Karen in CO Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 My older dd had an anaphylactic reaction last night, and as I drove home from the ER with her, I started wondering if she should be wearing a medic alert bracelet. She has had the epi-pen since spring and had made sure that all of her friends, relatives and such know that she has it and know how to use it. I was thinking a bracelet would make me feel better, but I'm not sure how useful they are in real life for allergic reactions. Any experience or opinions? And she's fine - I recognized the reaction for what it was really quickly, gave her benadryl and got her to the er super fast. Although she had tested negative for a shellfish allergy in the spring, she's allergic to scallops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccmom Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 I need to get one for my son! He is severely allergic to peanuts. Now that he is older and doing more without me by his side, I believe he should wear one. They have some really cool ones if you search around. How scary. I hope your daughter is ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkateLeft Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 (edited) Yes, I would absolutely get the child a medic-alert bracelet. Anytime someone has something that a first responder should know immediately, like a potential anaphylactic reaction, even a rare and unlikely one, a medic-alert bracelet or other form of ID should be worn. My 14yo daughter has medication allergies, including an allergy to a commonly used form of anesthesia, so she wears a medic-alert bracelet. In an emergency situation, it would be important for a first responder or ER doctor to know that information, and I'm not always around to be able to provide it. My youngest son requires daily medication and has special needs, so he wears a medic-alert bracelet. I also have to wear one for a medication allergy. They're inexpensive and easy to get, and will speak for your child if they're in a situation where they can't speak. Edited to add: Since you asked, here's an example of why they're important. Last summer, my daughter got into a bike accident, breaking her jaw in two places, along with several teeth. She needed stitches in her face, oral surgery and had her jaw wired shut for 6 weeks. By the time I got to the hospital, the doctors had already made note of her allergies and knew that they couldn't use one of the medications that they might have otherwise. Edited August 3, 2012 by sailmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 (edited) For a food allergy and a child, I would seriously consider it. Especially if they spend a good deal of time away from home (sports, performances etc). Dd13 has an epi but hers is due to allergy shots so no, we don't have her wear an identifier. Look on line, there are some really cute ones out now that are much more kid friendly that the old metal ones. Edited August 3, 2012 by Tap, tap, tap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 I can't see how it would possibly hurt. While at the moment she's mostly around people who know about her allergies, she's approaching the age where she's likely to be doing stuff on her own, or outside her core group. There are cute bracelets these days (though personally, I'd balance cuteness with standard look - I'd worry about something that looked too much like regular bracelet getting overlooked). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted August 3, 2012 Author Share Posted August 3, 2012 Her epi-pen was originally because she had severe reactions to tree-pollen that sent her to the er several times. This is her first food allergy. :( The reaction was a whole lot faster. Our allergist had warned us that her allergies were so bad that he expected she'd need it for environmental allergies before long. We were surprised by shellfish but pretty well prepared. Okay - I'll add medic-alert bracelet shopping to our back-to-school list along with shoes to match the uniform. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Yes, before DS outgrew his allergies, he wore a Medic Alert bracelet. They have a special program for food allergy children. I believe the bracelet and first year were free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted August 3, 2012 Author Share Posted August 3, 2012 I had started to wonder how others would know she had a pen in her purse if she couldn't talk. Seeing her like that last night made me much more aware of what her limitations would be during an emergency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted August 3, 2012 Author Share Posted August 3, 2012 So what do you written on the bracelet? She has multiple environmental allergies and a food allergy - she has asthma and carries an inhaler and an epi-pen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 So what do you written on the bracelet? She has multiple environmental allergies and a food allergy - she has asthma and carries an inhaler and an epi-pen. The people at Medic Alert helped me decide what the most important information was for the bracelet. If you have a lot to say, that will be kept on file with them so that when medical personnel call, they will be told all of that. In DS's case, his bracelet read "Allergic to Corn. Saline IV only." Then, they had the rest of his allergies on file. Different people will have different most important information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 I need to. My oldest has a bee sting allergy. She's never been anaphylactic, but her rx gets worse each time. So she has an Epi-pen just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 My older dd had an anaphylactic reaction last night, and as I drove home from the ER with her, I started wondering if she should be wearing a medic alert bracelet. She has had the epi-pen since spring and had made sure that all of her friends, relatives and such know that she has it and know how to use it. I was thinking a bracelet would make me feel better, but I'm not sure how useful they are in real life for allergic reactions. Any experience or opinions? And she's fine - I recognized the reaction for what it was really quickly, gave her benadryl and got her to the er super fast. Although she had tested negative for a shellfish allergy in the spring, she's allergic to scallops. Did they tell you at the ER, that the next time it happens you should absolutely use the epi-pen and not even attempt Benadryl? I don't mess with Benadryl anymore. BTW, w/ a shellfish allergy there are sometimes contamination issues. Dd never had a problem with tuna until last year. Her allergist thinks her reaction to tuna was b/c of contamination in processing. Prior to that reaction she had eaten tuna w/ no trouble at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 My older dd had an anaphylactic reaction last night, and as I drove home from the ER with her, I started wondering if she should be wearing a medic alert bracelet. She has had the epi-pen since spring and had made sure that all of her friends, relatives and such know that she has it and know how to use it. I was thinking a bracelet would make me feel better, but I'm not sure how useful they are in real life for allergic reactions. Any experience or opinions? And she's fine - I recognized the reaction for what it was really quickly, gave her benadryl and got her to the er super fast. Although she had tested negative for a shellfish allergy in the spring, she's allergic to scallops. Jeepers! I guess I know why I didn't see you last night :001_smile:. I hope she's feeling better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 We have his name, allergies, and my cell phone number on my son's bracelet. We just have the bracelet and don't have the monitoring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mélie Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Yes. My son has a sporty blue medical alert bracelet that says his name, his major allergies and that he has an epi-pen. He rarely goes anywhere without me, but I don't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 (edited) Yes, he does. We ordered one like this.http://www.etsy.com/shop/ICOEbracelet?ref=seller_info And we love it! Edited August 3, 2012 by Kalah fixing link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Yes. I actually have the bracelets for all the kids. The non-diagnosed kids have ones that warn of the potential for food allergies and "not to feed XYZ." I like having them as ID bracelets anyway. The two year old got his first one this year and was so proud. Everybody gets to choose their own color ink for the label on the bracelet. Though my oldest got stuck with black b/c they don't do fancy colors on the large size emblems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 Did they tell you at the ER, that the next time it happens you should absolutely use the epi-pen and not even attempt Benadryl? I don't mess with Benadryl anymore. BTW, w/ a shellfish allergy there are sometimes contamination issues. Dd never had a problem with tuna until last year. Her allergist thinks her reaction to tuna was b/c of contamination in processing. Prior to that reaction she had eaten tuna w/ no trouble at all. Yep, last night the ER doc said next time to use the epi and call go to the emergency room which is what we did this afternoon. This afternoon, the same ER doc that we had last night said that next time we should epi then 911 in case she needs oxygen on the way over. Right now, she never wants to eat anything from the ocean again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 Jeepers! I guess I know why I didn't see you last night :001_smile:. I hope she's feeling better. :) She is now. Thanks.. It will probably be two weeks before we're there again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Yep, last night the ER doc said next time to use the epi and call go to the emergency room which is what we did this afternoon. This afternoon, the same ER doc that we had last night said that next time we should epi then 911 in case she needs oxygen on the way over. Right now, she never wants to eat anything from the ocean again. :grouphug:I don't blame her. Food allergies stink. We are at the point where we are extremely cautious about restaurants. When in doubt we don't eat out--especially when we are on vacation and don't know the area well, and thus may not be that close to a hospital. And, I think I remember reading that some emergency responders aren't allowed to give dpi treatment (I'll have to check on that to make sure I have my facts straight b/c I don't remember the details). We've had to pass up some great restaurants b/c we were too nervous about trusting the staff. It's just not worth the trip to the hospital and the 3 hour stay on a heart monitor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 So what do you written on the bracelet? She has multiple environmental allergies and a food allergy - she has asthma and carries an inhaler and an epi-pen. I didn't go with Medic Alert, but I do have a medical bracelet. It reads: Front: Stephanie ________ Allergies & Asthma See Other Side Back: Allergic to: peanuts, nuts, all legumes asthma medical card in wallet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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