Hello all, I had cause this week to reflect upon and value my life having tried to find the words to say the big goodbye to my 2 young teen daughters while retching into the lavatory during an anaphylactic reaction.

Fortunately the paramedics arrived. Weirdly my recollection is of a calm, almost leisurely transfer to hospital. Only the next day, on finding drug packaging strewn about, did I glean from my daughters that it had been a frantic emergency.

I've been allergic to nuts all my life and can identify a nutty chocolate bar by sight at ten paces, but they have a nasty habit of sneaking invisibly into cakes and pastries, thai chicken, even the hoi-sin sauce with crispy duck nobbled me last year. (Ground peanuts).

I have always previously been able to manage my reaction myself, or get myself to a hospital. In the nature of the thing it has steadily got worse with each exposure and I've had to get to hospital more frequently. But this time was by far the worst yet, and I progressed rapidly to the point where I was unable to call an ambulance.

I am so proud of my daughters, and grateful to them. But I realised that although they used their common sense and rose to the occasion, they were frightened and uncertain. They did all the right things, but by instinct because I had not given them any plan to follow.

And so to my point. I got a prescription for 3 Epipens (home, work, car, on the doctor's advice) and read the instructions with my daughters complete with role-play ("ew yuck that must really hurt!") so I knew they understood. But next time may be in a room full of strangers.

The doctor also advised a medicalert bracelet which I have yet to get. Then researching anaphylaxis I found mention on Wikipedia of an "Allergy Action Plan". I understood that the website has an interactive tool for producing a tailored action plan for anyone to follow if presented with an allergic reaction. "Ideal!" I thought. Actually, the tool: http://www.allergyactionplan.com/tool.html while no doubt useful to many is limited in scope, as, in my humble opinion, is the website itself given its expansive domain name.

Does anyone know of a similar or better resource? I expect I will just write down some simple instructions to perhaps show to friends and colleagues, but what to write? Does anyone here already have an Allergy Action Plan, or suggestions on what to include?

On a slight tangent, this time for the first time I mixed an emetic of salt and water to induce vomiting once I had realised what was happening. Was this wise of me or potentially dangerous?

For the record I was treated as follows:
Salbutamol and oxygen via face-mask
Piriton via stent
Epinephrine (adrenaline) also via stent,
and to hospital for more epinephrine and to recover until 3 hours later I felt well enough to discharge myself. The doctor gave me the choice of having
Hydrocortisones to guard against a 'rebound' reaction when the epinephrine wore off, or spending another 8 hours in hospital for observation. I took the hydrocortisones.

Huge thanks to the NHS.

Hi Captainllama -

Sounds as thoguh you have two very clued up daughters!

I work in a restaurant which is very allergy aware and they have a little manual in the kitchen which has a sort of allergy action plan - although, obviously it is designed for restaurant staff looking after a customer rather than a friend or family member. For what it is worth I will copy it out below - I had already taken a copy for myself anyhow as I have a coeliac friend who thinks that she may also be nut allergic and I thought it might be useful for her.

If a Customer Suffers a serious allergic Reaction

1. Have a list of allergy symptoms posted up in the servery.
• generalised flushing of the skin
• nettle rash (hives) anywhere on the body
• sense of impending doom
• swelling of throat and mouth
• difficulty in swallowing or speaking
• alterations in heart rate
• severe asthma
• abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting
• sudden feeling of weakness (drop in blood pressure)
• collapse and unconsciousness
Nobody would necessarily experience all of these symptoms.
Courtesy of the Anaphylaxis Campaign
www.anaphylaxis.org.uk Tel. 01252 542029

2. Ask the customer if this has happened before? What
happened next? Do they carry medication? Can they use it or do they need help?
3. If you think a customer is having an allergic reaction, call an ambulance immediately and tell them that someone may be suffering a severe allergic reaction and may need resuscitation.
4. Have clear, detailed instructions as to how to get to, and get into, the restaurant, stuck up by the phone so that any member of staff can give detailed instructions to the ambulance. This is very important. If the ambulance is delayed it could be fatal.
5. While waiting for the ambulance ensure that the customer does not exert themselves and do not leave them alone.
6. Send someone to wait outside the restaurant for the ambulance to speed their arrival.

This is fantastic idea. I don't have an Action Plan either and my anaphylactic reactions seem to be happening more regularly and with more severity each time. Twice I've been so bad I've not been aware of able to administer my EpiPen, Once I was alone and another time my work colleagues just tucked me up in bed and left me!! Scarey but I was lucky both times. Anaphylaxis takes hold and you can't always help yourself.

This is something our doctors should be helping us to do. If I find a good resource I will post it And will share mine when I've written it.. My next job I think.

Thanks for sharing.
Ruth

I have been spurred on to draw up my own action plan. I would urge all other anaphylaxis sufferers to do the same. Keep a copy with your epipen. Also keep a copy at work and share with the company first aiders if you have them. I couldn't find much help on the internet. My advice having been through the process is to keep it simple, include emergency numbers and other useful information eg. do you have a medicalert necklace or talisman, where do you keep your adrenaline, doctors name and phone number, Place of work and home address etc. If anyone wants to see my action plan I'm happy to share it. Ruth

Hi Sawpeedo -
Would you mind sharing your action plan? It is just that most of us - well, me anyhow -are so useless that we will have good intentions which we will never follow up on - but if we actually had a format that we could just copy and fill in for ourselves with all the things that you have obviously already thought of on it - that would be BRILLIANT!

Hi,

My daughter, now six, has an allergy action plan as she always needs someone to take responsibility for her. It is kept with her medicines.

It has: -
A small photo of her, name and DOB
List of known allergies
Types of reaction and medical response required (as per Anaphylaxis Campaign)
Dosages of medicine to be given
Importance of calling 999 for a severe reaction
Emergency contact details
Our signature (as this is for a child)

This is on one side of an A4 sheet and I put the Epipen instructions on the other side. Our doctor makes sure we have two epipens in each location as sometimes the first one may not be enough.

I include the number for NHS Direct as I find it reassuring to have someone to talk to - they are trained and remain calm to ask the right questions.

We translated the action plan into French for going on holiday.

HTH
Clare

Hello all -
Just to add to the collection of excellent allergy action plans...... Ruth, who has suffered several bad reactions, has also written an action plan. She has written quite a helpful articles about her experiences and attached her plan - see http://www.foodsmatter.com/allergy_i...tion_plan.html