Emma's Example...

Having five kids has made me somewhat of a doctor avoider. I've been told one too many times, "It's just a virus." So we tend to wing it through all the colds, flus, rashes, fevers, and stomach bugs and save the doctor's visits for well-child check-ups, vaccinations, and the most egregious symptoms...the fever lasting 5 days (just a virus), the rash on a belly that's been there for a month (just a virus that takes 1-2 YEARS to go away)...it's always a virus!

So last Thursday Emma woke up with her face completely swollen and red. Her eyes were mere slits and her face was quite itchy.

We were completely perplexed as to what could have possibly caused this type of reaction. I thought of our laundry soap, shampoo, soap, foods, etc, to come up with anything that we might have changed recently. The only new thing at all I could come up with were her glasses...but who's ever heard of being allergic to glasses?

So, I guess it was the fact that her eyes were practically swollen shut that got me to throw off my mantra of home treatments and call the doctor within the first minute of it opening.

I don't know quite what I expected taking her in, but it turns out that once again I had overlooked the obvious.

It's poison ivy.

I've never had poison ivy in my entire life and this is the third time Emma has had it in the last month! Apparently, like her Daddy, who has had a systemic reaction to it before, she's grown sensitized to it, so it doesn't take much exposure for her to react anymore.

This is Emma 24 hours after treatment had begun--the only remnants of her previous state was the very minor swelling and a rash all over her lower right cheek and chin (which is apparently where she had contact with the poison ivy).

With the swelling and the involvement of her eyes, the doctor did prescribe an oral steroid. Which, thankfully has been a wonder drug for sweet Emma who had taken to hiding her face when there were other people around--just to avoid the staring and pointing (sad, but true). In other words, I am glad I took her into the doctor, even if it was a decidedly unglamorous diagnosis once again.

Through this whole ordeal, I was so impressed that she remained remarkably cheerful and optimistic. In fact as soon as the doctor said, "Poison ivy", she grinned from ear to ear...for that meant that her new glasses were definitely not the culprit!

On the way home I grew more and more amazed at her positive attitude as in her puffy, itchy misery she devised the following list...How I am like my Daddy (by Emma)....

1. We both have brown eyes
2. We both have ticklish feet
3. We're the only ones to wear glasses in the family
4. We're both third children
5. We both get itchy backs a lot
6. We both like to read books
7. And we both get poison ivy too much!


And a child shall lead them.