Have you ever seen the movie, "My Girl" with Jamie Lee Curtis and Dan Ackroyd? It's a really touching movie, funny in parts, and Mikyla has watched it about 200 times. The part of Vada's best friend is played by Macaulay Caulkin, the character name is Thomas J. He has terrible allergies and in the movie he is attacked by bees while hunting for Vada's ring in the woods. He dies from the allergic reaction to the bee stings and that's the most awful scene. Mikyla sits and cries every time.
Last night.. Mikyla went "Thomas J." on me. It wasn't funny at the time, but this morning I've teased her hard, and now we're all calling her Thomas J, although the hypochondriacal character of Vada suits Mik too.
You see.. I opened a can of mixed nuts while we were watching television, and Mallory just had to get a handful..and they did smell good, and Mikyla had never been allowed to eat a nut because of her allergies.. but..she wanted one so bad.. she reached out and said "Mammy, can I just touch the can?" "Yeah you can touch the can." (she did) "Can I just smell 'em?" "Yeah you can just smell 'em" (she did) She's been taking her shots for almost 2 years now, and she eats reese cups all the time, so I knew she could handle a peanut if she wanted to try one.. "Would you like to just taste just one Mikyla?" "Yes!!" (she did - a small tentative bite of a peanut and she wrinkled her nose and spit it into my hand with a resounding "YUCK!") *laughs*
I put her nut into the ashtray and just kept nibbling from the can myself and about 20 minutes later Mikyla was distressed.
"Mammy, I'm allergic to nuts."
"Yes, I know you are."
"Mammy, if I die can you bring me back to life?"
"No, honey I can't, but you're not going to die on me are you?"
"I think so, my throat is all scratchy."
At which point I began to worry a little, ok, yes she's been eating things with peanuts, peanut oils all the time, cakes, cookies, candy - and they don't hurt her, but maybe a spit out bite of peanut was too much. So I got up and checked her (she was fine, not broken out, no raw looking throat, no swelling tongue, nothing) but I gave her a teaspoon of benedryl just to be on the safe side.
This was probably 30 minutes after biting the peanut.
The next thing I knew, all hell broke loose.. she was crying, begging me to take her to the emergency room, she was 'dying', she just was, her throat was scratchy and she was, she informed me, having a horrible allergic reaction to the nut.
"Call my Mommy! Call an Ambliance! (yes, am-blee-ance) I'm dying!!"
"Mikyla you didn't even eat it, you spit it out, you're not dying.."
"Yes, I'm dying, I think I'm going to pass out any time now, ohhh please get me to the hospital!"
"Mikyla, honest, if you were having a reaction, your throat would close and you couldn't breathe, let me hear you breathe.."
(She was breathing just fine.)
"Mikyla you're breathing just fine."
"If I am dead in the morning, it's all your fault! I am ALLERGIC TO NUTS!"
"Mikyla, you're not dying, you're just fine, just calm down and listen a minute.. do you honestly think I'd let you die of an allergic reaction and not take you to the hospital if you were really sick?"
"no..."
"Are you afraid you're going to die like Thomas J did in the movie?"
"yes...I'm allergic to nuts."
"honey you eat nuts in a lot of things, they don't hurt you, you have outgrown being allergic to them and you never were deathly allergic, just they broke you out, but they don't even do that anymore..."
"they don't?"
"no baby, they don't, look how smooth your skin is.."
"oh..."
"are you feeling better now?"
"I might have to puke."
(by now it's an hour since she tasted the nut)
"I think you're going to be just fine, but you just lay there and try to rest and I'll sit here and watch to be sure you are breathing fine, and if anything happens I'll pick you up and carry you to the hospital, deal?"
"ok.." (this said doubtfully)
A few more minutes and she was laying there snoring like a man, sleeping soundly, and I lay there, staring at her, making sure she was breathing alright, and I didn't sleep worth two hoots, kept waking up to make sure she was okay, because after all, she's allergic to nuts. (mildly) Lord that kid made me paranoid, and me KNOWING she was okay.
This morning, she woke up and smiled and I said, "I bet you're surprised to be alive today ain'tcha?"
She grinned sheepishly and nodded, "yeah, I am!"
"Do you feel alright?"
"Yep, I'm fine today.."
"Good, oh and Thomas J, would you like a peanut butter and jelly sammich for breakfast?"
*laughs* She threw a houseshoe at me!
Posted by juel at July 22, 2006 01:15 PM