For the past two weeks Rachel has had the occasional outbreak in hives. I would post pictures but Rachel refused to have her ‘beauty marks’ captured on film. The hives usually appeared some time mid morning. We tried food elimination (even though her breakfast was the normal fare) but that didn’t seem to help. It was a bit of a mystery. The first day she took an oatmeal bath. That helped some but not for long. Benadryl stepped in and took over where the oatmeal bath failed.
Rachel in April 2003. Wish I could remember why she was fighting back tears. It was a glorious day down at the river. No hives.
For the next few days, she continued to need Benadryl. We switched from cereal to toast to plain oatmeal (eliminating milk and then wheat). Nothing made a difference. It didn’t appear to be food related. Curious.
One summer I developed a sudden allergy to raspberries. It came out of no where but, in that case, the connection was very obvious. Eating raspberries = terrible stomach cramping and pain. Avoiding raspberries = no troubles. It did take me at least three or four times to really believe I was reacting specifically to raspberries. I LOVE berries. I’ve eaten blackberries and raspberries my whole life. I couldn’t comprehend the idea of an allergic reaction coming out of no where. The second time I got sick Tim suggested maybe I should stop eating raspberries.
“It’s not like you’re allergic to something serious, like chocolate,” he said, trying to be helpful.
“Honey,” I said in a patronizing tone, “I doubt I’m really allergic to raspberries. It was probably just those raspberries from Costco. You know, fertilizers and pesticides and all that.”
Rachel in April 2004 during our visit to Michigan. No hives.
The third time occurred during a family dinner. The dessert was a delicious ice cream parfait layered with, of course, fresh raspberries. It wasn’t until I had finished my entire dessert (and perhaps the remains of a child’s bowl) that I realized I had just eaten raspberries. “What were you thinking,” were Tim’s words (if I remember correctly). “Oh, it probably won’t affect me at all,” I said glibly.
I moaned and groaned and writhed in the pain the entire hour and a half ride home. Hmmm. “Perhaps I’m allergic to raspberries,” I gasped out to Tim. He nodded sympathetically. It was dark so thankfully I couldn’t see him rolling his eyes.
The fourth time was the worst. I must be slow or something because I didn’t make the connection between raspberries and blackberries. Sure, I might have a mild (ha) sensitivity to raspberries, but blackberries don’t affect me at all, right? One of my favorite summer memories is visiting VA relatives and raiding their freezer. I would fill a huge bowl of frozen blackberries, picked from the field nearby, pour milk on top of it, add a little sweetener and enjoy an amazing icy, frozen treat.
Rachel and Sarah in April 2005. No hives on Rachel OR Sarah.
Those glorious summer memories in mind, I didn’t pause for a second, in making a smoothie, before filling up the blender full of frozen blackberries. Yum! I ate the whole thing. Delicious. Fast forward an hour later and I’m on the floor in agony. I actually told Tim (I’m embarrassed to repeat this) to stop walking so heavily on the floor. I’m sure I must have sounded like a person with a hangover, fussing at people for whispering so loudly. Again, he was kind and patient, and it was dark so I couldn’t see his (no doubt) thoroughly exasperated expression.
At that point I learned to ask, “Are there any raspberries in that?” Rolling on the floor in anguish was not one I something I wished to repeat. Not over a bowl of frozen berries, anyway. Child birth, on the other hand, is a different story (but we don’t need to go there at this time).
Back to Rachel (this blog is about her, right). We couldn’t think of any laundry soap or bath product that had changed during this time period. It didn’t appear to be food or chemically related.
Hannah, Rachel, Rebecca and Sarah April 2006. Strange markings but no hives.
Today the kids played baseball outside. It was a gorgeous, sunny day but the air was cool and it was quite windy. Rachel came inside covered with hives. She had them all up and down her neck, up her cheeks, on her stomach, legs and arms. WHAT??? Can you be allergic to the outside? To cold weather? She forgot her sweatshirt and had been out for almost an hour in a t-shirt but she wasn’t rolling around in the grass. They were mainly throwing and catching the ball.
I dragged her over to show a friend (Mother Show and Tell) who said I should gp ahead and get her to the doctor for testing. I called and made an appointment with the pediatrician. He couldn’t see us for two hours. By the time we drove home (stopping at the store on the way) the hives were totally all gone.
Rachel April 2006. Still no hives. I’m sensing a pattern here. NO HIVES!! Rachel would like to keep it that way.
Oh great, our own Family Mystery.
The pediatrician was wonderful. He asked lots of questions, looked Rachel over thoroughly, and sent us home with free samples of Claritin. He told us hives are occasionally a result of the immune system’s over-reaction to a recent infection, such as a cold or flu That’s a new one to me. I’ve never heard of a connection between hives and viruses. Rachel’s hives came just after her bout with flu. Interesting.
The doctor said there wasn’t much we could do regarding the hives. The Claritin should work without causing her to be drowsy (unlike the Benadryl). He said if it continues to be a problem, or increases in severity, we can pursue further testing. The fact that the hives went away completely this afternoon without any medication was a good sign, he told Rachel, that her body was dealing with them itself.
The children were as good as gold (what does that phrase mean since gold is valuable but hardly intrinisically “good”??) at the doctor’s office. Joshua and Daniel read their books. Sarah colored and David lay on the bench complaining of a headache. He actually looked sicker than Rachel, now that her hives were all gone. Thanks, David, for helping out in that way. 
We’ll see how things progress over the next few weeks. Please pray for Rachel. The hives are distressing (not to mention uncomfortable) and she worries.
Kathy
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