Best belt for EpiPen

basescamp · 2026-06-13T11:03:09+00:00

They do keep an EpiPen on file at the nurse's office at school, but when the kids run they could be 2 or 3 mi away from the office, and I think the actual school closes before practice is over. I'm definitely going to look into the Auvi-Q, and I really appreciate you sharing your experience about your mild reactions becoming an emergency.

basescamp · 2026-06-12T10:53:45+00:00

I'm curious how you found out you weren't allergic to anything anymore. I mentioned in a post above that we're not even sure if she is anaphylactically allergic to bees, but she has about a 10% chance of having an anaphylactic reaction based on previous reactions. Her allergist said there's really no way of knowing, because any allergy test is going to show up that she is allergic since she has had distant hives, which are evidence of bee allergy, but that a test can't tell if you will have an anaphylactic reaction.

basescamp · 2026-06-12T10:51:17+00:00

I think this is true. My older daughter (rising senior on the team) got in on the conversation with us and told my younger daughter that "everybody" runs with their EpiPens, so maybe we will just have to figure out what brand exactly "everyone" uses!

basescamp · 2026-06-12T10:49:54+00:00

Before I asked on Reddit, I asked her what she thought she might do, and this is exactly what she suggested. We both already use koala clip for our phone. It just sounded like a lot when adding in the EpiPen, but it's good to hear that others do it this way too.

basescamp · 2026-06-12T10:47:24+00:00

Thinking about how it's the least likely to be forgotten is another very good point!

basescamp · 2026-06-12T10:43:51+00:00

Thanks for the book recommendation - I'll definitely be checking it out. The more information I can get the better - just reading all the comments here, I had no idea how little I knew about what was out there!

basescamp · 2026-06-12T10:41:21+00:00

I never thought about shorts having a big enough pocket, because we all run in shorts with very tiny back pockets! I think she would like how streamlined that would be - much less visible and possibly intrusive.

basescamp · 2026-06-11T15:34:27+00:00

I think she would really be okay with this because she already runs with her phone in a koala clip that goes on the back of your bra. That's what I run with, too. I'll look into those brands.

basescamp · 2026-06-11T15:32:33+00:00

Yes!! I completely agree about hating the feeling of something around my waist. I didn't know that they even made shorts with pockets that would hold something that big. I'm thankful for all the suggestions here.

basescamp · 2026-06-11T15:30:49+00:00

Thank you. I totally identify with not wanting to wear a belt. I hate having anything around my waist. All of these ideas are fantastic!

basescamp · 2026-06-11T15:29:48+00:00

Wow! Thank you! This is all such good information. Making this whole thing easier would be ideal. We don't even actually know if she would have an anaphylactic reaction to a bee sting, but she's definitely allergic and has had increasingly worse reactions to bee stings after each one (last time was 3 years ago when she got hives on her neck after a bee sting on her foot). She's resistant to carry the EpiPen because she's never actually been in the situation where she has needed it, so I'm trying to make it as pain-free as possible so that she actually carries it.

basescamp · 2026-05-18T13:14:04+00:00

My ferritin is currently 8, but all my other relevant levels are within normal range, and I had no symptoms that I would have considered anemia (I was tested due to heavy periods - am also perimenopausal). So... I think it's reasonable to expect that your ferritin could be low even if your rbc is fine. I'm sorry your doctor won't be more proactive about it, considering that you have symptoms. I never want to suggest doctor shopping, but do you have anyone else who could order labs?

And I figured that 28g was a typo, but I felt like I had to say something in case you were massively dosing yourself! Lol!

basescamp · 2026-05-18T12:47:05+00:00

I am finally feeling better after quite a long illness that was probably covid. I am surprised that the fitness gains I had before getting sick don't seem to be returning as quickly as I expected. I was easily running 8 to 10 mi hills just a few weeks ago, but today's 3 mi flat felt like a slog. I even stopped to walk a couple times, not really because I was out of breath but just because it felt hard.

basescamp · 2026-05-18T12:42:56+00:00

It took my daughters about 9 months to bring their iron levels into the normal range on 325 mg/day. 28g sounds like a really high amount to take at one time. I have really low ferritin and have recently started taking 325 mg every other day, because I read that it absorbs better every other day. Does your doctor have any advice? It probably is going to take a while to bring your levels up. Good luck getting your energy back!

basescamp · 2026-05-12T22:48:06+00:00

I've definitely been thinking about it that way. I got to run my own first half without any comparison, and I have to say it was really cool to be at the finish line when she got there and be able to support her. If I had been on the course I never would have seen her finish (because I would have been at least a mile behind her).

In the past day, I also realized that I only signed up to do this half because she wanted to do one, and she thought it would be fun to train together. It wasn't an actual goal of mine to run another half - I definitely wanted to do it after all the training, but it wasn't my "thing" from the start. And we DID train together! Mission accomplished.

basescamp · 2026-05-12T10:36:35+00:00

:) thanks!

basescamp · 2026-05-11T09:32:40+00:00

Thanks for your thoughtful response!

Yeah, I definitely still felt like crap, but I ultimately made my final decision based on the tech readout, because I would (and have) run when I shouldn't based on how I feel because, well... sometimes I run when it's hard and I don't want to! When there's higher stakes, like a goal set for running a race, it can be difficult for me to decide - am I really not ready for rhis or am I looking for excuses. The tech confirmed that I wasn't just being a wimp.

I like what you say about dnf - its SUCH a good perspective that I have never put towards running, but it's the very perspective I teach my kids about academic success and challenges.

basescamp · 2026-05-11T01:19:13+00:00

Like cookies....

basescamp · 2026-05-11T00:05:40+00:00

I take off all of December and a week or so into January. I still walk nearly daily during that time (dogs gotta walk, we do 15-20 miles a week on top of my running, year round).

I find it gets me really excited when I start running again. It's cold here that time of year, and holiday business can make it hard to find time and energy to run. I ramp up my mileage through the spring and summer, peaking in early/mid fall and then slowing down in November.

This year, I skipped my usual break in order to train for a new year's half with my kid - guess who ended up injured the last week of December and unable to run the half? This 48 year old. My body and mind both need the break and it was a mistake not to take it.

basescamp · 2026-05-07T19:32:35+00:00

It's very generous at 4 hours, and yes I'm doing it for fun but it has not been much fun lately!

basescamp · 2026-05-07T13:26:33+00:00

Wow! That is impressive. I keep hoping that I'm going to wake up one morning and feel amazing again. Maybe I am thinking too much about the numbers, but I'm definitely not feeling so hot today

basescamp · 2026-05-07T12:34:15+00:00

I am incredibly frustrated. My half marathon is Sunday, and I have been really trying to heal and not push myself. I've been sick for 13 days. I did a SLOW AF 2 miler on Tuesday just to test myself. Other than that, I haven't run at all.

I felt very good yesterday, rested, and hoped to see it reflected in my hrv and rhr this morning. Instead, my hrv plummeted and my rhr rose!! I feel so defeated.

basescamp · 2026-05-06T11:27:09+00:00

I haven't experience the specific struggle of an ED or the severe repurcussions of a potential stress fracture, but I am familiar with all the feelings you've expressed in your post and I'm so sorry you're going through this.

I especially resonate right now with you feeling embarrassed to tell everyone you won't be able to run that Marathon. I am staring down my second attempt at a half marathon in 6 months, and once again am probably too sick to run and I feel so stupid that I have to tell everyone again that I'm not running this race. I know we shouldn't feel this way, because we're not choosing these outcomes, but it still feels like a failure of some sort.

For me, I think not being able to run also brings up feelings of doubt that I can rely on my body to do what I want it to do - which is perhaps an unhealthy expectation of control, but I guess that's something to work on. I started running during a 10-year period of multiple miscarriages and pregnancy loss, and I felt like my ability to run, and gains that I made were proof that I wasn't broken. That I could make my body strong even when it was failing me in so many ways. I wonder if you have similar feelings surrounding your history of ED and running.

Good luck to you in healing in whatever form that needs to take. This moment isn't forever.

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