antihistamine

BumbleBee (5 years old)

October 13, 2022 / , , , , , , ,

My daughter was colicky from birth, but the truth is colic is diagnosis literally determined by how much your baby cries. 

So I could she was in obvious discomfort all the time, and not just crying out of tiredness or something easier to solve. I would go to the GP, even ended up in A and E, when I did not know what else to do about a baby who was crying non-stop. She was exclusively breastfed. I soon realized one day when I had consumed a lot of cow’s milk, a day when she was especially upset, that maybe this was linked. Throughout the remainder of her first year I cut out milk from my diet (as much as I could). This significantly helped, but didn’t solve it all.

At the age of 3, she started throwing up after eating apples. I initially put it down to choking on the apple skins, but then it just became too instant; a bite of an apple, and then immediate vomiting. We spoke to the GP who sent us for an allergy blood test. 

Her list of food allergies was 3 pages long, apples and Milk being amongst her most severe.

She has not grown out of the allergies, but now we are much more aware of them. We are now aware coughing is her first obvious sign. If my daughter eats something and then starts coughing aggressively and for longer than a few seconds, we add that food to the list of no, no’s. She uses an epipen and antihistamines as and when needed.

I don’t use any websites but there is amazing child allergy community on Instagram, which I frequently learn ideas from.

@peanotforme – 18+ years old

October 5, 2022 / , , , , , , ,

When I was ~1.5 years old, my mom gave me a slice of toast with a thin layer of peanut butter. My whole face turned red immediately and I was given antihistamines. It took hours for the redness to dissipate! We visited my pediatrician and allergist to have me tested. I had huge topical reactions to each nut on the skin prick test. With every reaction to peanuts / tree nuts I have had since then, my allergy became more sensitive and severe to the point where I can’t even be in the same room as nuts without reacting. I cannot eat anything made in a facility or on the same equipment as nuts because I risk anaphylaxis. 

I have never been able to overcome my allergy and was instructed by multiple allergists to not pursue oral immunotherapy (OIT) since it was too risky. But, I like to look on the bright side of living with a severe food allergy! I’ve gained great life skills such as awareness of my surroundings, attention to detail, and compassion. And… as someone with a sweet tooth… it’s a good reason to not eat every piece of candy / baked good in sight!

Growing up, I was the only child in my class with a severe food allergy. The awareness for severe food allergies was not very widespread and protocols were not really developed. My mom referred to my doctors’ advice and saw forums online regarding other parent’s advice on having a child with nut allergies. 

I have suffered a myriad of reactions from itchy throat / redness all the way to an almost deadly anaphylaxis event. As scary as each reaction is, you learn more about your allergy and develop a routine regarding medication. Recently, I redid a skin prick and blood test to specify which nuts I am allergic to now. It has helped me to quantify and understand my allergy more—though I will still be staying FAR away from nuts.

Lora (@thatnutfreegirl – 18+ years old)

August 21, 2022 / , , , ,

I had my first reaction at five years old. It was Christmas and I was sat cracking Brazil nuts with a metal nut cracker. I wasn’t eating any of them, just enjoying the mess I was making! At some point I rubbed my hand across my mouth and immediately felt my lips start to tingle. I took myself off to look in the mirror and called to my mum, “my lips are bumping up”. One call to the doctor and some antihistamines later, I was shaken, but back to normal. As I got older I started to suffer with food anxiety and avoided any foods that I hadn’t prepared myself. Having a life-threatening nut allergy from a young age made me fearful of any social or unfamiliar situation – I carried two epipens and a pack of antihistamine everywhere I went, avoided any situation where food would be served, and only ate things I had prepared myself. I started following people with similar allergies to mine, and used them as sources of ‘safe’ food finds. Recently I have had skin prick and blood tests to further diagnose which nuts I am allergic to. This has helped me to feel more confident in trying new things and I have recently started eating in restaurants which has been a huge (and scary) step!

@theallergyteen – 14 years old

August 11, 2021 / , , , , , , , ,

My sister had a dairy allergy, so I was invited to the LEAP food allergy study – this is where I was diagnosed with a dairy, egg, peanut, and sesame allergy. When I was younger, allergies were very much in the dark ages and eating out or buying allergy safe alternatives were simply not options! Because of this my mum (@lucysfriendlyfoods) decided to start baking and creating allergy friendly recipes. This really transformed my life and made me feel as though I was ‘normal’ and the same as all of my friends, who also enjoyed these baked goodies, and even said they were better then dairy and egg containing bakes!

Medications Taken: salbutamol (inhaler) for asthma and i carry antihistamine and epipens around as a precaution

Allergytraveler (18+ years old)

March 8, 2021 / ,

I was very sick as a baby and after many tests for cancers and other illnesses they discovered it was allergies. I’ve only ever outgrown my egg allergy.

I used antihistamines and an everyday inhaler.

Fiyya (1 year old)

November 13, 2020 / , , ,

Fiyya has terrible colic as a newborn, then she broke out in red, blistered eczema and would make herself bleed. She was constantly in pain and always was unsettled. Fiyya still has multiple food allergies. The only allergy so far that she’s overcome is wheat.


Fiyya has piriton and antihistamines for any reactions. We also use prescribed creams for her eczema. I didn’t use any websites mainly but I did do a google search at the time when I thought it was allergy related. Obviously google isn’t the best of sources but always listen to your motherly instinct.

 

Isaiah (2 years old)

November 13, 2020 / , , ,

He had what looked like bad hives, facial swelling and what looked like bad eczema that became raw and wouldn’t go down.

He uses an antihistamine if he has an allergic reaction, emulsifying ointment, and a steroid cream for eczema flare ups.

 

@pfandasthmalife – 17 years old

November 13, 2020 / , , , , ,

I was diagnosed with food allergies at 13. I ate a hazelnut and started to have a reaction. My lips swelled, my face was itchy, awful stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. I went to my doctor who performed skin prick testing and blood tests and confirmed the allergy and issued an EpiPen. Unfortunately, over the last 3 years I have developed more allergies including walnuts, apples, black pepper, strawberries, and I am dairy intolerant. I regularly perform food challenges to see if I have outgrown them.

I already take lots of different inhalers for severe asthma. I have an EpiPen incase of anaphylaxis but have never had an issue. If I have a mild reaction I have antihistamines to take but other then that I don’t take anything else.