DS had a reaction to shrimp

[rebekahc]

Well, he's always tested positive to shellfish, but hadn't ever eaten it.  Since he was only allergic on paper, we hadn't actively avoided cross-contamination.  I guess we know for sure now.

DH took the kids to the coast for a few days.  When they came home yesterday, DS told me "I threw up last night, but I don't think I have a stomach bug or anything."  He also told me about having a lot of mucous in his throat.  It never dawned on him (or DH) that he was having a reaction, but I lay most of the blame on him - he's 3 weeks from turning 16 and should be aware of what's happening to him. 

Me:  You were having an allergic reaction.
DS:  I was?
Me:  Yes, what did you eat?
DS:  Nothing.
DD:  Yes you did, you had toast!
Me:  What did you have on your hands?
DS:  Well, we had been using shrimp for bait.
Me:  Did you wash your hands really well afterward?
DS:  Well, I rinsed them in the ocean.  It was several hours before I ate the toast anyway.
Me:  Did you wash your hands before you ate?
DS:  Well, no...
Me:   

DH feels pretty stupid that he didn't recognize it as an allergic reaction even though he was there to witness it and I knew right away without seeing any of it.  That hindsight 20-20 thing, DH says it's obvious now that it was an allergic reaction. 

[momma2boys]

Oh no!  Thankfully it wasn't severe! That vomiting as a symptom has always worried me.  Especially in elementary school in the cafeteria.  I mean you don't want them to give a kid epi everytime they puke because how do you know if it is a bug or reaction? 

[CMdeux]

Ugh.  Sooooooo sorry.

As you say, though-- now you know.  Better now than in two years, I suppose.   


Glad that he's okay.


  Hopefully that stripe of skin you took from your DH will heal just fine in time, too... 



(edited because, well, this post was obviously not made in any sort of 'official' capacity, but in a p2p fashion as a regular board member)

[GingerPye]

glad he's okay ...
  for your DH

[GoingNuts]

Glad he's OK.

I could totally see that happening in my family.  DH not recognizing the signs, and DS having gone so long without a reaction that he wouldn't realize what was happening. 

Teenagers. 

[YouKnowWho]

Honestly, I would be on the fence with that one. 

But I have snotty kids and stomach upsets are not unusual after having loads of mucous.  And after being outside in the sun all day would lead me more towards the onset of sun stroke (burn or not).  To me there are lots of non-allergy explanations for the same symptoms that I suffer from time to time.

Especially since you have a maybe diagnosis, not a definitive?  Though please do club your husband for allowing the shrimp bait given that you have a maybe, kwim?

[Mfamom]

glad he's okay!!  I guess now you know and found out without a massive reaction. 

The thing that strikes me is how easy it is to not recognize a symptom....apparently no hives etc.  right? 

so, now how will  you change your habits/comfort zone?  changes things a bit, right? 

Just glad he's okay

[GoingNuts]

The thing that strikes me is how easy it is to not recognize a symptom....apparently no hives etc.  right? 

This.

DS's reactions have always included hives, wheezing, or both.  If he just had tons of mucous or GI symptoms, I don't think he'd recognize what was happening.  Though I would hope if he was eating something new or high risk he'd put two and two together - but maybe not?  And sometimes reactions are to the old and familiar.   

_{Thinking about this does notmake me feel any better about DS leaving for school in 2 days.}

[rebekahc]

Honestly, I would be on the fence with that one. 

But I have snotty kids and stomach upsets are not unusual after having loads of mucous.  And after being outside in the sun all day would lead me more towards the onset of sun stroke (burn or not).  To me there are lots of non-allergy explanations for the same symptoms that I suffer from time to time.

Especially since you have a maybe diagnosis, not a definitive?  Though please do club your husband for allowing the shrimp bait given that you have a maybe, kwim?

I would have been on the fence, too, under most circumstances, but in this case it was clear it was an allergic reaction.   

DS ate dinner around 5 and then went fishing one last time before heading home the next morning.  They fished for a couple of hours and then came back to the camper and sat around for a while before DS ate some toast as a snack.  He started having the copious amounts of mucous (which he was mostly spitting out) shortly after eating and then the vomiting started.  Since it was evening and he had been in the AC for a while, I don't think heat was a factor.  Also, it's much cooler (even during the day) at the coast than he's used to up here.

Both his skin and RAST tests over several years were always equally positive for shellfish, but we tend to not avoid things without seeing a reaction.  So, I can't blame DH for letting him handle the shrimp bait - I'm just pissed that there wasn't good (or any) handwashing afterward.  Aside from the ick factor  , I would have made sure he washed since allergy was a possibility.

glad he's okay!!  I guess now you know and found out without a massive reaction. 

The thing that strikes me is how easy it is to not recognize a symptom....apparently no hives etc.  right? 

so, now how will  you change your habits/comfort zone?  changes things a bit, right? 

Just glad he's okay

Yeah, no hives.  DS is hit and miss with the hives as part of his reactions.  The bad ones have never had hives, except for the medicine reactions.  Generally, if he gets hives he doesn't have other symptoms.  No hives any of the times he's had life threatening reactions. <sigh>

As for changing things, I'll probably not do much.  Since DD and I are both anaphylactic to shellfish, we've never had it in the house and don't ever eat at seafood restaurants.  DS has been fine for 16 years with us not actively avoiding cross-contamination for him, so unless I see a reaction, I don't think we should change things.  I'm sure he'll be hyper-aware now if he's touched anything fishy (like my pun?  ) and will make sure he washes his hands right away.  I'm not sure if he'll choose to avoid touching shrimp altogether.

The thing that strikes me is how easy it is to not recognize a symptom....apparently no hives etc.  right? 

This.

DS's reactions have always included hives, wheezing, or both.  If he just had tons of mucous or GI symptoms, I don't think he'd recognize what was happening.  Though I would hope if he was eating something new or high risk he'd put two and two together - but maybe not?  And sometimes reactions are to the old and familiar.   

_{Thinking about this does notmake me feel any better about DS leaving for school in 2 days.}

DS has had the mucous/GI reactions before, but hasn't had any major reactions since he was very young.  Since DS was reacting to contamination from his hands and not actually what he was eating, I think that's the biggest reason he didn't recognize it for what it was.  I, like you, hope new or high risk food would have led him to putting two and two together - though with teenagers (esp. boys) that's not always the case no matter what the situation. 

[Macabre]

Just now seeing this.

YKW I think kids, as they get older tend to move away from so many stomach upsets.  My DS has.

RC you may want to school your DS in good restaurant practices if he hasn't picked them up from you. My worst rxn was at a college of hotel and restaurant management four hours south of you where you'd think they'd be über careful. I ordered the same thing on a Thursday in the same way I did two days earlier and had an Ana rxn because the chef used the same tongs to handle my beef (made in a pan--for me) with the same tongs he used to turn the grilled shrimp.

Ugh.

He may need to be really  careful when he's out with friends and not with the fam.

[rebekahc]

Thanks for the reminder, MC!  I have been making sure DS is paying attention to good restaurant practices more and more.  Unfortunately, the longer he is off the Xolair, the more his food allergies are returning  .

I know the college you're speaking of - I spent 3 semesters walking past it every day on my way to classes at the U. 

[SilverLining]

my son is much older then 16, works as a paramedic, has actually treated patients in anaphylactic shock......yet fails to recognize a reaction when it's him having it.

Several times he went to dinner at a particular restaurant and was violently ill shortly after.  he was convinced it was food poisoning.  (So why go back ther???).   I asked how many people he went to dinner with and how many ordered the same thing.  Always, at least one other person ordered it and was NOT sick.  So then I asked him "What kind of gloves do the people preparing the food wear?"