911

Here is the end of the story. Xavier is fine.

This is the beginning.

Immediately after eating lentils and hummus for the first time after dinner on Wednesday night, Xavier's started to get hives on his face. Rapidly. Within minutes, they spread from his mouth to his chin and then to his eyes which started to swell shut. When he threw up and the swelling was showing no signs of abating, I decided to forget the first plan suggested by our on-call pediatrician which was to give him Benadryl (which we didn't have in our medicine cabinet). Afraid the hives would spread to his throat and affect his breathing, I dialed 911 for the first time, and I hope if I'm lucky, the last. 

I have recurring nightmares that I am trying to dial 911 and can't get my phone to work or my fingers are too clumsy to dial. This didn't happen. The fire department was at our door in about 3 minutes. Xavier's hives were getting worse and spreading down his neck to his chest and back and his lip and eyes were swollen. Thankfully he still was breathing fine and all his vitals were good. Mit stayed with the girls, and Cap, who had just arrived home after a frantic phone call from me, followed Xavier and I in the ambulance to the ER. Lights flashing, sirens - the whole thing. 

The ER doctor calmly told us that Xavier would be fine. I was so thankfully he said that first because after that I could relax a little and listen. They hooked him up to an IV (his little tiny hand!) and gave him steroids and Benadryl and put him on oxygen to help his breathing. The response was immediate but after two hours or so, he threw up and started to swell again all over his body - legs, arms, torso. They gave him a shot of adrenaline in his leg and another dose of Benadryl through the IV along with some anti-nausea medication. There was a respiratory doctor who was giving Xavier oxygen and also brought us juice and sandwiches. Our nurse gave Xavier a plastic, sterile syringe (no needle of course!) to play with when he got restless. I am impressed by all the staff at Cedars-Sinai for their professionalism but also their kindness.

The doctor sent us home around 10:30. Xavier was still spotty but no longer swollen. He slept soundly in the pack-n-play by our bed so he could be close overnight. In the morning he woke up happy as can be and completely spot-free.  As you can see from the video which was taken the next afternoon, he is back to his normal, happy self and doesn't seem to remember a thing.