Kiwis! –Go figure!
So, a week ago, we had an interesting experience in our home. Jett had an allergic reaction to some kiwi fruit that he TASTED. I say tasted, because I don’t even think the amount he consumed is enough to be qualified as a “bite”. Neither Mitch nor I have any allergies, so this is a whole new realm for us and I pray we don’t discover many more! I am so THANKFUL that Jett’s reaction didn’t involve any closed passageways or difficulty breathing!
He sampled the kiwi on Monday morning and within a half an hour, when I changed his diaper, I noticed a rash developing around his belly button. I wasn’t 100% positive that he hadn’t woken up with the rash, but I had changed his diaper when he woke up (yes, he is an early riser –up by 6am, for sure) and hadn’t noticed the rash then. By Monday evening, it had spread up his chest and onto his thighs. It also was developing the look of hives as opposed to a rash.
Throughout Tuesday, the hives grew and spread down Jett’s thighs and legs as well as up his neck, onto his face and I even saw some hives on his little earlobes!!! Poor little guy! The crazy thing was, other than looking utterly pathetic, he seemed unaffected and unaware. Jett didn’t scratch at his hives and he was his normal, happy, energetic self. I did pick up a homeopathic allergy treatment, but it didn’t seem to help at all.
By evening, Jett was covered in hives and it bothered me that they just kept spreading! His exposure had been so small and it didn’t continue, so why didn’t the hives go away?
Mitch and I decided to take Jett in to the Warman Medi-Clinic. We’ve had good experiences there; short wait times. When the doctor came into the room, one of the first things he said was that it definitely looked like an allergic reaction and he wasn’t surprised to hear that the culprit was most likely kiwi. Apparently, kiwi fruit is a very common allergy, especially in children under 5 years. I actually have a student in my class who carries an epi-pen for her kiwi allergy.
Who knew one delicious little fruit could wreak so much havoc?
As we had suspected, there was really nothing the doctor could do, but recommend that we start giving Jett Benadryl to hopefully get rid of the hives fairly quickly. The doctor also assured us that the continually spreading hives is typical, even after a few days. He said that the hives can even seem to clear up and then re-emerge.
Getting Jett to take the Infant Benadryl proved to be very easy seeing as it is bubble gum flavoured. By Wednesday morning, the hives looked a little better already, but it took until Friday before they were completely gone!
Here’s what the hives looked like Wednesday evening; already going away. I never thought to take a picture when they were at their worst.
As I reflect on this past week, something I’ve thought of is how “out-of-control” parenting can feel. We truly are limited in our ability to control life’s circumstances and that can be a scary/intimidating reality! I am thankful that Christ is my Saviour and as much as I am not in control, I know that He is able. My God is big enough to entrust with my sweet baby boy. As somewhat of a worrier by nature, I need reminders of this often…
Anyway, I will end this post with some fun pics (and a video of course) of life around here! I truly have so much to be thankful for…
My handsome little dude in his church clothes… It’s really difficult to get a good picture of him because as soon as he sees the camera, he runs to it and wants to see what’s on the screen!
Jett logged many hours in various tractors and pieces of farm machinery this summer while he rode with daddy and grandpa Schultz. He loves those rides and will actually sit still for a full hour at a time!!! Jett can often be a little “momma’s boy” but when it comes to his tractor rides, he knows it’s guy time and he actually pushes me away!
And of course, drum roll please…. A video. These are Jett’s new wheels as of this fall. It was actually supposed to be a Christmas gift… Oops! I guess I shouldn’t start buying gifts too early if I want them to make it under the tree!
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