Medic Alert Bracelets: Do they work?

Three weeks ago my sister Kat went into anaphylactic shock.

I knew, without question, that a phone call at 3:30am meant someone was in trouble. Fortunately, she was already at the hospital recovering and her friend was by her side; the baby was due to wake up for a feed so it was close to 5:30 by the time I got to her.

Her reaction came on slowly, over a few hours and although she knows she’s allergic to hazelnuts and latex, she has still been unable to determine exactly what caused the reaction. She was in pretty rough shape and home from school for a week, though I think she’s pretty much recovered now.

Anaphylaxis is scary. I hope the boy will never have to fully experience it, however it’s a very real fear. Almost immediately after we found out the boy was allergic to peanuts, we got him a medic alert bracelet that he wears at all times. It provides peace or mind that regardless of the situation, the boys’ information will always be close at hand to those that would need it.

That belief is currently under review.

Although she was unable to talk, no one checked my sister for a medic alert bracelet. Despite her barely conscious, oxygen deprived state she waved her medic alert at the nurse who repeatedly pushed Kat’s arm away without a second glance.  She was a the hospital and NO ONE checked her for a medic alert bracelet.

Three weeks later and she still has a rash on her arm from the latex tourniquet used to start her IV; a minor reaction to a small but unnecessary action. If someone had checked her for a medic alert, they would have known to keep everything latex-free.

I can’t help but be disappointed. I always believed that wearing a medic alert was a proactive move; a medically recognized way to keep medical information is available, regardless of consciousness. But now I’m not so sure, Kat tells me this is the second time she's been to the hospital and no one checked her for a medic alert.

As a parent of a peanut allergic child, I NEED to believe that wearing a medic alert will help keep my boy safe.  I must stay strong and I can't allow my faith to be shaken; anaphylaxis is scary enough as is.

Do you or your family member wear a medic alert bracelet?  Do you know someone whose live was saved by their medic alert bracelet?  Or alternately, do you know someone else whose medic alert bracelet was ignored?

Thankful for Family

Today, I am thankful for my husband's family, my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law. They have offered to watch the boy once a week and today is the first day.  A day I can spend devoted entirely to my little baby boy, a day I can give him my full attention, a day all about him.  The boy had me to himself for my entire year of maternity leave and the baby boy has had only a few short days one on one with momma.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and a friend is posting a daily 'thankful' on her facebook; I'm hoping to follow her lead.

This break from my reality as a momma of two couldn't come at a better time; I'm exhausted and feeling like I'm starting to unravel a bit at the edges.  I've been working like crazy on my Blissdom Canada costume (which is now complete), my mom, who is always available to help me out on a rough day, is on a well deserved two week vacation, the baby boy is teething and we just discovered the boy has asthma.

This discovery unfortunately came when I was home alone with my boys, the hubs went on a fishing trip last weekend and the boy caught a cold, neither child slept through the nights and on Saturday night I was overwhelmed by crying babies that both needed my attention at the same time.  Around the same time the boy started physically pushing air out with each breath and his little stomach was jumping dramatically.  By six thirty in the morning, I had called my mother-in-law to watch the baby and I whisked him off to the hospital.  More thanks to my mother-in-law are clearly in order here.

Although they can't technically diagnose him with Asthma until he can complete a breath test, the symptoms, the response to ventalin, the family history and the fact that he has both a nut allergy and eczema all point to a diagnosis of Asthma.

My doctor described the relationship of eczema, asthma and nut allergies as a trilogy and the hospital doctor explained it had to do with the physiology, the way the body responds to irritants.  Either way, I'm sad for the boy that we have to add yet another ailment to his list, but at the same time I know that its both relativley minor and completely manageable.

Anyone else have a child afflicted by this 'trilogy'?

labour expectations

All you momma's out there, please don't hate me for what I'm about to write.

For me, labour with the boy was easy.  I don't mean skipping in the park easy, but I do mean totally manageable and not anywhere near as intense as I was prepared for.  Granted I have an incredibly high pain tolerance, which I attribute to a near-death episode with meningitis at about 8 months, but the truth is, for me, labour was easy.

If I hadn't already been at the hospital due to a positive group B strep test and a small leak in my membranes, I wouldn't have even considered calling my midwife or going to the hospital until I suddenly found myself pushing.  I never actually felt my contractions at the intervals that warrant a trip to the hospital; I only felt the peaks of my contractions.  In fact when the pushing started two hours later, I seemed so in control that the nurse grabbed the gas, positive that there was no way that I could be ready to deliver. 37 minutes later, the boy made his grand debut.

I promise you I'm not bragging, in fact its almost the opposite.  Given the fact that second labours tend to be considerably faster than the first and that active labour barely registered on my pain scale, I have what I consider to be a very valid concern that I may not make it to the hospital in time to deliver.  I absolutley don't want to have my baby alone at home or in the car en route to the hospital.  The boy didn't breathe immediately after delivery and I lost a lot of blood - I want to be at the hospital, surrounded by people well equipped to take care of us.

Granted, my awareness of the issue and the fact that I live about 10 minutes from the hospital makes it unlikely that we wouldn't make it on time, especially since my midwife has consistently urged me to go to the hospital as soon as I feel 'funny'.  Logically, I know the whole thing is a bit irrational; I did know I was in labour last time, I just anticipated more intensity, but this time around I'll know what to expect.  Yet I still can't seem to shake this niggly little worry that I might miss my window of opportunity to make it to the hospital with time to spare. 

Did/do you have a somewhat irrational worry about your labour and delivery?

sicky baby

I wonder, what good are medical walk-in clinics if they are closed when regular doctor's offices are closed?

My little guy has had a bit of a cold for over a week; mostly congestion, crankiness and a lack of hunger. He also had a bit of a mucousy cough and since a little girl at daycare had Bronchitis the week before, he went to the doctor and got the all-clear last week. By Thursday he seemed to be starting to pep up, but Friday afternoon came around and all of a sudden the boy woke up screaming with a fever.

By Saturday afternoon, when he awoke from his nap lethargic and still feverish, I thought it might be time for another trip to the doctor. Particularly since there had been no fever associated with the cold the week before.

We left home around 3:30pm, by 4:00 we had been to FIVE (that's right FIVE) walk-in medical clinics and not one of them was open. We decided to go to the ER at the local hospital. Three hours later, the doctor finally listened to his chest, didn't seem all all concerned about the fever (granted he was only about 38 degrees as I had given him some Infants Motrin) and sent us on our way.

By the time we arrived home and got settled back in, the boy's fever was back up to 39.5 degrees. A warm bath and more Motrin had him calmed down and into bed. Four hours later, he was feverish and upset again, more Motrin and this time Mommy laid down in the spare room with baby. When he woke up, another 4 hours later, this time with a temperature of 39.9 degrees I decided it was time to take him to Children's Hospital ER.

 We saw a doctor within an hour of arriving; although he figured that the boy may have just caught the flu after his cold, he did hear something in his chest, so he sent him for a chest x-ray.  Seriously, he looked so pathetic strapped in the chair, arms above his head and screaming his lungs out.  On the plus side the x-ray did show something, but it was hard to be definitive.  The boy either has the flu (viral) or an early stage bacterial pneumonia.  He's on antibiotics in case it is pneumonia, and the doctor has assured me that the fever itself is not dangerous.

He seems to be a bit perkier today and he actually ate a little food and had some formula before heading back down for his nap, so hopefully he's on the mend.  I decided to stay home from work to comfort him today, but will likely be back to work tomorrow.  I hate to see my little man so sick and pathetic, yet I know that its all part of growing up.  Hope your family's feeling happy & healthy, and if their not, I hope they feel better soon.