Epi pan carriers?

[rafiki]

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[Dana]

We keep all our son's medicine's in a fanny pack that I either carry in my purse or my husband carries.

It's got his two epis, Benadryl, Orapred, and Zantac. All per allergist.

 

I hate allergies.

 

Not sure when we'll have him be responsible for it, although he is responsible for putting on his medic-alert bracelet before we leave the house.

[Emmy]

ours is in an insulated bottle (as in baby bottle) pack that I got at target. It holds 2 epipens, benedryl, and a laminated sheet that has our "action plan" on it. Our son is not quite 3. I will probably migrate to a fanny pack as posted above, when we stop carrying a diaper bag.

 

I will have my son start carrying it himself (in a fanny pack) when he's 8 or so.

[mommybee]

Since my son was about 9 he has always just used a small back pack that he wears everywhere we go. It wasn't too heavy and he could carry the epi pen and benadryl.

 

Before that I carried it in a back pack myself or purse.

 

He's always worn a medic alert bracelet as well. Now he has a dog tag that he finds much cooler to wear at 14.

[BMW]

Mine keeps his in his backpack... he's a high schooler... prior to that the middle school had him keep it in the office... he homeschooled up to 7th grade and I kept one in the car and one in the kitchen

[sixpence1978]

I just keep them in a case in my van. It is what works for us because it is mainly used for a peanut allergy. My kids are always with me though so I'm vigilant about watching what they eat. I haven't had to use it in the past 4 years that we have had it (though replacing them every 9 months because of expiration is a pain).

 

When they do need to sleep at a relatives house, they and the nebulizer are packed in their overnight bag. We also have them in stock at the church office, and next year, the principal's office (of a very tiny school).

 

I think that I would be more likely to have one on hand if they had more of an environmental allergy (like bee stings). But being careful to always ask about ingredients has worked so far for us.

[Dana]

If you keep the Epi in the car, you may want to check with your pharmacist. From what I've read, I've understood that if the temp gets over about 86 degrees, the medicine can break down within the solution.

http://www.epipen.com/pdf/Ord.Fm.pdf

 

So if you keep it in the car, you may be taking a risk that it doesn't work when you need it.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I definately would not keep the epi-pen in the car due to high temperatures in cars. The other reason to keep with your person is that every minute counts when you are dealing with anaphylaxis. I am an RN and did quite a bit of research on this, but of course I will always still be learning.:)

 

This website has a lot of good info:

 

http://www.foodallergy.org/

 

We use a fanny pack to keep our dual pack epi-pen and melt-away benadryl. My ds is too young yet to carry his own. I do know another mom who allows her 10 year old to carry his epi-pen. We also always bring snacks/food with us and rarely eat out anymore. On the plus side, not eating out has helped us to become more frugal:)

[vettechmomof2]

Check out Spibelts. They are very small, well fit waist bags that hold an amazing amount of items. my daughter uses them for her diabetes supplies.

You can google spibelt or chekc them out through Overton Fitness .com.

If you want a discount pm for the code.

They are really neat little bags that I even got one formyself to carry my id while running but now it is what I wear always for my id and other necessary cards.

[3lilreds in NC]

I'm with Emma - still carrying a diaper bag, so we keep ours in the pocket that is for "mom stuff." I still carry a purse and use the diaper bag mostly for trips and stuff. I haven't carried them with me because he's only allergic to eggs and baked goods don't seem to bother him so it's pretty easy to avoid at this point.

 

With the girls, though, I have to say that I'm pretty sure that I would still be responsible for their stuff if they needed it. They're getting better, but still not great about keeping track of their stuff. They're 9 and 8. It's possible that if they had allergies enough to need an epi-pen they would take it more seriously. I'm glad I don't need to know for them. :)

[Mom2boys]

Ds7 is almost always with me, so I carry his epi-pens and Benadryl in my purse. We have another set in a pouch that clips onto my husband's belt. There is enough room for some chewable Benadryl in this holder, but not a cell phone.

 

https://www.foodallergy.org/shoppingcart/cgi-bin/msascartlist.dll/ProductInfo?productcd=EPENPAL2

[mommybee]

Check out Spibelts. They are very small, well fit waist bags that hold an amazing amount of items. my daughter uses them for her diabetes supplies.

You can google spibelt or chekc them out through Overton Fitness .com.

If you want a discount pm for the code.

They are really neat little bags that I even got one formyself to carry my id while running but now it is what I wear always for my id and other necessary cards.

 

 

Thanks for the Spibelt recommendation. I just ordered one for my son so he can carry his diabetic supplies without always having to lug his whole backpack around.

[Dana]

I haven't carried them with me because he's only allergic to eggs and baked goods don't seem to bother him so it's pretty easy to avoid at this point.

 

 

Our son was prescribed the Epi at about a year old due to a dairy allergy. Pretty severe, but probably wouldn't lead to anaphylaxis... but were told to carry the Epi just in case.

 

We felt fairly comfortable after no reactions for a few years, didn't carry the medications with us everywhere and ate out one day when he had a reaction. We were lucky and were able to drive to a CVS and get Benadryl which thankfully was enough to treat the reaction. We were better about carrying the medication after that.

 

At 5, he had an anaphylactic reaction to cashews. We know it was the cashews because it's the only thing he was eating - at home with us. He had no "traditional" signs of reaction that we'd seen with him before - no hives, no runny nose, no cough. Just him telling us, "My throat is scratchy. I think I'm having an allergic reaction."

 

We gave him Benadryl and Orapred and my husband even questioned him, "This is serious. You're telling the truth?"

 

Within 20 minutes (maximum time) from ingesting the cashews, we gave the Epi as he began vomiting and was going hoarse. We were already halfway to the hospital at that point. The hives broke out about 4 hours later (delayed reaction - it's why you should stay at the hospital and watch for the secondary reaction. They were about to send us home). Hives finally went away 3 days later.

 

We'd been considering homeschooling, but this reaction made it a much easier decision.

 

My son's reaction is not the norm, but please carry the Epi if it's prescribed. We were so lucky. And I'd have sworn we wouldn't need it - after all, he was only allergic to milk and he was outgrowing it. Most allergy deaths are due to not having the Epi in hand. If Luke's reaction had been while we were out and if we didn't have the medicine, I don't know what would have happened. We were lucky.

 

You also can't count on ambulances carrying epinephrine - some don't. You need to reinject if you're not at the hospital in about 20 min from initial use, so that's why having a two-pack of the Epis is good.

[rafiki]

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[KidsHappen]

I can not recall if epi pens were even available when I was younger but I wore a medical alert bracelet and my mother carried liquid Benedryl in her purse until I was old enough to clearly articulate my allergies and carry my own. I always had notes and medication at places like school and other activities. Luckily, all of my severe reactions occured in hospitals. I haven't had a reaction in years but I still keep the Benedryl handy which is a good thing because I had to give my son some quickly once due to a first time reaction to one of the same things I am allergic to. Anyhow, my mother or some other adult always carried my meds until I was old enough to have to carry other feminine items and then I carried it in my purse. I guess it would be harder for a guy though.

[vettechmomof2]

I can't locate the dimensions and want to make sure two epi pens would fit.

 

I can try but they stretch A LOT. Plus the company has GREAT CS, if you have specific questions def. email or call them.

be right back.....

 

Well, I experimented with a bunch of differently sized items. I fit in a roll of scotch tape in its holder(3.75" L, 3" H, 1"D) with a highlighter (5.5" long)and a single hole punch(5" L) with room.

I also put in a large bottle of glucose tablets(5" L, 2" D) with some room.

Also fit a 500 tablet bottle of Ibuprofen(same measurements as above bottle) with some room.

I also fit my credit card, drivers license, some cash, some store discount cards and a homeschooling form in the belt with 3 Glucagon emergency kits with room left( the glucagon kits measure 6.5" L, 1" D)

Again, any questions check with the company, they are great and will do special sizing, colors pretty much whatever you want.

Great people.

Edited June 18, 2009 by vettechmomof2

[rafiki]

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[TravelingChris]

My daughter was 11 when she had an delayed anaphalactic reaction to a wasp sting. She has been carrying the epi-pen since. She has a purse which she normally brings which has her epi-pen, inhaler, and wallet with military ID. (It also has tons of other stuff like lipstick, mirror, hair things, etc, etc). I have seen younger chidlren with them and I know that she was very responsible about other allergies frim about age 5 (she has a bad reaction to peanuts and would always ask about that before taking a treat, it wasn't a anaphalactic reaction so we weren't quite as worried about it).

[vettechmomof2]

Two Epi pens in their clip and case are 6 1/4 x 2 1/4 x 1 1/4 inches. They do make a Twin Ject, which is 2 doses in one and more compact, but we didn't find it as user friendly.

 

I likely will still try one for myself, as even if it doesn't work for this, I would use it out walking the dog.

 

Sounds similar to our glucagon kits. You should be able to fit them in with no problem. Wait till you see how small these thingd are and the amazing amount of items that you can fit in them.:)