"The Epi-pen is deceptive."

So said DarthHusband to me yesterday, upon his release from the Emergency Room. Thank God for that deceptive little pen. It saved his life. He had another reaction yesterday morning. We don't really know what it was that triggered it. It might have been the apple, or it could have been the bite of chocolate processed in a facility that also processes nuts. At any rate, he told me he thought he might have to use his pen. Within seconds, his arms were breaking out in a rash, and his nose turned bright red while his face went pale. He gave himself his injection, and I called 911.

EMS arrived within about 5 minutes, and the pen and the Benadryl were doing their job. His skin was clearing up, and his airway stayed open. His blood pressure was practically perfect when taken at the house by EMS, and aside from being a little jittery from the epinephrine, he seemed okay.

Eeny was watching Finding Nemo when they arrived. The Rooster stayed on my hip the whole time, which is unusual for Mister Must. Get. Down. One of the firefighters tried to talk to Eeny a little bit. The kid was having none of it. He got into his toybox and sat there and gave the firefighter monosyllabic answers. Then, he remained glued to the window while they put DH on the gurney and into the back of the ambulance. After it left, he cried for Daddy a few times, but otherwise seemed okay.

I would have taken him to the ER myself, seeing as how we're only 5 minutes away, but we've been chained to the bathroom this week, and Saturday was no exception. We also ran out of toilet paper. Yes, you can laugh. It's funny. Fortunately, my parents were already on their way with TP and Powerade by the time the reaction started.

Eeny acted out a bit the rest of the day. New thing: he can now say "paramedic."

We told him Daddy got sick and he went to the hospital to make him feel better. Having him come home that day helped, I think. He was still scared and wouldn't go to him for the first hour or two. It made DH feel really bad. The Rooster, on the other hand, had zero qualms about going to Daddy. As soon as DH woke up from his Benadryl nap, Rooster crawled over to him, pulled up on the couch beside him, and put the Motrin syringe (the needle-free kind for all of the uber-safety concerned) into DH's mouth. It was adorable:


Anyway, after a few minutes, and the promise of another showing of Finding Nemo (this time without an ambulance to interrupt it), Eeny snuggled up beside Dh to eat his oatmeal and watch his "fish movie." My poor baby. He's such a sensitive kid. I really hope this hasn't hurt him. A friend of mine's a play therapist. I'll have to ask her what to do next.

As to why the Epi-pen is deceptive, DarthHusband was expecting a small lancet, not unlike the autoclick my aunt had for blood sugar testing. He put the pen on his leg, pushed the button, held it for the required ten seconds, and pulled it out. And kept pulling. He was not expecting a 2 inch needle. He kept it with him while he went to the hospital. The staff there asked him why. Generally considerate father that he is, he said he didn't want to leave it anywhere at home where the children could get it.

At any rate, this allergic reaction stuff is obnoxious. I'm now sharing in my husband's nervousness, and eating is starting to make both of us nervous. Every time I have the tiniest itch, I get worried it's a reaction. It might be a good idea for me to eventually see someone about this freakish anxiety business.

We have to get the allergy testing redone. DH was in the early stages of meningitis when he was tested, and the ER doc said that since he's apparently reacted both times to things that were not tested for, it might be a good idea to get them done again, as the meningitis could have skewed the results. My paranoid self is wanting allergy testing for the whole family, just to double check and make sure we can keep everyone in as much check as possible.
:::sigh:::

This isn't much fun.