Don't call it a come back

When I wrote this last week, I really did have the best intentions at heart. I was completely psyched about getting back on track and posting here a little more often once again and reading and commenting on your blogs. It seems like Fate had other plans.

Last Wednesday I noticed some bumps on Ryan's armpit. The next day I noticed the bumps had spread across his back. The day after that, the bumps were red and he was scratching them. His mood was terrible. He cried and whined and was basically not himself.

Sophia was diagnosed with psoriasis a couple of months ago and was given hydrocortisone cream to stop the itch. Being resourceful, and a tad lazy, I rubbed some on his arm hoping it would stop the itch.

It did nothing.

Next, I tried some Benadryl. I thought maybe he was allergic to something in the house. Maybe the dog or the cat or maybe he ate something that gave him the reaction. With the Benadryl he slept, but it didn't help his skin. Next, I tried Benadryl cream. This had no effect either.

Saturday morning he woke up and the rash had spread to his legs and was flaming red. In both his armpits were marks that looked a little like a hickey from his scratching.

I called the doctor.

After looking at the rash, the doctor determined that Ryan has a severe case of eczema. She said she thought since we turned on the heat, the air dried in our house and just made his skin break out. She prescribed a topical steroid and told us to change our laundry detergent to free and clear, stop using soap on his body and find a cream (not lotion) that will help relieve the dry skin.

As she was looking over his body, she noticed his scrotum was swollen.

She turned to face me and said, "He needs to see a pediatric urologist to have this fixed." He has a hydrocele and it needs to be fixed. It's a simple surgery that requires general anesthesia.

OK, so I was prepared for skin creams. I have no problem switching laundry detergent. Hey, looking for non-soap body wash is practically a party compared to the realization that my little baby needs to have surgery. He's going to be on an operating table, hooked up to monitors while a doctor cuts him up.

Stop. Reality check time.

It is a very simple, pretty common procedure. If he doesn't have it done, it could develop into a hernia. I called the pediatric urologist first thing Monday morning and he has his first appointment on Nov. 14. We're taking him to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. I know it's a simple procedure, but I'm not screwing around with this. He's going to the best, and the hospital the pediatrician suggested.

Back to reality.

After the very first application of the steroid cream, his mood totally improved. He stopped itching himself and started playing. We washed all his clothes in Seventh Generation, free and clear, laundry detergent. We started using Cetaphil cleansing and moisturizing cream.

So far so good. His skin is no longer red, but he still has the bumps on his body. I think it will take time for them to go away. He's also stopped compulsively scratching his armpit, which is helping the marks heal.

On top of all of this, when I was putting him in his car seat this morning, he started screaming and I noticed two little canine teeth poking through his bottom gums. Oh, and did I mention the wicked diarrhea and diaper rash that he and Sophia have been battling since last Wednesday? No? Well, I did say it's has been a very busy week, didn't I?

Seriously, it never ends, does it?