I grew up in a military family that traveled the world over. We did not stay in any one location for long. We saw our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins once every few years. We really didn't know anyone all that well or know them for long. No one in the immediately family had to take a maintenance medication. When we did get sick, the military prescribed ibuprofen and antibiotics for everything.
When my daughter first started having hives prior to a diagnosis, she was put on five different medications all at once. She had to take every medication every day to prevent the hives. We quickly took her back to the doctor each time one proved to not work or made her feel worse. We went back so many times that the doctor finally told us there was nothing else he could do for her. She either lived with the side effects or lived with the hives.
After six months we found an over-the-counter antihistamine that made a significant difference in preventing reactions. Unfortunately it was not enough, but by this time we knew what she was allergic to, Cold. Within a couple months later, a second off-label medication was added. The two meds together changed our lives. My daughter was able to leave the house more frequently and for longer periods prior to breaking out. As parents, our world no longer revolved around crisis management strategies.
For the first three years I was bound and determined that the doctors would test for every cause to Cold Urticaria and confirm or rule out whether or not we could find her trigger. There were times that we thought the meds were working to cure her and would attempt to take her off of them. Like a headache, the meds were supposed to be a cure. Sadly, she continued to react. We found that during the summers she was more tolerant of cold that she was in the winter.
We did not want her on this medication all the time. I did not want to imagine the damage that these drugs could do long term. My daughter was on a medication as a baby for a long period for stomach issues. After a couple years, the drug was removed from the market as it was killing babies that used it long term. I no longer trusted drugs, other than Tylenol and Advil. The doctors were frustrated with us trying to wean her off hoping she was cured. We were frustrated with them for not doing more to prevent her symptoms.
She never could be removed from her meds. Not only did she have severe physical reactions, but psychological reactions as well. She has been on them for seven years now. They have truly made a difference in her ability to function and be functional in her environment. She still has breakthrough reactions, but nowhere as severe as she did without the meds.
Prior to the controlling meds, she had three anaphylactic reactions. She has had none since. The meds do not mask her reactions, but actually prevents them. It delays the reaction time and allows us the opportunity to prevent more severe reactions. They allow us the time to get her to a safer environment.
Should you medicate your child? It is a hard decision, but a necessary one. I hope my experience will help you in making that decision.
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