Allergic Kids and Cell Phones

Today I was saw a story about an allergic child who was left with a babysitter, who was told not to feed him, and had an anaphylactic reaction to butter on toast, which she gave him anyways. I would link to the story, but I don't remember where I saw it. Sorry. Anyways, it got me thinking: if the mother hadn't arrived home when she did (he had hives and couldn't breathe), the child probably would have died. The babysitter didn't know how to handle the emergency and didn't call 911. There are obvious problems with the babysitter's reaction to the situation (maybe I'll post on that later), and the child was too young to advocate himself, but I'm sure there are scenarios like this that happen a lot.

Clearly I had a phone by the time I was diagnosed with allergies; I was in junior high. But, if I hadn't had one, my mom would have gotten me one. Even if I was in elementary school, probably. There are so many situations, like the one with the irresponsible babysitter (though that kid was very young, so this wouldn't quite apply) in which kids have to be able to advocate themselves or even have to get themselves help in an emergency. For me, a cell phone is as essential as an EpiPen. Calling 911 is important during a reaction, and there may not be time to find a phone to borrow.

Shortly after I saw that story, I saw an article about how if somebody calls 911 on a cell phone, even if they don't subscribe to the service, the call must be transmitted to the tower. I knew about this before but hadn't linked it with allergies until now. I have probably three or four functional phones lying around that I don't use anymore. If I were the parent of a child [ages 7+] with allergies, it would make sense for me to talk to them about how to call 911 and give them one of these phones to keep with their EpiPen. In the case of an emergency, they, or whoever was assisting them, could immediately call 911. Now that I think about it, even someone who already has a phone could do this. That extra minute gained from not having to find my phone could save my life.

A few 911 guidelines:

• The first thing that you should do is tell the operator the location of the emergency. They cannot necessarily get your exact location from your cell phone coordinates.
• Stay calm. I know you've heard this a million times, and I know it's hard to stay calm during an emergency, but this is important so that the operator can get all of the necessary information.
• During anaphylaxis, always request an ambulance with advanced life support. These are usually staffed by paramedics (the highest level of EMT) and are better equipped to handle the life-threatening symptoms (low blood pressure, inability to breathe, loss of consciousness, etc.) In some places, these are also the only ambulances with epinephrine.
• If you are being transported for anaphylaxis, always bring as many additional EpiPens as you can grab quickly. Not all ambulances have them stocked. Also, bring used EpiPens, as hospitals can dispose of them properly.
• If you have a child with allergies, it can help to have them do a mock 911 call with you, to practice a dialog. You can even write down a prompt with the information they would need to give the operator. This can be kept with their EpiPen.