Be Wise

Be Wise

I had an embarrassing ‘duh’ moment a few weeks ago while in the allergist’s office.  I thought that I had been diligent about teaching my children how to avoid the foods to which they are allergic, cooking and preparing foods that were within their diets, reading every label-every time, educating others about their food allergies, and training others about how to use an epi-pen.  My ‘duh’ moment came when the doctor and nurse assumed that my son knew how to use his epi-pen.  He didn’t.  I hadn’t thought about teaching him. Duh.

All he knew is that the epi-pen belonged in my purse. 

This conversation started due to my request about how the new Auvi-Q epi pen worked and if my son would be able to self-carry an epi-pen in order to ride the school bus.  The first thing they wanted to see was his familiarity with his epi-pen.  Well, it was minimal and as it turns out, and he had a fear of the epi-pen. 

During the course of our visit, my son was able to use a trainer Auvi-Q as many times as he wanted, he watched a video of a boy his age talking about his experiences using an Auvi-Q, and his confidence grew about how to take care of himself in the case of an emergency.  The Auvi-Q is a talking epi-pen that guides the user with step by step directions for administering the epinephrine.

Talking Epi-Pen

Our visit to the doctor was very educational both of us.  He learned how to use an epi-pen and confronted his fear about using one.  We learned to be wise about being proactive when caring for yourself and food allergies.

Riding the bus is fun!

He is successfully riding the bus to school multiple days a week. The only frustrating part of being a bus rider is successfully finding a seat next to your best friend.