Will developed hives the other day. He woke up with them on Tuesday morning, that night he looked like this. Weds night he looked even worse and started swelling in different places. His left hand was about 3 times its normal size and Benadryl wasn't doing anything. I started to get worried at that point and after consulting doc mom, I called our doctors office. We were able to get right in at the night clinic. We were first seen by a NP student, then the NP over him and then they had they other NP there come in. After quite a bit of discussion they decided it was something and said all they could do was treat symptoms and gave us a scrip for a steroid. They also said to watch him carefully in case he started having trouble breathing or became lethargic and to come back and see our regular doc the next morning. The next morning he didn't look any better. We went to see our doc and he said he's got angioedema. (Basically it's hives but instead of just being in the upper layer of the skin it's in the deeper layers as well.) He sent us to the hospital to get a bunch of blood drawn, told me to give him Benadryl as well as the steroid and come back tomorrow if he wasn't better. Thankfully he was better even by that evening. His face was clearing up and the swelling was going down. The next morning all the angry red bumps were gone and you could just see the bruising on his legs where the hives used to be. Long story short he had a bad reaction to some allergen that we have no idea what it could have been!
7 comments:
So, are they running test to find out what he's reacting to? Is that what the blood work was for?
Wow! We have had hives in our family, but nothing so dramatic by any means. I broke out once a few years ago and had to stay on benedryl for several days or they just popped out again. I never did find out what it was about. Leslie and I both have intermittent cold uticaria, which is hives brought on by extreme cold. I hope either you get it figured out or it just never happens again. Aunt Lynda
As one who suffers from hives, I have to say that poor kid looks miserable. Glad he's feeling better, but it's too bad you don't have some idea of what caused it so you can avoid it in the future.
Glad the cure was found - Hope it doesn't need to be used again.
I feel for the boy. I've had to use prednisone for hives a couple of times myself. Nasty stuff--the hives AND the meds.
I agree with all the other comments. We definitely have lots of allergy problems in this family, and I hope you can find out, somehow, what caused them. Poor child--he looks really miserable. Glad he is finally getting over it. I'm just starting allergy desensitization treatments for about 10 things that I've been found to be allergic to. Hopefully it will work!!
So sad to see him so miserable. Glad he's doing better. Hope it doesn't happen again!
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