I have learned from reading other’s stories, so I am sharing ours. Please be kind if you post your opinion that I did something wrong….believe me, I have beat myself up enough and I am very sensitive right now but I know our story can help someone.
Yesterday, I made DD’s favorite chicken sandwich on Joseph’s pita bread…a new flavor made with oats and flax and yes, I did read the label but I did not read it with a fine tooth comb. Joseph’s has been our go to pita bread since her sesame diagnosis as they told me at the time the only time they use sesame is to make special chips for the Jewish Holiday of Passover and that they really cleaned their machines after but could not guarantee a seed might not get stuck. We just don’t buy pita bread around Passover and the school uses it for DD’s pizzas on pizza day.
Right after eating, DD came to me and said….”Mom my mouth is really itchy and the bread has sesame flour in it”. I don’t feel like I am having a reaction, just itchy. 4 teaspoons of Benadryl and I grab the bread bag. Sure enough – oat flour, whole wheat flour, soy flour, soy oil, sesame flour……right there….on the label. Sesame flour? How much? It’s the last flour listed….even after the oil….maybe not much…..
DD says she’s fine. She went off and made her bed and did a few more things. Then she came down and said her stomach hurt like when she’s had egg. We both know that means she will throw up. After a short time, she did – purged it all. I didn’t like her look but she insisted she felt better. I did not want her to leave the bathroom so we made a comfy spot for her to rest. I had an EPI in my pocket and the phone at my side.
Her asthma was fine, no chest pain or discomfort. She was quiet, tired and looked like she might nap.
Then she started to do something weird with her mouth. So I asked her what was up and she said there was some weird stuff in her mouth. I asked her if it was like mucus and she said yes. It told her it was time to use her EPI pen. She insisted not, I insisted yes! I asked her if she wanted to inject it or me, she said me and started crying and covering her leg. I told her she had a couple seconds to get the message that she was getting the shot, that it would hurt and that she would feel better. Then into her thigh it went and I counted – out loud, strong voice, very slow while she kept saying, “it didn’t hurt!”. I took the EPI out, called 911. She was jittery but feeling better.
The ambulance ride went well; we knew the paramedic and that really helped. She was stable and did not need another EPI. She was on oxygen. All her vitals were stable.
After getting into her room in the ER, they gave her an IV, something for her stomach, prednisone and more Benadryl. Then things started to change. The worst of her reaction happened at the hospital. She had hives, some bigger than a softball, the asthma cough and pressure in her chest, and a general horrible feeling. She even had hives on her scalp past her hairline. The doctor and nurses were not alarmed. They just kept telling me the medicine would kick in, that her EPI had worn off but they did not think at that time she needed more with what they gave her. After the nebulizer, DD relaxed and said she felt so much better. A short time later, the hives slowly started to resolve and she wasn’t grabbing herself to scratch and she turned for the better.
An hour and a half later we were home. She is doing great. She will use her inhaler 4 times a day for the next 2 days. She will be on Benadryl and Prednisone for the next 5 days and no physical activity for a week. But she is home, smiling, eating, and carrying on in her typical teenage way.
Every label, every time….trust your instincts, you know……the EPI Pen doesn’t really hurt…….
