Epi Pen?

[Gillettes]

Hi there. My daughter had an episode of anaphylactic (sp?) shock last saturday. We are not sure what triggered it and now must travel with an Epi Pen. Does anybody have any advice on how to make a trip to Disney easier? Will they give me a hard time at security? Also does anyone know the quickest way to get emergency help at the parks? I am guessing finding the nearest CM. What about at the resort? Use my cell phone for 911? Or call from the resort phone? An Epi only buys you time and we will not have a car down there to transport her to a hospital. It was scary enough this weekend and that was in a familiar area! Thanks for any info!!

 

[Mary976]

Traveling with the epipen will be no problem. If flying, be sure to put it in your "liquids bag," don't just leave it in your carry on. I also take the box that the pen came in while traveling, just in case there are any questions (the box usually has the prescription sticker). I've heard of some people "declaring" their epipen to WDW security, but I've never done that. I just leave it in my purse. There has never been a problem.

As for getting emergency help, in the parks just find the nearest CM and they will have the paramedics there immediately. At the resort, I believe you call 911.

Also, if you find out it is a food allergy, WDW has great allergy service. More info is in the sticky post at the top of this board.

Good luck!
Mary

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Contact any Cast Member or pick up any phone and dial 911. If it is a medical emergency both Reedy Creek Emergency Services as well as management at the location where the call is from. If it is at a resort there will be a Rescue Squad as well as hotel management there in a couple of minutes.

 

[GoofyFairie]

Be sure you are carrying Benadryl with you at all times. Give it with the epi during an allergic reaction. You can get a letter on the FAAN website www.foodallergy.com under the travel section that your DR can fill out and out on their letterhead about your medication. I also carried lysol wipes to clean the area on the plane and hand wipes. Be sure you carry your medication with you at all times. Don't leave it in the car or in the room. Too hot (car) or too cold (fridge) can render it useless. I hope you have safe and happy trip to Disney.

 

[travelingirlie]

Disney will not give you a hard time about the epi-pen. I have to carry them with me at all times, because my oldest daughter as well as myself are allergic to nuts, and my son is deathly allergic to bees. how fun make sure to carry plenty of benadry. I carry the ready tabs for emergencies because they are much easier to shove down a child's throat when they can't breathe than anything else. Also, when traveling, ALWAYS have 2 epi pen with you. If you need to use one, you should have another one just incase. I travel with 4 because 3 of us may need to use it. I hope you figure out what it was from though!! Its so scary to watch your child not be able to breathe! I know, I've been there!

 

[Gillettes]

Thank you all so much for the info. I am sure we will have an uneventful trip but it's always good to be prepared!! Benadryl is in big bold letters on my pack list, but it is a great idea to get it in non liquid form too. Easier to carry around with me. We had the doctor prescribe us some extra epi pens because the school has one of ours. My dh is an EMT so I have some luck there, too! Anyways thanks again!!

 

[lawblond7]

We just got back -there Dec 21 -26th with a child with severe food allergies, peanuts, shellfishj. He is also allergic to latex and severely anaphylatic to bee stings. I carried my 2 pack epi-pen set with me DAILY in my bag, along with syringes with medications, feeding pump and formula and no problems. We also did ask them to do an allergy clean of the room - which included double washing of the sheets.

You will have no problems with the epi-pen. I do carry mine in the box with the prescription label on them.
hugs
Sharon
www.caringbridge.org/visit/claytonandcole

 

[PatsMom]

Just wanted to say that medication doesn't need to go in your "liquids" bag when going through airport security. Medications don't count as part of what you are allowed.

 

[Mary976]

We always travel with two epi pens, liquid and redi-melt Benydral, and DD's nebulizer supplies, which are liquid medication. While it doesn't count towards your liquid allowance, our airport still makes us take it out of the carry-on. So I just do one of the big ziploc bag with the usual liquids (toiletries and such) and then to make things easier, I'll do another bag with the meds. Although it's possible our airport is just really strict (we usually use OHare).

Mary

 

[jerseymom473]

Security was fine. They see so many of these now. We also carried a nebulizer and the saw it on the xray, no problem!!! I would also have my husband hold one of the 2 epi pens in the airports & theme parks, in case you split up at any point and you forget to transfer to the other parent.

Disney was wonderful with meals. We had my son's food allergies noted and at each restaurant the chef came out to talk to us without asking. Good luck!!! Have a wonderful trip!

PS Just reread your post. I know it is frustrating is you don't know what triggered the reaction. My son is allergic the peanuts and treenuts has extensive allergy testing. My oldest daughter has had reactions occasionally for 10 years and we suspect latex and MSG, but allergy tesing revealed nothing and she has also reacted when not in contact with either, so we just don't know ! Good luck!

 

[travelingirlie]

PS Just reread your post. I know it is frustrating is you don't know what triggered the reaction. My son is allergic the peanuts and treenuts has extensive allergy testing. My oldest daughter has had reactions occasionally for 10 years and we suspect latex and MSG, but allergy tesing revealed nothing and she has also reacted when not in contact with either, so we just don't know ! Good luck!

Allergy testing has revealed nothing for dd too!!!!! I can't stand it! We really need to get to a specialist, but i've been putting it off. ughh. Do you know why it doesnt show up in blood tests?

 

[mechurchlady]

At home you can do a pulse test which Dr. Coca first discribed almost a century ago. You consume a very small bit of something near pure form like corn syrup, strawberry juice, or bacon grease. If the person is allergic their pulse will start racing or they may start to feel their throat constricting just having that food in their mouth. You can try touch like rub a latex glove on the skin in an out of the way place to see what happens.

Why bacon grease? A person can be getting sick from processed foods like bacon because it has at times soy, wheat, corn, and dairy. Soda pop can have dairy, wheat, soy, oils and corn in it. Mom reacts to MSG and she cannot breath and gets constriction. She can spot it a mile away and has to have orange juice afterwards, that is mom, lol. It may not ge the item but something on the item or in it.

Food diaries help and keep a diary to see when your kid is racing like a maniac then crashes sound a sleep or other allergy symptoms. Moods may vary due to allergy reactions. It is easy to forget every little thing that a person eats or drinks. One woman in a magazine said her kid was a monster except before meals. Allergy testing was done and the allergen was removed thus the child went back to being a sweet kid. Changes like a visit to grandmother may add or remove the allergen which causes changes.

I have a lot to say about allergies but mom is calling again.

 

[WantToGoNow]

My ds7 has had an Epi Pen for the past 4 years. He had an anaphylactic reaction after putting on a foam mask at an Easter egg hunt. All of his symptoms lead to a Latex Allergy - throat swelling, hives on hands, redness of the eyes and ears - but the blood tests have never shown it and his Allergist won't check for Latex with the skin test. We have learned what causes the reactions and what doesn't.

He also had a bad reaction last year to the flu shot (puked for 2 weeks, ended up with 2 trips to the ER for IV's). They did blood testing and it showed that he was allergic to milk and egg. The egg in the flu shot is what triggered the reaction. Fast forward to this past October - he went to the Allergist and they did the skin tests for milk and egg (as well as many others) and they didn't show - so they gave him the flu shot (because he has Asthma). Within 12 hours he started vomitting - a couple of days later he broke out in hives from head to toe. His files now state that he is allergic to egg no matter what the testing shows and that he is to never receive another flu shot. You would think that there would be a sure way to diagnose allergies but apparently they're not consistent.

Good luck and carry the EPI's (atleast 2) and also Benadryl - my son needs the Benadryl atleast every 3-4 days to ward off a reaction.

 

[jmartinez1895]

We traveled with an epi pen and 2 other injectiables, plus several bottels of other medication. The security at dsiney will not even touch the meds. They will ask that you open what ever bag you have them in and they will peak in and youll be on you way. They see meds every day so they are used to anything. My son has a small bag that has straps like a back pack that he uses for his meds and it makes carring his " pharmacy" around much easier. Also the last time we whent I had the phamacy from home make a small bottel with a lable for one of his liquids that can not get hot. When we got ready to go to the park I put an exra dose just in case we needed it and the first aid station kept in for us.

 

[weregoingtodw]

I asked my pharmacist, instead of putting the RX labels onto the boxes, to put them directly onto the plastic Epipen holders. It's much easier for school and such, and I don't have to worry about carrying the boxes, which I used to do when I traveled or otherwise went through security checks.

One word of warning though, the ink does seem to wear off after awhile of it riding around in the purse, so be sure to check it periodically.

 

[SueM in MN]

We always travel with two epi pens, liquid and redi-melt Benydral, and DD's nebulizer supplies, which are liquid medication. While it doesn't count towards your liquid allowance, our airport still makes us take it out of the carry-on. So I just do one of the big ziploc bag with the usual liquids (toiletries and such) and then to make things easier, I'll do another bag with the meds. Although it's possible our airport is just really strict (we usually use OHare).

Mary

That's exactly what the Transportation Security website says to do (www.tsa.gov). They say to pull out the liquid medications and show them to the agent for inspection. If the medication is small enough to put in your liquid bag (and you have room), you can put it in the liquid bag. If you leave it in your carry on bag, it probably will be seen on the x ray machine, which will trigger your bag for extra screening.

I asked my pharmacist, instead of putting the RX labels onto the boxes, to put them directly onto the plastic Epipen holders. It's much easier for school and such, and I don't have to worry about carrying the boxes, which I used to do when I traveled or otherwise went through security checks.

One word of warning though, the ink does seem to wear off after awhile of it riding around in the purse, so be sure to check it periodically.

If they don't do this, it should help - cover the lable with clear plastic packaging tape. The Pharmacy should actually have some; they often cover the lables on bottles with it.

 

[jerseymom473]

About allergy testing: not sure why but you can have false positives and negatives!!! My son had the blood test first. It said he was allergic to almost everything including milk (which he lives on), soy, nuts, peanuts, cats, dogs, eggs on,& on. We then went to the scratch test that gave different results (not allergic to milk, mild to egg, very allergic to nuts, tree nuts).

For my daughter, at age 2 we suspected latex, the blood work said no, but her arm swelled because they used latex gloves to draw the blood! Has had simliar reactions (not breathing problems but facial swelling) after the dentist when someone messed up, usually they are very careful!! She had the skin tests at age 11 and that revealed nothing. A pharmacist friend said we never may know because some reactions can be a combination of two things. I guess my point is the tests are good but not full proof and err on cautious side, carry the epi pen and benedryl hopefully it won't happen again. Good luck!