Rock and Roll

This is me at 3:11 this morning. It's the only picture I took of Bryan's stay in the ER. He was in so much pain, I didn't think we would appreciate any pictures I took of him.

Last night the kidney stone pain combined with medication induced nausea to create a perfect storm. He was back forth about going to the ER again. After he threw up for the third time in less than an hour I said it was time to head to the hospital. He checked in just before midnight. Around 3:30 in the morning we were told that he was being admitted and had been put on the list for surgery. They were going to remove the stone.

Nearly twelve hours and several anti-nausea and pain medication doses later, a nurse arrived in his ER room to wheel him to surgery. Just over an hour later he was out of surgery and in the recovery room. The surgeon found me in the waiting room and told me the stone was so big Bryan likely wouldn't have passed it on his own. They were able to blast the stone and break it into smaller pieces. Then they endoscopically used a tiny basket to scoop out the pieces.

He was finally able to eat food after he came out of the anesthesia, roughly twenty hours after he had started feeling so intensely awful. He has a stent, which is both supposed to help the process and will really hurt over the next five days.

Thankfully he's home. He's still in pain, but hopefully that pain has an end date. And he's really glad to be in his own bed.

Slam Dunk

I took the kids to Skyzone today to hang out with friends. I thought I hadn't taken pictures of all of them, but I discovered I did. I took these pictures of Cooper, Sophie, and Topher shooting hoops.

And this picture of Phoebe after she got natural lip filler (her words) from a run in with a parkour ring. It bled a lot and kind of ruined her fun, but it's looking much better now.

No Fillers Needed

Topher is always on the move. He often has bruises of unknown origin. Bryan and I regularly have to say things like, "Stop! That will break a bone!" 

We had a moment like this yesterday. Topher found a large, flat piece of cardboard and decided it would be a good idea to use it to slide, face first, on our linoleum kitchen floor. I saw him start to do it and thought, "Oh, that's going to end badly."

And it did.

Less than a minute after he started, Topher cried out in pain. I looked over to see his cheek on the floor, his backside in the air, and Topher looking stunned. He had crashed onto his face. Suddenly there was blood coming out of his mouth. I got up and grabbed a warm wash cloth, thinking he'd bitten his lip. But there was way more blood than there should have been. I said I hoped his teeth were all okay. Spoiler: they weren't. At least, one wasn't. It was on the floor next to the cardboard. Thankfully, it was a baby tooth, but it hadn't been ready to leave it's once secure perch.

In addition to knocking out his tooth, he had in fact bitten his lip open. Bryan wondered if stiches would be needed, but it seems to have closed up on its own. This is Topher before school today. His lip is still swollen and it's hard for him to eat on that side of his mouth, but it's not as bad today as it was last night.

Today we was sliding around the kitchen floor in socks. At least he ditched the surfboard.

Hobbled

Sophie had her first day of Girls on the Run yesterday. She's been so excited to start training. They'll end the season with a 5K in December. They spent a long time learning about the program and getting to known each other. They did finally go outside and start running. Sophie made it through six laps, then she rolled her ankle. The coach reported to me at pickup time that it looked like a pretty bad roll. She suggested maybe getting it looked at by a doctor.

Sophie and I went home and she continued to hobble around on it. By dinnertime she was in so much pain. We talked about having her get a good night sleep, then going to urgent care in the morning, but she and Bryan both felt that she should be seen that night.

That is how Sophie and I ended up spending two hours of our Thursday night at urgent care. She rode around in a wheelchair, thanks to the kind woman that was exiting as we walked into the office but then ran back in and came out with said wheelchair for us. Sophie's ankle was examined and x-rayed. The x-ray looked mostly fine, but there was a weird spot. We're still waiting to hear back from radiology about the final read.

Sophie really wanted to take a selfie in the exam room. She'd been off the ankle for about an hour at this point, so she was feeling more cheerful. 

The doctor decided Sophie should be in a boot. It's much fancier than the one I wore for my foot injury many years ago. The boot made it possible for Sophie to go to school today. She's definitely already tired of it though. And she's hoping that she heals quickly so she can still participate in Girls on the Run.

Two Short Days in the Golden State

Our first full day in California also happened to be Emma's first day of school. Thankfully, it was a half day so these two still got lots of time to play together.

Phoebe loved all the time she got with Tuxedo. He decided she was a safe person to hang out with.

Aunt Paige pulled out her fun splashpad for Emma, Topher, and Sophie to play with. I didn't think to take any pictures until we had turned it off.

Sophie and I gave a little ukulele concert for the grandparents. Topher had played so hard all day (and stayed up so late the night before) that he took a nap while we strummed. Cooper was a good sport to hold him.

Topher started day two with lots of scooter riding in the backyard. That led to a crash and a gash just below his left knee. The doctor said he was right on the line between needing stiches or glue. Topher begged (rather aggressively) not to have stiches, so the wound was glued shut.

After three hours in urgent care, we were on our way home. Ten minutes after we arrived Topher had fallen again and ripped all the steri-strips off and pulled open the glued cut just a little. Bryan ran to the store to buy sturdier bandages. We had to replace them again that night because they were coming off. That was a consistent theme of the trip: trying to keep this injury clean and covered.

These two really love each other. I'm so glad they had a couple days to play.

Armed

The good news is that my arm is healing. It feels best after a good night of sleep. 

The bad news is that I'm particularly bad at not overusing my arm. 

On Wednesday I pushed myself too hard and had to spend some time resting in bed while the ibuprofen kicked in and the pain in my arm subsided. 

I have a lot more movement and can raise my arm even with my head. I got dressed without help one day this week. In other words, I'm improving, just not as quickly as I would like.

So many of the life lessons I experience are, at least in part, about patience. I hope I learn that virtue soon, the course material involved in these lessons is painful.

Why My Homework Isn't Done

In February I noticed that three of our four bookcases had broken, all failing in the same way. We talked about buying new ones, but I had wanted to have built-in bookcases and figured there was no reason to buy another set of placeholders. That's when I started designing built-in bookcases for our library.

It's now almost six months later. I've spent that time designing, calculating shelf width, accounting for outlets and air vents, pricing lumber, purchasing lumber, being mentored by friends who do carpentry, and watching so many hours of building tutorials on YouTube that I've lost count. To fill two walls with shelves, I'm going to need to build five individual standard bookcases and one corner bookcase. I've learned how to use a miter saw, spent a little time using a circular saw, and used the hole saw bit for the drill. I've learned to do pocket screws, countersink screws, use a brad nailer, apply wood glue, and that we will never have enough clamps.

Bryan and I finally built the frame for the first bookcase on Friday night. It was a two-person job to hold the corners and the corner clamping jigs (that we made from scrap lumber) in place and tighten the clamps. The wood glue had to dry for twenty-four hours before we could move it. On Saturday afternoon Bryan and I bought 5mm thick plywood for the backs. Our plan was to have dinner and do bedtime with the younger kids, then cut the back and attach it to the first bookshelf. After so many months of working on this project I was incredibly anxious to have something done.

When it was finally time Bryan and I went out to the garage. We had put the shelf together front side up, so we needed to flip it over to attach the back. Bryan manned the bottom while I lifted the top. As we turned it over, the weight of the shelf started to get away from me. My left arm was holding the higher side and was lifted about even with my head when I thought I might drop the shelf. It tipped over a little bit more and just then I felt a pop in the inside of my upper left arm. We set the shelf down.

My left arm dropped to my side feeling much too heavy. I told Bryan what happened and that my arm didn't feel right. He grabbed a few ice packs and insisted I go inside and sit down while I iced it. That's when the pain started. I was aware of pain where I felt the pop, but also pain shooting down my arm into my elbow and then the back of my hand. I also lost some feeling in the back of my arm.

And that is why I don't have a picture of a finished bookshelf to share. And why I spent a few hours on Saturday night in the ER (at Bryan's insistence) making sure no major damage had been done. It's not broken and we don't think anything was torn. It appears to a strain or sprain. The pain topped out at a seven while in the ER and (when I have to move it) now is between a three and a five. If I don't have to lift it it's maybe a two. I couldn't really grip with my left hand on Saturday night, but my grip strength is almost back to normal. I still can only lift my arm a few inches though. I've been gently stretching it and, while painful, it's helping me increase my movement.

I wore a sling to church so people wouldn't touch my arm (someone still touched my arm, while asking what was wrong) and so the primary kids would give it some space (they did, unlike the adult who touched my arm). I did singing time one handed, including teaching them the sign language to a new song we were learning. Sophie was a good sport and came up to the front to demonstrate when I needed two hands to show a sign. I could have switched to a different activity, but I really wanted them to learn the signs for that song.

I have no idea how long it will take me to heal. I'm supposed to call my doctor today for a follow-up visit. I think it's a good sign that I was able to type this whole post. I can't dress myself without help right now, but at least I can type. Granted, I did have to use my right hand to lift my left hand onto the keyboard.

I really hope it doesn't take another six months to finish those bookcases. 

High On A Mountain Top

Cooper spent last week camping and hiking in the Poconos with the Young Men in our Stake, including those that were moved to a different Stake in June. He came home on Friday night with a terrible sunburn and lots of amazing stories. He loved it. He's not loving the recovery, but the trip itself was fantastic.

The base camp was at Promised Land State Park. They all arrived in time for dinner. Cooper's group spent the first full day kayaking. Days two and three were spent hiking 24 miles (split between the two days) on what's known as The Devil's Path. He said he wouldn't have made it if he hadn't had trekking poles. The final day was spent on a lake and Cooper got to go tubing for the first time. I suspect that's when he acquired the sunburn.

He bore his testimony on Sunday about what he learned during his week away. He said that the first day they hiked he didn't drink enough water or eat enough food beforehand and the hike was really hard. Learning from that experience, on the second day of the hike he made sure he was well fed and hydrated. That hike, thought it was longer, was much easier for him. He then compared that to the spiritual nutrition available to us. When we read our scriptures and listen to the prophet and say our prayers, we feed our spirits. That helps us better handle the hard things we all face. I really appreciated the parable that he pulled from his adventure.

And we're glad to have him home.

Summer, Where Do We Begin?*

The first day of summer break included:

• sleeping in
• a park date with friends for the younger two
• a missed spot of sunscreen
• a very sunburnt knee
• multiple stores to find new swim shorts
• pizza
• a pool party for the older three
• a planning meeting for our summer season of the kid's choir that took place during the pool party
• a plan to sleep in again tomorrow
• zero pictures taken

*This is one of my favorite songs from Phineas and Ferb!

Walk, Don't Jump

Tonight, as we were getting ready for bedtime, Topher decided to jump from the third stair into Sophie's open arms. She wasn't able to catch him and he fell. His neck landed hard on the edge of the bottom step. Topher is normally the kid that jumps up and announces "I'm fine!" after a fall. He did not do that this time. He started screaming instead.

I was there as it happened, I said, "Don't!" as he started to jump. But I wasn't close enough to catch him. As soon as he hit the step I rushed to him with two conflicting thoughts: don't move a spinal injury and you can't leave him on the stair. I gently scooped him up and yelled for ice. Bryan came running and took Topher to lay him on the ground. As I handed him to Bryan, Topher's head lolled as far back as it would go and he went limp as a rag doll and his eyes rolled up into his head. Bryan called his name several times and his eyes came back into focus.

Bryan told me to call 911 as he made sure Topher stayed still on the ground. All those cub scout first aid lessons I taught came back to me because I remembered to start with our location, gave Topher's name and age, then described what had happened. I gathered my purse and shoes while I talked to the 911 operator, thankful for enough presence of mind to know I would go with him when the ambulance arrived. Bryan gave Phoebe the job of holding the door open to wait for the ambulance, sent Sophie to her room to remove her from what was happening, then told Cooper to follow her and make sure she was okay. Peter happened to be at a movie with friends and wasn't home. Topher started to lose consciousness an additional two times while we waited for the ambulance.

The EMTs arrived within a few minutes and put a brace around Topher's neck, then carefully put a board underneath him. They asked him questions and had him wiggle his fingers and toes. He could do all of that and he said his neck and back hurt. They carried the board with Topher on it outside to a waiting gurney. Phoebe, from her post at the door, took this picture.

Topher was so scared during the ride to the ER. He had to be strapped to the board, then strapped again to the gurney. I told him a story about a boy named Topher, then I started listing family members that had taken rides in ambulances, all in an attempt to distract him. During that fifteen minute ride my phone was dinging again and again and again. I assumed it was Bryan letting the family know what was happening. There was some of that, but most of it was because of Phoebe. While she had been holding the door for the EMTs, she had also been texting people in our ward. She texted her two best friends, one of her Young Women leaders, my ministering sister, and the Bishops wife, asking all of them to pray for Topher.

I found out later that as soon as the police officer that had accompanied the EMTs left, there was an urgent knock at the front door. Bryan opened it and was surprised to find the Bishop and his wife, Kim. They said they were there to help. I suspect Bryan was in shock (I know I was) and he couldn't think of anything they could do. Kim looked at Bryan and kindly but firmly said, "You need to go be with Topher and Margot. I'll take your other kids to my house, Aaron will go with you to the hospital." By this point my ministering sister, Robyn, and her husband, Scott, had arrived to offer more help. Scott followed Bryan and the Bishop to the hospital so they could leave Bryan there with our van.

I had no idea any of this was happening, just that I kept getting texts about prayers for Topher from my friends and family members. I was confused how so many people knew, but also in such a state of shock that I couldn't really respond or wonder too much about it. I was focused on Topher. The hospital where he was born had converted the maternity ward into a children's hospital. He was taken to that brand new children's ER. He continued to move his fingers and toes, but now instead of pain in his neck and back, he said he just couldn't feel them. He was moved into an ER bed and the nurses began monitoring his vitals. The neck brace remained in place.

By this time I had looked at some of the text messages. I knew that Bryan was on his way. He was able to come back first, but the other two were told we couldn't have that many people back at the same time. I knew Topher needed a blessing, so I was willing to give up my spot to one of the other two. Bryan felt strongly that I needed to stay in case a doctor came in, since I'd witnessed the fall. Bryan gave him a quick and simple blessing by himself. After waiting for a little longer, Bryan went and asked the nurse that had been helping Topher. She said everyone could come back, she was fine with that. Topher then received a second blessing when they arrived. Scott anointed and the Bishop sealed the anointing and was voice for the blessing.

They stayed and visited for a bit, making sure we were okay. Our Bishop is a surgeon and it was comforting having his medical perspective on the situation. Then they left to get Peter from his movie and take him to where our other kids were.

By this point a doctor had finally come in to check Topher. She did a number of physical tests, then had another doctor come in and give a second opinion. They checked him for spinal injuries and signs of a concussion, prescribed pain medication, then an EKG to monitor Topher's heart. They also removed the brace. Topher answered most of their questions with a shrug or a whispered "I don't know," which was out of character. He watched The Disney channel while he waited. Bryan and I mostly watched Topher.

After the neck brace was removed and the pain medication was administered, Topher was much more his regular wiggly self. He was getting restless and was able to lift his neck up to shift positions. The doctors finally came back in and did a few more exams. These included having Topher stand and jump. They determined that the pain from the fall had triggered a vasovagal syncope which is what was happening when he appeared to be losing consciousness, and that he was well enough to go home, but with the caveat that we watch for a list of behaviors and symptoms over the next day to make sure he really is okay. I asked if we had overreacted by calling 911. The ER doctor was adamant that we had done exactly the right thing. 

It was after 10 o'clock when he was discharged and after 10:30 when we picked up the other kids. Topher fell asleep in the car and stayed asleep while he was transferred to his bed. When he was discharged I offered to carry him to the van since, in our haste, we had not brought shoes for him. The doctor had mentioned that there was no bump of any kind on his neck. When I went to pick him up, I saw that there wasn't even discoloration. I was perplexed for a moment as to how that could be. Then I remembered all the people that had been praying for Topher. I believe that all those prayers were answered and that our very active boy left the ER without a visible mark.

Words cannot adequately express how thankful I am that he is home and well.

Watch Your Fingers

I've been working on a pretty large house project since last Friday. On Monday I started putting together a new piece of furniture for that space. I'm now up to four different cuts on my left hand, all from opening packaging of tools and furniture components. It made doing the dishes rather tricky. Apparently home improvement is hazardous to my health.

It's the Little Things

Good news! My toe most likely isn't broken! I got it x-rayed today and, unless the radiologist says otherwise, it's just really bruised. Plus, they sent me home with a post-op shoe which makes walking much easier.

And that is my good news minute.

The Bullet Points

A summary of the last few days:

• Bryan stayed up all night on Monday getting ready to move, I slept for two forty-minute chunks on the floor of the playroom, Peter went to bed around 4:30 in the morning.
• We drove over vanloads of stuff nearly all night.
• We have too much stuff.
• Our walkthrough was at 11:00 and at 11:02 I was still throwing garbage bags full of random stuff into the back of the van. The landlord was nice enough to wait for us.
• He was happily shocked at how clean the townhouse was. Apparently the renters that preceded us had left it so messy that it took him a month to clean it enough to rent it.
• He was sad to lose us as renters and brought us a housewarming gift, an expensive vase made in Italy. It's way nicer than any other stuff we have.
• Because the basement is growing mold and the upstairs is a construction zone, we're spending all our awake time on the main floor.
• All the mattresses are in the library. All the couches and chairs are in the great room. Pretty much everything else is in the garage.
• We've been sleeping on air mattresses.
• Today, as I was chasing Topher, I tripped on a suitcase and possibly broke my toe. It's discolored and a little swollen and hurts a lot. I must have special tripping skills because it's the middle toe on my right foot and I figured the others toes would have protected it better than they did.
• We're getting leftover rain from Hurricane Ida and water is coming into our basement from three different places. The sump pump is working, but it's too high and leaves an inch of water. At least now we can see more places that need to be fixed.
• We're really, really tired.

Full of Molasses

I woke up yesterday morning with a migraine in full swing. That's only the first or second one I've had since Topher was born. Bryan stayed home from Ward Council and took care of the kids while I curled into the fetal position and tried to sleep it off. I couldn't spend the entire day in bed though. Bryan and I were half of a quartet that was supposed to sing Have I Done Any Good in Sacrament Meeting. So I relied on full doses of ibuprofen and acetaminophen and a Priesthood blessing from Bryan to get me through. The musical number went well and I was coherent all the way through church. I started to feel pretty odd once we got home.

I think the migraine is mostly gone, but still hanging on a little, to the point that I'm not really thinking as clearly as I'd like. That's why I've been starring at my computer screen for the last hour, trying to figure out what to write, not understanding why my brain feels so fuzzy, so slow, so full of molasses. Then I remembered: migraine. It's been so long, I'd forgotten about all the aftereffects that accompany my head being in a giant invisible vice. It's not my favorite.

And on that note, goodnight!

Self Defense

Apparently Topher has learned how to defend himself against Sophie when she's demanding a kiss by smashing her cheek against his mouth. Have I mentioned that Topher has eight teeth? And that Sophie is aggressively affectionate? She was pretty shocked by his reaction, so hopefully she'll finally remember that he's a person and not a toy.

Bipedal

Good news: I can walk again! After spending most of Thursday and Friday off my injured foot, it felt much better. I was concerned about my big driving/walking adventure on Saturday, but my heel didn't seem any worse for wear. It was feeling good enough that I attempted a slow walk on the treadmill last night. It took me thirty minutes to do a mile, but I didn't re-injure myself, so it was worth the slow pace.

Hooray for being mobile again!

Sit Down, Put Your Feet Up

I've worked to stay active and exercise during this pregnancy. I haven't been able to do as much as usual, but I still like to walk a mile or two at least four days per week.

Last week I decided to push myself a little and increase my speed. This worked well the first day. I felt more energized afterward and liked finishing in a shorter amount of time. The second day, however, didn't go as well. I noticed that my left foot was getting really sore while I walked. I finally slowed down my pace (which didn't ever get very fast) and the discomfort passed.

Later that day that same discomfort came back, but this time as pain in my heel. I had trouble putting weight on my left foot and limped around the rest of the night. The pain would increase and decrease based on activity, but, as long as I put pressure on my heel, it hurt. It's continued to hurt all week.

Last night after scouts and several hours on my feet doing my normal mom stuff, I decided I needed to do something about my foot. After a Google search (yes, I took a medical concern to Google) I suspected that I had badly bruised the pad of my heel, or possibly the bone. This can be a precursor to a stress fracture, so I made the choice to stay off my foot as much as possible today.

I told the kids that I would need to spend most of the day sitting with my foot up. They rolled with it pretty well and were helpful when I asked them to fetch me things. And good news, the few times I've walked today, I haven't been in as much pain.

When I was pregnant with Peter I had to spend the last three weeks on bed-rest. I had no children to chase or taxi, so it was a pretty relaxing deal. This self-imposed bed rest of sorts is not quite as restful, but hopefully it'll do the job.

Thumbs Up

On this Thanksgiving morning, I am thankful for hands that work. I am also thankful for family visiting for the holiday.

I am especially thankful for fingers. It's been a rough week at our house for hands. After my finger cut on Monday (which is healing but will definitely leave a gnarly mark), Bryan joined me in the land of the injured. Last night he was helping Peter make his traditional apple pie by slicing the apples. Bryan was demonstrating proper knife safety when his hand slipped. Instead of going through the apple, the knife went through the pad of his thumb and cut it clean off.

He no longer has a thumbprint on that hand.

I was upstairs doing bedtime with the girls when this happened. Bryan came into the room and said in an urgent voice that he needed to talk to me right away. I was shocked and prepared to drive him to an ER or urgent care. The only reason this was an option was that Bryan's brother Paul and their sister Melinda and her family are all visiting us for Thanksgiving. In other words, there were people at our house to stay with our children.

Paul offered to do the driving while I got the boys to sleep. Melinda (who found the severed thumb tip!) took over helping Peter with the pie. I was able to get kids to sleep and Bryan got the medical care he needed.

No, they didn't sew the tip back on. They couldn't even stitch up the wound. Bryan has some special bandages to dress it with and instructions to keep it dry. We're not sure if he'll have a divot in his thumb from now on or how it will heal.

Bryan told me that if he had been holding the knife differently, he might have sliced off his thumb completely. So losing the tip of his thumb sounds like a much better alternative to totally being without a thumb.

What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving! And please, be careful with sharp objects.

It Cuts Like Glass

A note of caution: be very careful when sliding your finger along the spout of your glass measuring cup. You may realize, with a shocking jolt of pain, that the glass is broken. This may lead to you canceling your plans for dinner, telling your kids they now get to serve themselves cereal for their evening meal, then sitting with finger wrapped tightly and held above your heart in a slow and frustrating attempt to stop the bleeding.

On the bright side, this may give your oldest child a chance to serve by fetching you bandages and alcohol swabs.

Yes, this is my actual blood. No, the 3/4 inch long diagonal cut along the inside/back of my pinky finger is not visible. The jagged glass can be seen in the background. Peter wrapped the broken edge in electrical tape (totally something Bryan would have done had he been home from work but something that never would have occurred to me), and threw it away.

This is going to leave a funky scar.

Retest

Peter's school EpiPen was part of a recent recall. The auto-injectors were found to be defective. We contacted the Pharmacy and were surprised to learn that the prescription our pediatrician wrote in September didn't have any refills. Even though our need was because of a recall, we were told that we would have to get another prescription.

So, I called the pediatrician. I explained the situation and asked if I could pick up a new prescription for the Epi-Pen. The receptionist said she would need to check with the doctor and would call me back. I was running errands that morning and decided to stop in at the doctor's office, hoping to speed things along. I cheerfully asked the receptionist if she had any news from the doctor on the prescription. She informed me that I was required to bring Peter in for a well-child visit before the doctor would give us a prescription. I told her that we only get one well-child visit per year from our insurance and past experience has taught me that I needed to save it for the beginning of the upcoming school year. Nothing had changed with his diagnosis, and even if it had, she's a pediatrician and not an allergist, so she had no way of checking. No, I was told writing that possibly life-saving prescription would be a liability without a doctor visit.

Wait, what?

That didn't sit well with me. Bryan and I discussed our options and decided that if we had to see a doctor to get an EpiPen, it should be an allergist. It had been almost two years since his last round of testing, so it was nearly time for another. Thanks to a patient cancelation, we were able to get an appointment on Friday morning.

We met with the doctor, explained Peter's history of eczema, reactions, and positive tests. He agreed that retesting was the way to go. We were led to a small room with a big comfy chair and a TV. They tested Peter for indoor and outdoor allergens, tree nuts, and peanuts. Here's Peter right after they pricked his arms.

And here he is eleven minutes later. See the big welt closest to his right hand? That's the peanut site. That's right, he's still super allergic. The technician administering the test wiped off the peanut shortly before I took this picture. The doctor walked in and said, "Yup, he's allergic."

He also tested positive for the two previously know allergens of cats and a grass mixture (we knew he was allergic to Kentucky Blue grass), and to three new allergens: a weed called Lambs-Quarter and two kinds of dust mites. All of the tree nut sites were negative.

The doctor wrote us an EpiPen prescription and scheduled a follow-up after we do a blood test as well, just to get more information. While we were all a little disappointed that his allergy hasn't changed, none of us were surprised. Now the trick is finding a pharmacy that actually has EpiPens in stock. People replacing recalled EpiPens have cleaned most pharmacies out.