Partying Too Hard With AD

My daughter, Tamia, has a little cousin who is very close in age to her. They are four days apart. In April, Tamia and her (slightly) younger cousin both celebrated their first birthdays. Their first birthday celebrations were so special to us as their mothers. It is a celebration of their first year of life and all that they have accomplished. I was so excited for Mia's party. She had an indoor celebration at a recreation center and it was a wonderful experience for all involved, aside from it being indoor rather than outdoor which I know she would have loved.

A fun celebration

When her cousin's birthday celebration day came the following week I was very excited for her to celebrate her cousin's birthday and for her to get time with her out-of-state cousins, aunts, and uncles. I was also excited that my adventurous fun loving baby would get to enjoy the outdoor experiences she adores so much because her cousin was having outdoor events including a jumpy house for the children.

Party surprises

On the day of the party, we arrived to find that the whole party was to take place outside rather than just a couple of events, as we had originally thought.

Excitement for the outdoors

Tamia's little eyes lit up with excitement when she saw her little cousin. Her excitement escalated when she saw all the outdoor activities and fun to be had. She was so excited she let go of my hand and ran to the yard where her cousin was and started yelling her happiest baby babble.

Party activities

They ran together and played in from the backyard to the front. They danced, they did all the different activities that the party had to offer. They attempted to jump in the jumpy house then came back out and played in the yard some more. By the time they were done playing they were both as exhausted and sweaty as if they had worked a full-time job.

Trigger consequences

Needless to say, they both were unusually eager to go to bed and they slept particularly well that night. But the next morning, my poor baby was anything but eager or comfortable.  All her partying in the heat and grass on that beautiful but hot April day resulted in a terrible atopic dermatitis flare up. Her legs, back, and arms were all so irritated and itchy that I had to hold her for most of the day to keep her from scratching. The crevices of the inside of her joints were even more flared and discolored than her arms, legs, and back.

Changing plans

Our trip plans came to an abrupt end as all the outdoor activities including her first zoo trip and her first walk on the bridge downtown were postponed. The rest of our trip and family time were spent indoors.

One day of fun, weeks of irritation

Staying inside to prevent her exposure to grass and heat coupled with the hydrocortisone helped her itching and physical irritation tremendously in a matter of days. However, the flare-up did not clear up for several weeks.

One day of partying ended up causing her weeks of irritation and discomfort.