I cannot remember a time when I did not suffer from seasonal allergies. My mother tells a story of when I was little and told my father that having allergies was awful, and he surprised me by saying he didn't have any; I'm told it made both of them rather sad as they realized I'd never know a year without allergic reactions. Every year about this time my allergies start up, and I get downright despotic about the opening of doors and windows in my house. It's something I live with, and yes, it has made me hate the spring, but it is nothing compared to the allergic reaction Holly has had to suffer since Emma's birthday.

Some years back Holly got some poison oak on her. For her it was not so unusual for the family ranch was infected with it and she'd run into it plenty throughout her childhood. She knew she reacted and she knew how to treat it. This time she had a terrible reaction requiring us to make a trip to the emergency room and spend weeks applying creams and ointments trying to calm the rash and hives. It was a terrible day in our history, one we hope to never relive. Holly had another such reaction while at the hospital, and I don't think it was poison oak.

Not too long after Emma came into the world Holly's back became red and inflamed. It itched and drove her nuts. Everyone dismissed it as a common reaction to having Holly's back taped up for the epidural, and then having that tape removed; truly the nurses likened it to having a wax job. As I'm sure you will recall Holly had to go through the tape job twice. If you've not seen the latest epidural tape fashion you don't have a clear picture of what this tape job looks like. The tape is more like transparent contact-paper, and it was about as large as a half-sheet of notebook paper.

Whatever they put in the glue Holly is quite allergic to it. Monday or Tuesday Holly's back was covered in blisters and it was migrating past the borders of the tape. Having a baby is hard work, and figuring out how to feed a baby is not easy, but adding an allergic reaction not unlike the poison oak breakout only hurt situations. Based on Holly's history our doctor phoned in a prescription for some topical cream safe for breast-feeding mothers. Unfortunately it did not work fast enough for Holly, so she was given a prescription for prednisone. That may have been a mistake.

When Holly went to the ER for her poison oak rash they gave her a shot of prednisone, and it was at that point when everything got worse, and the localized rash turned into a global body of hives, and this took weeks to clear up. At the time we did not know to what degree the prednisone was the culprit behind the hives. Now we think Holly may be allergic to prednisone, because her body is now covered in hives after taking the pills. The good news is hives are just uncomfortable (so says our doctor) and not threatening in any way, and should clear up given enough time. The bad news is Holly is uncomfortable which can make her irritable, which doesn't help Emma stay calm. Furthermore hives are agitated by heat and we have a portable oven in the shape of a baby, and said baby likes to eat and be held.

My allergies come and go every year, and I have a few measures I can take to avoid suffering. Poor Holly has to be blindsided by hers, and I for one would not want to be covered in itching hives. We have no idea how many weeks it'll be before Holly feels back to normal. The anti-histamines she is on puts her down for a nap every few hours; I cannot tell who is taking more naps between Holly and Emma. I suppose every child forces some amount of change and adaptations to a family, but who would have thought we'd be struggling to manage Holly's allergic reaction to surgical tape?