The dreaded Peanut Allergy

While working in the daycare I've come to know quite a few kids with the peanut allergy. Enough to know that it's horrible. They add peanut oil or some other peanut product to almost everything. That being said, my poor Caitigirl is now a statistic :o( She has had peanut butter before, so I'm not really sure why she didn't react then, but on Tuesday night I gave her a peanut butter sandwhich for dinner and she had a severe reaction. She didn't even eat a bite of the sandwhich (thank god!) but everywhere it had touched blew up with pinpoint welts. She had them covering her hands, which swelled to almost twice their normal size, and all under her eyes from where she had rubbed. By the time I got her to the Urgent Care office right down the street, a matter of three minutes, her entire body was bright red and she looked as if she had been covered in steam burns. I felt awful! Two minutes after administering a dose of Benadryl she looked as if nothing had even happened. I did have to go pick up an Epi Pen at the pharmacy though, and lets all pray that I NEVER have to use it. Two days after this allergic reaction her body ended up covered in patches again. I could't for the life of me figure it out. She hadn't been exposed to anything else with peanuts in it and I hadn't changed any soaps or detergents. I called the pediatrician and found out that what she was experiencing was severe excema that was yet another reaction to the peanut exposure. My poor, poor babygirl :o( I feel so bad for her. I also feel bad for my poor bank account which just recieved three doctors visits within ten days, a $55 hit for steroids to get rid of the excema fast and treat future breakouts, $60 for an Epi Pen, $12 for a bottle of extra hydrating Cetaphil lotion and $8 for a bottle of extra hydrating Dove body soap. Ouch! This is one expensive baby!