Wednesday, May 25, 2011

We're Nuts!

*** Update on all of the craziness below. Dr. W. called me back this morning (instead of the nurse - see how serious?!?) and asked how James was doing. I mentioned the rash and itchiness were still there so he asked if we'd come to the office so he could look at it. I took my camera with pictures from last night. He gave us orders to have blood drawn at the lab near the hospital. We're having him tested for reactions to peanuts, cashews, and pecans. We arrived to have blood drawn and they couldn't easily find a vein on either arm. Thankfully, they didn't stick him at all. I'm supposed to fill him up with water, apple juice, and pedialyte and take him back tomorrow. Hopefully he'll be more hydrated tomorrow. It occurred to me that he'd had two cups of milk this morning but since he threw up last night that was all that was in his system, probably! Hopefully we'll know something early next week. Pray that it's a fluke and NOT a nut allergy, please! ***

I know you're expecting Part II of the wedding weekend, but we had a WILD night last night so I thought I'd go ahead and post that so that anyone who saw my plea for help on Facebook would know we're ok. :)

Lauren and I had sewing last night so I left the house around 5:30 to pick her up. Eddie and James had big plans to go to Publix and Dollar General (for supplies for the tornado victims). I got home a little after 9pm and when I walked in I noticed that James' eyes were really red. They'd been out late and he'd just gotten out of the bathtub and Eddie said he'd been really fussy so we thought that's why his eyes were red. I noticed a mosquito bite on his chest and asked if they'd been outside. Eddie said they had but that he'd had a shirt on so he was surprised he got a mosquito bite underneath it. I noticed another bite on his foot.

James wanted milk so he and I went to the kitchen to fix that and then he wandered around the house while he drank it. He kept scratching at his ears and eyes and I noticed that he had a rash on the back of his neck. I pulled him into our bathroom where the light is really bright and took off his pajama shirt and he was covered in hives. (He wasn't when I got home - he'd only had on a diaper.) He seemed to get itchier and itchier and the hives were turning into whelps so I suggested that we call the doctor. We actually called two - one that's a pediatrics after-hours clinic nearby and our regular doctor when the first didn't respond quickly. Somewhere along the way, Eddie mentioned that he'd had cashews while I was gone and James had had a few pieces that probably added up to one whole cashew. He's had small amounts of peanut butter before (he hates it but will eat it in a Reese's Cup) so he, of course, didn't think it'd be a big deal.

About this time, when no one was returning our phone calls, I put a message on Facebook for advice. We are SO thankful for all of the messages I got in response - and there were quite a few. I took the advice of several different people but we didn't go to the ER because he never had trouble breathing. One person suggested that we take pictures for documentation in case it IS a nut allergy, so I did do that.

Finally and at last the nurse at the after-hours clinic called back. She said that because James is a patient she couldn't give us medical advice. ARGHHH! Our understanding was that this place was for anyone who didn't have a life-threatening emergency. She did say, though, that as a parent she recommended giving him 3/4 tsp of Benadryl. We did that as soon as Eddie hung up because he was absolutely miserable from the itching. Once he got a little relief from that, we went ahead and put him to bed because he was basically standing up asleep he was so tired. (It was after 10pm at this point.)

He might've been in bed 30 minutes when I heard him cry out. When I went to check on him he'd thrown up everywhere. We got that cleaned up and gave him a bath (he screamed the entire time) and put his diaper on him and Dr. W. called us back. He did seem concerned (he usually doesn't) but said that he didn't feel like we should go to the ER since it wasn't affecting his breathing. He did tell us to be sure to watch him very, very closely. (I, of course, did not sleep for a while after all of this.) He said we could continue Benadryl every four hours as needed.

After we got off the phone James was exhausted so we put him back down. He fell right to sleep and slept the rest of the night. I did check on him several times and Eddie checked on him when he got up this morning. James was so tired he slept until almost 9am.

The doctor's office called us this morning but James wasn't up yet when they called so I'm waiting for them to call back. I'm interested to hear whether I need to bring him in or whether we'll wind up having to do allergy tests. I am hoping and praying that this is some fluke thing and it is NOT a nut allergy.

The pictures that I took last night are obviously not going to be fantastic. It was dark, the flash makes everything too bright, and he was not cooperating. He looks like he's not with it in these pictures, but he's asleep, not unconscious. :) He never, ever had breathing problems - just hives, whelps, vomiting, and itchy miserableness. His hair is wet from his bath, not from sweating. I just didn't want you to think I was torturing my poor, unconscious child here because they look so bad. Diagnose away if you'd like!

It's a little hard to see but notice redness around eyes and ears. The hives start mid-chest and go down. 

His legs had the largest whelps. That's a birthmark, too. :)



They were also bad under his arms and behind his knees.


1 comment:

Lauren said...

oh my goodness! poor guy! i am so glad he is better. i was up worried about yall last night! thanks for keeping us posted.