Regardless of whether you should have called 911 (you should have), you
should have gone to the nearest emergency room. You had no idea how far the
reaction would go, nor whether or for how long the Benadryl or your own
adrenalin would have an effect.

I know that the first reaction to a reaction is denial - how could this
possibly be happening to me? Well, now you know it was happening to
you.  You felt the panic of the reaction, enhanced by the panicky feeling
from your own adrenalin, plus the panic of not being able to breathe, plus
the panic of not knowing how far it was going to go. All in all, too much
panic (real and anxiety-enhanced) for you to be any kind of objective. Next
time, take action on this kind of thing. If you're not sure whether 911 is
the answer, at least get on the phone with your doctor, your health plan's
emergency coverage, whatever, and let them decide.

Now you also know that you need to do some prevention: First, make an
urgent appointment to get tested. Also get the ingredients of everything
you ate and consider getting tested for these. Also, go tomorrow and get
yourself a couple of  adult Epipens. Next time, use one and go straight to
the ER. It may not hold for very long, and you may need something IV, a
crash team, whatever. Just don't risk it.

Also be prepared for the following: It's possible that your own adrenal
response, plus on-hand Benadryl, may suffice in holding off a more serious
reaction. In that case, you'll be waiting in the ER, feeling better and
feeling stupid. You may even get assessed as having a panic attack (all too
common when the Dr. doesn't witness any of the very real symptoms you
experienced, and also all too often when the patient is a woman). These can
be infuriating but are minor relative to an alternative outcome - one where
your reaction was all too visible and serious. Trouble is, when you're in
the middle of one, you just don't know how far it will go. It's much better
to err on the side of caution. That one time when the reaction overwhelms
your body's defenses is the time you want to be there, and you won't if you
question your assessment.

Another thing - if you've been avoiding a lot of foods,  keep this in mind:
you may be very anxious about what you're eating. And you might also be
under-eating yourself into a vitamin deficiency that could alter your
judgement. These are just as real problems as a real reaction. It sounds
like you need some support on all fronts. Your children need for you to
have a nutritious diet, just as much as they need you not to be feeding
them allergens.

Consider and respond to the full spectrum of possible triggers for your
episode and take them all seriously. Also, start practicing some breathing
exercises. Whether you're having an allergic reaction or a panic attack,
you  best shot is to try and curb the one thing you may be able to control
(a little): your own emotional reaction to your reaction.

Good luck. Stay strong. Prepare.

Mark

Anaphylactic to dairy, soy; father of teenager anaphylactic to dairy, eggs,
nuts.