Anaphylactic Reaction To Pampas Grass
Posted by admin on 01 Jul 2008 at 12:59 am | Tagged as: Allergy Tips
Anaphylactic reaction or Anaphylaxis is an extremely violent allergic reaction of a person who has got into contact with a substance he’s allergic to. This reaction may occur when the body gets in touch with the allergen for the first time in life, or at a later contact, after a previous series of smaller, repeated contacts spread over time.
If it happens at the first allergen contact, and if the patient manages to get to the hospital, and he is saved by epinephrine administration, he is warned. Now he knows that he must avoid getting in contact with that killer substance for the rest of his life. As this is not always possible, persons who are known to develop anaphylactic reactions to a widespread allergen should always carry with them an epinephrine pen, and give himself a shot immediately after the unwanted contact. For example, if you have a severe allergy to bees, you shouldn’t by all means get close to hives. But as bees are pretty much everywhere in some areas, you may end up with one of them stinging you. Then, if you don’t take the epinephrine shot in a matter of seconds after the incident, you are in big trouble, because the allergic reaction will be so violent that a half an hour could be lethal.
Pampass grass, or Cortaderia, is a fast growing, perennial plant which grown tall like 15-20 inches and which has silky flower heads which can have different colors, like yellow, purple, pink or white. Seeded in early spring, the plants will be mature and blossom by August. Pampass grass is resistant to lack of water, so it may grow well even in dry climate conditions. It is an ornamental plant, but it is a real danger for allergic persons, because it produces a lot of pollen, which is one of the most common allergens.
In case you are known to be allergic and you live in an area with lots of Pampas grass, you can go to your doctor and ask to be tested against this specific allergen, in order to make sure you won’t develop an anaphylactic reaction to it in the future. If you test positive, probably your doctor would recommend you to carry an epinephrine pen ,and he’d teach uyou how to use it in case symptoms occur.
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hey kathy! i just moved to a new house & am trying to get the yard unser control. the gardner only cut the grass in the past few years. i have 15 rose bushes along with other intended plants. i’m not sure if the 6 car size pampas grasses were intended or not but they hafe taken over. i’ve been in a fight with one today trying to cut it back. though i had on long sleeves, some got under my sleeve & i have cuts on my arms that have turned into huge whelts. it looks like somebody hit me 20-30 times with a whip. intense burning and some itiching as well. i hope that’s the end of it, but i wanted to let you know i feel your pain.
What about skin allergies? I was cutting some of the grass back off the sidewalk the other night, something I have done before with no problem. Like before, I wasn’t wearing gloves or sleeves. My right arm and hand has gotten progressively more “burnt” feeling (like a really bad sunburn) but my left hand has not. (I was using my right arm to gather the grass & my left to hold it while cutting). The irritation has spread farther up my arm than what came into contact with the grass. I’ve tried Benadryl cream, aloe, neosporin, rubbing alcohol, anti-inflammatories & oral antihistamines but nothing has worked. It has been ongoing since Sunday morning (cut the grass back Saturday night) and getting worse. Any suggestions?
I gave my pampas grass a good overhall a couple of days ago and received many tiny cuts on my arm to which I put cortisone cream to reduce the redness. However last night I had a headache and my lungs hurt across my back when I breathed enough to keep me awake for most of the night.
Could this mean that I could get a more severe reaction at some other point?