When Animals Attack

We had a bit of a tramatic experience this week and I thought I would blog it to try to get it out of my head.

On Wednesday, Finn and Josette and Lily and I went for an afternoon walk after a day of peach-picking. It was one of those amazing days where everything was going well. We were having a ton of fun. We walked down a private road that we like across the street from us. The neighbors have a bunch of walking trails though the woods so it is a great way to get out and go exploring. The blackberries are ripe right now and Finn loves to pick them as we walk. We let Lily off the leash and we went off the beaten path to explore the woods. Finn was running around and playing with sticks and rocks and a truck that he had brought along. Josette was sleeping in her wrap on my chest and I was seriously drinking in the contentment I felt on the beautiful day. Finn was up a hill about 15 feet from me when he stumbled on a branch. He cried out and I asked him if he was okay. He takes a millions spills a day and always brushes them off so I was surprised that he cried and then he started screaming. My heart dropped and I ran up to him. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. As I approached him, he was covered in what I thought was debris. Then I got right up to him and realized they were yellow jackets! He had obviously disturbed a ground nest. He was just screaming and I panicked. I grabbed his hand and said, "Finn, we have to run." He was amazing. He ran with me out of woods up to the road. I was in a bit of hysterics saying over and over again, "Oh god, we have to get them off of you." I was trying to brush them off, but all the while terrified he was going to go into anaphylatic shock, and also terrified they would start to get Josette. They stung me a few times on my arm and I realized how badly Finn must be hurting as they repeatedly got him. I alternated between having him run home with me and trying stop and swat them off of him. By the time we got to our door, they were all gone. I stripped Finn down and his poor little body was just covered in welts. He was so brave and had already stopped crying. I told him we had to call the doctor and we would call his Dad to come home. I gave him a juice box and he settled down. While we were waiting for the doctor to call back, we read books and Finn was just a trooper. By the time the doctor finally called us back, Sean was home. The doc said we ought to go to the emergency room in case Finn had a delayed reaction due to the number of stings he had.

Sean took Finn to the ER while I stayed home with Josette and worried. Apparently, Finn had a wonderful time at the ER. The nurses oohed and aahed over him and gave him a bear and wiki sticks and coloring books. They gave him a shot of Benadryl and released him when they thought the danger of a delayed reaction was over. When he got home, Finn was very excited to show me his bear and he told me he didn't have bug bites anymore. The next day, he was scratching a bit and I told him we could give him some medicine if he was feeling too itchy and he said, "No, mama, I had a good check up last night and they gave me medicine already." Then, when we were getting ready for our walk, I asked him where he wanted to go, and he suggested the same place where he met up with the wasps. Obviously, he is not too traumatized.

Me, on the other hand...I am a little skittish. I can't get the image out of my head of him covered in wasps and screaming. I hate that he had to experience that. I realize it was a freak accident, but I wish I could have prevented it in some way. I want him to enjoy and explore and love the outdoors, but I want to protect him. The doc at the ER also warned Sean that while he wasn't immediately allergic, the next time he gets stung could lead to an over-reaction now that his immune system has been exposed. It is still a rarity, but that tidbit has not eased my nerves. One thing I am certain of is Finn is by far the bravest little boy.