How to use an Epi Pen for someone suffering an allergic reaction

My baby girl is only seven months old, but she has been sick every day of her life. Turns out? She has severe food allergies.

Photo courtesy: https://www.epipen.com/en

It took me months to get a diagnosis. It started with her struggling to nurse. I kept insisting that she refused to even try, but everyone kept telling me baby's don't refuse their mother's milk and we just had to keep trying. Then, just a few days after bringing her home from the hospital, her little body became covered in rashes and she had the worst cradle cap I'd ever seen. I asked the Pediatrician, whose opinion I trust and value, and she said it was "baby acne" and she would outgrow it very soon. My baby was irrationally colicky, but again, I was told that's what babies do and she'd outgrow it.

Weeks later, when the rashes still hadn't cleared, the Ped called it "baby eczema" and said she would outgrow it soon. The cradle cap? The colic? She'd outgrow those too, just be patient Mama.

Finally, by three months of age, the Pediatrician agreed there was something more going on, diagnosed it as "acute dermatitis" and referred us to a Pediatric Dermatologist. Fast forward six weeks of me fighting to get an appointment and we finally meet the Derm who diagnosed it as severe eczema with staph infections in some of her sores, and prescribed a couple creams which cleared her skin in just a couple days! But she still had cradle cap, and would scratch at her scalp so often and so vigorously she would draw blood. And she still refused to nurse. She still had colic. I was having to supplement with formula while I tortured myself to pump exclusively around the clock, yet she was still sick.

With all these symptoms, the Ped and the Derm both suggested my baby had a dairy intolerance. So I started elimination diets. I cut out dairy, then eggs, then gluten, then soy, then nuts. Still, my baby was sick.

Let me emphasize that both doctors encouraged me to keep breastfeeding and I had the help of Baby Cafe and experienced nursing mothers in my life, but we had to switch to a non-dairy formula. Within two weeks I had a brand new baby. She wasn't sick any more. She wasn't covered in rashes anymore. She wasn't scratching at her skin anymore.

I stayed with the elimination diets and kept pumping, but each time I tried to feed her, she was sick again. Research showed my girl was not only dairy intolerant, but actually allergic to milk, which is rare but it happens. And it happened to us.

We had to wait until she was 6 months old to get blood work done and the results confirmed she is allergic to dairy and eggs. And research shows that young children like her who have moderate to severe eczema and a confirmed egg allergy are 90-95% more likely to have a peanut allergy. Because she is allergic, not just intolerant, we need to strictly avoid all dairy and eggs and she was prescribed an Epi Pen to carry with her everywhere she goes. This is a small comfort to me to know I have medicine to give her if she has an allergic reaction, but of course it also causes some panic. How do I know she's having an allergic reaction? How do I know when to use the Epi Pen? How do I even use an Epi Pen?

Here's what the patient pamphlet says, because I need to have it memorized, but if you ever encounter my child or someone else having an allergic reaction you won't have time to find the paper and won't be able to concentrate on the fine print. So please read this, and have it memorized, in case you ever have to administer an Epi Pen. Read all about the medication and its administration here.

SYMPTOMS OF AN ALLERGIC REACTION AND ANAPHYLAXIS MAY INCLUDE:

• Trouble breathing
• Wheezing
• hoarseness (changes in the way the voice sounds)
• Hives
• Severe itching
• Swelling of face, lips, mouth or tongue
• Skin rashes, redness, and/or swelling
• Fast heartbeat
• Weak pulse
• Feeling very anxious
• Confusion
• Stomach pain
• Losing control of urine or bowel movements
• Diarrhea or stomach cramps
• Dizziness, fainting or "passing out" (unconsciousness)

HOW TO USE AN EPI PEN:

• Step 1: Remove the epinephrine injection from the clear carrier tube.
• Step 2: Grasp the pen with the orange tip (needle end) pointing downward.
• Step 3: With your other hand, remove the blue safety release by pulling straight up without bending or twisting it.
• Step 4: Hold the victim's leg firmly and place the orange tip against the middle of the outer thigh (upper leg) at a right angle (perpendicular) to the thigh.
• Step 5: swing and push the auto injector firmly until it "clicks". The click signals that the injection has started.
• Step 6: hold firmly in place for 3 seconds (count slowly). The injection is now complete.
• Step 7: remove the auto injector from the thigh. The orange tip will extend to cover the needle. If the needle is still visible, do not attempt to reuse it.
• Step 8: Massage the injection area for 10 seconds.
• Step 9: Call 911 immediately for emergency medial help. The patient may need further medial attention.
• Step 10: Monitor the patient, as a second epi pen injection may be needed if symptoms continue to recur.

See a visual tutorial of this process here at EpiPen.ca