our family in ireland were thrilled to see elsa. and we were so pleased to introduce her at long last to them since they'd only been able to make her acquaintance via the power of skype-facebook-email...which is no substitute for the real thing!
for me it was so sweet to see my c as a proud daddy showing off his wee girl to all his relatives. we had a great few days in holiday mode. trips to the sea. ice creams. lots of tea and chatter and laughter as there always is round the kitchen table at my in-laws.
but on the morning of our 4th day there i fed elsa some formula milk and she took a severe reaction to it. within about 20 minutes of her finishing the bottle we noticed hives appearing on the side of her face...then suddenly massive lumps on her head. my heart was racing with panic. when her lips and eyes and fingers started swelling we knew it was serious. we jumped in the car and drove straight to a+e.
that journey seemed a lifetime. in retrospect we probably should have called an ambulance but our instinct took us straight to the wheel. arriving at the hospital and elsa was horribly quiet and floppy. after a shot of adrenaline and oxygen we got an instant cry. and i can't tell you how happy we were to hear it.
so we were told it was an anaphylactic reaction. blood tests showed us later that it was due to an allergy to dairy. hard to understand when she had been exposed to it since birth through my breast milk and then ordinary formula but apparently what happened is that she built up a sensitivity to it that just came to a head that day. we had to spend two days in hospital and since then she has been on the mend.
for a while she was pretty unsettled though...i imagine going through something like that sets a little body back for a time. but today she is a very contented kitten again. we're now feeding her soya formula and have an appointment with an allergy specialist next week. it may be that we need to carry an epi-pen with us in the future but let's hope it's just for peace of mind and that we don't have to use it.
oh my. i guess we've learnt that life is going to be fretful as a parent...but as much as we are duty-bound to worry we also get to have our hearts melt on a regular basis with many giggles and gurgles and new tricks every day which is about as awesome as it gets!
no ice-creams at the beach for elsa this weekend! we start weaning next week when she'll hit the six month mark...looking forward to introducing her to new tastes and a spoon!
but on the morning of our 4th day there i fed elsa some formula milk and she took a severe reaction to it. within about 20 minutes of her finishing the bottle we noticed hives appearing on the side of her face...then suddenly massive lumps on her head. my heart was racing with panic. when her lips and eyes and fingers started swelling we knew it was serious. we jumped in the car and drove straight to a+e.that journey seemed a lifetime. in retrospect we probably should have called an ambulance but our instinct took us straight to the wheel. arriving at the hospital and elsa was horribly quiet and floppy. after a shot of adrenaline and oxygen we got an instant cry. and i can't tell you how happy we were to hear it.
so we were told it was an anaphylactic reaction. blood tests showed us later that it was due to an allergy to dairy. hard to understand when she had been exposed to it since birth through my breast milk and then ordinary formula but apparently what happened is that she built up a sensitivity to it that just came to a head that day. we had to spend two days in hospital and since then she has been on the mend.
for a while she was pretty unsettled though...i imagine going through something like that sets a little body back for a time. but today she is a very contented kitten again. we're now feeding her soya formula and have an appointment with an allergy specialist next week. it may be that we need to carry an epi-pen with us in the future but let's hope it's just for peace of mind and that we don't have to use it.
oh my. i guess we've learnt that life is going to be fretful as a parent...but as much as we are duty-bound to worry we also get to have our hearts melt on a regular basis with many giggles and gurgles and new tricks every day which is about as awesome as it gets!
no ice-creams at the beach for elsa this weekend! we start weaning next week when she'll hit the six month mark...looking forward to introducing her to new tastes and a spoon!
Poor little Elsa. She's really been through it the past couple of months. So pleased that she is doing great and that you were able to get her to the hospital so quickly. Good luck with the weaning! She looks so sweet.
ReplyDeleteOh No! what a fright she gave you. Glad to see she is on the mend now though. Could the allergy have anything to do with her eczema?
ReplyDeleteJessx
crikey kelly, even my heart was racing while reading that-must of been a scary time for you guys, glad little e is on the mend! 6months old already :0) lovely pic of her & her daddy! xx
ReplyDeletehow frightening for you both ~ poor wee elsa. so glad she is well again. we have freinds whose children are allergic to dairy and have had to make adjustments to diet etc. there seems to be so much support and advice now about dairy allergies which is good news.
ReplyDeletethinking of you all
ginny x
oh my what a story, taking the little people to hospital is not fun, & having to stay in can be very scary, so glad she's on the mend now x
ReplyDeleteOh god, Kelly... that must have been so scary!! Poor elsa :( So glad she was okay...
ReplyDeleteRyan is several lactose intolerant and we have ended up in a&e with him doubled up in pain, so I know it's not fun... we love the lactofree range which allows us to bake and gives us some options, and when she gets older, Pure sunflower spread is totally dairy free and a really good butter alternative for baking etc...
R also just tried almond milk which he finds better than soya (which he hates!)... I hope the alergist has some great suggestions for you guys as elsa grows.
Hang in there, and big HUGS. xox
Hi Kelly ... I found your blog a little while ago and have been enjoying reading a few of your old posts ... anyway ... just wanted to let you know that you have struck a particular chord with me in this post ... I have a little boy who suffered with eczema when he was a baby, thankfully most of which has now disappeared ... however he experienced the same allergic reaction your little girl did, when he ate nuts ... long story short, earlier this year he was prescribed a Jext adrenaline pen ... we have as a family had to accustom ourselves to the reality that he will carry this for the rest of his life and while we worry, we try not to make it life limiting for him ... Bee xx
ReplyDelete