Oh, Nuts!!!!!!!

Literally, nuts. The source for an evening of extreme anxiety. I didn't think that an evening snack would turn into such a headache, but it did. Maya, our beautiful little girl, tried a cashew nut last night. She'd had a little peanut butter before without reaction, so we didn't think twice about it. Boy was that a mistake.

Luckily she spit out most of it. But then her body reacted. She threw up a little. Then her mouth became surrounded with hives. Then the symptom that really scared us, her voice became hoarse as her throat started swelling shut. I immediately gave her benedryl before the slight chaos of finding wallets and keys. We took just a moment to decide whether or not to wake Ethan, and then Maya and I were out the door.

A few blocks away, the terror hit me, I can't monitor her while I'm driving. I could go back for Todd, but already almost a quarter of the way to the clinic, I kept going. I couldn't chance the time. I kept talking to my little one, trying to get her to laugh or say anything just so I could hear her breathing.

Though the drive was probably only 5 minutes, it felt like 20. I ran her inside and straight to the pediatric desk, cards already out to check her in. A triage nurse was immediately sent for while her information was placed in the computer. "Did we call in?", what kind of question is that? Like I'm going to waste time on the phone while my baby can't breath.

The nurse comes, yay!! We skip the initial weighing in and go straight for the oxygen stats and stethoscope exam. While the nurse checks Maya as I explain what happened and that Maya's had benedryl. Oxygen stats at 100, I finally feel like I can breathe. Her lungs are clear, another sigh of relief. But her voice is still so hoarse. She sounds like she's whispering as she says bye bye to the room and we are taken to an official exam room.

The nurse practitioner comes to examine Maya. Already the hives are fading and her voice is coming back slightly. Maya is given an oral steroid and some extra benedryl. I was told that we chose well, other than not bringing the whole family. While we could have called 911, not all vehicles carry epinephrine. If we ever do have to call, we have to specify that it be brought to make sure it's there.

By the time we get our discharge papers, Maya's voice sounds clear and the hives are just slight pink discolorations around her mouth. Then we get to wait in the building for 2 hours, to make sure she doesn't have a relapse in her condition.

At the end of the long evening, Maya is exhausted and, for the first time ever, falls asleep in her stroller, which we obtained after the exam but before our 2 hour jaunt through the halls. We go home with an epipen, which gives me more comfort than you can know, and orders to benedryl the baby to kingdom come for the next 2 days. We also go knowing that we will have to be extra cautious about all food given to our little one.

While I don't generally allow the kids to sleep in our bed, I felt that this night would be an appropriate exception to that rule.