Andrew is still sleeping. He had a visit to Prompt Care at 8pm last night. The little guy had been complaining about an itchy spot on his leg all afternoon and into the evening hours when I realized that those little itchies were starting to cover his stomach, legs and back. I have to admit that I got a little panicky when I realized how fast they were spreading and how much more miserable he was getting. So, instead of waiting until morning or God forbid, the middle of the night when it got really bad, I packed up the kids and made the 15 minute drive to Prompt Care with only 5 minutes to spare before they closed.
I apologized to the receptionist and told her that maybe I didn’t even need to be there, but at the rate these little spots were spreading, I didn’t know what to do. The lady reassured me that with this kind of thing, it was better to be safe and get him checked out.
The Doctor ruled out Chicken Pox (even tho Andrew has had the vaccine), strep and hives. It was most likely an allergic reaction to something or a result of his body fighting off some flu-virus. He prescribed prednisone and we were on our way home.
Now, I’m not one to just give my children any type of medicine without researching and making sure it is absolutely necessary. So, naturally I was concerned about giving my 2 year old steroids. The doctor had mentioned that we could first try giving him Benadryl see how it was before giving him the steroid, so my husband and I decided that this was the best first step and to then see how he was in the morning.
I’ve only given Andrew Benadryl once and it made him really, really loopy. So, I’m glad it was bedtime and he would sleep off the side-effects and hopefully be better in the morning.
Neither one of my kids has any allergies, so this was new to me. But, the more I think about it….I think it may be a reaction to something other than fighting off some virus.
After analyzing the day and thinking about everything Andrew had to eat, I think I may know what caused it. Eggs. Now, we normally eat eggs like they’re never gonna have them again and they are a huge part of our diet. But, this is my thinking….
We have been getting farm fresh eggs from our friend since the beginning of the Summer. Our friends have many different chickens which means we get many different eggs that are FREE of any hormones, pesticides or any of the yucky stuff you get in store eggs. Good, right? Right. I’m still sure of that.
But, Andrew has been getting these little itchy spots for months and months now, just not on a large scale like last night and we didn’t know what was causing them. We thought maybe fleas- but didn’t find any on our animals or in our house, we thought bed bugs – even though we didn’t see them, we bought a new mattress for him. We just didn’t know.
The reason I suspect maybe eggs, is that last night Andrew helped me make brownies and licked the spoon after I put in the eggs AND he had a big ol’ hard boiled egg right before the spots really started coming on.
Now, I know that he’s been eating eggs since he was 1, but I’m wondering if with different kind of chickens, come different chances of allergies. After all, the eggs look different, taste slightly different, and are free of anything that could kill any bacteria.
I know that I could be really reaching here, but it’s the only thing I can come up with that is different.
I’m going to wait until he gets up and is moving around to see how he’s doing and then decide to call our regular doctor to get her opinion on what’s going on. In the meantime, I know that I need to keep a check on everything Andrew eats and puts on his body.
So, what do you think? Do you think the eggs could be causing this weird reaction?
UPDATE: Andrew woke up feeling pretty good this morning. Still itchy, but wasn’t breaking out in new spots like last night. I haven’t seen any new spots on him today and the ones from last night are fading. Praise God! I’m keeping a close eye on him and what he eats so we can figure this out.
Thank you for your concerns! I’ll keep you posted!
Just wanted to check in and see how your little guy is doing. I see you have an appointment with an allergist, so keep us posted.
Hi Virginia! Thank you sooo very much for remembering Andrew’s appt today. It seems that he has hives. Not from any allergen -because he was tested for 24 common ones.
After chatting on facebook, a lot of kids have this right now. I’m starting to think it’s a virus. We are gonna keep an eye on it and see what happens. I’m just hoping it goes away fast!
Thank you again!!
So glad to hear that it isn’t an allergy. They are a pain to deal with! Hoping the hives resolve quickly.
I’m glad your son is okay! Sometimes allergies suddenly manifest that were never present in the past. Repeated exposure to the allergen over time gradually builds up and triggers an allergic reaction. I’d try out an elimation diet (eliminate all eggs from his diet) and then re-introduce them in a controlled way so you can test out the theory. The blood testing they do at the doctors offices can be helpful too, but those tests aren’t really 100% reliable (and they’re expensive!) Those are just my two cents. I’m a dietitian, so I know a little bit about these matters.
Thanks for sharing and I hope everything works out.
Angela
Thank you, Angela. I’m really thinking it was the Raw eggs. We went to the dr this morning and she doesn’t think it’s an allergy to something touching his skin, but rather something he’s ingesting. We’re off to the Allergist in the morning – but I’m going to eliminate them like you suggest as well. Thank you so much!
Allergies can come from so many things. Have you changed detergents? Soaps? Shampoos? All soaps and shampoos have scents in them or perfumes in them. I personally have to be very careful about the products I use. If I use the wrong shampoo, I am scratching my head literally until it bleeds…it’s so bad. It’s hard to determine what the specific allergy is sometimes.
My daughter was on steroids once. She did fine. You just have to be careful coming off of them. We worked with the doctor and she did fine.
HI Audrey,
No, we haven’t changed any products that we use. We use Tide Free, Bounce Free, Aveeno soap and lotions, and A&D ointment sometimes. But, I’ll be careful to make sure nothing is getting in there that I haven’t noticed. Thanks so much!
My son is allergic to peanuts. His first reaction (which I didn’t even realize was a reaction at the time) was a small “itchy” spot. But, like your son, he had eaten peanut butter several times. Then one night, after a snack of peanut butter crackers, he developed hives from head to toe. I mean red ugly blistering hives. It was so bad that the emergency room nurse thought that he had been scalded (burned). The allergist told us that with repeated exposure, the reaction got worse, that we just didn’t recognize it as a reaction. Now we carry an epi-pen and don’t have any kind of nuts in the house. I would recommend getting him tested. The pediatrician can run an allergy panel via labdraw. While the lab draws are not always as reliable as the skin testing, we couldn’t have the skin testing done because of our skin disorder. Anyway, I think it is worth exploring. (and no, chicken eggs don’t vary from breed to breed really. They may look different, but all have the protein which causes the allergy).
WOW! That is scary! Andrew didn’t have the huge hives like your son, but I know that the Nurse Practitioner when right out to get the doctor and seemed pretty concerned last night. The spots had doubled all over him in 30mins.
Thank goodness he is doing better today. I’m going to call my dr on Monday and see if we can get him checked out. Better to be safe than sorry!
Thank you, Virginia!!
I am glad that your little guy is feeling better. And yes, better safe than sorry. Keep us posted!
My daughter has an egg allergy so I have a little experience in this (though am not an expert). Eggs are eggs and no different chickens don’t have different eggs, as far as the proteins in them which is what causes the allergy (egg protein). Yes they may vary in variety and taste but the make-up of the egg and the proteins that relate to an allergy would all be the same (otherwise you’d hear of people say “I’m allergic to farm fresh eggs but not such and such eggs”).
I think you’re reaching. 😉
I also don’t think he’s allergic to eggs if he’s been eating them all this time BUT there’s a possibility he could be because you mentioned him licking the spoon and the RAW egg being a part of it. When eggs are cooked/baked, the proteins break down.
Right now Nevaeh is outgrowing her egg allergy and we have been instructed by her Pediatric Allergist to give her eggs but ONLY in baked goods. Not an actual scrambled egg and definitely not raw. It’s the safest egg to give her because those proteins are broken down in the baking process. Make sense?
I hope this helps and doesn’t confuse you more, lol!
You’re right…I’m probably reaching. I am hoping that it’s something simple like a one time thing. I don’t normally let my kids lick the batter with raw eggs in it, but Andrew did it when I went to get something out of the drawer. Can’t blame him…the chocolaty goodness is hard to pass up!
I’ll try to keep him away from RAW eggs for now and watch what happens when he has omelets and such.
Thanks so much, Tenille!!
It could be an egg allergy. I have been told that egg allergies can be like peanut one in that the more exposure you get the bigger the reaction is each time. I have found it to be true with my son which is why we carry an epi pen now. He doesn’t get a rash but has breathing issues. There is a very simple blood test they can do to check for egg allergies. Usually it’s the yolk kids are allergic to. Good luck and I’d say do a controlled test with benadryl on hand and see what happens or just eliminate eggs and see if the rashes stop.
Thanks, Julia! I am definitely going to try the eggs again and maybe even call the Dr to see if we can test him.
He isn’t breaking out anymore today. So, I guess time will tell. Thank you again!