Here is how our weeks recently have gone:
Saturday-Wednesday: Colorado - skiing and vacation
Wednesday-Monday morning: Atlanta and being with Dad
Monday: rushing back home to get AM to doctor for a severe allergic reaction
Monday {a week later - yesterday}: baby has recovered, Dad is better, and I am sick as a dog with flu like symptoms and playing catch up in blog land
I just wanted to really post pictures of what happened with AM for other Mom's out there who may want to see. Obviously, allergic reactions can be serious business and not all look like this nor have the same course or symptoms. If you have questions about a med your child is on or a possible allergic reaction, don't mess around! GET THEM TO THE DOCTOR!!
In our case, Anne Margaret was on an antibiotic for a double ear infection. She took it for eight days and it was prescribed for her to take it for ten {she took it from 2/14-2/22}. The night of the 26th, she had little spots and the next morning she had spots all over. By the next night, she was covered from head to toe.
A few things I have learned from this experience are that I will still be cautious about the meds we give our little girl and we most defintally will NOT be giving her any more antibiotics that fall in this same drugs family. We will watch her very closely when she is on meds and lastly, I have learned that a reaction can happen much later after the doseages are finished. I was thinking a reaction had to be immediate but in our case, that wasnt how it worked. I am thankful that I didn't waste time in getting her to the doctor. As the night went on, she got worse. Had we not seen the doctor that afternoon, I feel certain that I would instead be blogging about our first visit to the ER!
That said, here was our experience via pictures. Sunday night, as I got AM dressed for bed, it looked like she had a few bug bite spots on her. Most of these were just spots, they werent raised.
She woke up the next morning and my usual happy kid was QUITE fussy and inconsolable. She wouldnt eat and the only thing that made her happy was snuggling on the floor with paci in mouth watching Elmo.
Once I undressed her, her extremities {arms and legs} were splotchy and covered in this weird rash like deal.
By the afternoon it had spread to her back. At this point, I called the doc, threw her in the car and drove two hours home to see the pediatrician. He said it looked like a reaction and put her on a steroid and an anthistimine.
At the doctors office, AM was a bit restless and fussy. She had slept most of the day and was lethargic but also was having diaherra {sp?} and refused to eat. I was carrying around everything but the kitchen sink in hopes that I could get her to eat and at the doctors office she asked for a few puffs and a few bites of bread. In two weeks poor kid had lost 2 lbs. Not that she needed to lose any but between traveling and being off schedule, having diahreea and now her loss of apetitie for two days had obviously taken its toll.
At this point at the doctors office, she was not yet itching, but by night, the splotches had turned to welts and she was itching like crazy. I was thankful to have the antihistamine as it was that and cool rags on her that helped the itching to stop. By the night, her full body front and back was COVERED.
The next morning, we woke up and she looked better. I was really really excited until our babysitter called and said that she wouldnt stop crying and asking for me. Now, Olivia has kept AM for a year now, so there is no doubt in my mind that if she says she wont stop crying, that something is up.
I headed home and got her and she was a bit fussy and not eating great, but we got her settled down. I threw her in the car and took her back to work with me for a few hours and she watched Elmo and played happily.
At dinner time that night, she was happy but really didnt eat. She more of just played with her food and I let her in hopes that some of it would make it to her mouth.
I went and checked on her in the middle of the night that night and all of the sudden she was worse. Her cheeks were puffy, ears were splochy and her elbows and rear end were popping up with dots. At this point, I had a freak out moment, got CT3 to inspect her and then we put her in our bed.
I was paranoid that her tongue or throat would swell {although if it hadnt at this point it was not likely it would just all of the sudden but I was still a scared little mommy!}.
The next morning after little to no sleep that night as I held my poor spotty baby, I got up and drug myself to work. I kept texting our other sitter that we often use asking how she looked. Alexis said that spots kept coming up on her face.
At this point, I really felt like we should be seeing progress, not regressing. We only had one more day on the steroid and it was yet to help. I called the doc again and made an afternoon appointment. Just prior to taking this picture her entire chin and neck was splotchy too. When we arrived at the doctor, this is what she looked like.
I think the doctor probably thought I was a bit over the top in bringing her back in but she is my kid and she's not getting better! I was scared and I needed his advice! The doctor gave her a steroid shot in hopes of boosting her little system and helping her to get over this reaction. He said that it could take a few more days and that the places where it was splotchy may bruise before they heal. In fact, most of her little legs did get a bit bruised as it healed last week.
The steroid shot seemed to do the trick and by night, her face was getting better.
Two days later all she had were places on her hands and feet....
And a week later, she is clear and completely back to normal!! Praise the Lord.
I am praying that this is our first and last experience with an allergic reaction. It was scary and so so sad seeing how helpless our sweet girl was.
