 |
| From March 2008 |
 |
| From March 2008 |
Today David is on call at the hospital in Cleveland won't be home until sometime tomorrow. Often these days take forever to pass and so early this morning I decided to get some grocery shopping done up in Cleveland since I haven't done Costco and Trader Joe's for several months.
This morning at breakfast, for the first time in a loooong time we all had scrambled eggs. A year and a half ago I had Anne tested for IgE allergy to eggs and it came back negative. But a year ago her IgG allergy test came back positive for eggs so she has not had eggs for a year. We just got back the results from a restest of IgG allergies and it said that she could have eggs. So we had them scrambled. 15 minutes after breakfast Anne's eyes got really red and itchy. I gave her Benadryl and thought "Oh great." After about an hour it looked like that was all, red itchy eyes, so I loaded everyone in the car and we headed to Cleveland. At the first store she started to get red and blotchy. We were there too long because of bathroom stops and all the kids wanting to use the kids size carts, etc etc.
By the time we got to the second store Anne's nose was swelling and she had a bright red rash on her legs. It was Costco, but it isn't like Costco in the NW. Everything takes FOREVER. We stood in line at the food court for 30 minutes (I had promised the kids before we left home) and then realized that there was nothing that Pati could eat. I threw hot dogs and kids in the cart and tried to get my shopping done quickly while Anne kept getting worse and I worried. I opened a package of Benadryl from the pharmacy section and gave Anne a piece of an adults pill (the only children's Benadryl had red food coloring in it...I think that whoever thought of red food coloring in medicine for sick or allergic children is an idiot) and then headed to the checkout. It took a long time. Then the kids had to go to the bathroom. By the time I finally loaded Anne into the car I was crying because she looked so terrible, I was 45 minutes from home, had no way to reach David and didn't know what I should do. I really didn't want to call 911 - didn't know if I should. I decided to try and make it back to Akron Children's Hospital since I didn't know if insurance would cover anything at a Hospital out of network...and I didn't know where a hospital was anyway.
Anne's face was red and purple, her lip and nose were swollen and she had a rash all over. Her voice sounded different. But she wasn't wheezing and seemed to be breathing OK. I just didn't know how far or fast it would progress. I got a call from our friends who live down the street who are ER doctors (one of them is a pediatric doctor) and they helped me alot. They said if she was wheezing at all to pull over and call 911. Otherwise I should take her to Children's or to their house (they live about a mile from us), 20 minutes from where I was at that point. I got to their house and they had the right medicine, although Anne didn't like getting two shots. Then the big kids said their memory verses and everybody got prizes -
I was pretty grateful for friends like that. It sure beat spending a long time in the ER with four kids who hadn't had naps. Anne was back to a normal color and the swelling was gone. I went to the pharmacy to pick up my very own epi-pen.
Our doctor friends had given the big kids marigolds to plant and they promptly spilled them all over the back of the car.
Now it was after three and I had a VERY messy car, melting groceries to put away, Pati to feed and a horribly messy house.
 |
| From March April 2008 |
It is now almost 6:00 and I have stopped cleaning and picking up long enough to sit and type this out. I suppose I will rummage around for something that won't send anyone into an allergic reaction, feed them and maybe try to get everybody out for some exercise. Which really means getting on clothes and shoes, loading up a stroller and two bikes and bike helmets, driving somewhere, unloading aforementioned equipement and assembling it, adjusting bike helmets and strapping in babies before trying to run a few miles without having to stop at too many outhouses along the way. Then it will be back to the car and the whole process in reverse.
Then baths (sunday tomorrow) and hair dryers and pajamas and cream and stories and water bottles and prayer and bed. For me too I hope.
I am thankful for a little girl who can breathe. I won't be scrambling eggs any time soon.
