On June 6, Xyler gave us quite the scare by having a severe allergic reaction.  He has never had anything like it happen before so it was pretty scary for me.  Xavian and Xyler were having flavored marshmallows for a snack.  I hadn't given them these for a snack for a few months but I'm sure they had has some in nursery just a couple of weeks before.  Xyler had only ever been to nursery a couple of times, but I know that is one of the favorite snacks for kids in there since I have served in nursery before.  Xyler normally doesn't eat very many marshmallow's.  Xavian is the one who eats the most, but that day Xyler was eating a lot of them.  It was early in the evening when I gave them to them.  I was still trying to figure out what to make for dinner so I knew that we would be having a late dinner.  Scott still wasn't home from work yet when the boys were eating their snack. 

I noticed Xyler would cough a bit and then be fine.  I was a little worried when he did this a few times, but told myself to stop being so paranoid.  It was probably about ten minutes later when Scott got home and by then Xyler was starting to cough more.  I told Scott I was getting worried because he kept coughing.  He was on amoxicillan for a cold he had for a couple of weeks, and was just getting better, so Scott said that was probably why he was coughing.  A few minutes later he wouldn't stop coughing and his face was really red, and we both knew something wasn't right.  I was worried he was having an allergic reaction by the way he was acting.  We decided he needed to go to the instacare that was only a few miles from our house.  I was so worried that his throat would swell up and he would stop breathing, so I had Nika come with me so she could sit by him and help if he needed it. 

We got in the van and I remember looking in the rear view mirror at him before we left and thought that his eyes looked like they were swelling.  A minute later I looked at him and his right eye was almost swollen shut and his left eye was swelling more too.  I was even more worried then, that his throat would swell shut.  Those few miles to the instacare seemed to take forever!  We finally got there and I hurried and got Xyler out and we ran into the instacare.  I walked up to the desk and told them Xyler was having an allergic reaction.  I had done so well at not crying until that point.  One thing I have had happen since Xyler was born is that I get super emotional now and it's hard to hold it in.  The lady behind the desk told me it would be ok and they took us back right away.

They took us to a room without weighing Xyler and without getting any info.  The nurse was asking me his name when the doctor came in a minute later.  He listened to Xyler to see how his lungs sounded and to look him over.  I told him what had happened and that Xyler had a heart defect(I think everything is so much scarier for me with him because of his heart defect).  The doctor ordered a shot of epinephrine, benedryl and a breathing treatment.  He figured the reaction was from the dye in the marshmallow's.  A minute later they came in with the shot and gave it to him.

This is a pic of him right before the shot.  It's not the greatest of shots because he was crying so much I just hurried and took a pic.  His body was also covered in hives and had a rash all over it.  I didn't notice this until when the doctor was looking at him.  I just couldn't believe how fast everything happened to his poor little body.
 

Just a few minutes after the shot he was looking and sounding so much better.  They gave him some benedryl and then brought in the stuff to do the breathing treatment.  Xyler does not like breathing treatments so I knew it was going to be a wrestling match to keep the mask over his mouth and nose.  The nurse helped hold him so that he couldn't grab the mask or move his head.  He cried the WHOLE time!  I knew he would because this is what he has always done when I have had to give him treatments at home.  The nurse kept telling me he would probably wear himself out and calm down, but it never happened.  I told her he was a strong, stubborn kid and had to be with everything he has gone through.  She agreed with me.  After the breathing treatment he was almost completely back to normal.  His eyes were still a bit swollen but the rash and hives were pretty much gone.  Xyler was up running around a acting more like himself.

Here is a pic after everything was done.

They had us stay for a bit to make sure Xyler was doing ok.  Nika was such a good helper and played with Xyler to keep him happy.

 

The doctor told me later that his lungs had sounded wheezy when I brought him in but not to the point where he was going to stop breathing.  He said that they sounded fine now.  What a relief it was to have him be ok!  In the rush of everything I hadn't been able to tell them everything he was on and told a nurse that he was on amoxicillan and asked if that could have made this reaction happen to the dye in the marshmallow's.  She said that it was possible.  Xyler has been on that same medicine and had a reaction to easy mac before but nothing this severe.  With the easy mac he broke out in red splotches around his mouth.  He can't eat it anymore because the splotches happen every time now, and we figure it's from the dye in that too.  I think from now on I will tell his doctors he cannot have amoxacillan since I think it makes his body susceptible to the dye's in food.

 

Xyler likes to keep us on our toes, I have decided.  I feel so bad for him because he has already been through so much and yet he seems to keep having more things happen.  He is so strong and I am so proud to be his mom.  I am proud of all of my kids.  They are all so strong and do so well in helping anytime we need it.  They all love their little brother and pray for him and his heart all of the time.  It's so sweet!  I love them all so much!