Sunday, May 18, 2008

Sleep, what's that?

Oh, gentle readers, this has been quite the eventful few days.

You have heard (briefly) how I took Anna Marie to the doctor on Thursday morning because she'd spent the night prior coughing her little red head off.

We obtained four sample bottles of an antihistamine/decongestant/cough medicine, along with a prescription to be filled if they worked, and another for an antibiotic if she didn't clear up in a day or two.

Friday at school, she was fine. Bascially no coughing. Friday night was a different matter. She started up again, and somehow we all got to sleep.

Yesterday, she woke up coughing so hard she was shaking, and saying "Mom, hurry up with that medicine!"

An hour later, she was saying, "Mom, look how much red spots I have from the itching!"

Oh, my goodness. She was covered in hives on both arms and legs, a few on her trunk, and a good many on her little behind. I grabbed some hydrocortisone creme for the itching, and called the doctor to find out if the cough medicine could be the culprit.

He's not sure, but he told me not to give it to her just in case. He also told me it was OK to give her Benadryl, since it was a different kind of antihistamine than the one in the medicine. So, I've been dosing her every four hours since yesterday, and watching for signs of trouble - swollen throat, tongue, or lips, or trouble breathing.

She woke up a few minutes ago, coughing, and the hives have spread to cover her trunk and her face. Oddly enough, she isn't complaining of them itching, and hasn't since I gave the first dose of Benadryl yesterday.

It looks like we won't be going to church this morning, either. And, if that Benadryl doesn't start making a dent in those hives, we'll be making a trip to the minor medical clinic. It doesn't open until 1 p.m. today anyway, so we've got time.

(We were going to take her last night, after the cookout where we saw my brother for the first time in two years, but they closed at 6 p.m. on Saturdays.)

(Aww. How cute! She just came in here to check on ME!)

Y'all, I'm just about tore down from the floor down! I don't know when I've had a full night's sleep!

And this week is the zoo trip!

I think when this clears up, I'm going to see about getting her some allergy testing - this is too much to go through four times a year.

5 comments:

Sheila said...

Oh my goodness, poor thing! Yes it does sound to me like she's allergic to something, and the most likely culprit is the medicine. I'd definitely get it checked out by someone else (second opinion) or at that clinic today. I'm sure you want this to be over, as well as AM! Good luck!

Lissete said...

I hope she's better soon. And yes, allergy testing is a very good idea. It sucks to have to find out the hard way!

Wendster said...

Wow! I have four kids and have NEVER seen hives from ... anything but allergies now that I come to think of it. No. I've seen hives from sensitive skin reactions to too strong soaps too.
Poor dear! And poor dear! (both of you!)
I hope it gets figured out quickly so you can both get back to sleep and enjoy the zoo trip!

Wendster said...

p.s. I went to the store yesterday and saw a box of cous cous and thought of YOU.
"Hey ... that's cous cous. I have no idea what it is except for that Melissa was really looking forward to eating it the other day, and THAT must mean that it's good for you and tasty cuz Melissa watches her weight and exercises and likes yummy healthy things." I literally stood there staring at it thinking these thoughts for like two minutes ... but I was on a limited limited budget so I didn't pick it up.

Is it low calorie? Is it a super grain? I should google it. (Does weight watchers recommend it? Is it core?)

Wendy of the interrogative sentences

Melissa said...

Thanks for the well wishes, ladies.

Wendy - couscous is a teeny, tiny, way-cute little pasta that looks and acts like a grain. WW recommends the whole-wheat variety, of course. I know it's a better deal to buy it in bulk, but I don't live near any stores that sell it that way. I pay $1.99 for a five-serving box, unless I get it on sale and have a coupon like I did a few weeks ago and got the boxes for $1 each.

Jason mainly only likes it if I cook it in chicken broth, but I don't usually keep that stuff around. I do add a tsp. of canola oil and a little salt. The best thing about it is that it only takes five minute to cook after the water boils, and since one serving only takes 1/3 c. of water, that doesn't take long either.

I buy this "fiesta blend" fozen veggie variety from Kroger when it's on sale for $1, and put about 1/2 or 3/4 c. on top of the couscous. Or, I've also mixed it with vegetarian chili, or with a black bean soup I make sometimes. It just makes everything better (and helps stretch a meal!)