scary times in the Tennyson household..

So baby E got strep throat right after Christmas. We  took him to the pedi and since he had it once before he gave him a stronger antibiotic.. Augmentin. This was on a Monday. By Thursday and Friday he was still acting as if he was in pain and he was not sleeping or eating. The previous time he had it they put him on Amoxicillian and he felt better the next day. On Saturday (New Years Day) we decided to take him to an urgent care (at St. Mary's Hospital) just to get his prescription switched because his pedi was out of town and the pedi on call wouldn't return my phone call (after I had been calling him since Thursday to change it). So the Dr. there put him back on Amoxicillian stating that the Augmentin (which is a combo of amoxiciallian and another drug) was probably messing up his stomach because that is common.

All hunky dory right?

WRONG. The next morning I go to change Ethan's diaper and he is broken out in hives in all of his creases (armpits, neck, etc.) At this point I am freaking out because I don't think it can possibly be an allergic reaction since he has been on the amoxicillian before and because the augmentin had amoxicillian in it. Off to the ER we go. I always think the worst but I mean this was bad the hives were spreading fast and I was afriad they would get in his mouth and throat.

So we go to the ER and a Physicians Assistant comes in (DOES NOT EVEN TAKE OFF HIS ONSIE to see the whole outbreak) and says he is allergic to the Amoxicillian.. switches his prescription.. tells us we can't give him anything for the hives because he is too little.. and sends us on our way. He was in the room for MAYBE 3 minutes. The nurse comes in to discharge us and warns us its going to get worse before it gets better and to take him to the pedi Monday morning. EXCUSE ME? its going to get worse but we can't give him anything. I think I was in so much shock I didn't know what to say. And my inner bitch that comes out quite often just could not make it out.

Ethan did not sleep all night (I don't know if they were painful or itchy) because he was so miserable. My poor baby was one big hive. I stared at him for most of the night because I was so scared his breathing was going to get shallow. We made it through the night somehow and took him to his pedi who proceeded to tell us it was one of the worst allergic reaction hive breakouts he has ever seen. He had to put my poor baby on steroids and on anti inflammatories. He said that his hives were so bad he was close to bruising.

MORAL OF THE STORY: St. Mary's Hospital and ER doctors SUCK! and I will be raising some serious hell with some big wigs at the hosptial.

I realize that it could have been worse and if it was any worse I would have killed everyone of them however they should have done something so it did not get to the point that it did! I wish I would have taken pictures of him to show how bad it got but I worried about the present and was not thinking that far in advance.

Ethan is fine now.. 5 days of heavy medication later. He is perfectly and healthy-- Thanks to his fabulous pedi.