It’s Just Jennie!

Thursday was Reese’s third reaction to something unknown. The first was the Wednesday before Christmas which landed us in the Emergency Room. An epinephrine shot and a dose of steroids later, we were sent home with a bottle of steroids to give “as needed”. We haven’t been able to figure out what triggered his reaction. It literally happened out of the blue. Earlier this week, he started to break out and we gave him benadryl and steroids and it went away. But Thursday his eyes were completely swollen shut and the medicane didn’t seem to affect it. I honestly just wanted to cry and hold him all night! We have been having these issues with him since he was about seven months old. We would let him try a new food and if it touched his skin, he would break out in red splotches on his face and neck. They would just go away after awhile and after consulting the Doctor, we would give him a small dose of Benadryl. It happened again when we started whole milk. After a few weeks, it stopped. He would only get them if the milk touched his face. He also will break out randomly during the day while playing, napping, or if he gets upset. Only the three times have we seen it spread to his body and result in swelling. Our Pediatrician referred us to an allergy Doctor just in time for a big reaction. Honestly we were just assuming he had sensitive skin and maybe eczema. After waiting to see the Allergist for three hours, we didn’t get the answers I was hoping for. (side note: children should not have to wait that long at an office!) Our instructions are to give him Claritin everyday and steroids for three more days. We have another appointment in two weeks and then we will go from there.

The part that is so frustrating is that this whole scenario is all too familiar to both Rich and me.  Rich started having severe allergies and asthma at 12 months and it lasted most of his childhood. At age 10, I started off vomiting at school everyday. Then one night I spent the night with a friend and woke up feeling strange, looked in the mirror only to see my fave totally deformed. My eye was completely swollen, my cheeks looks as if I had a jumbo jaw breaker in each side, my lips were touching both my nose and my chin, and my nose was stretched across my face. It started a whirlwind of ER visits and allergy test. I remember begging my mom not to send me to school in the mornings because I was so embarrassed of how I looked. We got the swelling under control by the end of middle school.

Watching Reese Thursday night brought back all those memories to us. Friday morning when I got Reese out of bed and his eye was still swollen shut, made me so uncomfortable. I just looked at him and remembered how it felt when I woke up that way. It was worse because he can’t express his discomfort to me! Rich and talked about how we now know how scared our moms must have been. It’s even more difficult for us because we truly understand his pain. I guess, God gave him the perfect parents. We can show empathy towards him and we have knowledge in how to handle it because of our experience. Unfortunately, you are never quite ready to see your child this way! My prayer is that we figure this out quickly and it doesn’t take years for us to find the best way to manage his reactions. I thank all of you for your sweet prayers! I am not sure how people get through situations without faith and prayers from friends and family!

Noah just woke up a few minutes ago so I put him in his highchair with some milk while I was packing Reese’s diaper bag. Jake is coming to pick up Noah today so I am expecting him around 3. I heard someone honk a horn and I figured it was Jake and maybe he was a few minutes early. I have been locking the back door when Rich isn’t home so I went to unlock it and noticed Jake wasn’t at the door. I lifted up the curtain to see what he was doing to see a man in a red sweater standing in my back yard. I ran back to my room to throw on my sweater. I was only wearing a tank top which I don’t care if Jake sees me in but not a stranger. I thought I heard Jake come in but when I came out I didn’t see him. I went back to the back door and no one was around. So I locked it and went to the front door and no one was in my yard. I called Jake and he hadn’t even left yet! I am totally freaking out! I grabbed a heavy flashlight(great weapon huh) and walked around the house and didn’t find anyone. This is the second time I have been freaked out. A couple of months ago, I was giving Reese a bath and Rich was in the back shower and I heard a female voice say, “Hello!”. I froze, and then stuck my head out the bathroom door and answered back and no one was there. I got Reese out of the bath and Rich even came out because he heard someone but no one was here! And no one has ever told us they stopped by.  I really thought Halloween was over!!! Crazy!