Epi pen vs the sharpie pen

My daughter Emma is allergic to dyes and breaks out in hives. Since our old doctor couldn’t give us an answer we switched the children’s doctor.
I explained her Situation and asked that since she is 2 years old, if we could test her out to pinpoint the exact dye that she is allergic too. The doctor said that being that every thing has dye “yes of course we can” so we agreed.
Wow! We have an appointment next week.
One thing that the Doctor gave us is an Epi pen, just in case the hives get so bad and her throat closes. He told us that it was good to have before help could arrive and to keep this on hand. My husband and I thought this was a good idea to have it but just to use it in case of an extreme emergency.

Now, my older daughter Gabby was there and was listening to the Doctor closely. I notice that she never asked questions so I explained that this is only if we need to call 911. I told her that this is something that will be put away and you do not need to worry about this. She responded with her usual “oh yes mom, I understand, we will use it only if she breaks out into hives really bad and her throat closes”
So we were fooling around and Gabby found a little sharpie (you know the one that David Beckham uses on the commercial) well that one anyway, so she comes to me and says “mom, this is suppose to be keep away, it’s the epi pen right, you use this to stab Emmy incase of a Emergency.”
I was laughing so hard that I could not stop, I said “no honey, that is a marker,” she was like oh! What is the pen that the Doctor said again? You know the one that you inject in her leg that helps her out.
I informed her that is called the “Epi pen” and that that one is not it; we also told her that we would not leave it around the house.

Silly girl, Gabbys face turned red and she was laughing, oh! Sorry, I didn’t know; well, now I do.

Gosh! Kids say and think of the dandiest things. I was glad it was me that caught that and not someone at school thinking that I run around the house with this pen.
I assure every body that it is in a safe place away from the children and I hope we never have to use it. Nevertheless I am thankful that I have it just incase


Epi Pen ®Jr. is a prescription of epinephrine in a lightweight “pen.” The pen contains one dose (.15 mg) of epinephrine for a child. The Epi Pen® is the prescription for older children and adults. Once your child is approximately 60 pounds, you will probably receive a prescription for an Epi Pen® rather than the Jr. The pen contains the same amount of fluid at a higher concentration of epinephrine.




Should you have to use an Epi Pen®:

If your child suffers a severe allergic reaction, it will necessitate using your Epi Pen® Jr. Your child will be suffering more than just hives, more than just vomiting, but rather a combination of several factors:
· Hives
· Swelling of the throat continuing down to the lungs
· Vomiting/diarrhea
· Difficulty breathing
What can then follow is a dangerous lowering of blood pressure and loss of consciousness. All of this can occur within 2 minutes. The optimum time to administer the EpiPen® Jr. is within 15 minutes, however allergic reactions can progress much quicker.
If your child is experiencing only hives, for example, a dose of antihistamine may be sufficient to curtail the allergic reaction. If you aren't sure whether to give an antihistamine or an epinephrine shot, our allergist has told us to err on the side of caution and administer the shot. There is no harm done if the shot is given and it wasn't necessary. There could be real harm done if the opposite occurs.