Triage for probable latex allergy?

November 6, 2011 3:33 PM

Lil' girl appears to have developed an actual latex allergy. Where can I find latex-free undies tonight in north county San Diego? What do I need to be careful of while we're waiting to make a doc appointment?

She's always had sensitive skin, and standard band-aids give her a nasty rash. We chalked the bandage reactions up to potential latex sensitivity, but didn't worry much.

Today, she found and put on a too-small pair of undies and showed redness laterally at the waistband and leg openings. Thinking they were just too tight, we took them off and put on her usual size. Hours later, the redness was obviously a rash and she'd developed hives on her torso and arms, more concentrated near the rashes. Both pairs of underwear say they are 100% cotton, but the waistbands and leg openings are stretchy and feel like another material.

We're washing her off and watching her, but in the meantime she's undies-less and we're clueless about latex.

(Because of a previous allergic reaction to an unknown something - assumed to be a food she ate at a restaurant - we have Benadryl and epi-pens and know when and how to use them.)

posted by moira to health & fitness (15 answers total)

Boys tighty whities with covered leg openings and waistband?
posted by toodleydoodley at 3:39 PM on November 6, 2011

Maybe cut the legs off some 100% cotton tights as a temporary fix?
posted by Countess Sandwich at 3:46 PM on November 6, 2011

Yeah, I would see if she'll tolerate some cute boys' undies with covered elastic. Target and Kohl's should have a good selection. I was once asked in a hospital lab if I had any latex allergies, including any sensitivities to avocados or stone fruits. Maybe avoid those foods until you can get in to see the doctor? Hope your little lady feels better soon--hives are no fun.
posted by corey flood at 4:13 PM on November 6, 2011

How l'il are we talking here?

I do not have a latex allergy, but I do have an elastic annoyance, and I find the Hanes boyshorts sold in multipacks at places like Target to be very comfortable. (I just checked my underpants drawer, and couldn't find any more specific ID than that.)

They're 95% cotton, 5% spandex, and I can't feel any elastic in my waistband, but if there is any, it's covered.

They're for adult women, but they might have something similar in girls' sizes, or, if she's a big girl, smaller womens' sizes may fit.

Generally, a little spandex content, especially along with a boy leg, can usually make elastic unnecessary.

And this is more labor intensive, but there are patterns on the internet for turning old t-shirts and the like into underpants, too.
posted by ernielundquist at 4:48 PM on November 6, 2011

How l'il are we talking here?

5-years-old-lil'. We're going with the cotton tights idea until we can have some latex-free undies shipped. Seems like the safest bet.

THANK YOU for the advice about the stone fruit. We'd definitely have been feeding her various drupes otherwise.
posted by moira at 5:06 PM on November 6, 2011

Wow. I'm looking for latex-free underwear and not having any luck outside of this. Am I missing hidden resources out there?
posted by moira at 5:44 PM on November 6, 2011

Also - she doesn't have to wear underwear at all, you know, especially if it is irritating her skin right now. Just loose pj's should be fine.
posted by dawkins_7 at 6:10 PM on November 6, 2011 [2 favorites]

North County, huh? Can you make it over to an Old Navy?

It looks like they've got all cotton girls' undies as well as girls' boxers (I couldn't decide if a 5 year old qualified as a big toddler or a small girl, especially at Old Navy, so you get your choice there). Both of those indicate 100% cotton or similar, and though of course you'd have to check, I would bet getting latex-free undies is not as hard as you think.

You could try Wal-Mart or Target for these Hane's undies (note that these contain spandex but it is covered, and would probably only work in an emergency).

What I was actually looking for is lace trimmed undies, some of which you can find without any rubber or latex at all. Let me assure you that searching for 'lace trimmed girls underwear' is a bad idea; all you get is a bunch of folks who don't know how to use the word 'women' but you could tweak the search.

In any case, I wanted to note that though it's definitely not easy, you can find cotton or lace or what have you underwear that doesn't have the rubber stretching around the legs or waist. I'd also suggest looking at boxers (not ideal, but girl boxers at least wouldn't have the rubber issue) and those natural, 100% cotton, back to nature types of shops or Etsy storefronts. These undies tend to shrink if you stick them in the dryer, but they would work just fine for your five year old if you took a bit of care.
posted by librarylis at 8:20 PM on November 6, 2011

In the longer term, Soft sells elastic free undies.
posted by oceano at 8:45 PM on November 6, 2011

Also a possibility: look into boxer briefs for her. My daughter (who's nine) has been wearing them for several years now (at her request), and it's very easy to find ones with covered waistbands.
posted by MeghanC at 9:00 PM on November 6, 2011

I have super sensitive skin, not a latex allergy, but still super sensitive skin. When I was a little girl, I hated the elastic waistbands of underwear. I would wear undershirts tucked into the waistbands on underwear. At some point, I dropped the undershirts (maybe around the age of 9 or 10), but before that, tucked-in undershirts were the only thing that allowed me to wear anything with a waist. (even covered elastic was evil in my mind --as a little girl.) And my favorite undershirts were basically just thin tank tops.
posted by Kronur at 11:22 PM on November 6, 2011

Until you get the latex allergy confirmed or denied, consider also keeping her away from foods that can be problematic if you're allergic to latex. Bananas are in that group. In the meantime, stay away from rubber bands. If she has to see any health care providers before she can be tested for latex allergy, please mention her suspected allergy and have them follow latex allergy protocols just to be on the safe side.

The American Academy of Family Physicians has a good write up on latex allergy.

If she does end up with a confirmed latex allergy, get her a medical alert bracelet. Medical alert bracelets are there to tell the responding emergency technician the critical piece of information if she cannot respond. Latex allergy is one of the things that should be listed on a medical alert bracelet. I have an allergy to latex and my bracelet says so.

Feel free to MeMail me if I can ever be of service directly. Living with a latex allergy is not so bad.
posted by onhazier at 6:39 AM on November 7, 2011

Etsy has some.
posted by artychoke at 6:39 AM on November 7, 2011

Anybody know if glow sticks (the bracelet kind) are likely to have latex?
posted by moira at 3:21 PM on November 7, 2011

Thanks for your tips. Turns out she's not allergic to latex or anything else, but instead appears to have a hair-trigger histamine reaction.

Doc's best guess is that she had hives triggered by a cold, with a bit of dermographism where her undies were rubbing on her.
posted by moira at 8:33 AM on November 15, 2011