This is my Paisley Pie having a breathing treatment and looking significantly better after having an allergic reaction last night. Stunned and spinning are two words that describe my brain when Sam brought Paisley downstairs when she woke up 45 minutes or so after going to bed. Right before he brought her down, that still small voice told me to go check on her. Sam heeded the same prompting and thank goodness that He did. He said that at that point, she had stopped her quiet, fussy call to us and was laying down. I was getting up to act on my prompting when Sam came down the stairs to give her to me to nurse. The first thing out of my mouth was "What happened to her face?" Her eyes were a little puffy as was the rest of the right side of her face. I tried to nurse her but she kept turning her head back and forth in an odd way. Bells started going off. My instincts were in HIGH gear. I called Sam down to hold her while I looked up reaction symptoms to the Prevnar vaccination. I only read one or two lines before I went in search of my shoes, purse and cell phone. I called our ped's office while Sam held her and got her into her bunting. I told the operator that I didn't want to wait for a call back that I needed to talk to someone now. She transferred me. It just kept ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing.
I looked at Paisley and her face had gotten much more swollen in 5 minutes. We put her in the car. Enter my stunned brain. Um...where do I go? Sam told me to go to the ER. That gave me my bearings. The drive was the hardest part. I felt like a caged animal that needed freedom to act and move. The ped's office called back and talked me on the speaker of my cell phone that was stuck in my bra strap. There wasn't much traffic at all but the red lights were tedious and tortuous. I started to sing "Love is Spoken Here"...Pray, He is there. Speak, He is listening, You are his child, His love now surrounds you.... I prayed. "Heavenly Father please bless my baby and her airways. Keep them open." I could hear her breathing and mildly wheezing.
I called my friend Mindy and asked to her ask our group of friends to pray. I called my parents and told them to pray as well. I turned into a Do Not Enter lane to get into the ER. I parked in handicapped parking since my brain couldn't seem to care about parking in a legal spot. I am lucky I didn't leave my minivan by the Emergency Room doors. Paisley was sleeping and breathing fine. Her face was more puffy. It looked like she had bad plastic surgery on her lips. They were pretty dang wide and full.
I walked in and my brain spinning started to decelerate. I was ready for action. I looked at the woman in front of me and asked if this was the ER. It didn't look like I expected it. I guess I watched too much ER back in the day. The lady stepped back for me. Paisley threw up some lovely webby, mucousy goo all over me. I told the lady behind the desk that I thought my baby was having an allergic reaction. She got to her feet. She asked if Paisey's lips were normally that big. I said, "No." We were given a room immediately--good old exam room 3. We had a great ER doc. He listened. I wonder if I even made sense. I was trying to remain calm but my mind was trying to not miss any details. Her eyes were swollen and puffy, her ears cheeks were bright red and those lips! She had hives all over her neck, creases in her elbows and behind her knees. Her belly button was even red. They gave her epinephrine, prednisone and benadryl. She was noticeably less swollen after minutes of getting the epinephrine. Bless it.
She had chest x-rays. Such nice rad techs, I tell ya. I will never forget the look she gave while I just stood there while they put her into a clear tube that made it so her arms were reaching high to the sky during a holdup or something. Sam arrived at the hospital right after we finished with the x-rays. She had a breathing treatment which she really liked. I am grateful for albuterol. She kept nuzzling the blue tube. The dr talked about doing workup for strep (because of her high temp and bright red throat), flu and urinalysis. I held her in my arms and rocked from side to side. She fell asleep. We had to wake her up so they could swab her throat for the rapid strep test. It came back positive. SURPRISE!! Scratch the rest of the workup. How lucky that she didn't have to be awakened again for a nose swab or be cathed for a urine sample. I think she was weary of things being stuck where the sun doesn't shine. Her temp was 101 , btw.
As far as the allergic reaction, he is calling it a pneumo vax (Prevnar)reaction. She had one on Monday and she has been reacting to it since the afternoon afterward--lethargy, fever, sore legs, she didn't walk or crawl at all Monday evening (and the kid normally into everything). She just laid on her stomach on the floor unless we were holding her. Then she perked up Tuesday but still had a high fever. Her fever was down all day Wednesday but spiked to 103.1 before bed. Ibuprofen brought it down to 101. 6. We gave her some almond milk before bed (it was the 2nd or 3rd time she had it) and then she woke up 45 minutes later. You know what happened after that.
She had chest x-rays. Such nice rad techs, I tell ya. I will never forget the look she gave while I just stood there while they put her into a clear tube that made it so her arms were reaching high to the sky during a holdup or something. Sam arrived at the hospital right after we finished with the x-rays. She had a breathing treatment which she really liked. I am grateful for albuterol. She kept nuzzling the blue tube. The dr talked about doing workup for strep (because of her high temp and bright red throat), flu and urinalysis. I held her in my arms and rocked from side to side. She fell asleep. We had to wake her up so they could swab her throat for the rapid strep test. It came back positive. SURPRISE!! Scratch the rest of the workup. How lucky that she didn't have to be awakened again for a nose swab or be cathed for a urine sample. I think she was weary of things being stuck where the sun doesn't shine. Her temp was 101 , btw.
As far as the allergic reaction, he is calling it a pneumo vax (Prevnar)reaction. She had one on Monday and she has been reacting to it since the afternoon afterward--lethargy, fever, sore legs, she didn't walk or crawl at all Monday evening (and the kid normally into everything). She just laid on her stomach on the floor unless we were holding her. Then she perked up Tuesday but still had a high fever. Her fever was down all day Wednesday but spiked to 103.1 before bed. Ibuprofen brought it down to 101. 6. We gave her some almond milk before bed (it was the 2nd or 3rd time she had it) and then she woke up 45 minutes later. You know what happened after that.
So, he is calling it a pneumo vax reaction (so we are suspending that series now), high fever due to strep and we are laying off the almond milk for good measure as well since it was the 2nd/3rd time she had it and that is when you get the big reactions. We got an epi pen along with all the other meds. It also could be a reaction to the strep itself.
When we got home, the first thing she wanted was get on the floor. Then Olivia came up and she went to Olivia. Then she crawled and walked along the furniture. She happily smacked some banana bread and water--which was a huge balm to see. Then she wanted her bed. She slept really well.
When we got home, the first thing she wanted was get on the floor. Then Olivia came up and she went to Olivia. Then she crawled and walked along the furniture. She happily smacked some banana bread and water--which was a huge balm to see. Then she wanted her bed. She slept really well.
I bet you can hear and feel my deep sigh of relief, right? I am so relieved that my baby is ok. This was our very first ER visit. I just keep thanking Heavenly Father for the tender mercy of still having her here with me. I felt very strengthened and calm despite being my brain spinning at first. Shelley was a calming, helpful and honest force here at home while we were away. When Olivia woke up to find us gone, she answered Olivia's questions so well. My friends are literal angels. I am so glad that Sam was able to meet us up there and be with us. And so it goes without saying that Paisley my 4th girlie decided to throw in a couple firsts for us. My first c-section and first ER visit. Hopefully it will be our last. The aftermath leaves me exceedingly grateful for my 0wn ped's office who have been incredible in making sure our Paisley pie is taken care of and recovering.
Prayer works. Our Heavenly Father hears us and He loves us. He never leaves us when we are worried, anxious or even scared. The situation doesn't often change but He does strengthen us so that we may bear it. I remember going to get my shoes and thinking that I wanted to pray that the reaction would stop. The second thought that came was that it simply wasn't going stop. That wasn't the thing for me to pray for. So instead, I prayed for strength, clarity of mind (that eventually did come) and for a breathing baby that would recover. I am humbled, blessed, relieved and overjoyed for those blessings. I know I say it alot but I must say it again--my cup runneth over.
