14 Sept 2011

Once bitten, twice shy.

If you know Lily personally then you know she is a wriggle bum. Child does not sit still for a moment, not one. If she is sitting she is fiddling with something or wriggling about all over the place. Last night as she was doing her homework she was more active than ever and kept scratching her left thigh. I asked her what was wrong and she told me she had a bite. I suggested we put something on it and we went into my bathroom.

Holy smokes! I was not expecting to see the sight that greeted me. She had a bite that measured 4 inches by 4 inches on the top of her leg that she had been scratching with wild abandon. I did the quick, motherly assessment, broke out the topical and oral ben*dryll and marked the edges with a pen to monitor the swelling. This morning it was the same and she insisted that she go to school as the idea of missing math class with her new and oh so not understanding teacher just panicked her. We let her go with strict instructions that if things got worse she was to go to the office and ring either one of us.

I picked her up this afternoon and as soon as she got into the house I whipped up her skirt took one look and called the doctor. The bite had literally doubled in size. I honestly have no idea how she managed to concentrate in class today. Not only is it very itchy but it is also painful.

Lilipop is now on some serious meds. The doctor drew around the edges with a Sharpie! He likes them better than pens as the lines stay put longer...uh, no kidding. If the swelling passes the sharpie lines it's straight to the hospital for Lil's. It had already started to spread out by the time she went to bed but I decided to give the medicine that she had just taken a chance to work. If in the morning it's still spreading, you know where to find me.

She as tough as nails this child of ours. Nothing brings her down.

You can nearly see the whole thing from this angle. There is just a tiny bit left on her inner thigh that is obscured from view. Oh and as to what bit her? We think a mossy but no one is sure at this point.

10 comments:

Catherine said...

Ouch! Has she had a reaction like this before?

Hannah has TERRIBLE reactions to mosquito bites! I do the same and immediately apply Benadryl gel and give her a liquid dose too. Last year she got a bite just under her knee and her entire leg from the knee down to her little toes was hot, swolen and hard. Scary! She also welts up and the welt weeps for a couple of days. It's terrible!

I went to urgent care last year when she had a reaction like this and they said to continue doing what I was.

I was still concerned so went on one of adoption yahoo boards and asked if any other children had similar reactions. Some people said 'yes' and said that what had been explaied to them was that our girls are born with immunities to Aisian bugs but not North American ones. I guess it makes sense but it sure is awful. The good thing is that they also said their kiddos eventually built up a bit of an immunity.

I sure hope Lily is feeling better soon and that the swelling and itching decrease soon.

Life frome where we are said...

Yikes! What is a mossy?

dawn said...

Val, it's a mosquito.

4D said...

Poor Lily! I hope the meds help her and the swelling and itchiness goes away.

Not fun...

Keep smilin!

Love Letters To China said...

I hope she's okay today. Liam gets a terrible reaction to those bites too. No where near as bad as this one but I remember he had one on his face that swelled quite large too.

Hugs....

Maci Miller said...

OMG, that is one heck of a bite! Was gonna ask what the heck a mossy was, but I see someone else asked (and answered) already. Poor Lilly! And what a tough girl and so dedicated to going to school. She's an amazing kid, that girl! Hope the swellings down and she is more comfortable now!

Polar Bear said...

OhMy OUCH!!

I hope the swelling is down and it's better.

What a girl!! I have students who have issues 10x's less than what Lily has and they would be out of school for two days, at least. I am so impressed.

Life frome where we are said...

Duh....I knew the answer as soon as I hit publish!!!!

Andie said...

In my defence I couldn't see the photo the first time, and I was going to guess that she got bitten by an alligator! Now I can see it and it makes more sense, I occassionally get ones like that too, they are really itchy. Hope it goes away soon.

Briana's Mom said...

Bri has a horrible reaction to bug bites too! Her leg swelled horribly last year. Poor Lily!

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