Is it an allergic reaction?

Question

ok my son is 20 months old and somehow he got hold of a red hot fireball jawbreaker. As quick as he put it in his mouth he spit it out saying hot and crying a tad bit. i gave him something to drink and went on my way making supper. when i sat him in the high chair to eat i noticed his face was real red and blotchy and puffy. well actually it was both cheeks up to the corner of his eyes his chin and neck. i immediatly gave him benadryl and with in 30 minutes the redness went way down and the swelling too. it was completely gone 3 hours later. Was this a reaction to the hotness in the fireball or something else. should i call the doctor and let them know what happened. it was a weird quick thing i was just wondering thats all. i heard of slap disease (not sure of the real name)but doesn't that last longer then that. thanks for answering

Answer 1

I'm going to say it's probably NOT an allergic reaction, considering that fireballs are basically coated in cinnamon oil, it was probably a temporary chemical burn from the candy. I'm sure when he was spiting it out he was also crying, and you washed his face off, which may have spread the oil around. As well, any that he swallowed would have burned inside his throat. The benedryl is probably just a fluke, because the swelling would go down normally after the skin has had a chance to recover.

You should call the doctor, I mean, it's free and all, but I doubt he'll say it's an allergic reaction. He'll probably want to look at the throat to make sure there's no ulceration from the chemical burn.

Oh,..and slapped cheek disease is also called fifths disease. Like someone said, it lasts much longer than that, it's a virus. However, if you did have that, you should be completely quarantined because it can cause birth defects if a pregnant woman is exposed. Just useless trivia that has nothing to do with your son's poor face. I *am* sorry for you both.

Answer 2

Actually, a friend in my son's class had a reaction like this to Red dye #40. If your son ate a red hot fireball, it may be a reaction to this. The fact that it went away with Benadryl is a definite sign that it was in fact an allergy because Benadryl, as I'm sure you know, is a pure antihistamine. I would definitely talk it over with your pediatrician and if you still have it, bring the ingredient information with you to the pediatrician's office.

Good luck and I hope you find the answer!

Answer 3

What an awful thing to happen..
Sounds like he had a reaction to the red hot fireball jawbreaker. You definitely need to mention this to your doctor. It's lucky it didn't go further and his breathing was affected...
'slap disease' is an infection, (my kids have had it but right now I've got a mental blank as to its proper name.. sorry)
it comes with fever and takes a while, just like the flu. So this definitely was a reaction to the stuff he put in his mouth.
It isn't intended for young children, so it could actually cause quite some damage to his mouth and respiratory tract, I would take him to the doctor to get checked, just in case.

Answer 4

Sounds like an allergy. My son had the same problem when he ate eggs. He got all blotchy and swollen around his mouth, cheecks and neck. It even got to his chest.

It's probably the capsicum - the pepper/heat he's allergic to, but check the label. And, I'd call your doctor and let them know. Perhaps, there is something else in there he's allergic to.

With my son it was a waiting game to see if he was allergic to anything else (berries). Sure enough once we tried him slowly back on eggs he's fine. But, when we had red rasberry jam it showed up again.

With my doctor I make a note of it and we discuss it at the wellness visits. Unless of course he has trouble breathing then the airways could also be swelling.

Answer 5

I am a medical assistant, and it sounds like he could be alergic to what ever the jawbreaker is made of, I wouldn't go nuts about it but I would mention it to your childs Dr.the next time you go in for a check up.