Trips to the Emergency Room

A visit to a hospital emergency room can be intimidating, scary, and stressful. First, it’s critical that you inform the staff when you check in that the reason you are there is because of an allergic or anaphylactic reaction.

If you have with you your PDFFood Allergy Action Plan, signed by your doctor, share it with the hospital staff. Also indicate if you have already taken any medication.

Hospitals are set up as a triage. Therefore, patients who are critical are seen first. If you are asked to wait, but then experience worsening of symptoms, let the staff know.

Some individuals may experience a biphasic reaction, which is a reaction that occurs after the initial symptoms have gone away. Therefore it is recommended that patients be observed in the hospital for at least four hours after a reaction has been treated.

If the hospital releases the patient before that time, consider waiting in the hospital waiting room or in the vicinity to ensure medical care is immediately available should a biphasic reaction occur.

Finally, if you used your last epinephrine auto-injector to treat the reaction prior to going to the hospital, make sure to ask the emergency room physician for a prescription for a refill.

E-Mail Print Bookmark and Share