MQ had bad allergic reaction

[TamieJP]

TONS of stuff happening at my house. Part of what has happened is that we packed up a family of 7 with 9 pets and moved them into our house.

While packing, MQ had an allergic reaction to something at their house. She came to me and told me that she felt her throat was getting sore. I told her to immediately take some benadryl and to not work in a room by herself. She then came to me about 20 minutes later saying that her throat was closing up. I told her to take at least 2 more benadryl pills. She did so and I took her to the ER.

When we got there I asked her, "on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being UNABLE to breath, what's your number?" Her response was "7". I was trying so hard to not panic but I did want the receptionist to understand the dire need MQ was in so I walked in with her (leaving the car in the emergency lane) and told the lady at the desk that I believe that MQ is having an anaphylactic reaction & that her throat was closing up.

I then went to park the van. When I got back in, MQ was still standing at the desk. When we FINALLY got into the TRIAGE, MQ was feeling slightly better but her throat hurt terribly. Her BP was something/125. Her pulse was also 125 and her pulse-ox was 91%.

We had to WAIT a full hour AFTER TRIAGE to be seen! She actually felt much better with her 1-10 scale floating between 1&3. When she got into the room, she had hives and her vitals were still crazy. She was given Prednisone injection, a couple of Pepcid tablets & watched for another hour.

She then had a reaction to the prednisone... her hands, arms, mouth, nose and tongue (I think) became numb. It was a scary day!

******** more stuff has happened but life has continued to move forward.

[vicki]

While packing, MQ had an allergic reaction to something at their house. She came to me and told me that she felt her throat was getting sore. I told her to immediately take some benadryl and to not work in a room by herself. She then came to me about 20 minutes later saying that her throat was closing up. I told her to take at least 2 more benadryl pills. She did so and I took her to the ER.

As someone who has experience with that, if she has that kind of reaction she needs to get out of the entire house immediately. She should have allergy testing and get an epipen to carry with her. Sounds like it might be an animal reaction, but it could be dust mites or a thousand other things.

[Jean]

As someone who has experience with that, if she has that kind of reaction she needs to get out of the entire house immediately. She should have allergy testing and get an epipen to carry with her. Sounds like it might be an animal reaction, but it could be dust mites or a thousand other things.

Keep a close eye on her as whatever she is allergic to may have also been brought into your house with the new people/animals that have moved in.

[TamieJP]

Keep a close eye on her as whatever she is allergic to may have also been brought into your house with the new people/animals that have moved in.

We are watching her closely. I think it was likely the cats which ARE in this house but are two floors away from her. She had allergy testing and her reaction was SEVERE. She was to lay with the formulas on her back for 30 min but they terminated the test before 15 was up.

The testing results are 1-4. One being minor and 4 being severe. Here are her results (in which I wondered why THEN they did not prescribe an epipen)

PETS/INDOOR ALLERGENS
Cat hair - 4
Dog - 3

INDOOR ALLERGEN/TREES
Mite Df -4
Mite Dp - 4
Mulberry -3
Hazelnut -3
Elm -4
Maple -4
Poplar -3
Birch -2
Ash -2

TREES/GRASS
Willow -3
Sycamore -2
Oak -3
Walnut -3
June -4
Orchard -4
Red Top -4
Timothy -4

GRASS/WEEDS
Rye grass -3
Meadow Fescue -3
Pigweed -3
Ragweed -short -4
Ragweed -giant -4
Marsh Elder -3

WEEDS/MOLDS
Nettle -3
Mugwort - -3
Doc Sorrel -3
Alternaria -2

MOLDS/MISC
Golden Rod -3
Histamine -4 (I believe this is the CONTROL)

She was not tested for FOODS.

She was getting shots to decrease her sensitivity but they were making her sick so they reduced the serum to half strength and moved more slowly but she was still having systemic reactions to them. They then completely stopped the shots.

Her allergist said some really weird stuff yesterday. He said that her reaction was NOT systemic and that it was more a panic attack or an asthmatic reaction. He said that one's throat does not 'close up' unless it's a FOOD ALLERGY or an INSECT BITE'. He countered everything MQ said and described what the ER doctor said. He said since the hives were only on her chest and arms, it was not real hives. (We did NOT look under her clothing to see if she had hives elsewhere. She very well might have and the ER doctor was the one stating that she had hives.

He told her that he does not want to treat her any longer but that she should go to Ann Arbor for tests and determination of treatment. He did say that he would treat her according to how Ann Arbor determines.

I think that he's trying to cover his backside for NOT getting an epi-pen to her sooner. When he DID prescribe one, the insurance said that they wanted PRIOR AUTHORIZATION. (We went to the pharmacy the morning of her reaction to pick it up to find that it still was not available.) She was then told that the doctor was wanting to determine which pen would be the best since 3 new ones had become generic recently. At the appointment he said that there was NOT ANY GENERIC epi-pens and wrote her for one.

Vicki and Jean, I was hoping that you'd respond. Thank you very much!!

[vicki]

I think it was likely the cats which ARE in this house but are two floors away from her.

If the home has central heating or a/c (with ducts), or there are inside doors/stairways connecting the floors, then dander can be spread.

He said that one's throat does not 'close up' unless it's a FOOD ALLERGY or an INSECT BITE'.

Well, I beg to differ. Veronica's throat closed up in the doctor's office with two doctors and three nurses working on her, after a cat allergy shot. Not a food allergy.

From the US Government's site:

Anaphylaxis can occur in response to any allergen.

More info:
http://www.ehow.com/about_6589623_cat-d ... shock.html

[Bridget]

MY throat closes up with any animal dander attacks, to the point of being hospitalized.

I think MQ needs a new doctor.

To reiterate what Vicky said - allergins like animal dander are easily transferred. I'm not sure what you're dealing with right now (((Tamie))) but if cats/animal dander are the issue, just having them on a different floor might not be enough (speaking from experience).

[TamieJP]

I think MQ needs a new doctor.

I think he was trying to say that he does not deserve to get sued for not getting her an epi-pen after seeing the results of her allergy testing.

I had a doctor that swore that he told me never to get PG when I ended up in the hospital with EG. HE CALLED ME TO LET ME KNOW THAT HE WAS APPROVING ME FOR CLOMID. (I did not take it because my insurance changed and I no longer qualified for the treatment but became PG two months after.)

The fear of lawsuit is probably horrid for doctors. With that said, I agree, she needs a new doctor.

[vicki]

I think he was trying to say that he does not deserve to get sued for not getting her an epi-pen after seeing the results of her allergy testing.

He won't let her have an epipen?? Why? Is he afraid she's going to jab herself in the thigh with a huge needle just for fun?

[TamieJP]

He won't let her have an epipen?? Why? Is he afraid she's going to jab herself in the thigh with a huge needle just for fun?

He FINALLY ORDERED HER ONE but AFTER the anaphylactic reaction. I believe it was, the ER doctor also used that term as did her GP. The allergist did NOT. He said that those doctors must have been wrong. He said it had to have been a PANIC ATTACK and since the hives did not cover her body, it was not hives... no one looked where she was not exposed.

She has a script for it now but it's not covered by her insurance. I have to get her to the pharmacy to get it.

[vicki]

Hives don't have to cover the entire body!