March 9, 2007

Scary Day

Lil C had what appears to be a severe allergic reaction to an antibiotic she was on for an ear infection. She started with a couple hive-like bumps on her legs. Today, the few small hives erupted into a full fledged all out attack on her joints. Lil C’s knees swelled to about four times their normal size. Her wrists, fingers, ankles, and toes were swollen too. She had hives everywhere from the top of her little head to the tops of her little feet.

I talked to my Mom this morning and told her I was concerned. I didn’t want to be an alarmist though so I thought I would give her a bath and see how she was. It was when I started undressing her that I saw how much worse it had gotten in only an hour. I immediately called the doctor, and then drove her frantically as fast as I could to the appointment.

As the doctor asked me questions about whether or not rheumatoid arthritis or Lupus runs in our family, it was all I could do not to cry. It was terrifying to watch her swell up so severely, so suddenly. My Mom works for an allergist so I know how serious allergic reactions can be.

The doctor put her on oral steroids and round the clock benadryl and we’re supposed to watch her closely over the next 48 hours. Hopefully, an allergic reaction is all that is was and it will all go away. Tonight, she seems much better already.

I couldn’t help but think about the little girl Julia, whose battle with cancer I’ve been following over the past several months. My fear and panic today is probably only a fraction of what her mother feels every single day, and has been feeling every day since her daughter first got sick. I pray for that little girl every single night, but I’m going to make sure I remember her family in my prayers as well.

It was an absolutely terrifying day. I hope that this ordeal is over and that we won’t have any more incidents like this ever again.

Update: As of Sunday night, Lil C is doing much better. Her joint swelling is pretty much gone. We’re still dealing with an occasional hive popping up here and there, some itchy eyes, and some minor bruising under the skin where the swelling was the most severe. But it appears that we are out of the woods for now and that is a HUGE relief.