Medical Mystery

This past Monday night has quickly become one of the worst nights of my life:  Jayson's first trip to the Emergency Room. 

I picked him up from daycare, bundled him in his bunting (it's been cold in NY) and headed home.  We did our usual routine of unbundling and letting the dog out of his crate before changing his diaper.   This is where the nightmare began.  He was covered in hives. I called daycare just to confirm the hives weren't there before we left, then called my mom for some quick advice.  Based on the conversations I quickly gave him a bath using Aveeno Baby soap before deciding to rush out to the ER. 

Once there Jayson was making friends with all the doctors and nurses. If it weren't for the rash, he was acting perfectly normal.   Each of the doctors and nurses went through the usual questions (what's changed, soaps, detergents, foods, etc) and none could come up with a conclusive reason for our son's outbreak. Rashes could be a viral infection, a reaction to a bite,  a chemical reaction to a skin irritant and/or a food allergy among a myriad of other things. Fortunately he was breathing ok and it was decided that he would be treated with Benadryl and Prednisolone (a steroid) for the next five days. 

In addition to the meds, we were instructed to make a follow up appointment with our pediatrician.  So today Jayson and I ventured out to the doctor's office armed with photos since the rash had calmed considerably over the last 36+ hours.  Based on the shape and locations of the rash, our doctor ordered a lyme titer and blood work to check levels in his blood. As scary as this seemed, Jayson handled getting two vials of blood drawn without any tears.   He made a "wth" face at initial needle prick and then went right back to flirting with the nurse who was drawing his blood.  Afterwards he was presented with a Curious George bandaid and a beanie bear for being such a champ.

Results should be in Friday at the earliest. Prayers please that he is on the mend and not a victim of lyme disease.  Here's hoping his hives were a fluke and disappear as quickly and mysteriously as they arrived.