Re: Allergies, anxiety or illness?

[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Iowacookiemom) wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> Last night Henry (11 yo) was studying spelling with my husband.  He was having
> a harder time than usual with it.  Out of nowhere, he began removing most of
> his clothing, saying that he was very hot.  Then he began vigorously scratching
> himself all over his body, saying he itched.  He became frantic, almost unable
> to communicate, shouting, "Get away from me, it hurts!  It hurts!" and ran
> upstairs to his room, where he vomited.  He continued to say his chest and
> stomach hurt and did not want anyone around him.  For about 10 minutes, he was
> writhing on the floor, scratching himself, half-crying, half-shouting about the
> itching and the pain.  Repeated questions about where it hurt, how can we help,
> etc., seemed to make it worse.  He kept saying he wanted to go to the emergency
> room but it was clear he was breathing fine and when I managed to get close
> enough to take a temperature he did not have a fever (in fact, it was low --
> 95.2).
> 
> Gradually I got through to him to calm down and describe symptoms more
> completely:  sharp, stabbing pain in the chest, throat and stomach along with
> unbearable itching (I get allergy-related itching in my feet and I know how
> frantic it makes me, so I can sympathize).  He had no visible welts or hives
> (then again, I never get them on my feet either).
> 
> I gave him benadryl and monitored him closely.  He asked for ice water and
> almost got going in the frantic mode again, exclaiming that it felt like his
> throat was growing hair.  At that point I worried about a severe allergic
> reaction but he was breathing very well, no swelling in his throat etc that was
> visible.
> 
> As I got him to calm down I had my arm around him and my palm was on his chest.
>  Even when he was visibly much calmer, his heart was really racing.

My best guess would be an allergic reaction (any idea what might have
triggered one??).  I think you did well to give benadryl and monitor
his breathing.  (One thing to keep in mind for any recurrence is that
liquid benadryl works faster than pills or capsules.)

I would mention it to his doctor, and if he thinks it does sound like
an allergic reaction, ask if s/he thinks you should keep an epipen for
him just in case it ever recurs and impacts his breathing.  That may
well be overkill at this point, but worth bringing up, IMO.

Hopefully, this will turn out to be a flukish experience that will
never recur!

Take care,
--Robyn