Anaphylaxis : It's a Long Term Commitment

Image Source
Nothing like a hilariously inappropriate auto-correct fail to make light of a serious situation!

A few months ago we found out the hard way that Miss9 is deathly allergic to bees. Whatever levels or measurements they use to gauge the severity of a bee allergy, she was right at the top. Her first bee sting was a few years ago.  Her hand swelled and we thought nothing of it. Her second was a few months ago, and resulted in a speedy ambulance trip to the childrens' hospital. She was totally psyched to have ridden in an ambulance and prompted the use of the sirens.  Not remotely fussed or phased by any part of it.  I, on the other hand, nearly gave myself a heart attack... Given her extremely rapid increase in allergic reactions from first to second bee sting, things did not bode well for future bee stings (bee allergy reactions become more severe with subsequent stings). And so last month we met with the Immunologist, who recommended Miss9 commence a 3 - 5 year desensitisation treatment plan, in the hopes of reducing her allergy from deathly allergic to severely allergic. We started last week.  Miss9 was all la la la, I can't hear you when the Immunologist explained that the treatments consisted of being injected with bee venom in increasing doses, multiple times, at each visit. She's kind of an ignorance is bliss type of kid. Thanks to the numbing cream, she didn't really feel the injections, and quite enjoyed her day off school, sitting in the special chair, watching TV, and ordering the chicken sushi from the hospital lunch menu. For my part, I spent the first day pacing around, epi pen in hand, kind of like a ye olde worlde hunter with a spear, ready to stab her at the first sign of a reaction (I plan to play it much cooler at tomorrow's appointment). Miss9 was fine, we left, and all was right with the world. Until the next day when she experienced itching, swelling and welts where she was injected.  All totally normal. But, child of mine, milked it for all it was worth. I was working in the school library, and her teacher came to warn me that she was all kinds of woe is me over her itching arms. I think the morning's crowd of concerned friends had lost interest and she was not really enjoying being out of the spotlight. And so, somehow, her pain extended to her leg.  Either the knee, the ankle, or the whole front of her leg, depending on who was asking. She was going for gold. Her teacher and I had a laugh, and let it go. Until the Teacher Aide returned to the library later that day to advise me that she was still banging on about it, and I had to sign her out of school early and keep her in the library with me until school finished for the day and I could collect the twins and head home - IN LESS THAN 10 MINUTES. Friday came and she was still going on about her extending pain (but not at recess or lunch time when she was able bodied enough to play and run around). It really ramped up after lunch, just before Friday afternoon sport. But I am pleased to report that it was instantly cured when she found out that they were playing her beloved basketball. I'm slightly apprehensive about tomorrow's second round of injections.  Not so much for her anaphylaxis, more for the lagging effect in the following days - when she realises that she is now 'old news' at school, and no matter now many fictional side effects she complains of, she will not see the spotlight move from the school's Easter parade back to her. I'm super psyched for the next 3 - 5 years of the same...