Ben's Itchy Adventure

Hi there all!

Just an update on Ben. The last few days have been interesting as Ben has spent them in the hospital. Last Thursday Ben and Chris were playing outside when they started to itch. I mean really, really itch. At first it wasn’t so bad for Ben, but Chris had to take a shower with oatmeal soap and take Benadryl for the allergic reaction. This time of year especially the itchy worms can leave their highly irritating hairs all over everything, especially pine needles. The itch hit Ben later that night as he slept. His scalp and neck began to itch. Then on Friday things steadily worsened. After the Good Friday service, he had developed large whelps on his legs. Around supper we made a trip to the emergency room for an injection of Benadryl, and then came home. After an hour, still no effect, so it was back to the hospital at the doctor’s advice. The worse case would be allergic shock that could affect breathing.

So there we were at the hospital. For three days! They tried a variety of anti-histamines, anti-inflammatories, and steroids. The large whelps would clear up one place then appear another moving from legs to back to neck to stomach, etc. At the worst, his joints also swelled and knots formed on the bottom of his feet. Our family doctor felt okay about discharging Ben this morning after arranging an appointment with an allergy doctor this afternoon. Dr. Bustamante was excellent and prescribed more medicines to get the histamine level down. Keep praying for Ben as he is still on the mend. He is still somewhat uncomfortable with persistent itching but his condition is improving.

We are grateful to God as well for allowing us to celebrate Easter – even inside a hospital room! Ben had a great attitude throughout, even though it was his first experience of being attached to an I.V. pole for three days. The Lord enabled us to stay in good spirits despite the stress of it all. We were grateful for the excellent care of the nurses and our doctor. We and many others prayed for Ben’s healing and we are seeing it unfold. Thanks for being there for us.

Love,

Flint, Deb, Ben and Chris

p.s.: The guys have really been wanting Skittles and they’re totally unavailable here. If anyone would like to send some . . . J