Spidergirl

Poor, sweet Charis. On Tuesday morning, I noticed a small spot on her cheek. We had been outside the evening before, playing and picking berries in the backyard, so I figured it was just a mosquito bite. Happens all the time.

But a few hours later, her face seemed to be red around the bite, and ... swelling?

I still thought I must be mistaken, but when Abe got home he was emphatic that it was, in fact, quite swollen. Looking at it more closely, he noticed that the spot bore the telltale two fang marks of a spider bite. I called the pediatric nurse, who sugested we try Benadryl and keep an eye on it for increased swelling. She also told us (not to alarm you) that something called Cellulitis was also possible, so if it got much worse, we should bring her in. Of course, the next day was the 4th, not a prime doctor-visit kind of day, so she encouraged us to come in right away if it seemed to be worsening.

So we purchased and administered the Benadryl (she was by now looking so bad that, at the store, with no dosing tool available, Abe suggested I just "give her a swig" of the Benadryl. I declined.), and she settled down for a late nap.

I woke her (and Abe, who she'd requested take a nap with her) in order to have time to eat dinner before we all headed out for Abe's softball game. But by this time, she looked awful. She looked like a prizefighter who'd gotten the snot beat out of him. Her eye was almost swollen shut, the right side of her face had expanded to ridiculous proportions, and the whole lot was red and splotchy. I called the pediatrician's office, and they told me to come right in.

Of course, it turned out to be nothing the doctor could do much about. Cellulitis was a possibility, but a possibility they couldn't confirm until 48 hours after the bite. She told me to continue with the Benadryl, noting that the bite would probably worsen on Wednesday, but should stop getting worse by Thursday, returning to normal a couple of days after that. (!!!)

But I am happy to report that, while it was indeed worse on Wednesday morning, it has improved ever since, and today, she is almost back to normal! She's always been faster than western medicine. :)