(no subject)
I'm back from the hospital!
OK, I've been home for a week, but I haven't been up to posting until now. For those who haven't heard I had a very bad allergic reaction to something August 1st. I believe I know what caused it, the doctors are less certain. Going to bed late Sunday/early Monday morning
loracs put some medication on my butt which usually feels comforting. However this time it immediately started itching. I asked
loracs to wipe it off and as she was rolling me over to do that I started feeling some prickly waves of sensation flashing through my body. Then my tongue, lips and the roof of my mouth started swelling. My nose filled with snot and I could barely breathe. It felt like my mouth was plugged and I had a thin straw to breathe through. I screamed or grunted or whatever you'd call the noises I made. I got out, "Call 911" and then proceeded to concentrate on breathing.
The ambulance came. After an eternity of questions they took to the San Leandro Hospital. In the ambulance, they gave me a shot of Benadryl. I had originally intended on going to Alta Bates but the EMTs overturned my decision because San Leandro Hospital was the closest.
After a short examination the doctor wanted to intubate me. Unfortunately, my mouth didn't give him any access. He said he'd have to do it through my nose and proceeded to try. After pushing it in a bit, he couldn't move it much further he made one hard push I felt my nose crack and it really hurt. He stopped. I managed to tell him to wait a minute because I started feeling like the swelling was going down. I guess the Benadryl finally kicked in because I began breathing easier and I could talk some. They gave me some steroids to help the swelling and although I wasn't exactly back to normal I could breathe relatively freely. That really was the end of the drama. Scariest thing that ever happened to me because it happened so quickly.
They admitted me to the hospital with an order for nothing by mouth gave me fluids by IV. I was kept on steroids and Benadryl. I could still feel some swelling in my tongue and lips but it didn't feel like much. Kind of like I bit my tongue (which I did) and hit myself in the face (which I didn't). By Monday evening I was feeling pretty normal. After dinner of orange Jell-O, juice and milk. I talked them into giving me a regular breakfast Tuesday (I suspect they gave me a lo-cal breakfast, because I was able to eat it all. Scrambled eggs, something they called cream of wheat, cranberry juice and coffee. The hospital gave me a ride back home in an ambulance. After a little rest and computer time,
loracs and I went out to dinner. Hit Walgreen's for my new meds (tapering off the steroids) and came back home. Still feeling a bit shaky, but otherwise normal thanks for all the good wishes from those who knew.
OK, I've been home for a week, but I haven't been up to posting until now. For those who haven't heard I had a very bad allergic reaction to something August 1st. I believe I know what caused it, the doctors are less certain. Going to bed late Sunday/early Monday morning
loracs put some medication on my butt which usually feels comforting. However this time it immediately started itching. I asked
loracs to wipe it off and as she was rolling me over to do that I started feeling some prickly waves of sensation flashing through my body. Then my tongue, lips and the roof of my mouth started swelling. My nose filled with snot and I could barely breathe. It felt like my mouth was plugged and I had a thin straw to breathe through. I screamed or grunted or whatever you'd call the noises I made. I got out, "Call 911" and then proceeded to concentrate on breathing.
The ambulance came. After an eternity of questions they took to the San Leandro Hospital. In the ambulance, they gave me a shot of Benadryl. I had originally intended on going to Alta Bates but the EMTs overturned my decision because San Leandro Hospital was the closest.
After a short examination the doctor wanted to intubate me. Unfortunately, my mouth didn't give him any access. He said he'd have to do it through my nose and proceeded to try. After pushing it in a bit, he couldn't move it much further he made one hard push I felt my nose crack and it really hurt. He stopped. I managed to tell him to wait a minute because I started feeling like the swelling was going down. I guess the Benadryl finally kicked in because I began breathing easier and I could talk some. They gave me some steroids to help the swelling and although I wasn't exactly back to normal I could breathe relatively freely. That really was the end of the drama. Scariest thing that ever happened to me because it happened so quickly.
They admitted me to the hospital with an order for nothing by mouth gave me fluids by IV. I was kept on steroids and Benadryl. I could still feel some swelling in my tongue and lips but it didn't feel like much. Kind of like I bit my tongue (which I did) and hit myself in the face (which I didn't). By Monday evening I was feeling pretty normal. After dinner of orange Jell-O, juice and milk. I talked them into giving me a regular breakfast Tuesday (I suspect they gave me a lo-cal breakfast, because I was able to eat it all. Scrambled eggs, something they called cream of wheat, cranberry juice and coffee. The hospital gave me a ride back home in an ambulance. After a little rest and computer time,
loracs and I went out to dinner. Hit Walgreen's for my new meds (tapering off the steroids) and came back home. Still feeling a bit shaky, but otherwise normal thanks for all the good wishes from those who knew.