This afternoon Oliver ate egg for the first time. Shortly afterwards he wasn't himself and shortly after that when he fell asleep Hayley noticed he had become very red. She quickly checked him over and found he had a rash all over his body that she later described to me as looking like he had fallen into stinging nettles.
She called the doctor's surgery but it was engaged so she popped him in the car - he vomited just before she put him in - and quickly drove him down there and asked to see a GP immediately.
One of the doctors then inspected him and said it was probably an allergic reaction to the egg. He told her to take him to hospital but to call me so that one of us could monitor his breahting on route, which scared us a little.
By the time I arrived to drive them to the hospital I could see his face was swollen and he looked red and sweaty, drowsing in his car seat.
We got to hospital around 6.30pm. Oliver was still asleep but seemed to be breathing OK. A nurse checked his pulse and SATs before giving him Calpol and Pyriton to reduce the swelling. She then told us there would be something of a wait to see the doctor but that Oliver would be kept in so we were then moved to a private room.
After taking his medicince Oliver went back to sleep and slept on with only a short stirring until the doctor finally got round to seeing us at 10.30pm. The doctor was quite junior and she deferred to the judgement of the consultant who would be round to see Oliver in the morning, but she suspected an allergic reaction too and that the egg was to blame.
By the time I left, Oliver was wide awake (at 11pm!) and charming the nurses. They were literally queuing at the door to see him and cuddle him, as word had got round what a cutie he was, smilng at the ladies as usual despite his ill health. He really has been a brave boy tonight and I am so proud of him. It's awful to see him suffering but he had cheered up a lot and the swelling and redness had reduced substantially too by the time I left around 11.30pm. Even so, I feel better knowing they will be monitoring him tonight.
So it looks like eggs are off the menu for the little man. What a shame for him! We love a good egg and mushroom sandwich in our house. I just hope this is the only allergy he has and that perhaps he will lose it in time.
Above: Oliver, asleep and improving in hospital late Thursday evening, but still looking slightly red in the face.
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