Another nut bites the dust

We've known for about 5 years now that Molly is allergic to walnuts and pecans, but we haven't been sure about some of the other tree nuts. Well, now we know about hazelnuts!

Molly had one delicious bite of Nutella drizzle on Sunday night before she started breaking out in hives and said she felt like wasps were stinging her face and tongue :(

I always have an Epi Pen and Benadryl with me in my purse and store Benadryl tablets in the glove compartment of my car ... but OF COURSE the night that Molly had an allergic reaction was a night when we rode our bikes to dinner and I didn't have a purse or a car.

Jason sprinted down the street to CVS and bought a bottle of Children's Benadryl, which we quickly gave her to try and calm down the reaction. Then he pedaled furiously home to get the car and Epi Pen while I watched to see what the Benadryl would do.

When Jason picked us up, Molly still had hives and swollen lips and was complaining about the feeling of wasps, so we decided to take her in to the ER. If we gave her the Epi Pen injection ourselves, we'd still have to go to the ER for observation, so we decided to just go straight there and have the nurse do it. Easy decision since the hospital was only 2 minutes away!

It didn't end up being that dramatic of a night -- epinephrine starts to work almost as soon as it is given, so most of our time in the hospital was spent watching Molly sleep and waiting to make sure she didn't have a rebound reaction.

Jason and I felt like terrible parents for letting the exposure happen and for not being prepared. On the other hand, we've always wondered about Nutella and ... now we know!

My poor baby. She looked so small in the hospital bed, but handled everything like a pro.
Then she woke up at home the next morning and asked if it was all a dream!