Scary reaction that ended well

[SilverLining]

So sorry your son and family went through this.

Hope you have an uneventful trip home.

[my3guys]

We landed! All is fine! More happy tears...

[GoingNuts]

 

[SilverLining]

 

[momma2boys]

Yay, what a relief!! Have a glass of wine and relax tonight. You earned it!

[spacecanada]

How scary! I am very happy to hear your DS is doing well after that.   

I have had a similar ER doc experience and it can be tough to deal with, emotionally.  Know that you did the right thing and kept your little one safe.

[GoingNuts]

I hope you all slept well last night, back in your own beds!

[PurpleCat]

Such relief!  Welcome Home!

[ajasfolks2]

Just seeing this thread . . . SO GLAD HE IS OK!!!  (And I'm sure I'm not the only member here who had tears of relief as well . . . )   

Note to self:  I need our 17 year-old son to read your posts and GET how important it would be to use Epi and to call 911 . . . and what he might see / experience for ER or emer personnel . . . esp as he is looking at colleges that are in small, rural/remote locations with long drives to care.  (I had even said to DS as we drove past the vol fire / EMS facility for one community -- we need to check to see if they carry epinephrine and if they don't, we need to get that improved somehow . . . )

You did so many things right, IMHO. 

[CMdeux]

   I'm SO glad that you and your family did everything JUST RIGHT here..... omg!!!

VERY glad that this had such a happy ending-- though it probably felt like anything but a dream vacation at that point.   

[my3guys]

Thanks all. Being home is a huge relief...but his symptoms persist (not to the epipen worthy level, but they're there). He's still on prednisone, zyrtec. We cut back on the benadryl per my allergist. He feels fine until he eats. Some meals are better than others. Then he starts burping, clearing his throat, saying something feels clogged there, and that his stomach is unsettled. He's not in any major distress or discomfort, so we have meds ready to go but try to stay calm so he does. He even tried to play in a lax game today, but we turned around because he wasn't feeling well.

I keep replaying this whole thing in my head, which I'm sure isn't a surprise to any of you. The restaurant manager seemed to think it was a shared fryer that was the problem. Maybe it was. I'm not convinced, and I know we will never know for sure. Given his allergies, and his threshold, and the menu of this restaurant, and what the manager told me could've been in the fryer, it doesn't add up.

I even started to think it was a severe case of indigestion, and I was epipen-happy given the remoteness of the location but as the days have gone on that doesn't fit either.

One thing I forgot to mention is that when we were on the beach, the skin on his legs became very blotchy, not raised or itchy, all underneath the skin, and you could see his veins really clearly.

I think he had a mini reaction today. Clogged throat, burping, stomach off, legs got a little bit blotchy. As he felt better, the legs cleared up. And to be clear, these symptoms were mild in comparison to the other night. I would've epi'd again if I needed, but he was just mildly uncomfortable, not in distress if that makes sense.

I have a new theory, bizarre as it may be and have done a little reading on it. It may be far fetched and time will tell...I think it could've been the potatoes! He ate a ton of fries at the restaurant (and yes he's eaten fries many times before)...but lately he's been saying his stomach is a little unsettled, nothing else, and life has gone on. I looked up potatoes and people are allergic to them, many symptoms involving stomach discomfort.

In an attempt to stick to safe, simple foods, he's eaten potatoes multiple times in the past few days, not the same amount as at the restaurant, but he's had them multiple times. And hasn't felt well after those meals. Testing for them isn't accurate, so we will just have him steer clear for a while and see how he feels. Wouldn't that be ironic?!?!

I feel badly he missed his lax tournament, but he clearly made the right decision, which I would've forced him to if he didn't...but am trying to make him responsible for his own body you know?

This parenting thing sucks bigtime sometimes.

[CMdeux]

Maybe swapping out rice for the potatoes a few days would be a good idea.  So sorry that he's still uncomfortable.   

Prednisone can also cause discomfort like that...  just fyi.

[spacecanada]

Could it be minor reactions to something random? After reactions it is normal for the body to react to many things you aren't allergic to for a week or so until the immune system recovers.  It may be potatoes for now, but may not be a new allergy developing, though that possibility still exists. Sucky.

My potato reactions start with throat and stomach, then go down the same rabbit hole as my other allergens: disorientation, shivers, diarrhea, itchy tongue, etc. A skin rash often appears after Epi for any of my allergens, like some horrid eczema outbreak on my torso and face for a few days. (I have no idea if it appears during the reaction, I only notice it afterwards.) When we were trying to figure any of my new allergens out, it was much the same as you, with vague symptoms all over the place for a few days (with exposure) then a big reaction.  Not sure if that helps.  Fingers crossed you can narrow it down and find the cause.  😰

Good luck and I hope your son is feeling better soon, regardless of whether this is just post-reaction sensitivity to foods (which is very common) or something new.

[PurpleCat]

Hang in there Mom!  It could take a couple weeks for his system to balance out again.  He is hyper sensitive right now.  Plain pasta might be something else better tolerated right now.

[my3guys]

Thank you all for talking me off the ledge, I can't say enough how much I appreciate it! I know my posts have been long and rambling, but we've never experienced anything like this before and I think being away really cranked up my anxiety. Yes, he could just be randomly reacting while his system settles down, or feeling some side effects from Prednisone, or both. Allergies are such a blast I tell you with their unknowns Today is his best day yet, fingers crossed things are settling down. He is home today and has rested alot. Thanks again!!