Anaphylaxis?

Question

I had an anaphylactic reaction a few years ago and was wondering what others who had a severe allergic reaction experienced? What did you react to? How long did it take after consuming/coming in contact with your reactor for reaction? and most importantly, have you had a second anaphylactic reaction to a different source after your first?

I've been interested anaphylaxis ever since my reaction a few years ago. Coming that close to death really changed my life. I'm just curious about other's experiences.

I don't need to know what anaphylaxis is...as I experienced it first hand. I was wondering about personal experiences.

Answer 1

I had it a few years ago. The itching began in my palms, then in the soles of my feet, then the roof of my mouth. Then my lips swelled and eyeballs itch. After that I passed out. It all happened in a few minutes. It was after eating nuts.

Answer 2

My son has mild anaphylactic reactions to dairy. He vomits, breaks out in an awful rash and then lays down for a nap. Thankfully he has never gone into anaphylactic shock or had his reaction become life threatening. I have an Epi-Pen on hand, just in case.

Answer 3

What is anaphylaxis?
Anaphylaxis is a sudden, severe, potentially fatal, systemic allergic reaction that can involve various areas of the body (such as the skin, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, and cardiovascular system). Symptoms occur within minutes to two hours after contact with the allergy-causing substance but, in rare instances, may occur up to four hours later. Anaphylactic reactions can be mild to life threatening. The annual incidence of anaphylactic reactions is about 30 per 100,000 persons, and individuals with asthma, eczema, or hay fever are at greater relative risk of experiencing anaphylaxis.

See what happens inside the body during a food-allergic reaction.

What are the common causes of anaphylaxis?
Common causes of anaphylaxis include:

Food
Medication
Insect stings
Latex
Less common causes include:

Food-Dependent Exercise-Induced Anaphylaxis
Idiopathic Anaphylaxis
Who is at risk for having an anaphylactic reaction?
Anyone with a previous history of anaphylactic reactions is at risk for another severe reaction. Individuals with food allergies (particularly allergies to shellfish, peanuts, and tree nuts) and asthma may be at increased risk for having a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction. A recent study showed that teens with food allergy and asthma appear to be at highest risk for a reaction because they are more likely to dine away from home, they are less likely to carry medications, and they may ignore or not recognize symptoms.

What are the symptoms of an anaphylactic reaction?
An anaphylactic reaction may begin with a tingling sensation, itching, or metallic taste in the mouth. Other symptoms can include hives, a sensation of warmth, asthma symptoms, swelling of the mouth and throat area, difficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, cramping, a drop in blood pressure, and loss of consciousness. These symptoms may begin in as little as five to 15 minutes to up to two hours after exposure to the allergen, but life-threatening reactions may progress over hours.

Some individuals have a reaction, and the symptoms go away only to return two to three hours later. This is called a "biphasic reaction." Often the symptoms occur in the respiratory tract and take the individual by surprise.

Answer 4

i have only gotten to the hives phase of allergic reactions but the docs cant tell me what im allergic to...the first onset was after an allergy scratch test, no positive results, just hives like 2 days later...than about 9 months later i got them bad again and dont know from what...now i have an epi-pen...i guess that is kind of reassuring