Over Protective Mama Syndrome???

I think we all do it... We say we aren't going to be one of those moms who is constantly calling the doctor thinking there is something wrong with their kids. I told myself that and I think about it all the time. Every time I call the doctor I wonder if they think I am being over dramatic about what is going on. I LOVE our pediatrician and her nurse. They have been a blessing directly from God. But, I do have five kids and that can become a lot when someone is calling the doctor all the time.

So, here is the latest drama. Yesterday was just like any other Sunday. We got up and got the kids ready for church. After church we went out to grandma and grandpa Wright's for dinner like always. We ate dinner and dessert and headed home around 1:45. The kids went down for a late nap and I got some things done around the house. Around 5:00 I went to get the kids up and found that Landon had a 102 degree fever. He acted like he felt awful and so I gave him some Tylenol to bring the fever down. I had dinner fixed and the kids to the table eating around 5:45. That is when I noticed it. Ethan had a big red splotch on his neck. After we got them down I took his long sleeve shirt off to see what was going on. It looked like he had been attacked by mosquitoes or bees. He had whelps all over his arms and neck. I had no idea what it could be. So, I called Mel to come take a look. She knew immediately. The dessert we had from lunch had strawberries. He loved them and I'm sure ate a bunch. I think he had an allergic reaction to the strawberries. So, a quick trip to Walmart for Benadryl would fix him right up. I gave him the medicine and put the kids to bed. I checked on him throughout the night to make sure he was still breathing. He seemed to do fine.

By morning the Benadryl had worn off and the hives moved to his legs. I immediately called the doctor and set up an appointment. By mid-morning his latest dose of Benadryl had kicked in and the hives looked a little better. So, I decided to call the doctor and see if they thought I should wait it out and let it run its course. We decided to cancel the appointment. Around 2:00 my mom calls me and says that my 4yr old little sister has hives. Now I am starting to worry that it isn't an allergic reaction to the strawberries and that it could be something more serious. So, I called the doctor again to see what she thought. Again, she said to see what the morning brought and we would go from there. Around 3:30 the kids started to wake up. When I went in to get Ethan I was shocked. His head was covered in hives. His eyes and mouth were swollen. His ears were covered and itching. I was freaked out. So, I called the doctor for the fourth time. By that time they said if I was going to bring him in I had to do it then because they closed at 4:30. I felt like such a nagging mom. I was worried his throat might be affected, so I decided to take him down.

In the end, they are hives. They could be an allergic reaction or a viral rash. We don't really know. Either way, the doctor gave us a steroid to help control the hives. By the time we got to the doctor's office he was running a fever and not feeling well. At bedtime he had to take Tylenol for his fever, Benadryl for the itching, and a steroid for the hives. I checked with the pharmacist to make sure he could handle all that at the same time and not overdose. Hopefully the morning will bring a better day. If it isn't one thing it is another.

What do you think? I know there isn't anything we can do about the hives, but the fear of it getting out of control at night scares me. I don't want to be too dramatic about their health, but I worry that if I let something go it may escalate to something really bad. How do you moms decide what is serious enough to warrant a call to the doctor?