So I have to share something with you all that recently happened in our family that was scary, worrisome and interesting all tied together, though my 16 year old daughter may not exactly agree.
It all started rather calmly. I received a text from my daughter while she was at school. The conversation went like this:
Daughter: I'm having an allergic reaction
Mom: To what? Is it severe, do u need to come home?
Daughter: IDK I broke out in a rash. I feel fine tho
Mom: Where? From what? I only know ur allergic to dish soap
30minutes later.....
Daughter: Home please now. I'm in the bathroom rn and it's on my face now and chest and neck
Mom: Ok will b there
As it was close to the end of the day I called the school and asked my son also be released with his sister. When he read my "Emergency go to office now, [stepdad] coming , u r signed out" text, he proceeded to the office where he began to question his sister with "Do you know why Mom wants us.....what happened to your face!?" On her way out the door a friends stopped her saying "What happened to you...are you dying?!" Wonderful things a shy 16 year old loves to hear but I was about to find out why.
It takes 12 minutes to drive to and from our house and the school. My husband made it back in record time, walked in the door and said, in his best First Aid Instructor voice, "She needs to go to the hospital now." Of course this is a job for mom and I was already dressed with (as any Mom knows) my hospital essentials purse packed, including ID, snacks, water, tablet with games and phone with a camera. and walked right out the door. I was shocked!!! Her entire face was a big red welt. All but her cheeks and nose. It was like a red rash mask.
As we sat waiting in triage, we watched as her rash made its way down her arms, then down her stomach and to the top of her legs. Thankfully her throat, speech and breathing were not affected but within 2 hours it was spreading at an alarming rate. Once the Nurses and then Doctors had established no known reason for the reaction, (no new foods, environment or exposure) they hooked her up to an IV, a new and not so welcome experience for my daughter, and pumped her full of Benadryl, Prednisone and Zantac. Three hours later, after Italian homework, many games my daughter beat me at and one captured picture of her hooked up to the IV (making memories honey, making memories) there wasn't a spot on her.
This is where it gets interesting. Two hours later, once we were home and the husband was gone to work of course, the rash started to return. Of course I had not picked up the Benadryl yet as there wasn't time and we were not expecting a return so soon so she took a generic allergy pill hoping that would be enough. It was not. Her Dad was able to bring Benadryl over once he was off work which she took at 1:40 am. Interestingly enough this rash was covering the areas that it had not covered previously. Her nose, cheeks, inner arms, though it was spreading to the previous areas as well. An hour later the areas seemed to be fading so we allowed her to rest and checked on her in another hour.
It all started rather calmly. I received a text from my daughter while she was at school. The conversation went like this:
Daughter: I'm having an allergic reaction
Mom: To what? Is it severe, do u need to come home?
Daughter: IDK I broke out in a rash. I feel fine tho
Mom: Where? From what? I only know ur allergic to dish soap
30minutes later.....
Daughter: Home please now. I'm in the bathroom rn and it's on my face now and chest and neck
Mom: Ok will b there
As it was close to the end of the day I called the school and asked my son also be released with his sister. When he read my "Emergency go to office now, [stepdad] coming , u r signed out" text, he proceeded to the office where he began to question his sister with "Do you know why Mom wants us.....what happened to your face!?" On her way out the door a friends stopped her saying "What happened to you...are you dying?!" Wonderful things a shy 16 year old loves to hear but I was about to find out why.
It takes 12 minutes to drive to and from our house and the school. My husband made it back in record time, walked in the door and said, in his best First Aid Instructor voice, "She needs to go to the hospital now." Of course this is a job for mom and I was already dressed with (as any Mom knows) my hospital essentials purse packed, including ID, snacks, water, tablet with games and phone with a camera. and walked right out the door. I was shocked!!! Her entire face was a big red welt. All but her cheeks and nose. It was like a red rash mask.
As we sat waiting in triage, we watched as her rash made its way down her arms, then down her stomach and to the top of her legs. Thankfully her throat, speech and breathing were not affected but within 2 hours it was spreading at an alarming rate. Once the Nurses and then Doctors had established no known reason for the reaction, (no new foods, environment or exposure) they hooked her up to an IV, a new and not so welcome experience for my daughter, and pumped her full of Benadryl, Prednisone and Zantac. Three hours later, after Italian homework, many games my daughter beat me at and one captured picture of her hooked up to the IV (making memories honey, making memories) there wasn't a spot on her.
This is where it gets interesting. Two hours later, once we were home and the husband was gone to work of course, the rash started to return. Of course I had not picked up the Benadryl yet as there wasn't time and we were not expecting a return so soon so she took a generic allergy pill hoping that would be enough. It was not. Her Dad was able to bring Benadryl over once he was off work which she took at 1:40 am. Interestingly enough this rash was covering the areas that it had not covered previously. Her nose, cheeks, inner arms, though it was spreading to the previous areas as well. An hour later the areas seemed to be fading so we allowed her to rest and checked on her in another hour.
Now we can teach the basics about allergies and we can prepare individuals about anaphylactic shock and these are great skills to have when your child has severe allergies but what do you do when it springs up out of no where with no known cause and Doctors have no answers because they simply can't know? I'll tell you what you do, you Google, good or bad you won't be able to help yourself. Now there is some information you should just avoid but there are also many good medical sites with information that can calm you if your someone, like me, who just needs a reasonable explanation. (If you are a worrier...do not Google! You will not be comforted but will most likely go dire. Don't do it! ) So I Googled. That is when I found out about the rebound effect.
Now for those who have children with severe allergies requiring the use of epinephrine this is probably not a new concept. As First Aiders they would know that 15% of children with severe allergies experience the rebound effect (livescience.com), rare as it is it is why it is so important not to delay in administering epinephrine. What surprised me though was that this could occur with nonanaphylactic reactions. Rare as it is with anaphylactic it is even more rare with non. As I sat mulling this over, thinking "of course watch my daughter have this because why not, after all we already spend so much time in the hospital we spent our anniversary there last year and the nurses sang to us (true story)", it was time to check on her again.
I have to tell you I think my heart stopped. As I shone my light on her, all I saw first was her back. It was covered. Then, as I touched her shoulder to tell her we needed to go back to the hospital as the Doctor instructed if it got that bad again, she turned to look at me. I think my eyes bugged out. Her face was completely red minus the two white circles of her eyes. I said "Let's go." As she groggily went to the bathroom, I went downstairs and threw on my jacket and shoes, grabbed my hospital purse and waited ,and waited,and waited. Now my daughter doesn't show her girly side very often, she's quite a sporty girl, shy but sporty, but I tell you here shone the difference between mom and daughter. She changed, did her hair, brushed her teeth, I just had to laugh at the comparison, personally I think she was stalling out of fear of another IV.
Now for those who have children with severe allergies requiring the use of epinephrine this is probably not a new concept. As First Aiders they would know that 15% of children with severe allergies experience the rebound effect (livescience.com), rare as it is it is why it is so important not to delay in administering epinephrine. What surprised me though was that this could occur with nonanaphylactic reactions. Rare as it is with anaphylactic it is even more rare with non. As I sat mulling this over, thinking "of course watch my daughter have this because why not, after all we already spend so much time in the hospital we spent our anniversary there last year and the nurses sang to us (true story)", it was time to check on her again.
I have to tell you I think my heart stopped. As I shone my light on her, all I saw first was her back. It was covered. Then, as I touched her shoulder to tell her we needed to go back to the hospital as the Doctor instructed if it got that bad again, she turned to look at me. I think my eyes bugged out. Her face was completely red minus the two white circles of her eyes. I said "Let's go." As she groggily went to the bathroom, I went downstairs and threw on my jacket and shoes, grabbed my hospital purse and waited ,and waited,and waited. Now my daughter doesn't show her girly side very often, she's quite a sporty girl, shy but sporty, but I tell you here shone the difference between mom and daughter. She changed, did her hair, brushed her teeth, I just had to laugh at the comparison, personally I think she was stalling out of fear of another IV.
Needless to say we were admitted again and she was spared the needle as they gave her pills which meant despite it being 4:30 in the morning she was all smiles. We sat and chatted. Watched her arms go red then white, then her hands, then her fingers. At 7:30 am we were released with 2 prescriptions and the warning this could continue for another 5 days. True to the Doctors word, it continued but only for 4 days, phew right cause 5 days is just to much. Friends and family were fascinated to see her face go red then white, see spots appear then disappear with in the hour and we were intrigued by the fact that it literally covered every inch of her body in that time frame. Yet we still have no clue why.
She goes to see an Immunologist in May, maybe they will find something, maybe they won't but it goes to show you that regardless of what you see in life, what you experience, however many kids you have, you can think you have seen it all but the truth is you probably haven't. You can try to prepare as best you can but life has a way of still surprising you. I told my daughter there were easier ways to spend time alone with me but even though she was ill, it was nice to see her strength of character, the way she handled herself and I really did love the time alone with her...though maybe next time it could be at a spa?
Whatever life throws at you take the time to be in the moment, think positive and make memories whenever you can