Tyler's update...

Forgive me if this is rambling and nonsensical. No one around here (except Jason) has really gotten much of any sleep in the past 50+ hours.

After Tyler's trip to urgent care, we proceeded to use his cream and give him Benedryl as prescribed. However, he just continued to worsen. He had a long and horrible night and by the time he woke up (after maybe 2 hours of broken sleep) he was covered in grapefruit sized welts and his hands and eyes were starting to swell. At this point we put him in the car and took off for the ER. He was taken immediately to triage and brought to a room, but then we proceeded to sit waiting for a doctor for over an hour. Finally his hands started to swell so much that it was cutting off circulation where his hospital bracelet had been placed. At that point Al went to ask for scissors to cut off his bracelet as well as a blanket since Tyler had started shivering. A nurse came in immediately and paged a doctor. He had spiked a fever and his swelling has spread drastically in just that short time, so they gave him a large dose of a steroid, Benedryl, and Tylenol. Then Tyler FINALLY fell asleep. He was thrashing about in his sleep and was combative when touched, but they said it was normal. We had to wait a long time to see if the medicine would work, which they finally determined it had been beneficial. We were discharged after close to 5 hours in the ER.

Yesterday he continued to be uncomfortable throughout the evening, but it seemed as if the rash was clearing up a bit. Here are some pictures AFTER improvement (the worst was his thighs, but he wouldn't let me get a picture of that).
Unfortunately then the swelling (from the steroids) started. He kept asking why I made the floors slippery. I guess he had no other way to describe the swollen feeling he felt when he walked, and he limped when he tried to walk. He could barely close his hands. His face looked like it has ballooned. He had another horrible night (even worse than the first) in which we don't' think he really ever truly slept. IF he did sleep, he was sleep talking almost the whole time. Regardless he wasn't coherent and was talking about non-sense, wasn't aware of his surroundings, and would go back and forth between a combative angry state and almost like a manic happiness. It was actually quite disturbing and we contemplated numerous times bringing him back to the ER. However we knew he was breathing okay and they wanted us to follow up today with the pediatrician so we waited.

The pediatrician is in total agreement about the diagnosis. Unfortunately all the side effects (mood disturbances, sleep talking, insomnia, and swelling) are completely "normal" for steroid use, so we just have to let it ride it's course. We have to push fluids and if he doesn't pee by 5:00pm we will be back off to the ER. Wish us luck (and hopefully eventually some sleep).