Allergy Awareness Information and Tip #3

Governor Herbert declared this week as Food Allergy Awareness week. So in honor of this I will be posting information to help raise awareness of why food allergies can be such a big problem to those that have them. And tips to help you be allergy aware when you are around someone who has a food allergy.

Information #3

The Epinephrine Auto Injector or as most people call them, Epi Pen, is your friend.  When my daughter was first diagnosed with food allergies I thought the Epi pen was the last resort. I thought that you only used it if things were getting scary scary and she wasn't able to breathe. I have learned now that this is not the case.  

The motto now is Epi FIRST and FAST.  

The rule is if an allergic reaction is affecting 2 body systems you need to use the epi pen. For example if they have hives (affecting the skin), and they are really congested and sneezy (affecting upper respiratory) Then they need a shot of epinephrine.  The reasoning behind this is that if it is affecting 2 systems it could progress to a third system which could be their airways. You want to stop the reaction before it progresses there.  Also the earlier in the reaction that you use epinephrine the better chance it has of working.   If there is only one system affected but it is the breathing. Do the epic pen. 
When to use the Epi Pen seems to be a hard call sometimes, but if you are in doubt and you think the reaction might need an Epi Pen don't hesitate to use it. Once you use an Epi Pen you then get the person to a hospital for further monitoring. Epinephrine needs to be monitored while in their system and the reaction needs to be monitored to make sure it has stopped.

Tip #3 

-If you or your child have a food allergy talk about a protocol with your doctor about when to use the epi pen. We have said that if we know my daughter accidentally ate peanut we will give her the epi pen right away. We won't even wait for the symptoms. If she eats milk, or egg, or sesame, we will watch for symptoms. 

-Don't be afraid of the Epi Pen.  It really is not a scary thing.  My daughter is 5 and it is traumatic to use it on her. But I always reassure her that this will help her. It hurts for a second but she needs it.  She knows what it is like to react and I think she realizes the need for it.  Practice using an Epi Pen. If you are ever watching some body that has one, have them show you how to use it and practice with the practice Epi Pen that comes with it. We train our babysitters and anyone that is watching our daughter  on how to use it.  My kids all love practicing how to use it with the trainer. When my daughter was 2 she could show the babysitter how to use it.  

-If you need an epi pen always carry 2 with you at all times. Most reactions just need one but you may need another dose which can be given 5-15 minutes after the first one if the reaction has not stopped.