Do I need a medical alert bracelet?

[seattlemom2plus]

I'm 36 and I am discovering that my allergies might be more involved than I had given them credit to be.  I recently had an allergic reaction to shrimp about 2 months ago while I am pregnant that involved swelling of the throat and severe welts on my thighs.  Then about 2 weeks ago I go to the dentist and have an immediate reaction to Septocaine which contains epinephrine which has Sulfites in it, grrrr.  Do I need a medical alert bracelet or necklace?

[seattlemom2plus]

Yes I agree it can speak for you when you can't.  

[ChitChatNine]

That's good .. it takes only a few minutes to do so, but can be so important in the long run.

[seattlemom2plus]

lol no I didn't but I did note all my allergies in my birth plan so the paramedics had it and so did the hospital so that worked :)

[ChitChatNine]

So Seattle .. did you get a medic tag yet?  hee hee hee

C~

[seattlemom2plus]

I had friends in school that would have to go weekly to get allergy shots and I was always confused by the point in them, but thanks for explaining that I had no idea the purpose they had.  I always thought it was just a shot of antihistamine or something to that effect.

[ChitChatNine]

Wow, interesting .. thanks!

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hi,

Very minimal amounts of the allergen or the antigens are used for Desensitization, which is done over a prolonged period of time. The body is very slowly and gradually exposed to the allergen so that it stops reacting. The severity of the allergic reaction is tested and based on this the therapy is planned. The dilution of the agent used and the course of therapy are planned according to the severity and with adequate monitoring the person is desensitized.
Hope this helped.

[ChitChatNine]

Seattle, you are so right .. as with most allergies cont'd exposure means cont'd and/or worsening of one's allergy.  But that confuses me because not sure how allergy shots work!

C~

[seattlemom2plus]

Yeah I think this is one of my biggest allergies and one fairly consistent is anything with sulphites.  Whether it is a food or medication, antibiotics, etc.  I had no idea it was in so many things too.  The FDA does not require food manufacturers to list this on ingredients if they use sulphates to say pump in bags for preservation.  All those bagged salads and carrots I have been eating are pumped with this stuff. arch :(

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

It would most definitely help to have identifiers indicating what you are allergic to in case of emergencies. If you are allergic to sodium bisulfite, discuss this with your doctor. He may then use a local anesthetic without epinephrine for minor procedures.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.

[seattlemom2plus]

Thanks so much for these posts, I was even thinking if anything having a medical alert tag would help my family remember what I am allergic to in case of an emergency too.  Definitely all good points and great information thank you so much!

[ChitChatNine]

Wearing a medic tag isn't for you, it's for when "you" are unable to speak for yourself so EMS won't give you something that can harm you during an allergic reaction and/or know what to do and get your medical history and docs' names/#'s immediately.

In other words a latex allergic person in a car accident may survive the accident, but suffer fatality if latex emergency supplies are used, etc.

C~

[ChitChatNine]

Having witness anaphylaxis more than once, I'd definitely recommend you get one.  They have come out with some really nice ones, lately, that still get the message across loud and clear, yet are fashionable and they include leather bracelets and watches!

Wanted to pass along this info too that I found:

Other names for sulphites

E 220, E 221, E 222, E 223, E 224, E 225, E 226, E 227, E 228 (European names)
Potassium bisulphite/metabisulphite
Sodium bisulphite/dithionite/metabisulphite/sulphite
Sulfur dioxide
Sulphiting agents
Sulphurous acid