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First Anaphylaxis Experience and use of EpiPen

Date Posted: 12 May 2023

Child's age in this post: 2 years old

The events in this post took place in: mid 2022

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I want to share a personal and intense experience - our first encounter with anaphylaxis and the use of an EpiPen. It was eye-opening, and it made me realize the very real risk of cross-contamination and the subtlety of symptoms during an anaphylaxis episode.

TLDR:

1. Cross-contamination of allergens is a real and serious risk.
2. EpiPens provide temporary relief; head to a hospital immediately after its use.
3. After using an EpiPen, hospital observation is crucial. In Singapore, this typically means a 24-hour stay.
4. When in doubt, use the EpiPen. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Our first experience with Anaphylaxis (that we know of...)

So here's what happened. It was my birthday, and we had a vegan cake from a bakery that also handles dairy products. We thought it was safe and fed our little girl a normal amount.

About 15 minutes after eating a whole slice, she started developing rashes, followed by wheezing and constant coughing. We tried antihistamines, which helped with the itching and rashes, but they didn't seem to help with her breathing.

At this point, we hesitated. We'd never experienced anaphylaxis before, and we weren't sure if this was it. But we used the EpiPen for the first time. Immediately after, we called an ambulance and ended up in the hospital for 24 hours under observation.

Our little one took the experience surprisingly well and didn't cry at all - she was rather intrigued when I jabbed her with the EpiPen. It seems like the parents were more anxious than the child!

The doctors explained that they keep patients for observation post-EpiPen due to the risk of a "second wave" once the EpiPen effects wear off. And they also advised that the EpiPen should be used whenever in doubt. The downside? Having to rush to the hospital. The upside? Potentially saving your child's life.

Likely case of Cross Contamination of Dairy in the Vegan Cake

We suspected it could either have been cross contamination of dairy or an allergy to tree-nuts (which we never tested). Subsequent tests after this episode showed she had no such tree-nut allergy, and hence our suspicions of cross contamination of dairy remained the likely culprit in this case - a stark realization of how sensitive she was to dairy, even the smallest trace amounts could trigger a severe reaction.

So remember - cross-contamination is real. If you're unsure if your child is experiencing anaphylaxis, use the EpiPen and call an ambulance. Once you've used the EpiPen, it's essential to head to the hospital for observation.

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