Did it again... I hate being the patient!

[StupidBird]

Dang, NurseELB, but that sounds bad - can you try avoiding benadryl the next time and try something else? I know of at least two other people who have bad reactions to it.

How do you think your blood pressure is? Mine crashes during an episode. But 120 is pretty high. I know that mine gets in the 100's with the albuterol, epi and some other stuff. But not that high.

(trying to think what might help at home)

 

[3goodeggs]

My blood pressure crashes too. I have epipens everywhere, and benadryl too.
But I always avoided the pen because if I had to use it, then they may take me off of the shots that make my life livable...Now I must admit, even though I take two shots a week and I have overcome a lot of my fear of needles...I fear the epipen. I wish I hadn't read how painful they are. I sit on the bed and read, re read the epipen instructions waiting for the benadryl to kick in and hope I do not have to use the pen. i haven't had to yet...but You have reminded me to be a lot more careful. Things go well and I get sloppy.
I am glad you are alright. Speedy recovery.

 

[StupidBird]

The epipen, in my own experience, hurts less than the stick for blood glucose sampling. It goes right through jeans into the thigh. I once sat with a death-grip on the injector, holding it above my leg, trying to nerve up to do it or wait it out, when the nurse walked up and said, oh HERE, and just did it...I didn't feel a thing. Maybe I was that close to passing out, but hey. That was my first and NOT the last time.

I did learn a bit of common sense. If I'm waffling on "how bad is it?", I sit in public - Waffle House counter is my favorite - order up a special coffee, explain breifly to the counter help, lay out the meds, and tough it out. Twenty minutes is the window for bad reactions for me. Barring that, I call/text certain family, who know to 911 if I don't continue to check in every few minutes until I give the all clear. I leave a big tip for babysitting me. Never had to do the epipen in the Waffle House yet, so I'm counting on it to bring me luck.

 

[3goodeggs]

That's a good idea, I should go to a neighbors or have someone watch me. I have done the 'hover' with my allergy shots for so long that my husband finally took over giving them to me.
Ever wish you were just normal? But, I don't think there is a 'normal'
100 years ago, I guess we would have just died, so I try to be grateful. At least I am vertical and up doing things.

 

[StupidBird]

Yeah, wish I was normal. I cruised through the kitchen looking for junk food. Nothing I'm allowed to eat classifies as junk food, its all disgustingly healthy. I've lost ten pounds in the last two months since I added the last classification of "BAD" foods. Drat, though, I do feel better. But going out to eat? Ha.
And that's just the food. Way too many airborne problems. Sheesh. So here I sit, through the nasty part of the day = too hot, too smoggy, and too sunny to be outside - chatting online here at BYC. Tonight, or in the morning, I'll go pour my heart out to the hens. They don't complain about my ranting unless I forget the treats.

Oh, yeah, with my track record, I'd not have made it long a hundred years ago.

 

[3goodeggs]

I just did the kitchen cruise! Do you rotate food? That's so hard. It is almost easier to live with out things.
I have dreams of sandwiches- with nice crusty bread....*sigh*
wait, maybe that's a nightmare.

I am always amazed that here on BYC we have so much more in common than Just chickens.

 

[StupidBird]

You have food dreams too? OMG!

I dream of fat, flaky pastries filled with heavy sweet whipped cream. PIZZA (real pizza, not the non gluten non dairy no soy etc, etc. thing I have made). *stops to wipe a tear away*

I have a big garden, lots of blueberries and blackberries right now.

The substitute foods - fake versions of things I can't have - taste disappointing, are gosh darn expensive, and are hard to find. So just eating entirely different seems to be it. I just bought a 20 lb bag of new crop brown rice. yay.
Gotta go, big thunderstorm, gotta unplug.
Good luck!

 

[PineappleMama]

Quote:
Gran always hated them because she packed on weight... one time I had a shot of them (tonsils) I turned into a major witch... but in my defense my throat was only a 1/2" from being sealed off and just to drink water I had to gargle with novacaine... other cheek got antibiotics... so sore throat, sore bum, sore head (sinus) and a starving stomach... add in some of that stuff and there's bound to be problems.

I've very lucky that the allergies I have aren't that big a deal ... red dye -just don't drink Hawaiian Punch- and Nickel... couldn't avoid the C-section staples, but at least the reaction is mild. I cannot even imagine having to deal with that sort of thing, very very glad you're okay and that BP didn't go nutso this time. Though, a good portion of that could be because you understood what was going on and were making a concentrated effort to balance yourself.... amazing.

 

[onedoodle3]

PineappleMama, I have NEVER met anyone else that was allergic to the red dye manufacturers put in drinks. My son was 2 when he had his first reaction. It took the doctor and me 3 years to figure out it was the red dye in the Hawiian Punch and the Kroger brand red soda. The doc refused to send him to an allergist because he was so young. Thankfully, he is 17 now and knows to stay away from red dye. In fact, when I took him to sign his Army enlistment papers, the recruiter asked for his allergies and I had totally forgotten! My son spoke up and said "red dye". I was so proud of him.

I feel for everyone on here that has allergies. Thankfully the only thing I'm allergic to is poison ivy (covered in it now) and Imitrex.

NurseELB, I don't take your post as whining. I hope you get to feeling better soon.

 

[PineappleMama]

The worst that happens with the dye is I hurl... not fun, but not fatal.

Unfortunately it took a LOT of hurling before I figured it out... I was 12 or so... I ate some red strawberry gummy candy and got sick as a dog and then it finally hit... DUH... years of red koolaid (and spinach gah)... oh, and bonus points that mom thought I was faking so when I hurled in the sink doing dishes I just had to start over and wash them all again... you try hurling while standing on a chair and trying not to hit any of the dishes you just washed at the ripe old age of seven... sucked rocks... so glad when I figured it out, easy enough to avoid... but to this day my mom still offers me Hawaiian Punch.

The metal allergies run in the family though... everyone is allergic to nickel... Memaw had to put clear nail polish on her medical ID bracelet so she could wear the darned thing... rash is the worst of that... unless it's in a piercing... that can be bad... but we know it and avoid it... so far DD hasn't had a problem with hers YAY!

The other is Evergreens.... it wasn't until my In Laws had a fake tree at Christmas that I realized it was the stupid tree that was making me sick... that year I didn't have trouble breathing... didn't clog up... I always blamed it on her pets, but fake tree and NADA with cats and dogs galore... finally explained why every trip to Arkansas I'd get UBERsick... one time I came home with tonsils swollen to golf ball size (1/2" from sealing off throat), sinus infection, Upper Resp. Infection, and infections in both ears. No one else had been sick at all, no strep, just allergic reaction... now I think DUHHH, but at the time I was baffled. Now I know to take bookoo allergy drugs and use them and I'm fine but for years it was WEIRD.

Oh, and goo... whole family has issues with bandaids... the glue turns us red in that spot... no big, but when a sore spot itches it can drive you mad. DS definitely has that one as when he had an EKG he had perfect pink squares in all the spots those things were placed. But again, not a huge thing at all.

My brother (half by dad technically) is/was allergic to EVERYTHING... they did the scratch test on his back and it was a pink and white checkerboard... he had shots into adulthood, but now no worries, though he still avoids many foods just in case.

Got one cousin who just a plain ant bit will swell up like I do with a bee sting... weird... but no other allergies.
His brother is VERY allergic to latex... no one else in the entire family is.

It's really weird to see what allergy hits who... but I feel most for the kids allergic to things like wheat, nuts, eggs, etc. To have to live with that kind of burden so young... and those things are EVERYWHERE so it's hard to avoid... it's a really good thing that so many products take into account those allergies... there's gluton free this and lactose free that... and there are notices on things saying what's in them, and what else that plant processes so people at least have a chance at avoiding them... but before, good grief I wonder how many suffered and/or died because they didn't know that hot fudge had coconut oil in it?!?!?

Whoa... that went on a bit... sorry!