The Spotted Mystery

Sunday morning I was pulling C's curls into ponytails as requested and noticed her right ear had a significant sore on it.  The outer edge of her ear was blue, purple and pink with dry blood crusting up on the crease.  It was really nasty looking.  She hadn't said anything about hurting her ear.  Daddy hadn't noticed anything earlier that day when she had a bath either.  I cleaned it up and found a little cut inside the crease of her ear, but I was afraid the cut had gotten infected because of the awful color of her ear.  It wasn't any better on Monday, so off to the doctor we went to make sure she wasn't breeding staph.  Nope, just a bruise in a really strange place.  But hey, while we're here, what do you recommend for the sniffles that won't go away for the better part of a month?  Nasonex?  Yes, I'll squirt something into my 3-year-old's nose once a day in the name of good health.

Tuesday night, no one slept well at our house.  C was up most of the night with classic ear infection symptoms.  Inner ear infection this time.  Thanks a lot, Nasonex.  Back to the doctor we go Wednesday morning for the predictable diagnosis and prescription.

I gave her the antibiotic around lunchtime--cefdinir.  She'd had it before for an ear infection.  Come quiet time, I knew we all needed a nap, so I did what any good parent would do and brought out the benadryl.  She took a good two-hour nap.  She was pretty puny and just wanted to curl up in my lap most of the afternoon.  I made calls to rearrange our weekend plans, since it was slightly insane to try to proceed with such a sick baby.  After I got off the phone, she came to me complaining her nose hurt.  It looked red and chapped from too much wiping, so I put some vaseline on it.  A few minutes later, she was back, telling me her hands hurt.  Sure enough, they were swollen and red.  Another look and I could tell her lips were swollen with red splotches all around and her nose was one big pink splotch.  The prescription info leaflet said to call your doctor immediately with those symptoms.  The after-hours nurse asked if I could get to an ER within 10 minutes; if not, I should call an ambulance.  After another dose of benadryl, I handed Z off to J who was just walking in the door, and raced to the ER with C.

I was totally unimpressed by this ER experience.  The doctor and nurse contradicted each other several times.  I got several "I don't know's" from the nurse on things that should have been within her realm of knowledge.  Then the doctor said it wasn't an allergic reaction at all, but hand, foot, and mouth disease.  My mommy red flags went flying, but I listened nicely.  In my mind, I was thinking of how I would keep C away from the baby for the next week; who I needed to call and break the awful news to; and how I could rearrange our calendar for the next week or two to be quarantined.

By the time we received our discharge instructions, the redness in her hands was fading.  I asked for the doctor again.  He said, "Yeah, it might do that.  Still looks like HFMD."  "Does she have any sores in her mouth?" I asked.  "No, but they don't always get that or it might take a day or two."  I texted J with the diagnosis and he wanted to start calling folks right away.  I asked him to wait.  I wasn't convinced and didn't want to start an unnecessary panic.

This morning, with all the benadryl out of her system, she was covered in splotches.  I've done hives before with A, and this looked just like hives.  I called our regular doctor to talk to the nurse.  Of course you can't diagnose over the phone.  Here we come.  "Why in the world would you think this is HFMD?" the doctor asks.  I relay the story of the ER.  She came just short of calling the ER doc a fool.  Classic presentation of hives as an allergic reaction to medication.  You're very fortunate it didn't affect her breathing.  Keep up the benadryl for 24 hours, and get this new prescription for the ear infection.

I have never rejoiced more to have one of my children covered in spots!!  We both danced out of the office to the pharmacy to resolve our week's mystery and get my happy-go-lucky baby back on the road to wellness.

Can it please be spring and the end of sniffling, sneezing, ear infection season yet?  We're a smidge done with that winter ritual and would like to try something new.  Healthy family, anyone?  Yes, we'll take two!  Never hurts to have a spare.