What’s The Best Thing To Do For An Allergy?
February 19, 2010 by admin
Filed under Pet Allergies
what can we do to somehow lessen the reaction of allergy to our body?
like a first aid when you can’t run immediately to a doctor..
especially for:
latex allergy
pet allergy
cosmetics allergy
drug allergy
i need answers because i’ll do lecturing in one of the communities here in our country
thank you!!
My son developed a very serious latex allergy last year. After numerous times in the ER, we’ve gotten this down.
Here is what we do to give ourselves time to get to the ER and even lessen the reaction.
1. Avoidance. Avoid latex at all costs. Unfortunately, latex happens. So, we go to step 2.
2. Immediately wash. If around a shower, my son hops in the shower making certain not to touch any part of his body with his hands. His hands can move around the ‘particles’ (for lack of a better term) and cause other parts of his body to swell. If there is no shower, he scrubs his hands and face with soap for several minutes.
3. Take Benadryl. Whenever we suspect that he has come in contact with latex, he get Benadryl in him ASAP. I carry it with me everywhere.
4. If swelling begins, go immediately to the ER. They always rush him right in and give him an immediate cortisone injection. Also, he ends up on Prednisone for at least a few days.
Always have an Epi-Pen on hand. Although, we have not had to use it on our son, we carry it everywhere. As with most latex allergy outbreaks, they are coming a bit more quickly and forcefully each time.
I’m glad you are lecturing on this topic. So many people know so little about this allergy and it makes life a little scarier for my son. There was a boy bouncing a balloon around my son the other day and I asked if he could move away to play with it. His mom got very upset. I explained to her about the seriousness of my son’s allergy but it took her awhile to realize what a scary thing it was for my son.
Hope this helps.
The first step is avoidance, try to not come in contact with whatever you are allergic to.
Secondly, any oral antihistamine product will help a mild allergic reaction. Benadryl has a fairly fast onset and is the standard of care for acute reactions. For pet allergies, especially if you are visiting a friend, you can take Claratin or Zyrtec an hour before coming in contact with the animal and it should prevent symptoms from developing. Claratin does not cause drowsiness, but is slightly less effective than Zyrtec, which can cause drowsiness in 15% of people who take it.
If you just experience hives (rash), you can use the above oral products, of if you are concerned about the extreme drowsiness of Benadryl (the active ingredient is also marketed as a sleep aid, that’s how potent it is) you can use hydrocortisone cream. This will help out with just the skin reaction associated with the allergy.
If you are known to have very severe allergies (trouble breathing), then you should have an epi-pen at all times. It’s a prefilled syringe of epinepherine that can open up the airway if someone is having a severe allergic reaction. It should be taken as soon as the person is exposed to the allergen that causes the severe reaction. The person suffering from the allergy would still need to be seen by a doctor following use of an epi-pen, because the effects can wear off if the reaction is severe enough.
Don’t use products that cause your alleriges. Use an alternative to latex, throw away cosmetics or buy an all natural product, for drug allergies Benadryl.