Of course, I don’t generally get knocked down by spring allergies most years. Sure, El Nino gets the better of me once in awhile, but mostly I’m lucky. My son is not.
Last year, at about this time, Sammy came inside from playing in the sandbox at my folks’ house, and his eyes swelled up like Macy’s parade balloons. Mass (family) hysteria sent me careening to the doctor just before closing to get him checked out. By the time we got there (mere moments; I’m that good), he was already returning to normal, albeit a reddish, sniffly normal. The verdict: allergies. We went off to soothe to savage pollen with eye drops and over the counter elixirs.
The ENT routinely suggests continuing such allergy medication to keep his ears from clogging up (particularly when the tubes haven’t been in place, but as good practice anyway), so I pour him a tiny cup each morning. So far, the ears are good.
But. The poor thing. He cannot escape it this year. He started sniffling as soon as the trees started blooming. He got a brief respite during the freak snowstorm a week and a half ago, but then it really ramped up again. He is constantly rubbed his itchy eyes and his nose never seems to give him a break. I know it will get better in a few weeks (maybe less, he bounced back from the elephantine ocular action pretty fast), but for now, he is a mess. His teachers mention it to me every single day. I appreciate their concern, but I, not any chemical solution, cannot fix this overnight. I’m doing what I can, what the doctors have told me to do. And yet, I can’t help but shrink under the gaze of the other mothers, who, amidst their sympathy, must think just a little bit that I’m not doing enough. Maybe they’re right, maybe not.
Yes, eye drops will help, I’m sure. But I have never seen this kid lose his mind quite as quickly and as fervently as he did over the prospect of a tiny bit of liquid approaching his eyeball. I admit that to achieve my purpose last night, I actually sat over my child and restrained him while his grandma tried to get near his eyes with the medicine (I’m not sure we succeeded completely, but we gave it the best we could). Today (after many, many empathetic shrugs and directed advice), I resorted to withholding his entertainment of choice until he acquiesced (which he did, and his face looked all the better for it). We got a second shot tonight after a lo-o-ot of cajoling, more withholding, and several counts to 10. I hope he remembers his promise let me do it already tomorrow.
It kills me that just as the weather gets nice enough to be outside, I have to keep a rambunctious boy in the house.
I just read an article calling this year the perfect storm of pollen. Looking at my son, I totally believe it.
One thing that worked for me is to have them close their eyes lay their head to the side and drop a puddle of the stuff in the corner of the eye next to the nose. Then if they open their eye very slowly it goes in. Doesn't work if you have to count the drops or if it is expensive medicine because you waste a lot and a lot goes in. But it seems to be not as traumatic as seeing it come at you. Or could Sammy do it himself? Play the big boy card? Just a thought.
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