Mystery allergic reaction
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Anonymous
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My daughter went to visit her cousin's house recently and came into contact with an allergen. Her only known allergens are a couple of OTC medications. Within 15 minutes of feeling itchy, more than half of her body was covered in hives and redness. There was swelling, but no breathing impairment. She's alright after a few doses of Benadryl.
I'm at a loss for what could gave caused this, but the reaction was bad enough that I'd like to figure it out so it can be avoided. She ate things she's eaten before. She was around animals she's been around a million times. She took a dose of Pepto Bismol, but said the itching started less than a minute before she took it. Do I take her to the ped and/or ask for a referral to an allergist? Suggestions? |
Anonymous
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What OTC meds is she allergic to? Also, just because she's eaten things before with no reaction does not mean a reaction cannot develop over time.
I would definitely see the ped who will probably do some lab work (allergen panel) and will most likely refer you to the allergist. |
Anonymous
| Definitely get labwork done and possibly see an allergist, but know that it could remain a mystery or take some digging for an unusual source. I had an allergic reaction as a child multiple times to which we never found the source. I outgrew it or was no longer exposed and have no issues now. My childhood allergist told me to really think about anything I ate or touched when the reaction occurred because one of her patients identified a different brand of fish food (yes, food for their fish) as the source of their reaction! Nothing had shown up on their blood panel or skin test and they only discovered it by paying careful attention to a change. |
Anonymous
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Do to the generalized nature of the rash, short of taking a shower with new soap, it's definitely something she ate.
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Anonymous
She's allergic to guaifenesin and psuedoephedrine. It was just a cheeseburger and chips. She's eaten those ingredients for the last 10+ years without a reaction. |
Anonymous
That was my thought too. I guess she could have touched something and then ingested it while eating. |
Anonymous
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What did she eat before the pepto?
I'm assuming she had stomach upset or reflux to get the pepto. Also sometimes family sneak new ingrediants into "old" foods |
Anonymous
PP you quoted here. Any chance she's had a tick bite recently or been somewhere that she could have been bitten? Certain tick bites (lone star tick) can actually result in a reaction to red meat. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2013/06/11/ticks-bites-can-cause-allergy-to-red-meat/#.Ur9UeHi9LTo |
Anonymous
This happened to our 5yo DD, last month. She woke up around midnight complaining about itchness. When I looked, her abdomen and sides were covered with red welts. Like your daughter, my DD did not have any breathing issues... just the hives/welts. I immediately took her to the ER. The doctor was unable to identify the cause. Far as I know, my DD did not eat or do anything out of the ordinary that day. They gave her some benadryl and it cleared things up. We never found out the cause. A couple of days later, my husband came down with shingles... not sure if it contributed to it. My DD did get the chicken pox vaccine, but I wonder if that is sort of mild reaction to the shingles/ chicken pox virus. I am going to ask the pediatrician, the next time we see her. |
Anonymous
| Children can have full blown hives from a virus, which happened to my DD. (Or at least that was the best guess by the pediatrician who said that more often than not, you never figure out the cause of hives that just pop up like that.) the fact that you mentioned the Pepto made me think she might also have been sick. |
Anonymous
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Is she under the weather?
Viruses can cause hives, sometimes very severe hives. Watch her mouth and tongue for redness or swelling. If it starts to show there take her in to the ER. |
Anonymous
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I've had many allergic reactions in my life that I have no idea of the cause. There is often no way to pinpoint. I just carry antihistamines and advil with me and take them when the itching starts.
I have many allergies though so I frequently react. That doesn't sound like it is the case with your daughter. If she hasn't had allergy testing in awhile, it would be worth a panel. |
Anonymous
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I've had a full-blown rash with hives in the following exposures: new bathmat; treating my cat with an "Indoor No" product; playing with a strange dog and getting his saliva directly on my arms. I have no allergies and no general predispositions or problems with allergic reactions.
I took benadryl for 48 hours. |
Anonymous
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She's not sick. She complained of a stomach ache and her cousin's grandmother gave her a bit of pepto.
I don't think a tick bite is likely. She's eaten other beef since the other day when this happened. Also, IIRC, the beef allergy that comes from tick bites does not include hives. She's never had an allergen panel. I'll schedule one with her ped. |
Anonymous
| Could it have been dust? Something they used to clean the house? |