Anaphylaxis

Anaphylazis is a severe, multi-system allergic reaction that can happen right away, or up to 2 hours after a person is exposed to an allergen. This is a word that I have heard so many times, and yet never fully understood. I know it is life threatening. Many of my friends and relatives have had to deal with it. And I have always been so grateful that my own allergies and those of my daughters have never been that bad... then life changes.

Rebekah is allergic to eggs. I found out after she turned one and I fed her some scrambled eggs. About an hour of two later she puked all over our car. We had her tested to confirm the allergy and have avoided eggs ever since. I just had her retested on Tuesday to see if her allergy is the same or had gotten better. It was the same, a 4+ on a scale of 1-4.

Last night, while at a party Rebekah got a hold of something that had eggs in it. As a result, she projectile vomited all over Clay. Well, now that it was out of her system we thought she would be fine. On a whim, I gave her some Benadryl before I put her in bed, just to be safe (I am so grateful for inspiration!!!). Around 1:00 in the morning I went in to check on her before I went to bed. She had thrown up again. Sadly, I woke her up so I could get her cleaned up and change her bedding. As I took off her PJ's I noticed red marks all over her body.


This was right when I woke her up. You can see some spots on her torso, neck, face, and especially on her left thigh. After her bath, they seemed to get worse. So much so that her entire scalp, ears and neck were solid red, and itchy. So at 1:30 in the morning Clay took her to the ER. They immediately gave her epinephrine. Then she got an IV and some prednisolone and was watched closely by the doctor. Clay and Rebekah finally returned home just before 7:00 am. The doctor said that the Benedryl I had given her probably kept her from going into Anaphylactic shock.

Rebekah is doing fine now. You wouldn't even know she had been sick to look at her. She was happy and playful all evening. But life has changed a little for us. I now join the ranks of so many of my friends who carry an EpiPen where ever we go, and pray that we never have to use it.