I just wanted to share our latest.....
I am shattered. After getting the go ahead from my allergist last week to challenge my 2 year old boy with some new foods, he had an anaphylactic attack and ended up in hospital.
His allergy test last week showed some improvement. Rice and chicken were fine (1). Challenge to milk however had a bad outcome. It's so weird because he only showed a 3 on his allergy test which is why we thought it would be fine. Anything under a 3 is supposed to be fine. his reaction was out of the norm. The reaction has re-emphasised how dangerous this condition is.
The other thing was the reaction was delayed - 3 hours. We challenged him exactly the way I had been told- a smear on the lips, nibble, bite then mouthful - 15 minutes apart.
Normally he reacts straight away with welts around his mouth. On this ocassion he showed no signs until 3 hours later. He had a cough- not a coughing fit. A cough like a child has at the beginning of a cold. He was distressed and his condition deteriorated quickly- welts started to appear on his tummy, his face went red and began to swell. Adrenaline was administered and he began to improve.
It shows that we always need to keep on our toes when caring for these children. They are so precious and one slip up could be fatal. Anaphylaxis is life threatening and doesn't always happen straight away.
The main thing is to be aware of the symptoms and not to hesitate calling an ambulance and giving the epipen.
An update to WHY the reaction was delayed Read Here
Milk Challenge Warning!!