn't been washed well maybe it could be that?
YWNBU. I would have done the same.

bakeoffcake I am quite anxious, and he and his family are way too laid back. None of them quite realise the implications of ds peanut allergy either.

I would have shat myself, had a nervous breakdown and rushed them to A&E.

Thank goodness you had antihistamine in your car!!!!

Ugh. I'm still all anxious and fluttery.

You are very sensible OP.
Your DH is minimising what could have been a fatal event.
Poisoning is very, very serious and I think you should see your own GP and get advice from the local poisons unit. It sounds as if it was a local reaction from something they got on their hands, but you can't just assume that.

(I am a nurse BTW and I would follow this up and not be fobbed off).

Of course you weren't UR. You had no idea it it was an allergic reaction or if they'd eaten something poisonous, so you did the sensible thing and sought medical attention.

Not an overreaction in the slightest.

No way were you BU. Well done, and well done for having antihistamine in the car. I hope they are OK

And your husband needs to realise how dangerous that sort of reaction in the mouth/throat is.

YANBU. Better safe than sorry.I would have done exactly the same.
And my DH would have said exactly the same as yours did.
But he's not a doctor, so it's my call.

if you're still worried, is it possible for you to return to the spot where the dcs first became affected? You might be able to rule out your worries about fungus, or take photographs of any berries/mushrooms that are there.

Allergic reactions can become extremely serious extremely quickly. When I first weaned my DD I gave her some egg, the reaction was almost instantly and she went straight to A&E. You don't know the seriousness of the reaction especially with any swelling. You did the right thing. Your husband is incorrect.

You did brill. Giving the antihistamine as quick as that. I prob wouldn't have thought to do that in such a panic and I'm a nurse.

My dh would've acted like your dh too I expect. Blood men.

I would have gone straight to MIU/A&E and not GP....some toadstools can be fatal even after what appears to be a recovery.

I was present when a friend's DS had their first nut reaction. I spooned some AH down him. I'm normally cautious with meds but when he threw that up (with worsening symptoms) I gave him another dose and saw mum off to A&E.

An ambulance would have been better for him - she struggled on the drive as he vomited and went downhill, but perhaps an ambulance might have arrived too late. (I was left with 4 kids inc some of hers hence letting her go alone).

You did exactly the right thing.

I suspect they have possibly/likely breathed in mould spores given they were climbing on stacks of logs/in woodland and that may have caused the allergic symptoms which is why it calmed down with the antihistamine. I would consider finding out if it is a mould allergy because it can exacerbate asthma - I have a mould allergy and need year round antihistamines. Finding out though it might be counter productive because its very hard to avoid mould spores or identify the specific one that caused the reaction.

Also which one has the allergy? I only ask because I know a child with a peanut allergy who can get very very anxious and mimic symptoms of an attack if they see someone exhibiting those symptoms they are, rightly, fearful of. You could easily believe the two are having a severe allergic reaction when the one with the allergy was only having an anxiety/a panic attack and the other was reacting to a physical irritant. Both are serious of course but could that be a possibility given your anxiety your children are likely to pick up on that and panic too.

Either way I would monitor them and follow up with your GP just to be sure.

YWNBU at all. It can be a race against time with poisioning so you did the right thing. The doctor didn't mind did he so that's your answer really.

No way were you over cautious
Hope the kids are ok
Did they touch foxglove plants?

Not overreacting at all. Sensible decision. Reactions/accidental poisoning etc. Not something to be taken lightly. You did the right thing.

My children rarely visit doctors I deal with most things at home, I am totally the last person you would expect to go running off to a doctor.

Even my doctor knows this so when I do rock on up I get seen very quickly because they know I'm not a time waster.

I would have done the same as you