I was getting ready to blog more about our vacation, until this happened--life. This picture was taken after paramedics had some of the swelling down.
Stafan was at his Aunt Becki's yesterday when she called and said he was stung by a bee. She said he was having trouble breathing, but Mike and I didn't take it too serious. I mean just the day before Stafan was complaining about a little dog scratch from Jeeves (our puppy). But Mike and I headed over to Becki's just to make sure Stafan was OK. We were almost there when we heard an ambulance coming up right behind us. That was when I began to panic! The paramedics arrived about the same time we did. When we went in Stafan's eyes and mouth were swollen. He had hives all over his body. The paramedics asked, "where do you want us to take him?" I told them Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis, and they didn't waste any time. The paramedics scooped Stafan up and threw him in the ambulance. I jumped in the back with them. Once inside the ambulance, the paramedics told me it was affecting Stafan's lungs. They drove 80 miles an hour with their sirens blaring--with two paramedics working on him the entire time. Mike followed in his car. He said several cars didn't bother to get out of the way of the ambulance or even slow down. Anyone who thinks they are in too big a hurry to get out of the way of an ambulance needs to ride in one with their child.
Stafan is doing great now, but he spent the night in the intensive care unit. Needless, to say I'm thanking God he is OK--especially when we were so uneducated about this. When I say I'm thankful to God I mean God, as in the one and only true living God--Jesus Christ.
Now Stafan will always have to have a syringe of epinephrine (an "EpiPen") on hand. The doctor said they usually give one dose of epinephrine, but Stafan had to have two. We also found out that Riley is one of the few hospitals that has allergy desensitization treatments for bee stings. So hopefully someday Stafan (and I) can not have to worry about him getting stung. In the meantime, we'll have EpiPens stashed everywhere.
This is Stafan's Uncle Mike (my sister Becki's husband). He had taken Stafan and his two sons that afternoon to see Captain America. He helps us out a lot. Just earlier this week, he came to the rescue when I locked my keys in my car. 
Well, what can I say--Stafan is all boy. He had been playing hard outside all day. This was still in the emergency room. After we knew Stafan was in the clear, I asked if he could have a shower when he got to his room in the ICU. The nurse told me the rooms in ICU don't have showers. So when they left I started going through drawers. There was a sink in the room, and I found some baby cloth diapers and a little plastic tub. I went to work cleaning him up. He was dirty from head to toe. 
He was moved to his room. Only one parent can stay in ICU, so Mike went home and took a shower and then came back to spend the night. When he came back, he brought Arden with him. I've said many times Mike is a GREAT daddy. He has spent many nights at Riley and slept in the most uncomfortable chair known to man. I'm convinced Riley has those chairs in the room for a reason. They want to give you every incentive to leave. But I couldn't imagine letting Stafan stay there by himself after the scare he just had.
By the next morning Stafan was close to being bright eyed and bushy tailed. 
He got dressed and the nurse was very impressed how much time he spent brushing his teeth. Aahhh... Stafan is such a good boy. : - ) 
On the way home we stopped and ate breakfast. Stafan was on his second (they fed him at the hospital), so he didn't eat much. But Mike and I HAD to have some real coffee..
Back at home. 
I spent most of my summers as a kid barefoot and was constantly getting stung by bees. We obviously got an education on how dangerous bee stings can be. We're learning allergies to everyday items (like peanut butter, latex, etc.) are a lot more common than we realized. The severity of an allergic reaction varies from person to person. There are three types of reactions -- normal, localized, and allergic. Severe allergic reactions are not that common, but they can lead to shock, cardiac arrest, and unconsciousness in ten minutes or less. Allergic reactions can occur within minutes after being exposed to the thing you or your child is allergic to (like a bee sting) and can be fatal. We'll be getting Stafan and the rest of the kids tested to make sure we know what they should avoid.
