I Never Thought Anaphylaxis Would Start Like This…

Our older son was 3 when he had his first anaphylactic reaction.

It was terrifying.

It was a delayed reaction – at least 2 hours later, and started with the tiniest of coughs.

And then another couple of coughs after that.

And then a few more, every minute or so.

My Mummy instincts kicked in and I just knew something wasn’t right.

I checked the back of his neck and there were a few hives.

Itchy hives.

He had hives before, but nothing like this.

They were like a group of angry ants, spreading and marching down his body.

I dialled 000 for an ambulance straight away.

In my mind, it wasn’t the way I had thought an anaphylactic reaction would start.

With my 4 month old on a mat on the floor, I moved my older son to the couch I stayed on the phone with the lady from 000.

I stayed calm.

Well… I stayed calm on the outside.

Even though I am a trained health professional and work in a hospital, trained in Basic Life Support and working with doctors every day, it was one of the most out of body experience I’ve ever had.

After his lips started to turn blue and he started to look really tired, I remembered that I had an old, expired EpiPen Jnr in the cupboard.

One I had purchased over the counter previously as doctors typically don’t prescribe them if they haven’t had an anaphylactic reaction yet (!!!!)

I asked the lady on the phone if I should use it as he wasn’t looking flash.

I waited on the phone (which seemed like forever) while she confirmed with a pharmacist on the other end of the phone.

As long as the window in the EpiPenJnr was clear, it was fine to use. Should still be effective.

So I used the EpiPen as I thought I should.

It didn’t work.

**PANIC**

**MELISSA, DON’T PANIC. YOU ARE THE ONLY ADULT HERE AND YOUR SON NEEDS YOU**

I stopped, read the instructions again calmly – thumb OFF the top.

*RETRY*

It worked.

Colour in his lips and face came back and about 5 minutes later the paramedics walked in.

They took over half an hour to get to us – it was peak hour traffic (5pm in the afternoon) and had just come from their 3rd anaphylactic response that day.

Super amazing heroes!

I honestly couldn’t believe how calm they looked when I was just a mess inside.

When they introduced themselves to B, I just totally lost it …tears….wobbly lips (you know what I’m talking about), and felt that I could finally show some true emotion of how I was feeling.

WOWSERS.

The paramedics were amazing and I was so grateful for the EpiPen Jnr and for them attending with such a calming presence. ???

I still get teary now thinking of that afternoon (and writing this post!)… it does feel like it only happened yesterday.

I am so proud of my son…how brave he was during his anaphylactic reaction.

So grateful for the (expired) EpiPen Jnr, for the calm voice on the end of the 000, and the amazing paramedics who took over when they arrived.

Reflecting back, I knew all the signs of anaphylaxis.

I had read them on the Anaphylaxis Action Plan that our Allergist had given us. It was just that I never expected it to start with a cough like that.

I had always imagined it to be a wheeze. More overt.

And the time frame… I thought it would happen immediately, not so delayed like it was – hours later.

Since sharing my story, many other parents have contacted me with similar experiences with their child stating anaphylaxis with a persistent cough (yes, just like the Anaphylaxis Action Plan states it can!).

It has been so wonderful to be in a community of parents supporting each other in their journeys so that it isn’t such a lonely one.

We’re in this together, to help our children, to find a new way forward, with support and love.

If you’d like to join our amazing and supportive community, head to https://Facebook.com/groups/eczemaallergiesasthma so that you can be heard and supported by an awesome group of people who want a new parenting story and an exciting, healthier future for their entire family.