First Anaphylactic Reaction At 3 Years Old - Kuldip's Story

At the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, we share community stories so you you know you are not alone. We believe in learning from and supporting one another, whether you or your child or family member has a food allergy. Together we can make allergy history.

Today we share Kuldip’s story of how she found out her daughter Sareena had a food allergy, and how this has affected her own mental health.

In May 2017, when my daughter was 3 years old, we had a trip to America for one week. On our way to the hotel I noticed that her eyes were swollen. I was a little alarmed, but unsure if it could be an allergic reaction or if she had just rubbed her eyes because something got into them. I gave her a dose of Piriton and over the next few days they went down and were back to normal. I had booked to see the Doctor to discuss a possible allergy but didn’t think it would be very serious.

In August the same year our world changed. I was seven months pregnant, expecting our second baby and it was two days away from my brother’s wedding day. The day had started in a whirlwind of excitement helping them to prepare.  It ended at the hospital, with me sleeping on a chair beside my daughter. My daughter had her first anaphylactic out of the blue from eating some mixed nuts at her grandparent’s house . It was one of the hardest and scariest days of our lives. 

Life became busy. Paediatric consultations, skin-prick tests (so painful for a small child) and blood tests. She has had one every year since and it’s encouraging to see her allergic levels dropping, but I’m constantly on alert. The stress levels when out in restaurants, parties, weddings and gatherings is so high. 

I don’t think anyone can understand unless you’re the parent of a child who has experienced anaphylaxis. You are so scared of the decisions and choices you make. Will she react? Will it be ok? It’s not an easy life to lead but you do it for your child. It’s like you can never switch off or take a day off. Since her anaphylactic reaction, I’ve suffered so much anxiety and depression that I’ve needed to get support myself .

But I was just told to take anti-depressants and find ways to reduce my stress levels. That’s  impossible if you’re caring for someone with a serious allergy. Mental health support is seriously lacking for the allergy community. I try not to let my stress be seen my by daughter. I don’t want it to impact her and her confidence. Instead, I joined social media and came across pages to follow like Natasha’s Foundation which gave me some relief to know I’m not the only one and I’m not alone.

Luckily family and friends are understanding and we make sure we all cook from fresh so we know that my daughter can enjoy it too. I’ve seen her little face deflate and tears come down her cheeks when she hasn’t been able to eat a delicious cake for a friend’s birthday party because it contains nuts. My heart has aches for her. You carry on because you want your child to have the best life. I want to make sure she can manage her allergies perfectly, without my help when she’s older. 

I wish there was more help available for families with food allergies. I feel like a once-a-year hospital visit is not enough. You wait all year to be told the same thing as last year, and then the meeting is over. You are told to carry on. I could have benefited from a regular support group for parents but I have never found one. 

We need an Allergy Tsar urgently. We need more allergy appointments, we need to be seen quickly, we need more community knowledge and support of how to manage allergies safely. I would like an Allergy Tsar to ensure mental health support is available to allergic people and their families and carers. More information on how to manage allergies should be given to patients and in formation of organisations that can provide further help. 

Thank you for letting me share my story. The more we all share, the less alone we can all feel and the more we can learn from each other’s experiences. 

Kuldip

We are so grateful to Kuldip for bravely sharing her story today. If you would like to share your story on our blog or social media, please send us a short summary to yourstory@narf org.uk