What does difficulty swallowing feel like with anaphylaxis?

Anaphylaxis can cause rapid swelling of the lips, tongue, mouth, or throat. Swallowing may suddenly become hard, speech can sound hoarse, and breathing may become noisy or strained. Hives, flushing, dizziness, vomiting, wheezing, or a feeling of collapse may occur as well. Symptoms can progress quickly, and the absence of a skin rash does not rule out a serious reaction.

Treat suspected anaphylaxis as an emergency. Use the person's prescribed adrenaline auto-injector immediately if available, following its instructions, and call emergency services. Keep the person lying down with legs raised if comfortable; allow them to sit with legs extended if breathing is difficult. Do not give food or drink to someone whose throat feels swollen or who is struggling to swallow. Use a second prescribed injector if advised and symptoms continue while waiting for help.

Call emergency services immediately for sudden swallowing difficulty with throat or tongue swelling, breathing trouble, faintness, widespread hives, or vomiting after a possible allergen. Do not wait to see whether the symptoms settle. Anyone treated for suspected anaphylaxis needs emergency medical assessment because symptoms can return after initial improvement.

What may have triggered the reaction? Should I carry adrenaline and have an emergency action plan? How should family, colleagues, or school staff use my injector? Do I need allergy assessment?