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Everything with AaronMatthew is always extreme. There has been no middle ground.
On Independence Day, about mid-day, we noticed AaronMatthew rubbing his stomach. Of course we weren't at home. We were out-and-about. His stomach looked red and inflamed. We picked up some benadryl and headed for home. I put him down for a nap after giving the benadryl to him. He seemed crankier than normal. I thought it could be a heat rash since it had been extremely muggy the past couple of days with high temps. After nap, he looked okay. Still red on the belly, so we went out for fireworks. It was obviously dark out so I couldn't see this rash as it developed into something fierce. When we got home and about ready to retire for the night, I could see this angry red rash starting to engulf his entire body. It had spread from his belly to his chest and was creeping down his thighs. We suspected it was hives, but didn't know for sure. So I took him into the ER. And sure enough. Yep. It was hives. They said if it gets worse or spreads to his face to come back in.
And...
the next day...
the hives not only spread to his face, but it also spread from head to toe and turned the hives from the previous day purple!
these were GIANT welts on my baby's back!
I called my son's pediatrician after the hives reached his face. They didn't return my call until later in the evening after I had been in the ER again.
The ER doc said this was a pretty "impressive" case of hives.
They gave him a steroid and something stronger than benadryl and we were on our way home. He assured us this was the worse it will probably be, and things generally get worse before they get better and not to be alarmed.
(Seriously! Hives all over my child's face. And not to be alarmed?)
I took AaronMatthew to his pediatrician to try to pinpoint what the root cause was for the hives. (We were thinking some cheese puffs may have set him off.) They took some of his blood for allergens and a CBC. And came back with a blood test result that he reacted to cow's milk and has a slight allergy to it. Also, his white blood cell count was really low and his absolute lymphocytes were in the high 800's. They said it could be due to a strong viral infection. We got an epi-pen in case we need to use it. He has been dairy-free since then. I had requested they also check his thyroid levels. Glad I did, because they came back abnormal. They referred us to an Endocrinologist. But I cancelled as I know his body was under attack from the hives probably causing his thyroid levels to increase. I knew they wanted to retest his blood when he felt better, so I waited.
About mid-way through July, he got the Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. It had been going around with some of the little ones that we know. Of course AaronMatthew got it worse of all. He was covered from head to toe.
After AaronMatthew recovered from Hand Foot and Mouth Disease, I made an appointment with the pediatrician to get another blood draw. I had to really push for another thyroid test. They didn't want to do it since he had it taken just a month previous and they felt it was sufficient. Glad I did because his thyroid levels were now perfectly normal. Which is acceptable for AaronMatthew. They bounce around from time-to-time and I don't want to jump the gun with getting him on thyroid medication for the rest of his life if it's not necessary. It was explained to me from a previous specialist that this is common for Down Syndrome.
We got the results last Thursday for his blood work...
His white blood cell count is even lower! And so is his absolute lymphocytes.
This explains why everything he gets is so extreme. He doesn't have a healthy immune system to fight disease.
They want to refer us to a Hematologist/Oncologist. But of course, we are moving this month back to Detroit, Michigan.
We will pick up back where we left off with Children's Hospital in Detroit.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil,
to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
