What a sad story! Father dies from Anaphylaxis due to Penicillin allergy and incompetent doctor

It *really* bugs me that there are so many medical practitioners out there that don't really get how serious allergies are..

The doctor was told repeatedly this man had an allergic reaction to penicillin, but chose to ignore it. ".. the house surgeon's mistake - in assuming that at worst an allergic reaction would be a mild to moderate skin rash or wheezing - might suggest a general gap in the knowledge of many junior doctors."

Unfortunately I don't think it is just junior doctors. Experienced ER doctors, and even those who are supposedly experts in this area - allergists - aren't always trained sufficiently, and don't have a clear understanding of the severity of allergies.

We REALLY need a better terminology distinction between Anaphylactic Allergy and non-life-threatening symptoms. Training would help, too.

What a great story! 3yo uses Epi to save brother

This is such an amazing and wonderful story of a 3 yo (yes, a THREE year old) who saved his 18 month-old brother by using an EpiPen!

His mother froze when she couldn't feel a pulse in her son Ryan, then her 3 yo son Alexander grabbed his brothers Epi and gave it to him, just as his dad had taught him.

How totally cool is that? Way to go, Alexander!

Our October support group meeting

went well!

We had some new faces, and old friends. We shared the booty Enjoy Life foods gave our group at the FAAN walk, the Crayons sports drinks and great company!

One of our members had the great idea of starting a training team which can advocate and train at our local schools. What a great idea.. we'll start small with an introduction/fact presentation, and work up from there.