When Callum gets a simple cold or virus, he isn't like the rest of us, and able to take it in his stride. Sadly, it literally knocks him for 6, and makes him very very ill and very fast, scarily fast in fact.

Just over a year ago, at 13 months, Callum came into contact with a simple cold, and also a virus. It floored him! He hadn't been himself for a couple of days, and having only gone back to work that very week after maternity leave, I was wary about asking too much of his lovely child-minder. I dropped him off as normal, but by lunch time, our child-minder was calling me to say that he was going downhill fast. I booked an emergency doctors appointment for that afternoon and rushed back to Callum, where I was greeted with the sight of such a severe allergic reaction, it shocked me (and I was hardened to the worst eczema imaginable).

On arrival at the GPs, we were immediately referred on to Paeds A&E, as the 'rash' was spreading so quickly there was a considerable concern it could be a double infection. It was! His guardian angel worked her magic that night!

It turned out Callum had a bacterial infection, a viral infection as well as badly infected eczema! 2 different types of iv antibiotics and saline drip, steroid and emollient cream for 48hrs and he was a different baby!! Then followed 7 days of two other types of antibiotics, cetirizine (a piriton equivalent) and ibuprofen, as well as more steroid creams etc.

This was the one chance I needed to really push for allergy testing, my foot stamping and a consultant who also stamped his foot = Callum finally was booked in for full allergy testing. Halle-flipping-lujah!!