A Learning Experience

We spent about an hour Tuesday afternoon in the ER with Caden. We were at the park with some friends. A few of them had brought snacks, including one ziplock bag of goldfish crackers. The kids were eating and Caden was playing about two feet away. I was chatting with some of the other moms and took my eyes off Caden for a few seconds. He took the opportunity to snatch the bag of crackers and start shoving them in his mouth as fast as he could. As soon as I saw I made him spit out the crackers and washed his mouth out with water. We immediately started for home and the Benadryl.

He started gagging and spitting up in the car on the way home, so I called the allergist who told me to just go straight to the ER since it was closer than home. When we got to the ER the allergist had called them so they were waiting for us with a shot of antihistamine and something else to make him throw up again. He cleared out his stomach pretty good all over the floor, then started doing better. They kept us there for an hour for observation and we are home now. He never progressed to the point of breathing problems so I don't think he swallowed very much. And I've still never used my Epi-pen, so things could have been much worse.

That night he was pretty clingy and had slightly red eyes and skin. The next morning he woke up grumpy, with a rash on the outside of his throat and little sores inside his mouth. I wasn't sure if he had swallowed any of the crackers, but the throat rash would indicate he probably did. Today he seems to be back to normal.

This has been a real learning experience for me. I'm still trying to find the right balance between keeping the kiddo safe and letting everyone else (and him) live life.
*I learned I can never be too careful, particularly now that Caden can roam and reach food on his own but can't understand the difference between safe and unsafe food.
*I learned that I need to figure out a way to carry the Benadryl with me.
*I learned why I'm told to carry the Epi-pen everywhere, a few minutes or seconds can make a huge difference.
*I learned I haven't been being completely paranoid when I worry about him.
*Most important, I learned that if I'm uncomfortable with something - even just a little - I should do something about it. I could hold Caden, ask for the food to be removed, or simply leave.