A Texas mother shared a photo of her daughter mid-anaphylactic shock to remind others of how scary food allergies can be.
Earlier this month, Julie Berghaus took her three-year-old daughter Maren to an allergist for a controlled tree nut challenge, which tests if people are allergic to certain nuts.
The allergist gave Maren one-tenth of a cashew and, at first, it seemed like she was only experiencing a mild reaction when she began scratching her ears.
Minutes later, the toddler was complaining of stomach pain, began coughing and was having trouble breathing before she passed out.
In the photo, Maren is being given an oxygen mask to help her breathe and a blood pressure cuff is around her arm as she lays on the exam table.
Berghaus, who lives in Frisco, said her daughter thankfully recovered, but said she wants to warn other parents to recognize the signs of anaphylaxis so they can administer the proper treatment for their child before it's too late.
Maren Berghaus, three, of Frisco, Texas, was undergoing a controlled allergy test earlier this month for cashews when she went into anaphylactic shock (pictured)
Her mother, Julie, said Maren (left and right) began itching and then complained of stomach pain. She was given an EpiPen shot, which calmed her symptoms for about 10 minutes
This week, the American Academy of Pediatrics released updated recommendations on preventing food allergies in children.
Previous guidelines said that parents should wait four to six months before introducing high allergenic foods to children including milk, eggs, fish and peanuts.
The new guidelines, in fact, say that introducing peanuts as early as four months can prevent a peanut allergy in high-risk infants.
Berghaus told DailyMail.com said the test was scheduled because Maren had a skin test the month before that said she was allergic to all nuts.
'She had already been eating some nuts with no reactions. So we knew these were false positives,' Berghaus said.
'So we had to schedule an oral challenge to verify if it was a true allergy or not.'
The mother-of-two said she wanted to enroll Maren in an oral immunotherapy program, in which the immune system is trained to not recognize allergens as 'triggers' by eating small amounts of the food.
'It's [a] costly and very lengthy, dedicated program. So the allergy must be verified prior to starting,' she said.
Anaphylaxis, also known as anaphylactic shock, can kill within minutes.
It is a severe and potentially life-threatening reaction to a trigger, such as an allergy.
The reaction can often be triggered by certain foods, including peanuts and shellfish.
However, some medicines, bee stings, and even latex used in condoms can also cause the life-threatening reaction.
According to the NHS, it occurs when the immune system overreacts to a trigger.
Symptoms include: feeling lightheaded or faint; breathing difficulties – such as fast, shallow breathing; wheezing; a fast heartbeat; clammy skin; confusion and anxiety
