Are you trying to learn more about anaphylaxis and epi-pens? So am I!

As previously mentioned, we have a newly diagnosed milk allergy in the house. The doctor doesn’t think she will have an anaphylactic reaction but you can never tell for sure so we have had to learn about anaphylaxis and epi-pens. I wanted to share what resources we have found.

Disclosure: I am not a medical professional. This is not medical advice. I’m just sharing some resources I found. Please consult with your doctor.

Learning About Anaphylaxis

First of all, how do you say it? You pronounce anaphylaxis as AN-NUH-FI-LACK-SIS. Make sure you say the first part as ANNA and not AHNA. I remember how to spell it by separating it into parts. Ana/phy/laxis

Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction. The reaction can be to food, insect bites or medicines.

At AllergyAware.ca you can find a FREE short course on anaphylaxis. It’s super easy to sign up for and complete and it really helped. It is a Canadian website but you can use the course even if you aren’t Canadian. The only thing it mentions that might be location specific is what food labels are required to say. You can get a certificate at the end too if you work for an organization or job that would like one.

The most important thing I learned is that those with a food allergy AND asthma (like my daughter) have a higher chance of a severe allergic reaction, especially involving the lungs.

Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) is a US based site and also has a FREE course on anaphylaxis. I did not take this one though so I don’t know how it compares.

The Epi-pen website has some information on what epinephrine is (that’s what’s in the epi-pen) and other resources.

Kids With Food Allergies has a list of a few Anaphylaxis Action Plans which is a MUST. If you didn’t get one from your allergist, print out your preferred plan and fill it in and use it. You should have your allergist look it over too to make sure it’s correct.

Finally if you have a severe allergy you may want to look into a Medic Alert bracelet. It’s a Canadian site, I’m not sure if they ship internationally. It’s a bracelet or tag that you wear that tells others what you are allergic to (or other medical condition you have) so that if you were in the middle of a reaction and couldn’t talk or you were unconscious, others would know what is wrong with you so they can act fast.

Stay Safe!