A Scare & A Blessing

We were eating lunch today, getting ready to leave for a birthday party. Daddy ate lunch and was feeding Sydney while Mommy showered, and then we switched. Syd wasn't eating much - his molars are coming in and he wasn't feeling all too well. I made the mistake of trying to get him to eat something, SOMETHING, and in this attempt, gave him the smallest of bites of my sandwich. It truly was no bigger than a pinkie fingernail. Teeny, tiny piece of bread, jelly, and peanut butter. Syd has eaten peanut butter before. A tiny bite here, a taste there. I didn't think twice about giving him a smidgen, just to see if he'd eat it. He played with it, and I removed it from his tray before he made a mess out of it. Yes, a mess - he's 18 months, and anything can become a mess. So, we're talking, singing, and waiting for Daddy to finish getting ready. He took a 2 hour nap, so I know he was ready to get down and play. But then he started rubbing his eyes. And I thought to myself, "What on earth? I KNOW you can't be sleepy!" But the rubbing continued and when he removed his hand this time, there was a bubble under his left eye. And welts were starting on his forehead. And a bee sting looking welt on his left temple. I've been in emergency situations many times before. And as much as I know I want to panic, something inside won't let me, which is a good thing. It's come in handy over the years - the time I slit my thumb knuckle -to-knuckle when a dish burst on me in the sink; the time a bound tent collapsed on a student athlete's shin at a track meet, or when a relay team decided to dance with the pavement, or when the hurdler did the same, or when a student went rigid then passed out in class... Today was no different, except it was my son, not someone else's. I turned him towards the light, saw the increasing welts on his face, and ran to get the Benedryl. We give him a 1/2 teaspoon at night on nights when his teething really bothers him. I didn't want him to overdose on the medicine, but I didn't know how much would be too much, so I gave him a bedtime dose. Then called the on-call nurse. After speaking with her for a few minutes, she determined that he was severe enough to need to see the doctor. We packed him up and flew for the hospital. His swelling continued to worsen as we drove, but he was in such good spirits - saying hi to all the emergency room patients, blowing kisses at the nurses, making the noises of all the animals drawn on the walls in the pediatric waiting room. And though he seemed to be getting sleepy in the car, no doubt due to the Benedryl, he was wide awake once we got there - so many new sights to see!! The hospital visit went very smoothly. Things went quickly, which was a blessing, and since the swelling started to subside, he was given the 'ok,' which Daddy said he wouldn't relax until he received. Thankfully, the doctor who saw him said the exact same thing happened with her son 2 days earlier - he is 17 months, and apparently, she'd done the same thing - gave him little bites of her granola bars until one day- BAM - it had an effect on him. So - no nuts or nut products until after age two, and then, as she said, "You can try them in small doses with lots of Benedryl nearby." We also received a prescription for a baby epi-pen. I'm both thankful and terrified at the same time. I loathe the idea of slamming a needle in to my son's chest, but if absolutely necessary, I know I'll be able to do it. Thank goodness it is a long weekend. Thank goodness I was home with Syd and Daddy, so Daddy could drive and I could keep an eye on Syd. Thank goodness I am home tomorrow with him to administer more Benedryl and make sure this is all behind us. And thank goodness I have a husband who understood that once Syd was down for the night, I was probably going to break down, knowing that he was safe.