My Trip to the ER

Last Tuesday night, I took Charlie to Gram & Pop's house for a sleepover. I came home and went to bed. Little did I know how good it would be that our little one was with his grandparents that night. Around 1AM, I woke up with an upset stomach. I dealt with that "fun" for a bit and then fell asleep on the couch. I woke up again around 3am, with a terrible itch on my right foot. Within 5 minutes, my hands and feet were very swollen and I was shaking with chills. I immediately thought that it was pregnancy related and called my OB. She listened to my woes and proceeded to tell me that she had no clue what had occurred and that I should go to the ER. Mike helped me get dressed. I went to the ER in hot pink slippers that are 3 sizes to big, Mike's checkered pajama pants, a Notre Dame hoodie, and no glasses (I forgot). While I was at the ER, I developed hives all over my body. The doctor wanted to give me an IV of fluids since I had recently had the upset stomach. Next, he gave me Benadryl through the IV and let us know that it would make me very sleepy and that if it did not take care of the hives, he wanted to give me a steroid. I told him that he must call my OB and get her permission for what to do next. He did so, and she said to give me the steroid. I was rather loopy from the Benadryl. I remember realizing that my almost 8 months pregnant belly was sticking out from my shirt, but I did not care. Mike must have thought I was a hoot, laying there saying all sorts of things. The Benadryl did not work and the steroid was needed. The worst part is that we had no idea what caused the allergic reaction. I had recently gotten an H1N1 vaccination, but there was too much time in between getting the shot and having a reaction. My OB wanted me to be cautious though, telling me to avoid eggs for awhile and get with my allergist. The next night, my foot started itching again in that same spot prior to the swelling. I started looking more closely and realized I had a "bite" on the bottom of my foot. It all began to make sense. I had a moderate reaction a few months back to some "bites" on my body. The allergist explained that when you have a reaction the first time, you can expect a more severe reaction the next time. So, we are trying to rid the house of any of those pesky spiders. I am carrying my Epi-pen with me all of the time, in case of another allergic reaction (only to be used if I have trouble breathing). I am allowed to eat eggs again. The Prenn-cess and I are doing fine. She is due in around 9 weeks. I am thanking God for taking care of us through this ordeal. It was not a fun experience and I don't really like to think about the fact that it could happen again, but we have much to be thankful for. I must make special mention of Mike. He was such a blessing to me. He watched over me at the hospital, helped me go to the bathroom (I couldn't even pull down my pants with my swollen hands!), and made me feel comforted right when I needed him. Thank you God for my husband.