My poor boy’s hug horror
A simple cuddle could have blinded my boy…
Even just a few minutes felt like hours when I was away from my gorgeous boy.
But, although I was a busy mum, I always made time for myself, too.
So, this June, I’d booked myself in for a treat – highlights.
Just before I left the house, I turned to say goodbye to my 2-year-old son Oliver.
‘See you soon!’ I cooed to my boy. ‘Mummy won’t be long.’
My friend Gail had kindly offered to watch Oliver for a couple of hours.
At 3pm, thrilled with my blonde streaks, I went to pick up my son Jacob, 7, from school.
Gail met me there with little Oliver.
‘Nice hairdo!’ she told me, smiling..
‘Thanks!’ I beamed, scooping Oliver up for a big cuddle.
Bless him, within minutes, Oliver had fallen fast asleep on my shoulder.
But back home, and wide awake again, I noticed that Oliver kept rubbing his eyes. What seemed like just seconds later, his eyes were swollen and red raw. ‘It looks painful,’ I fretted to my husband Michael, 34. Oliver had recently suffered from a bout of hay fever, so I just assumed it was that. ‘I’ll take him to the chemist’s to see what they think,’ I told Michael.
But, before I’d had the chance to do that, I noticed that my poor boy’s face had ballooned, until his eyes were tiny slits.
‘Mummy, I can’t see!’ Oliver cried.
He was in terrible pain and it just kept getting worse by the minute.
‘I’m taking him to the hospital,’ I said, panicking.
Leaving Michael with Jacob, I drove straight to A&E.
By the time we’d got to James Cook University Hospital, little Oliver was screaming in agony and his eyes were the size of golf balls.
‘His eyes just started swelling,’ I frantically explained to the doctor.
‘This isn’t hay fever,’ he told me, as he examined my lad.
The doctor suspected that Oliver was having an allergic reaction to something.
But what?
I racked my brain… He hadn’t eaten or drunk anything different all day.
Unlessé
‘Could it be my hair dye?’ I asked, the penny dropping. I explained how Oliver had fallen asleep with his head on my shoulder, faced buried in my hair. ‘It was shortly after I’d had highlights and oil products put into my hair,’ I told the doctor, feeling awful. The doc wasn’t able to say for certain,
My son’s face had ballooned until his eyes were tiny slits
but he suspected that it was a severe allergic reaction to the dye or other products used.
‘All this for a new do!’ I cried, absolutely distraught. I felt numb. ‘It’s not your fault,’ Michael said when I called home.
‘You couldn’t have known that Oliver was going to react so badly...you never have.’ True. Still, I felt awful that my new barnet had made my boy so ill.
Kept in for monitoring, Oliver was given antihistamines to help calm the inflammation.
As I gently stroked his face, I watched him like an eagle to see if the antihistamines had any effect on the swelling.
When they didn’t, my boy was then given some steroid medication.
Thankfully, not too long afterwards, the swelling began to reduce.
But now, poor Oliver’s eyes looked like jelly in their sockets!
‘That’s normal after the swelling,’ the doctor said. ‘He’ll be absolutely fine.’
And, five hours later, Oliver was discharged. The following morning, though his eyes were still a little bit puffy, my precious boy was otherwise fine.
Returning to hospital to see an eye specialist, Oliver was given a twoweek steroid prescription plus some eye drops. Thankfully, after a few days, his eyes had returned to normal.
‘You’re my brave boy!’ I said to Oliver.
I’m just so relieved his vision wasn’t permanently affected. I’d never have forgiven myself. I don’t blame the salon. Though what happened, to Oliver is very rare, I want to warn other parents about the possible risks of hair dye on young children.
After all, a simple hug could have blinded my boy.
I’ll be much more careful about who I cuddle after I have my hair done in future!
I’m so relieved that his vision wasn’t permanently affected