How to Survive Life in the Suburbs

The One Where I Poison My Child

in Everyday on

I picked up my girls after school yesterday.  As usual SweetGirl came bouncing out still full of energy and smiling. How does she do that?  BlueEyes followed behind and I knew immediately, something was wrong.  Her face, normally a healthy pink, was white and covered in spots?  WTH? 

I pulled her to the side of the school yard and began a head to toe Mama style inspection..

Does it itch?  Do you feel sick?  Does she have a temperature?  Huh.  No to all of these.  What I did discover?  My 11 year old daughter was covered in hives from the top of her forehead down to the bottom of her neck and on her hands!  I remained calm, on the outside, while a silent stream of profanity rang through my head.  Had there not been one teacher, one staff member, one volunteer who had so much as glanced at my daughter all day today!  How had no one noticed this gorgeous girl was covered in some kind of bright red mystery rash? 

Grabbed my girlfriend, who is also thankfully a nurse, and we quietly and calmly drilled BlueEyes about her general state of health, and any extra snacks her friends may have given her at school.  Nadda.  Nothing new, so what was this rash?  If not hives from some kind of allergic reaction, possibly roseola?  Time to call in the big guns. (Um yes, I am a tad overprotective, it’s how I roll)

I sent BlueEyes to the car and walked behind her, stealthily calling the Paediatrician as I went.  Seriously, what did people do before cell phones.  I love my blackberry.  Anyway, thankfully Doctor Accommodating could see me.  Now. 

The verdict.  Allergic reaction.  To the nickel near the mouthpiece on her water bottle!  Well gee.  The only thing my dear girl has ever shown any kind of reaction too is nickel/metal.  She used to get little rings on her tummy where her newborn skin touched the snaps on her onsies.  Yeah, so I’ve only known about this allergy since she was about a week old.  More recently, cute little cami’s must be worn tucked into her jeans to protect her skin from the metal parts of zippers and buttons.  She is that sensitive.  So why did it never occur to me that this is a child who should never drink from a no-name water bottle with pretty little nickel bits near the mouth piece?  Der cause I’m an idiot. 

How would a kid who LOVES her new water bottle so much that she filled it up 3 times that day NOT have a reaction.   Sigh.

A quick dose of Benadryl and we were on our way.  My dear daughter survived yet another Mama brain fart. 

Eleven years down and how many to go?  Wish us luck. 

    • Comments

    1. Its got to be so frustrating trying to head off allergies all the time because I wouldn’t have thought of the water bottle either but live and learn. Good luck in the future !

    6. That’s awful that none of the teachers notified you – that would make me so angry too. But at least you got it figured out – don’t beat yourself up over it. (I know, it’s our mother’s guilt that makes us do it;)

    10. Wow! that’s quite the reaction. I do hope that you can find a way?
      For the buttons on jeans, can you use nail polish? with colour so that you know when it wears off?

    11. lordy 🙂
      Ive had a similar stresstastic experience and I still have flashbacks…but allergies are SUCH SUCH SNEAKY things.

      no way of know at all huh?

      xo xo

      MizFit

    12. I didn’t know that was possible. But I distrust those water bottles anyway, with their plastic linings and mystery metal content. My daughter naturally has 3.

    14. Allergies are awful! The worst part is not knowing what is causing a reaction…I would have never guessed the piece on the water bottle! My oldest and I have skin allergies too but not to metals thankfully..and my whole family has seasonal allergies…its awesome-sauce