Church and Allergies

I know I blogged about last year's Mother Day experience in the ER with Bee.  (Pineapple is not our friend).  But this year, we continued the Mother's Day tradition with another reaction.  Although, thankfully this one was much smaller and did not result in an ER visit.

It's Mother's Day and Baby Dedication to boot.  We have ourselves and 4 small children dressed and to church-on time!  We sit in our usual pew-don't all churchgoing families seem to have a  "regular pew "?  Halfway through the songs, Bee is starting to look rashy on her face.  She's getting antsy and flopping all over the pew.  Hubby and I exchange the ever-familiar "what are we going to do" look.  Do we stay?  Do we leave?  Do we give her Benadryl?

We settle on some Benadryl cream for her face.  We make it through Baby Dedication with a very calm baby Ladybug but a very fussy Bee.  Her face is looking red, swollen, and blotchy.  I'm sure the pictures were great, actually I'm not even sure we have any pictures....After we return to our seats I take Bee to wash her hands and then out to our car where we keep jammies!  Jammies with feet are our best friend.  When I don't want things to touch her skin we wear jammies.  I'm sure Bee is the only toddler who comes to church in jammies.

Throughout the service Bee is becoming more itchy and even more cranky.  As soon as that service-ending prayer begins, we are packed up and sneaking out of our pew.  It's home and a bath for Bee with lots of lotion to calm her skin.

Ok, so her breakouts were on her face and on her legs.  The culprit-the pew.  Bee was dressed so adorably in a dress, leaving her legs exposed to the pew.  She was also sitting turned around facing the couple behind us as she was playing peek-a-boo with them.  Therefore, her face was rubbing against the back of the pew.  Her legs and arms were rashy but her face was especially red.

So, what was on that pew?  Was it the solution used when cleaning the pews and the sanctuary?  Was it the perfume from a person who sat on the pew previously?  Was it pet hair from another church goer?  Was it donut slime from the donuts in the foyer?  Was it a spilled sippy cup or bottle?  Was it a snack food or even the bread from the Lord's Supper ground into the fabric of the pew?

I don't know and I probably never will.  That's the frustrating thing.  Bee can break out for reasons that I will never know.  How can I possibly keep her safe when whatever she touches seems to break her out?  These are the days I want to lock the door, stay home, and never leave.  I hate to see her miserable and I hate to have our lives limited by where we can go and what we can do.  Does it ever get easier?  Or will I always have this nagging fear and frustration that we won't always be safe?