Food Allergy Support

Discussion Boards => Reactions & Stories => Topic started by: YouKnowWho on November 13, 2014, 01:59:35 AM

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Title: Our luck ran out
Post by: YouKnowWho on November 13, 2014, 01:59:35 AM

Tonight, just before bed - Em saw DH's new jar of macadamia nuts and wanted to try one.  No big deal, right?  She eats peanuts and other tree nuts.  Her first reaction was yummy and then I saw her scratch her tongue.  Brushed her teeth and spotted hives.  Brought her downstairs to keep an eye on her and gave her a Benadryl.  At that point she complained about her throat and ears itching.  I no longer have an Epi Jr in the house - the boys have been on the adult version for almost two years.

I drove her to the ER and she was happily chatting with me from the backseat, made me reassure her that she wasn't getting a shot in her toe.  When we got to the ER, her eyes were swelling shut.  Answered questions for the security guard (Ebola related) and went back to the peds ER which was jam packed, standing room only full.  I said allergic reaction and we were in the back ASAP.  Doctor came in right away and ordered epinephrine, Benadryl, Tagamet, and steroids.  Within five minutes, all were on board.

Dr came back about ten minutes later and the change was amazing.  Em also told him that hospital bracelets need more bling  :misspeak:

Before we left, nurse came in to train me on the Epi pen - Em grabbed the trainer and showed her how to do it (we do random training around the house for the boys benefit, guess Em paid attention).  Nurse was impressed.  I have to say, I was too.

I brought Em home and printed out my epi coupon and headed to the 24hr pharmacy...four scrips later. 

I am dazed and confused right now.  And frankly a little sick to my stomach.  I had hoped she avoided the dreaded food allergies but I guess that was too much to hope for  :'(

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: Janelle205 on November 13, 2014, 02:21:16 AM

Ugh.  Ugh ugh ugh.  So sorry YKW. 

Hoping that nothing else pops up for her and you have a quiet rest of the evening.  You need a break.  :grouphug:

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: my3guys on November 13, 2014, 05:41:53 AM

Yikes YKW! What a time you've had lately :-/ Hope she did ok for the rest of the night.  I love how she grabbed the epi though from the nurse.

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: becca on November 13, 2014, 05:51:49 AM

Oh no!  So sorry YKW.  :(  I hope she is over the reaction.  How disappointing and scary. 

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: MaryM on November 13, 2014, 06:09:25 AM

YKW. I hope you are both feeling better today.  Thank God your sweet littl girl is ok  :heart:.  Please take it easy today and try to take care of yourself too.   We are all thinking about you  :grouphug:.

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: SilverLining on November 13, 2014, 06:14:33 AM

Really sorry she and you went through this.  And I hope you both got to rest through the night.

I'm glad the hospital knew how to deal with it, rushing you through and even showing how to use an epi-pen.

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: GoingNuts on November 13, 2014, 06:14:57 AM

Ay yi yi, what a couple of weeks you are having!  :disappointed:  Thank goodness she is OK, and I'm sure the ER doc went home and told everyone about the spunky little girl who wants to upgrade the hospital bracelets.  ;)  I'm sure she made their day.  :smooch:

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: Macabre on November 13, 2014, 06:16:40 AM

Oh YKW what a week for you.   :heart:

You recognized the reaction right away. :thumbsup:   I hope you are throwing away the tooth brush.

I also hope you get some sleep today and take the day off from school as much as you need. Poor Em--but wow the kid has got it together. More bling is right!

Take care of yourselves today. (((Hugs)))

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: Penny on November 13, 2014, 06:19:01 AM

What a bummer - poor Em and poor you.  But at least you are equipped to handle a food allergy but still....   :heart:

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: hezzier on November 13, 2014, 06:19:39 AM

Sorry!  She just couldn't be the odd man (girl) out.  I guess the good news is that your are already an expert so at least you aren't learning how to deal with some new problem/issue/diagnosis, etc.

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: rebekahc on November 13, 2014, 07:31:13 AM

So, so sorry YKW!   :grouphug:

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: Mfamom on November 13, 2014, 08:04:17 AM

Glad she is okay!  Good job recognizing what was happening, hang in there!  Tough few weeks for your family.   :heart:

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: GingerPye on November 13, 2014, 09:13:35 AM

I'm so sorry about the allergy and reaction; what a horrid few weeks you are having.  Thank goodness she's fine and y'all know how to handle this stuff.  But still -- another allergy .... just UGH.  I'm sorry.   :grouphug:

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: Scout on November 13, 2014, 10:19:02 AM

im glad she handled it so well, and I'm sure you will be so tired today...from stress.

Im so sorry....but now you know, and thankfully all is well....sending many hugs your way :grouphug:

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: YouKnowWho on November 13, 2014, 10:49:28 AM

Quote from: Macabre on November 13, 2014, 06:16:40 AM

Oh YKW what a week for you.   :heart:

You recognized the reaction right away. :thumbsup:   I hope you are throwing away the tooth brush.

I also hope you get some sleep today and take the day off from school as much as you need. Poor Em--but wow the kid has got it together. More bling is right!

Take care of yourselves today. (((Hugs)))

Mac - I didn't even think about the toothbrush.  And probably would not have tonight either - thank you for pointing that out!  (Some allergy expert, huh?)

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: hedgehog on November 13, 2014, 10:53:49 AM

 :grouphug:  I love the comment about the bracelets.  That kid has got her priorities right!  :rofl:

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: momma2boys on November 13, 2014, 10:58:36 AM

Ugh, sorry you're adding another allergy to your already extensive list. Glad she is ok.

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: YouKnowWho on November 13, 2014, 11:01:58 AM

Emily woke up this morning and looks perfect.  Has been sharing details with everyone about the hospital and how "they didn't have fancy bandaids for her shot but it's okay because it didn't hurt as much as the shot in her toe".  Guessing she wasn't traumatized as much as I was  ~)  (And she handled the shot much better than last time - the one in the toe caused her to scream loud enough to drown out two incoming ambulances, this time she felt the relief so fast that I think she welcomed it).

When we arrived in the pediatric ER, the room was stuffed to the gills, standing room only with many complaining how long they had been there.  Pretty sure some daggers were shot in my direction when we were called back ASAP.  Others complain about this ER but in all the times we have been going, my experience has always been top notch.  We stayed three hours only, not four but the waiting room was still plumb full. 

Looking at the jar - it has a warning list for a long list of shared peanuts, tree nuts, wheat and soy.  So while in my gut, I am thinking macadamia, I wonder if it was another nut.  And then I worry about how common macadamias are and do I have to change label reading for her (ie cookies).  Guess we need to visit the allergist...

Having some PTSD, could of, would of, should of moments today.  Like why didn't I call the ambulance and why did this happen to her.  No answers there, I guess I just need to move on.

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: CMdeux on November 13, 2014, 11:58:01 AM

:console:  YKW-- take a little mommy time for yourself in the days to come.  This is a hard, hard few weeks for you.  I'm so sorry.  But very glad for your little one that she was given to YOU and that you knew exactly what to do.  She is one lucky little mini-you.   :heart:

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: Mookie86 on November 13, 2014, 12:32:19 PM

Bummer that she also is dealing with food allergies. It sounds like you and she both did a great job handling the situation. I am glad she's feeling so well today.

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: PurpleCat on November 13, 2014, 12:48:27 PM

You are an allergy expert under too much stress!!!!

So sorry this happened.  Em sounds like she was a total trooper and took things in stride.

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: maeve on November 13, 2014, 12:53:37 PM

I'm glad that Em is OK. I hope the two of you are getting some rest today.

I know you're sad that Em now has a food allergy. Look on the bright side though: She can eat peanuts and many tree nuts, just not macadamia. Thankfully, macadamia isn't as prevalent as other tree nuts.

I'm so impressed at Em demonstrating how to use the EpiPen. She's a smart girl.


I can attest that shots in the toe hurt much worse than elsewhere on the body. I had to have a couple at the podiatrist, and honestly going without the numbing shot would probably have been less painful than the shot itself.

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: YouKnowWho on November 13, 2014, 12:55:36 PM

I think mainly I am mourning the loss of what her life was vs what her life will be, kwim?

She told me she is happy that I have to read labels for her now (and FWIW - I read labels for her because food allergies also made me look into cleaning up how we eat and some of the stuff on labels is disturbing). 

But it's just macadamia nuts - it's not that big of a deal.  But it is.

Can you tell my brain is arguing with itself?

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: maeve on November 13, 2014, 01:00:29 PM

Quote from: YouKnowWho on November 13, 2014, 12:55:36 PM

I think mainly I am mourning the loss of what her life was vs what her life will be, kwim?

I know exactly what you mean. I often mourn how different DD's life is, and I find myself doing it quite a bit lately as she has entered her teens. I'll even cop to having envy of people whose children do not have food allergies. Oh to be able to give your child anything to eat and not even think about it.

It's perfectly normal to have this swirl of emotions after what you went through last night. That's why we're here to lend an ear and send good thoughts.

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: CMdeux on November 13, 2014, 03:20:50 PM

 :yes:   I find that those moments of angst and grief for normative lifestyle tend to come in waves.  I've been in a bit of a funk there lately, myself.

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: LinksEtc on November 13, 2014, 04:38:54 PM

So sorry YKW.   :grouphug:

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: Jessica on November 13, 2014, 10:53:41 PM

:( sorry to hear this.

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: spacecanada on November 25, 2014, 04:22:07 PM

So sorry to hear you and and your daughter had to go through this.  Thankfully, Em has an awesome Mum and family who will support her.  She has confidence in you and looks up to you and her siblings with allergies and knows she will be okay because of that.  We're here for you, YKW.  You are an awesome Mum no matter what you may think now.  Take care of yourself, don't beat yourself up too much, and borrow some hope and happiness from Em. 

 :grouphug:

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: YouKnowWho on December 27, 2014, 07:56:07 AM

And now we can add hazelnuts to Em's list.  I guess we can just call all tree nuts (though she tolerates coconut still) to the list.  Or we will until I can get to the allergist.  She used to be a huge fan of Nutella but yesterday was hives on chin, scratching of the tongue and ears.  Yes, two or more systems and should have epi'd.  I had four adults telling me it was overkill.  Lots of eagle eye watching (and will have to talk to my MIL about her comments because I have been doing this for nearly 10 years and I wasn't putting words in her mouth or thoughts in her head). 

I have been trying to figure out what has changed in the last year after thinking we hit "safe zone".  But as I read more about gut bacteria it makes me wonder.  In July she was on high powered antibiotics after the splinter under the toe nail debacle (her foot started changing color which made me take her straight the ER).  And then sulfa based drugs for the UTI for 10 days in October.

Regardless, it stinks.

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: momma2boys on December 27, 2014, 09:07:14 AM

Maybe the hazelnuts were cross contaminated with the other tree nut she is allergic to. Same reason they tell us to avoid all tree nuts because of peanut c.c.

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: Macabre on December 27, 2014, 09:25:09 AM

With Nutella, I thinkbit's just hazelnuts in that plant. I could be wrong.

Coconut is a drupe and such a different animal. I don't know but could see how hazelnuts and macadamias could be in the same food family.

They're not.

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: Macabre on December 27, 2014, 09:43:10 AM

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/12209105/

Sticking this here.

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: YouKnowWho on December 27, 2014, 10:49:31 AM

I say coconut is still okay because she is consuming with no issues, peanut as well. 

But yes, hazelnuts (Nutella) and macadamia nuts.

I have been putting off the allergist visit because I wasn't ready to face facts.  Guess I have to now (at least stress of Christmas is almost over).

And while I don't like wishing allergies on my children, for the love of Pete and all that is holy, my brain can only handle so much.  No wheat, rye, barley and egg for DS1, no peanuts for DS2, no tree nuts for Em, no bananas or eggplant for me (along with my drug allergens).  My brain hurts...

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: CMdeux on December 27, 2014, 10:55:10 AM

I doubt it, with Nutella.  Pretty much as low as risk gets for XC.

(IMO)

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: guess on December 27, 2014, 03:35:22 PM

 :grouphug: I have no calming words but I sure understand what you mean.

I'm to the point that I, one not really known for prayer, have caught myself more than once in earnest prayer that my youngest develops some sort of threshold for milk. Like 1 mL, please.  At this point I don't care if he can ever have barley or wheat.

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: CMdeux on December 27, 2014, 07:28:18 PM

Yup.  We no longer care if DD ever outgrows anything else.  Hell, we'll happily settle for halting the allergic march at this stage, tyvm.   Please, please, please let's just not see what is behind ANY of the doors.  To heck with any deal-making, I'll keep what we have.

Kind of wishing that we'd had the foresight to think that way ahead of that damned egg challenge.   :hiding: 

Title: Re: Our luck ran out
Post by: YouKnowWho on December 29, 2014, 02:01:58 PM

Em pitched a rip-roaring fit because I wouldn't let her have peanuts in Granny's room.  I need to find a non tree nut cross contaminated brand (I posted).  Tears, red face, MAD.  Maybe I am taking a gamble on keeping peanuts in the diet but I do let her continue to have peanut butter and some other peanutty items. 

In the midst of the hazelnut debacle she did tell Grandpa that the shot in her leg hurt way less than in her toe but made her feel better immediately (and thankfully DS1 and DS2 were in there to hear that).  Not that I want to epi her but maybe having it later than sooner was better for her (and I mean later age wise, not delaying epi though I had little choice the night of the ER visit because I didn't have jrs on hand).  And it probably helped that she had a shot in her toe a few months prior so she could compare which hurt less.  Things to be grateful for??