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More Steroids & Antibiotics

It was turning out to be a terrible night.  J had several bites on his legs and feet.  He had a baseball size lump and blisters on his left calf and a couple more egg sized welts on the back of his other leg.  The Benadryl, Advil and hydrocortisone ointment we'd been using on him seemed to do nothing.  His sobs continued even after putting him in the bathtub to soak.  After a few more hours of kicking, stomping and screaming I decided to pack him up and head down to the Urgent Care.

It didn't take long for the doctor to come in and examine J.  He made a comment about how it looked like he'd been bit or stung and was having a bad allergic reaction.  I ran my new mosquito bite theory past him and asked if an allergy to mosquito bites could cause the blisters, bruising and fevers we'd been experiencing.  He said it was certainly possible but offered no further explanation.  He could see the extreme distress J was under and gave him a dose of narcotic painkillers.  He sent us home with yet another prescription for steroids and antibiotics.  

A few days later J had finished the steroids but the swelling had only decreased slightly.  In addition J had received a few more bites that were causing him a lot of grief.  One under his eye that really bothered me.  He also started running a fever and had broken out in a head-to-toe bumpy red rash.  I called our regular pediatrician and was able to get J in for a same-day visit.

We discussed my mosquito allergy theory and the conversation I'd had with the last Urgent Care doctor.  Our Pediatrician also felt there was a very good possibility that this might be the cause of J's problems.  He prescribed a second round of steroids and ordered more antibiotics and a stronger hydrocortisone cream.  He warned me that if we had to refill the steroids for a third round they'd have to start drawing blood in order to monitor his liver and kidney function.  This was a very disturbing prospect.  He also prescribed an EpiPen as he was concerned about the possibility of Anaphylaxis should J continue to get bit.  He told me to try switching from a daily dose of children's Claritin to Allegra and instructed me to start using an insect repellent and to keep it applied on J at all times.  He then gave us a referral to a well known pediatric allergist in our area.  I headed straight home to call and set-up an appointment.  Finally it felt like we were making some real progress in figuring this whole mess out once and for all.