I woke up to my 16 year old daughter, Bella, say "Mom, something is wrong with me, I have hives all over my body." I thought surely she is exaggerating, she's a teenager, drama is what they do.  So, I wiped the sleep out of my eyes to see that she is actually underestimating the situation. There was a red, lumpy, raised rash that started small but was literally crawling up her body, eventually working it's way up to her eyelids.

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This was exactly what we needed after getting pummeled by Ida and recovering from a car accident...it was as if someone was like, you know what this family is missing right now? A health issue! I took another look at her back and her arms and she was not kidding...it was off to the ER.

This was spreading quickly and I had no idea what it was...they were like humongous bug bites but they were spreading right before my eyes. They started on her knees and then worked their way up to her thighs and then her hands and feet started to double in size.  At one point she could not bend her fingers.   My mind was racing....she is not allergic to anything that I know of...did she develop a peanut allergy?  Does she have that Kawasaki Disease because of COVID? Did she get exposed to some chemical they used to prevent mold in our home after our Ida destruction?  I was getting panicked as moms do...

Bella's rash growing fast
Bella's rash growing fast...this was the beginning stage on leg
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Shannon's daughter Bella having allergic reaction
Shannon's daughter Bella having allergic reaction on shoulder
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Shannon's daughter Bella's allergic reaction on back
Shannon's daughter Bella's allergic reaction on back
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Shannon's daughter Bella's allergic reaction on second leg
Shannon's daughter Bella's allergic reaction on second leg
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Next her eyelids started to puff up a bit. Her breathing was clear and her tongue was not swollen but I was worried that would be next so I got her to the doctor in record time.

What was this? Were other kids in town getting it? The doctor ended up giving her 5 days of steroids, Zyrtec for the morning and Benadryl for at night. We went over what she ate and what she did and could not come up with anything until I asked her the key question...

"Bella what products have you been using...anything new?" She says, "Well only the new shampoo in your shower. I used that last night."

I have no new shampoo in my shower. I asked her to describe the bottle and I knew what caused this. She described the dog shampoo bottle for Fozzie, our golden doodle puppy.  My daughter washed her entire head of hair and her body in an anti-matting shampoo formula made for horses and dogs who are prone to matted fur, a kind of industrial strength anti matting product.  As it turns out we don't recommend it for 16 year old girls (although she did say that her hair was surprisingly tangle-free).  Yep, the culprit, medicated dog shampoo.  Maybe I need to get this kid glasses?

I mean seriously...someone upstairs is just having fun with us right now and watching the show.  Let this be a public service announcement, don't use animal products on yourself.

UPDATE:  The steroid is working like magic...the reaction basically gone and now she can see out of those swollen peepers.

PRO TIP:  Keep the dog shampoo in a cabinet, not the shower and label it DOG. LOL...

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