This really happened

I've already said "No, really, it did happen" and "True story... for real!" several times while recounting this episode to various and sundry curious people. I intended to write this post for Rachel and Mr. Daddy's "True Story Tuesday", but a few other things got in the way. So, before I forget it, I'm going to write it and link up NEXT week to TST.

See this face, from our Monday night Cub Scout pack meeting?


It doesn't look quite right, does it? A bit swollen around the eyes, red bumps on the forehead and cheeks; looks like he might have had an allergic reaction, right? Sunday afternoon, I was in the kitchen cooking supper, and Adam and his dad were outside. Dad was blowing off the driveway and the boy was with him; I was in my zone composing my "Storms in the Darkness" post. And then the door opened and Adam ran in. "My face itches SO bad!", he said, clawing at his forehead and neck. My eyes bugged out of my head as I took in the sight; close to 20 blistery hives had come up on top of bright red patches of irritated skin. I was so flustered that I didn't even think to take a picture (yep, it really was that bad). I asked if they had gotten into poison ivy earlier when they were walking through the woods; negative. Had he gotten into a fire ant bed? No. I frantically tried to remember everything he had eaten over the past few hours in case it was a reaction to food. Finally, I called our den leader, Janet, who is a pediatric nurse. She thought it was a reaction to poison ivy and suggested that I call the pediatrian to see if we could get some oral steroids (WHY do these things always happen on the weekend?). I called the doctor's office, and the answering service told me to expect a call soon. A nurse called shortly and quickly discounted the poison ivy theory based on my description. I had already given Adam a dose of benedryl thirty minutes before, but he he still had hives coming up and there was swelling around his eye. "I'll call you back in one hour to see if the benedryl has started working", the nurse promised, and sure enough, she did. By that point, things were looking a little better, and Adam wasn't having any breathing difficulties, so we opted to just do another dose of benedryl before bedtime and check him in the morning.
Next morning, his other eye was swelled up badly, so instead of heading to school, we went the other direction to the pediatrician's office. BUT... I now had some key information that my little bug man and his dad finally laid on me. Sunday, while Dad was blowing, Adam was collecting catawba worms (those fuzzy little caterpillars that have been eating all of our leaves). DAD decided to attach the blower to a 6-foot length of PVC pipe to make a "caterpillar cannon"; Adam put the little pests at the end of the pipe, Dad turned on the blower, and FOOOM... the little beasts were suddenly singing "I Believe I Can Fly....." Not so bad, right? Except that then, Adam had the brilliant idea to turn it into a game of SPLATTERPILLAR, with his face as the target. And who knew that high-velocity caterpillars splatting into your face will produce an allergic reaction? Yeah, me neither. So, as the doctor was explaining that sometimes the body is fighting a virus and hives come on for no apparent reason, I said, "Well, let me present you with another option. What if.... blah, blah, blah?" You should have seen her face--truly priceless. She finally managed to choke out "Tell your husband to NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!" She also got into a discussion with Adam about bugs, lizards, snakes, etc. giving him the admonition to never, ever touch them. He and I were giving each other sidelong glances the whole time, knowing that we had a king snake in the snake habitat back home that we'd just caught on Saturday. He finally looked her square in the eye and said "You do realize that you are totally ruining my life, right?" I think at that point she finally realized that he's no ordinary 10 year old boy (well, not by today's standards; fifty years ago he would have fit right in). She loosened up after that, and I'm sure she relished telling our little tale once she left the room. Two different techs peered in, and we got some crazy looks on our way out. As for me, I'm trying to decide if I can let the two of them be alone together again. I may need to hire a babysitter for my husband. What do YOU think?
Here's an updated pic of the boy's face; getting better, but he said he now knows what it's going to be like to have acne (I don't even know how he knows what acne is!):




For more true stories, head over to Rach and Mr. Daddy's Once Upon a Miracle and check out the links (and, um... read about Rachel's unique way of slicing buns!). And if you have your own true story, be sure and link up!