The Case of Our Little Chameleon
Well, the Johnsons went through a scary week. And, we are not talking about Halloween festivites. On Monday evening, Ava had developed some hives. As thorough parents, we were racking our heads trying to think of how she got these hives. Was it from a weed outside (she took Halloween costume pictures outside)? No, she was covered head to toe. Was it a food? No, she ate all of the same things she had been eating. Was is an outfit that didn’t get washed? Possibly.
That night was not pretty for momma. Ava was so restless, she wouldn’t stay still. The only way she would sleep was if mom was holding her on her chest. Great. Mom and Ava slept sitting up on the couch from 3am to 6am. We are back to our newborn days! The next morning, she seemed to be doing pretty well. The rash was there, but not spreading. It was just blotchy, and Ava was in good spirits. So, we sent her to daycare with specific instructions. It wasn’t even an hour later and daycare called. We had produced a slight fever, and the rash was rapidly developing. So, off momma went to get Ava and head to the doctor.
The doctor said it was a classic case of the hives. Though we couldn’t pinpoint it at that time, we think she is allergic to Penicillin, which is found in Amoxicillin (she was on it for a nasty cold she couldn’t get rid of.) So, we got placed on a new cold medication and some Benadryl. Off we went home to try and recover. (And, for all you mommies out there…I know the pharmacist already freaked out on me for giving my child Benadryl. Children under the age of 2 aren’t suppose to have it. But, she was on a special dosage.)
Here is what we looked like with hives, but wait, the story continues…
Mommy, something is on me that itches...
This isn't a good look, is it?
So, that night, as in typical fashion, we had a hard time staying asleep. This time, we were up at 3am. We had a fever, and mom freaked out. It was like the hives took over Ava’s entire body. We were definitely worse. However, we got back to sleep. Mom thought at one point about heading to the ER. Mom immediately in the morning started calling friends for advice (they have been through this before)…does this get worse before it gets better was the big question. Benadryl wasn’t doing a thing!! The fever wasn’t breaking, she was incrediblity hot to the touch, and the list goes on and on. So, we called the doctor again. Ava was in rare form, and mommy felt terrible!
Off to the doctor we went (for the 4th time in 2 weeks)! The doctor had no idea the hives were going to take this kind of direction. Of course, Ava has some really long medical term that can’t be described, as we can’t even pronounce it or repeat all the 26 letters mixed up to compose the word. Basically, she had a severe drug reaction…classic symptoms. So, it is Penicillin that she is allergic to. Case closed. However, the symptoms can get more severe, so we are suppose to keep an eye on her. That isn’t too hard to do these days. But, geez…we didn’t want it to get worse than what it was…
Here is what it escalated to, but these pictures DO NOT do it justice!
Mom, I am not happy!
Have you ever seen Ava not in good spirits?
Ava was put on some steroids. We gave her an Aveeno bath to help with relief. Her fever finally broke. We actually got some sleep last night. The steroids defnitely make her act a little crazy though. Ava is the happiest baby on the planet. It was hard to see her in this shape. These last few days definitely tested us all. We are on the uphill swing now…the roids are doing Ava well.
Background story: Ava has been on Amoxicillin once before, and we had no problems. However, the allergy can appear at anytime in life, but usually shows its signs on the 7th day of taking it. True to form, on the 7th day, Ava got all the classic symptoms. Brian and I were not aware of any family allergies. Later we discovered, Grammie Johnson has this allergy, as well as Great Grandma Vosika. There you have it!
