Epi-pen:
A Shot For Life
Do you have an Epi-pen? Have you recently undergone allergy tests to confirm whether you may, or may not be, truly sensitive to an allergen? Possibly, if the doctor or allergist recommends, part of your new course of treatment may be to have an epinephrine shot in your possession at all times. What Is An Epi-Pen and Why Do I Use ItOther than your new course of treatment being avoidance of whatever your allergy trigger is, sometimes because of the severity of a condition or the greater possibility of coming into accidental contact with your trigger, a doctor will prescribe an Epi-pen just as a preventative measure. This item is a self-injection device filled with a man-made form of adrenaline. It is called epinephrine. It's purpose is to be used if at any time you do have a severe allergy attack. Commonly with an attack you will see skin hives,a rash or welts. Some people will also state stomach pains and abdominal cramping. But the biggest difference is major swelling around the face, lips, nose and throat. The swelling can be so severe that all air will be cut off. It is in this situation that an epi-pen is used to reduce the severity of the swelling to facilitate your breathing. What Did I Do To Need To Use ItEveryone, no matter how serious you are about watching food labels and checking and double-checking what you are eating, runs the risk of coming into contact with your allergy trigger. Because of the tremendous quantity of food additives that are used in today's manufacturing process, many labels are unintelligible to the average consumer. Manufacturers are required now to label their product lines but because many additives can and do contain a combination of ingredients, it is not required each item be listed separately.Also, when you eat out, whether it be at a friends house, a restaurant, on vacation, at a party etc., your host is not going to be as familiar with your new diet limitations as you are. It you explain to them you can not have any milk products, they can easily say "I did not use milk", not realizing one of the ingredients in their dinner contains casein or whey, both which are a protein found in milk. How Do I Know When I Need To Use ItKnowing when to use it is generally not a problem. Everyone can see and feel the normal skin rash, itching and irritation. All of these symptoms can be reduced by antihistamines which are available over the counter at any grocery store or pharmacy. Any true allergic reactions that requires the use of the Epi-pen will involve your respiratory system. You will feel your throat and nasal passages closing up, have major difficulty breathing, you will begin to feel light-headed and dizzy from lack of air. This is when it is time to know how to use your Epi-pen.What Will I Feel When I Use The Epi-penBecause everyone's symptoms can vary during an attack, the relief for everyone can vary also. The majority of people that have needed an Epi-pen state within minutes they start feeling relief. This will include the shrinking of nasal and air passages so it no longer is necessary to gasp so hard trying to find air. Many people do state they feel cold and jittery after an attack. This feeling is generally described as they have had a bad shock and they just wish to sit down and relax a few minutes to try to calm back down.After use, it is always recommended that you head straight for a hospital or doctor's office. In some cases, it is possible one dose may not be enough. For this reason it is advisable to be within vicinity of a medical facility in case the symptoms do return.  
Where and When Do I Need To Carry My Epi-penThe short and sweet answer to this one - EVERYWHERE! Allergy attacks are not planned or scheduled. How do you know where you will be when you start to feel the symptoms? Not all people or all conditions require you to ingest the product. Some allergy triggers can be obtained from touch, smell, wind currents etc. It is always wise to have your pen with you 24 hours a day/7 days a week. If you happen to be one of the few people who never has to use it, consider yourself lucky.
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*Disclaimer*
This site is not intended to replace the advice and supervision of your professional medical treatment plan. Although all of the information is true and accurate to the best of our knowledge, we still recommend you carefully check all food labels before consuming any food product. We can not assume any legal responsibility for any illness obtained while following the advice contained on this site.
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