Last night I conducted an all night wildlife survey for work. But Christmas Eve was my more noteworthy all-nighter.
Here's the short story: Emmett accidentally ate a bit of a peanut on Christmas Eve. He had a full-blown anaphylactic reaction that landed us in the ER all night. He was wheezing, had angry red and bright white hives from head to toe, low blood pressure, and he vomited vomited VOMITED. (There was a lot of vomit involved.) (A LOT.)
OH YOU GUYS.
It really did stink.
Emmett is fine. At about 4am, I convinced the ER doctor to let us go home. She wanted him to stay a while longer but my logic ("I've got three other kids at home and it's Christmas morning and I just might be able to salvage it if we can get into bed for an hour and I promise not to let him out of my sight... like, EVER AGAIN") swayed her to let us head home.
It takes a lot of effort to put Christmas together for four young children. None of that mattered at all, truly. At about 2am, Brett & I texted about post-poning Christmas for a day. But Emmett was ok and I just wanted to be together on Christmas morning. We got that wish.
 |
| This was our ONLY photo of Christmas, the kids waiting to come down the stairs. Doesn't Emmett look totally unscathed? I felt the opposite of unscathed. I usually take pictures on Christmas morning but I was so dazed and confused and trying very hard to figure out where I'd put my coffee last. |
There is so much I should say about this particular experience. Since there hasn't been a good reason for great caution, we've approached the whole peanut allergy condition casually. I don't know what to say now. I can't bring myself to think about it too much. Now that we know what can happen... I just...
Ugh.
So instead, here's a few memorable points from the experience:
- I gave my first epinephrine injection. Very easy to deliver but also very easy to hesitate and convince yourself not to do it. (I could use an adrenaline injection right now and we DO have another one left...)
- Cal slept through the whole ordeal, including Emmett vomiting in his bed and our turning the lights on to clean up. The next morning, Cal was all "hey Emmett, why weren't you in your bed?" and Emmett was like, "DUDE I was at the HOSPITAL."
- Anaphylactic reactions don't necessarily happen right away. Did you know that? We did not. Things turned bad for Emmett between two and four hours post-exposure.
- I'd do anything for this boy.
Yet I cannot seem to grasp that this is a serious thing. I should say more but I don't even know how to begin.
He is ok. I'll leave it at that.
25 comments:
I can't imagine how frightening that was for you. I'm glad he is ok. I hope you will recover soon.
So... Could peanuts be fatal for him? Did you have any clue? Could the other kids also have allergy? Could my kids have allergy and I don't know since we eat almond butter only and two hours later they could be in bed in a shock? I am concerned for your Emmett and thins I for know about this topic!
I am getting stress-weepy just READING about this. How nice that you salvaged Christmas.
It's hard to wrap your head around it...even after you watch your child fight to breathe right before your eyes....you're watching it happen but yet you can't believe it is happening...a "harmless" little nut....it shouldn't even be possible...
Erin - You can't imagine how constantly I have been thinking about you and been wanting to talk with you about this - if you want to. I love you (ALL of you) very much and I'm so sorry you had to go through this. Looking at that Christmas morning photo is amazing, I'm glad it wasn't traumatizing for Emmett.
You are in my heart, most especially right now. Talk soon?
Holy crap. How scary! When did you find out he was allergic? After reading all of Kelsey's posts about dealing with Harper's peanut allergy, I was paranoid to even give anything with peanuts to my kids. They appear to be fine, but it is terrifying. I'm glad that he is okay, though I'm thinking the mama needs a drink or two or three... And the picture of your kiddos is adorable!
So so scary, Erin, I am so sorry that all of that happened and I am really glad that he is okay and you were able to salvage Christmas morning. I cannot imagine all the emotions you've been experiencing. And I think I'd be having the same dumbfounded feeling that you are...what NOW?
I was wondering when you would post about this. Raph's reaction we delayed too. He was in bed and woke up b/c of the sniffing. He was totally out of it but we knew something wasn't right and it escalated quickly at that point. Its terrifying but I can stab a kid in the leg easily now...and I have, twice.
Sorry he had such a bad night. Now, go take a nap :)
What a terrifying experience- so glad that he is okay!
UG. So glad he is okay. Thank goodness these kids are as resilient as they are. If only we got more resilient as parents instead of more vulnerable. NO FAIR.
Hugs to you all.
How awful! I'm so glad Emmett is okay.
We have peanut allergies in our household as well. I feel like it is easy to get complacent when there have been literal years between reactions. It's very scary. And I bet it is even easier to relax your vigilance when you have lovely friends and family members who bring you goodies around the holidays. It is exhausting to have safety plans for everything and fret about the years when the kids will go to other people's houses where parents don't understand the need to watch like hawks.
I am just commiserating with you and letting you know that it could happen to any one of us. He is fine. That is what is truly important.
Erin, please make sure that you send a short e-mail to the teacher, principal, and nurse that you spent time in the ER with the peanut reaction. The school needs to have a short reminder that they need to continue being careful about peanuts and your child. You had a terrible experience...
Marsha in Iowa
So glad he's ok. Happy New Year to you all!
I am so glad he's okay. My kids have had moderate allergic reactions to vaccines so I know how scary it can be. (4 month old covered with hives--awful.)
Thank you for sharing this experience, though, because it serves as a good reminder to those of us whose kids don't have peanut allergies. It helps me be mindful when my kids interact with other children.
How awful! I'm so sorry you guys had to go through this. I wish I had some insight or something, but I just don't. I'm just glad E is okay!
Oh what a nightmare. I am so glad he is ok.
I have been through an anaphylactic reaction as both a patient (to antibiotics when I was 11 and again when I was 13) and as a parent. Conveniently, my son had his anaphylactic reaction at the allergists office during an allergy test (to sesame of all things) so we were able to deal with it very quickly and calmly. For what it's worth I do remember the reactions that I had as a kid, but despite ambulance rides, epi pens, the whole nine yards I wasn't the least bit traumatized by them - no lasting damage. As a parent of a child with anaphylactic allergies it can be so stressful dealing with school, playdates, family. To help cope with the stress we've got epi pens all over the place (at home with a magnet on the fridge, in the diaper bag, in the car, at school) - I feel better knowing that one is always there if I need it (haven't needed one yet with the kids). If you don't already have it I highly recommend this book:
Understanding and Managing Your Child's Food Allergies
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Managing-Childs-Allergies-Hopkins/dp/0801884926/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1357605633&sr=8-7&keywords=food+allergies
It is written from an intelligent, research based perspective which is nice for us science-minded types.
This is a comment for your post on 1-16-13. Thank you for sharing your story all this time. I loved reading your latest updates and seeing your family grow. I will miss checking in on you but understand your need to break away from the public eye and focus on your awesome family and daily adventures. Wishing you all the best! MS www.swansonx4.blogspot.com
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