Yellow Dye Nearly Cost My Daughter Her Life!

Before retiring for the night I checked on her and heard very labored breathing and a hoarse cough.  It sounded like she was starting a bout with croup.  I took her into the bathroom and turned on the hot water to add moisture to the air and help her breathe more easily.  Her fingers were swollen and when I removed her sleeper I was horrified to see that her whole body was swollen and bruised in several places.

I scooped her up and called to my husband and told him we were leaving immediately for the emergency room.  When we got there the doctor told us this was a life-threatening reaction and if we had arrived fifteen minutes later my daughter would have died.

Many anxious hours passed before she was out of danger and it took more than a week for the swelling and bruises to disappear.

I consulted an allergist and learned that aspirin and yellow dye number 5 can form a potent allergic trigger in the body and that combination probably caused her severe reaction.  As I recalled the food and drinks she had consumed that day, there were many items that contained the yellow dye.