I picked up my girls after school yesterday. As usual SweetGirl came bouncing out still full of energy and smiling. How does she do that? BlueEyes followed behind and I knew immediately, something was wrong. Her face, normally a healthy pink, was white and covered in spots? WTH?
I pulled her to the side of the school yard and began a head to toe Mama style inspection..
Does it itch? Do you feel sick? Does she have a temperature? Huh. No to all of these. What I did discover? My 11 year old daughter was covered in hives from the top of her forehead down to the bottom of her neck and on her hands! I remained calm, on the outside, while a silent stream of profanity rang through my head. Had there not been one teacher, one staff member, one volunteer who had so much as glanced at my daughter all day today! How had no one noticed this gorgeous girl was covered in some kind of bright red mystery rash?
Grabbed my girlfriend, who is also thankfully a nurse, and we quietly and calmly drilled BlueEyes about her general state of health, and any extra snacks her friends may have given her at school. Nadda. Nothing new, so what was this rash? If not hives from some kind of allergic reaction, possibly roseola? Time to call in the big guns. (Um yes, I am a tad overprotective, it’s how I roll)
I sent BlueEyes to the car and walked behind her, stealthily calling the Paediatrician as I went. Seriously, what did people do before cell phones. I love my blackberry. Anyway, thankfully Doctor Accommodating could see me. Now.
The verdict. Allergic reaction. To the nickel near the mouthpiece on her water bottle! Well gee. The only thing my dear girl has ever shown any kind of reaction too is nickel/metal. She used to get little rings on her tummy where her newborn skin touched the snaps on her onsies. Yeah, so I’ve only known about this allergy since she was about a week old. More recently, cute little cami’s must be worn tucked into her jeans to protect her skin from the metal parts of zippers and buttons. She is that sensitive. So why did it never occur to me that this is a child who should never drink from a no-name water bottle with pretty little nickel bits near the mouth piece? Der cause I’m an idiot.
How would a kid who LOVES her new water bottle so much that she filled it up 3 times that day NOT have a reaction. Sigh.
A quick dose of Benadryl and we were on our way. My dear daughter survived yet another Mama brain fart.
Eleven years down and how many to go? Wish us luck.
I wouldn’t beat yourself up over this – as mom’s we are only human and who would have thought a water bottle would have caused it? The school on the other hand? Totally inexcusable that no one noticed!
I doubt I would have figured that out either!!! It’s not your fault!
the good news is that you found it…i would have never thought to look at the waterbottle…hmmm…
Aww, oh no! I can totally understand your worry though, at first, how scary. And that is too bad about her allergic reaction. But you’re a wonderful mom! Don’t feel bad at all!
gosh where we are they so much as see ur kit look at you funny they assume they are sick and you get a call…idiot teachers for not even paying attention…spank em!
as for the nickel…..that is wild…who would have thought!
wonder what is making my finger break out…my ring is white gold…and the other ring i tried was sterling silver…i guess i’m just pregnant hormonal! i’m a freak…but i knew that!
Oh no! At least you were able to get it figured out pretty quickly!
oh please don’t feel bad over it… seriously.. who’da thunk it??
so glad she is alright!!!!
but come on now.. i am so pissed for you sake.. i CANNOT CANNOT believe the school didn’t do a DANG thing.. helloooooooo do they NOT have eyes??!!??
Oh boy, poor girl & Mama. Hope the hives are all gone & you can find her another new water bottle she’ll love. 🙂
I am sooo glad you went back in to school… that poor baby girl… you are my idol in self control… I think i would have choked the s#*t out of someone…….
I can NOT believe not one single staff member at that school said a thing to you!! WTF?!?! I call my parents when their kids get a damn paper cut! That just pisses me off.
Mia
In my true passive aggressive style I did go into the school after I returned from the doctors. Just to point out to the staff that they need not worry, she was not contagious, she was fine, thanks for their concern. My hands shook the entire time.
Oh Anonymous! I wish you had left an e-mail so I could have responded to you. Raising these kids is no easy task. Sending you hugs:)
oh my. i never would have guessed it would be on a water bottle.
BAH! What bothers me most is that no one even noticed this. It’s OK to make a mistake, but not OK for those who are in charge of your baby all day to not be paying attention to her. I thought you were going to say you went into the school and let it fly! Did you??
I wonder if the bottle disclosed at all that it had nickel in it, or is it something that you can recognize? I feel so bad for you. I have been there, although not quite like that. My son is prone to accidents, so usually I head towards the doctors office and then I call. They usually make space for us anyways, and it usually a bog emergency.
My older son has ADHD and when he was 2 1/2 jumped from the shopping cart into a freezer, while I was trying to pick a pack of meat. Needless to say he cracked his head, but from the inside. Internal bleeding is no fun when nothing is broken outside. We rushed to the dr. and then to the hospital. There were 3 accidents that same week, before that happened. Imagine being at your pediatrician office Monday, Wednesday and Friday of the same week, and being told by the third time that you have to be reported to social services!!!! These were accidents that happened when I was in the batheroom, whith my door open and trying to watch him fully. Most of the times I was not even done with my business!!!! He is better now with medication, but things still happen all the time.