Peanut Monsters on Halloween

Halloween this year turned out to be much more eventful than we planned.  With the boys allergies, we always cash-out their candy at our dentist’s office and then they use the money at the dollar store or for something they’ve been saving for.  I also give them some safe allergen-free candy which I have here.  However, they still like to dump out their stash and look at the pieces and count them.  My husband has a few favorites from their candy which he keeps and takes to work, so we use this time to sort out the candy for him as well.

My youngest son and I were alone in the living room and we had my husband’s candy sorted out.  I walked into the kitchen to get a ziplock bag.  When I came back into the living room I noticed my son was missing, and thought it was strange.  Just then he rounded the corner with a bit of a mischievous look on his face. I asked him to open his mouth and was dismayed to find a piece of candy in his mouth.  I fished it out and became alarmed to discover that it was a SNICKERS bar!!  Not a good thing for a boy with a severe peanut allergy! 

I immediately washed his mouth out in the bathroom.  He was complaining that his tongue was itchy, so I gave him a dose of Benadryl.  Then I watched him, not much was happening, so I thought we had it under control.  Over the course of about five minutes his back was itching a little.  I took his shirt off, he developed a few hives, but nothing serious.  A couple of minutes later his voice started getting a little hoarse.  I started to wonder if the Benadryl was going to be enough.  I began some tapping on acupressure points to help slow the reaction in his body.  A couple of minutes later he started coughing.  This was alarming, although he had been coughing for a few weeks (from a cold), so still not as alarming as it should have been.

I decided that the epi-pen might be in order so I went to get it.  I got back to him and all of a sudden he threw up, twice!  Now I’m starting to panic, it’s been about 10-12 minutes since we gave Benadryl, and about 15 minutes since he ingested part of the snickers bar.  I knew I need to give the epi-pen, but am a bit nervous about this as well.  What if I inject it in the wrong spot?  What if I don’t hold it in his leg long enough and the medicine doesn’t get in his system?  What if he has a reaction to the epinephrine?  What if it doesn’t work and my baby dies??  A million thoughts are running through my mind.

I take off his pants, position him on my lap and inject the epi-pen in his thigh.  He cries while I pray.  Within a couple of minutes all of his symptoms start to reverse and he relaxes completely in my arms. 

I clean him up (from the throwing-up), place him in his Daddy’s arms as he is now falling asleep from the Benadryl and probably the epinephrine as well.  Now my next task is what to do next…this is after all the first time having to use the epi-pen.  I knew that I needed to seek medical care, but wasn’t sure if I should call 9-1-1 or just take him to the ER.  A quick search on the internet informs me that the epi-pen can wear off within 20 minutes.  I place a quick call to the after-hours care at his pediatrician’s office, leaving my cell phone # as a call back and head to the ER with my son.  Thankfully my pediatrician calls me back right as I pull into the parking lot.  She felt that since I had given him both benadryl and the epi-pen that it would be okay if we forego the ER trip and just monitor him carefully at home.  She suggested he sleep in my bed and if ANY symptoms reappear to immediately call 9-1-1 or go straight to the ER.

I brought him home and put him in bed.  I then did some additional research on anaphylactic reactions.  I learned that up to 20% of people have a biphasic reaction (or a second reaction) that can be mild, equal, or more severe than the first reaction.  It often occurs within 4-6 hours after the first reaction, but can occur up to 24 hours after the first reaction.

I stayed up until 4 hours after the incident, then crawled into bed with him by my side.  About 45 minutes after I went to bed, he woke up coughing & threw up.  I thought, “Oh no, he’s having a second reaction.”  I flew out of bed to prepare to take him to the ER.  He immediately fell right back to sleep.  I cleaned him up again (from the throwing-up) and then woke him up to assess him.  He was not coughing, his voice was not hoarse, he had no hives and was breathing fine.  I decided not to rush him to the hospital, but closely monitor him for awhile.  He had no further problems.

Monday, after school, we rushed to the dentists office as soon as possible to sell back our remaining Halloween candy.  We have a peanut-free home, and I felt so much better to restore it back to its peanut- free status.  While this was a frightening experience, I learned much.  I will now no longer fear giving the epi-pen.  I have a much better idea of how to train those who have my son in their care for symptom identification and treatment.  I hope my son has learned from this experience.  Needless to say….I’m already fearing next Halloween….not for the ghosts & goblins, but for the horrible “peanut monsters” that lurk behind every doorbell.