Those Eyes

Last week I had a few moments of self-pity (okay, more than a few, but let's just focus on the few).  It was midweek, the house was a disaster, dinners had consisted of rice and peas or peanut butter sandwiches and I was completely exhausted.  I almost broke down, my thoughts raced, "What is wrong with me?!  Why can I barely function?!  I can't even keep this tiny apartment clean lately!"  We were just living our average day-to-day, but I couldn't even keep up.

Fortunately my pity party quickly ended as I realized what our "average" week had really become.  ALLERGIES!!!  While in Savannah Isabella was obviously quite allergic to the pollen (or something in the air), but some children's Claritin helped ease the symptoms.  Once back in New York the Claritin did very little.  She was coughing all night long and frequently woke up crying because her eyes were swollen shut.  The doctor prescribed some eye drops over the phone, which worked about two days.  The coughing got worse and the eyes were painfully red, swollen, and oozing.  Most nights she would fall asleep as I held her in my arms and gently rubbed her eyes with a cold, wet washcloth.

On Friday I finally got her in to see the doctor.  He walked into the examining room, glanced at her and exclaimed, "Whoa, that's the worst I've seen this season!"  (I thought, "I know!  Hello?!  I only call the doctor when it is really bad!  I only bring my kid in when it is really, really bad!!")

After some examination and discussion the doctor sent us on our way with two different eye drops, nose spray, allergy medicine, and instructions to wipe her down frequently when we are outside.   Not only are her eyes highly allergic to what is in the air but they had become infected because she would frequently rub them.  (If you have ever experienced seasonal allergies in your eyes you know how horribly painful it is!)

Yesterday her eyes looked fabulous!  It was the first time in two weeks they looked almost normal.  Today is even better.  She's doing 97% better.  I'm finally sleeping and feel like I am almost back into the swing of things (the house is clean, laundry done, and dinner is in the oven!)

I never thought I would be grateful for the horrible allergies I experienced as a child, but last week I was.  Empathy was a necessary requirement for survival. 

Below you can see her swollen eyes.