Day 5 - The End of the Chronicle

This is the face that just breaks your heart - mom how many more days of this!?!?

We took Addison to the pediatrician yesterday and it turns out that she doesn't have hives. She has Erythema multiforme. The doctor took one look at her and exclaimed, "she doesn't have hives". Well isn't that nice - I've been trying to be patient and let them go away and not be some overly sensitive first-time parent and we're treating the wrong thing! AWESOME!

However, the facts on this new thing are that Erythema multiforme goes away on its own without treatment (in 2-3 weeks) - and there isn't much they can do for this either. Erythema multiforme is a hypersensitive reaction to an infection or medication that causes red, target-shaped or "bulls-eye" patches or sores on the skin. They start as red sores, hollow out to have a white blister looking middle, and then turn blackish-blue as they fade away (only to reappear (and appear, and appear, and appear) elsewhere).

It's not contagious - but it sure looks awful. And truthfully, if I saw a child looking like that in public I would think to myself that said child should be at home, cloistered, sequestered, and not infecting the whole world.

She is miserable, not sleeping well, not eating much, and who can blame her? I'm going to stop with the daily chronicle unless we have something new to chat about. Currently her hands and feet are so swollen and painful that she has a hard time picking things up and whimpers if she walks too much on her feet. This is supposed to end sooner than the rash so that's a good thing. Thanks for all your concern and hopefully we'll still get to do fun December stuff and she starts feeling better soon. If not, at least she's young enough to not have bad memories or feel like she's missing out.