When I Say BIG RED...

I'm not only referring to the friendly mascot on this basketball that you heard about in this post..........

 

I could be (I am) referring to the itchy, BIG RED welts that covered Macklan's body for two days. The ball was purchased on Saturday, but didn't officially get "played with" until late Sunday afternoon. By Monday night after playing with the basketball all day and even taking a nap with it (the boy is obsessed I'm telling ya!), I noticed some hives/welts on his hands and feet as I undressed him for a bath. I asked Macklan what happened and thought it was weird, but didn't think any more of it at the time. I washed him and gave him some play time in the tub. When I took him out of the tub to dry him off, I noticed even more spots, now on his legs, chest, and back. Ok, big red spots! You've got my attention now! I began to run through all the possibilities in my head of what could have caused this sudden breakout. Food? Detergent? Soap? Nothing new. Every thing was the same. No changes. I could not figure out what had caused these welts. I applied some hydrocortisone cream and put Macklan to bed.

At some point in the middle of the night, Macklan ended up in our bed. It didn't take long before the digging and scratching began (probably what woke him up initially). It wasn't just a light, quick scratch either. These were long, drawn-out "scratch til you bleed" scratches that immediately woke me up. I flipped on the light to check it out. His poor little legs were covered in huge hives. The only thing I could do was apply more hydrocortisone, since I didn't have any Benadryl. I felt so sorry for him.

By the next morning he had pretty much cleared up. During my morning plan period at school, I called Mom to check on Macklan. She reported no more signs of hives or welts. Good. It looked like he was in the clear which meant so was I. Just before his nap time, I called again. Still clear! However, by the time I arrived home from school and Macklan was up from his nap, the red spots had started reappearing. Again, Mom and I threw out all the options. Food? Detergent? Soap? Nothing new. Every thing was the same. EXCEPT for the Big Red basketball! Could it be? An allergic reaction to a rubber ball? A latex allergy? Scott immediately removed the ball from the living room and tucked it away in the basement. Macklan was soon sitting in an oatmeal bath and drenched in Aveno lotion. By bedtime, the welts had started to clear up. At this point, I was convinced that the Big Red basketball was the culprit.

What followed was a night of no scratching, no more breakouts, and no more Big Red basketball. We have thrown around the idea of reintroducing the basketball to Macklan just to know for sure, but that seems so cruel. It seems just as cruel to not know if he has a latex allergy. For now, the Big Red basketball remains in the basement and the itchy, BIG RED welts no longer cover my Little Man's body.