Hives

This morning we were greeted with an unpleasant surprise, Josh got hives all over his face and one arm.  I immediately went to CVS to get Benadryl just in case we needed it.  While I was gone Margaret called the pediatrician after hours number.  Because he was just finishing an antibiotic they said to bring him in and get checked.  Josh was acting normal and the hives went away after about an hour without using any Benadryl.

I took him to the pediatrician and she immediately focused on him recently finishing a course of
amoxicillin for his ear infection (his last dose was yesterday morning). She said it was common for reactions to occur after taking antibiotics. This likely means Josh is allergic to Penicillin since they are related (Margaret's grandfather was allergic to Penicillin).  She didn't think it was related to anything Margaret had recently eaten.  The doctor said not to worry (not an easy task for Margaret or I) and if it got bad or was causing discomfort for Josh we could give him Benadryl.  Our biggest concern was the hives making it difficult for him to breath but the doctor said that was very rare.

After the appointment I took Josh to daycare.  When I picked him up they told me he had a hive on his face after his nap but it quickly went away.  This evening his hives have come back on his face, arm and feet.  Josh doesn't seem bothered by them so we are trying it without Benadryl.  Hopefully the hives will go away for good in a day or two and we will at least know to avoid Penicillin related treatments in the future.

We took some pictures of the hives but instead of showing them, here are some non-hive related pictures of Josh:

 Don't worry Mommy and Daddy!

 

Been a tough day...