...and now Charlotte has hives

"Unspecified" hives. 


belly button

 Charlotte stopped coughing on Tuesday.  Only to wake up Wednesday with hives. 

She's been sick the entire month of July and now she has hives.  Adam & I had ourselves conviced that the hives were a reaction to the massive amounts of antibiotics that she's been on. 

Today she had a follow-up appointment for her lungs.  It was with Dr. McWhirter, her favorite, because she the doc that walks in the room and hands over her stethoscope and ear-thing to Charlotte to play with...she also paints her fingernails blue. 

Charly's lungs sounded good. 

The hives were worrisome.  They were not "presenting" like an allergic reaction to an antibiotic.

Now we're concerned.  Charlotte is bouncing around the room, snapping on gloves, examining her sister's ears, singing into the stethoscope, and the doctor is going through all of the history and asking questions (forehead furrowed), typing, typing, typing on her computer.

Right away she wants a full-blood work-up.  Todayl. 

"At this point", she says, "I'm concerned about an autoimmune disease or disorder". 

Dr. McWhirter is afraid Charlotte has an "over-active" immune system, or a dysfunctioning one.

A friend of mine mentioned that to me this weekend.

Is something wrong with her immune system? she asked.

Oh God.  I'm having a hard time managing Charlotte's pneumonia and Ruby's diarrhea.  I can't even think about a chronic illness.  My head will explode.  Surely no. 

No, I nursed her for forever.  Her immune system is fine...It has be be...

But maybe not.

Pneumonia 3 times, bronchitis 12 times, in two years.    And now Charlotte has hives.  She's had mono.  She's had strep throat.  Ear infections.  The MYSTERY RASH of the summer of 2008. 

What is going on with our baby?

I promised Charly no shots today.  But when you hear "lupus" and "leukemia" suddenly bloodwork, a needle, doesn't sound like such a big deal.  In fact, thank GOD for bloodwork.

Charlotte was a CHAMPION!  I was so proud of her.  Ruby had to be ripped out of my arms so that I could go be with Charlotte while they drew her blood.  The first doctor's appointment in four that I haven't gotten a sitter for Ruby.  $h!#.  When Charlotte finished I carried her out, hugging her, so proud, but she was crying because it was the "worst shot EVER!" and I promised her anything in the world she wanted at ToysRUs (please God don't let it be the Barbie jeep) and Zaxby's cheddar bites for dinner...and a chocolate cookies-n-cream Chik-fil-a milkshake...feeling a little better about myself for the "I-promise-no-shots" lie. 

We're being scheduled to see a pediatric pulmonoligist in Atlanta and she's skipping over the "average" pediatric allergist and sending Charly to Egleston to have it done. 

It's time for some answers. 

"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much."

Mother Teresa

I just compared myself to Mother Teresa.  What?!  Sick kids are HARD.