The day that I hoped would never come, but deep down knew it would, came on Monday. I got a call from the school that Mike was having an allergic reaction to nuts. Megan and I headed down right away. He is fine (we treated it with Benadryl and brought him home early), but this is the worst reaction he has had since the first one over five years ago. The swelling under his eyes was purple and blotchy and just sad to see. The worst part for me was that he was so sad and scared that they would need to use the epipen. It was really wonderful to just hold him on my lap and help him know that it was all going to be just fine.
As much as we like to eliminate any worry from our lives, this experience was valuable for a number of reasons.
1- Mike (who is ultra careful because of his fear of the epipen) now has an experience that he remembers. I hope he remembers how things felt so that he can ask for help in the future, and also he has had an experience where things turned out OK. We want him to be cautious, not scared.
2- We have been able to work out a few kinks in how the school handles his situation. The medication will be kept in a different place now, the lunch situation has been adjusted some to keep Mike safer and everyone has a better idea of what should be done if this happens again.
3- I have an even greater respect for Mike's teacher at school. I know that she will do anything to take care of Michael, and it is wonderful to have that level of trust for someone who spends a large portion of the day with my child. (and she even had a great way to cheer him up once the whole experience was over!)
4- I am more aware again. I have become a little complacent as year after year has gone by without any problems. I forget the epipen A LOT when we are out and about. I am more vigilant once again, and that is important.
I feel so very blessed that all is well!
Yep, she's a pro now!
The big kids are all used to it, and I am so grateful that we have this, especially once the weather starts to get really cold and really icky!
