Sadly, UK resident and music teacher Andrew Turner died after eating bread containing nuts. His family is bravely turning the rest of the world to warn other people with allergies to take care when traveling during Christmas time. Andrew died in late November and his family is concerned about others this Christmas. According to this article, “Music Teacher Died From His Nut Allergy After Eating Piece of Wholegrain Bread,” published by Mail Online, Andrew was diagnosed when he was three years old and was so cautious that carrying an EpiPen®, was never addressed. Here lays the tragic lesson for us: just because we haven’t seen recent reactions in our children (or ourselves) and everything is doing well, we can’t assume it is.
Image courtesy of Mail Online
I am once again, saddened and stunned that every single month we keep learning of food allergy deaths. I can’t image the pain Andrew’s family is feeling and I am praying for them. But…could this terrible tragedy been avoided if Andrew was carrying epinephrine? I spoke to allergist Joshua Jacobs from the Allergy and Asthma Medical Group of the Bay Area (San Francisco East Bay) the other day and once again we engaged in a long discussion that patients simply must be prepared for the worst. Dr. Jacob’s explained that since there are no strong predictors of the severity of a reaction, that we all must assume the worst will happen and we need to be ready with two doses with no hesitation to use them either. He explained, that we need use our epinephrine auto-injectors first–Benedryl® is not going to stop an anaphylactic reaction-then ask questions later. We also discussed how can patients be better educated–which can be an entirely different blog post. I had can’t help but feel great sadness when I see this photo of vibrant adult with a big smile as I think that about if he had been carrying epinephrine, what would have been his outcome?
My thoughts and prayers go across the pond to Andrew’s family with love and gratitude that they are concerned for others with food allergies during this horribly tragic time in their lives. When will this insanity stop?
One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..
Caroline,
as important as all of the stories of young children and young adults that have passed away from food allergies this past year are. This particular story seems to have an Importance that many of us tend to over look. For those like me with young children with life-threatening food allergies we worry daily about what could happen to them, we strive to teach them.And we think, if I do it all right “my child will be fine and grow up to Be cautious and know how to take care of and protect himself as an adult with life-threatening food allergies”… But sometimes we forget that once they’re adults it’s out of our hands we can hope that we laid the foundation so strongly as children, that they realize this is how they must live their life and this is how they will protect themselves for the rest of their lives. This story is a sad reminder to us that no matter what anyones age with life-threatening food allergies, it is never okay to let your guard down. We have to remind our children that there will most never be a time when it will be okay to not have an EpiPen with them… that it will never be okay to not read a food label. That LTFA’s do not discriminate… Not by race, gender, religion or age. The risk is equal to all who have them when precautions are not taken. I am heart broken to hear about another tragedy.
I agree, i think its time more health care Professionals start Educating and stressing to people with food allergies the importance of always keeping an EpiPen and the importance Of never hesitating to use it. It is time to educate people with these allergies about how serious they can be and that the outcome can be fatal if they are not careful and are not prepared. The loss of so many lives to food allergies is so senseless, so sad and so heartbreaking.
Joy, what an important point. Thank you for your well written thoughts. You are right, our goal is to teach our children well and to always remember, the guard can never be let down. This sad untimely death was a real wake up call in reminding us that even if you are “managing” well, you can never assume that will always be the situation. Regular physician visits are key and no one is immune. Thank you again for sharing.
Thank you for the tireless work you do to raise awareness!
Thanks to everyone who works endlessly for so many causes too!
This is heartbreaking. I use histamine as my first response to a reaction because it doesn’t cause my heart to race or a reaction because of the epinephrine. However, I still carry an epi-pen. Getting sick from the epinephrine outweighs death. I have been lucky that my histamine has always been all that I needed.
I once went to the doctor’s office for my acupuncture. I was in a hurry and left. The doctor mistakenly put alcohol on my head which sent me into a reaction. I reached into my purse for my histamine and realized I had left it at home. I had the epinephrine but it wasn’t a severe enough reaction that I needed my epi-pen but I had to sit in the office after the moved me into another room because of the lingering alcohol fumes to recover. It reminded me that I needed to be vigilant in carrying my histamine as well.
If anyone has a severe food allergy they need an epi-pen no matter how vigilant they are, things happen that when we least expect them. Thank you for doing all you do to raise awareness.
Kathryn,
What impresses me about you is that you truly understand your body, your health and you work with your physician to determine the best course of action. I think that is the key and difference and that you carry Epinephrine if needed for your specific situation!