As a child Kyle was allergic to many different foods and animals. So we knew that there was a potential for a peanut allergy, but given that Chloe has only demonstrated an allergy to eggs and that is only a mild dermal allergy, we never dreamed we would wind up at the emergency room after letting her try peanut butter.
It was a delayed reaction, but shortly after she ate two crackers with peanut butter we noticed a red rash and welts around her mouth. Since we had seen her react this way to eggs, we gave her Benadryl as had been previously recommended by her pediatrician. I felt that I needed to keep watching her and so I did. When her speaking became raspy and her breathing seemed a little labored, we bolted for the pediatric urgent care near our house. At this point, we didn't realize how serious the situation would become, but we scooped her up and got in the van without bothering to turn off lights, the t.v. or even close the partially unloaded dishwasher. Despite Chloe still being chipper and talkative, the 3 mile drive from our house to urgent care seemed to take an eternity. Cars seemed to move in slow motion. When we pulled into the parking lot, she vomited. Kyle parked the van at the door and I took Chloe up to the front desk and explained what was happening. It was then that she threw up again, on me and down my jacket sleeve. I didn't care about that though. The receptionist called the nurse up and she took us into the exam room immediately. The doctor joined us and by this time, Chloe started turning more red and her lips were swelling. I hated seeing this happen to my baby but I was so relieved that we were already under medical care and not still at home. She got a shot of epinephrine, a steroid, another allergy med and a breathing treatment. The doctor told us that she was having an anaphylactic reaction and that we needed to be transported by ambulance to Saint Francis Hospital and that we would be admitted overnight. The words swirled around my head as I tried to process what was happening. I prayed under my breath and reached for the One I knew would steady me and make me strong.
During the ambulance ride, Chloe required a second shot of epinephrine. She was as red as a tomato and the hives had come back. There was one exam room available when we arrived at the ER and we were taken to it. The nurse informed us they were going to start an IV with more meds. We had to hold Chloe down and I covered her eyes and sang to her as they they stuck her. I prayed they would find her little vein on the first try and they did. The nurse listened to her breathing and told us that Chloe's lungs sounded much better. When the nurses left us alone, Kyle, Chloe and I huddled together and Kyle prayed for Chloe's continued improvement. We were in there for awhile by ourselves and Chloe's beautiful skin tone began to return and she was beginning to act like her sweet happy self again. The nurse came back and commented how much better she looked. Some of the other nurses stopped by just to see how much better she was doing and say how adorable she is. She was also pretty much bouncing off the walls at this point due to all the meds in her system. A toddler pumped up on two epinephrine shots and other medications made that exam room seem a lot smaller. The in room television was also stuck on a Spanish soap opera channel until Kyle decided he couldn't take it anymore and requested the remote control from the nurse. Apparently, those are not kept in the ER exam rooms because they have a tendency to grow legs and walk away. The hospital was quite busy that night and we waited a very long time to get a room.
When we finally got a room, and after retelling the sequence of events for what seemed like the one hundredth time to another nurse and doctor, then getting something to eat, we were able to settle down and try to get some sleep. We got a decent amount of sleep for being in the hospital. I'm really glad I had previously downloaded a sleepy sounds app to my phone because it drowned out any noise coming from the hallway. The nurse tech came in about 3:30am to check Chloe's vitals and to my relief, Chloe rolled back over and slept until her vitals were checked again at 6:20am. She rolled over and didn't rouse again for about another hour. At one point during that time, she rolled over on to her side facing me. We made eye contact and she lifted her arm and waved hello to me through the crib slats. It was a precious moment.
With the rest of the night having gone so well, we were told that would be discharged in the early afternoon after one of the nurses gave us a run down on how to properly use an EpiPen. It is something no parent ever wants to have to go through but I absolutely see God's fingerprints all over the situation. We were told over and over again that we did everything right. One of the prominent prayers of my heart is that God will show me how to be the best mother I can to my kids. That He will lead me and guide me and show me what is best for them. This situation showed me that He takes that prayer seriously. I am more confident in my ability to trust and hear from God as a result of this experience. Quite frankly, I find it easier to trust God than to just roll with chance. You might be reading this and think that if God really cared, then we would not have gone through this in the first place. But the thing is that God never promised that we would not go through problems nor even traumatic events, He promised to be with us and guide us through them. The bible says that we are made in the image of God. That means we look like Him, and for that reason, Satan hates us with an intensity beyond our comprehension. Since Satan can't attack God, he attacks us instead.
We were discharged shortly after 1 o'clock in the afternoon. All three of us were happy to be back home and sleeping in our own beds. I am still wrapping my mind about how life has changed for us now. We must now be vigilant to read labels and make sure that anyone Chloe stays with is educated on the proper use of an EpiPen. We will be following up with her pediatrician's office this week and discuss further allergy testing. I am so incredibly grateful for modern medicine and the skillful doctors and nurses who helped us through this ordeal. They made all the difference in the world for us that night and they have my highest respect and gratitude.
