Modern medicine and so much more

 I am feeling especially grateful this weekend for the people in my life and some lucky circumstances that happened yesterday.  

It was a normal Saturday: Mom and I vaccinated in the morning and I explained anaphylaxis to people and we gave many COVID vaccines.  We came home and had lunch - brats and pesto pasta and vegetables and decided to put the kids down for a nap at Mom and Dad's before heading back into Bloomington.  I told Mom all day that I really wanted to go on a run, so I let my lunch digest a bit - helped put the kids down for naps, did the dishes, separated the seeds that Dad and I got at the plant store that morning and got dressed to go on a run.  It was a beautiful afternoon for a run and I told Mom that I was leaving my phone at home so I could unplug for a bit.

I decided to run up to the neighbor's who lives 2 miles away to see Dad and Randal who were working with his Woodmizer that Randal was going to purchase.  I would say hi, snap a picture of the happy owners, and run home for a nice 4 mile run.  About .25 miles aways from the neighbor's, my ears started itching, which was weird.  As soon as I stopped at Dave's, I started itching all over and could see little hives popping up on my hands.  I talked to the boys and felt it getting worse.  Knowing that I didn't have my phone, I asked Dad for a ride home.  I am SO glad that I did.

Dad toodled on home in his truck, talking about the Woodmizer while I could feel my face start to swell and blood pound in my ears.  I kept thinking that Dad might notice, but he didn't, until we got home and I turned around to look at him and he said, "Make sure your Mom's awake.  You'll make sure she's awake, right?"  And if Dad noticed, then I knew I was starting to look bad.

I went inside and told Mom that I was going to get some Benadryl because I was having a reaction to something.  She looked at me and went to get the Benadryl and the EpiPen.  She saw that it expired in 2014 and asked if I wanted to go to the ER.  I said no, that I thought that the Benadryl would kick in and I'd be fine.  It's a 30-minute drive and the kids were napping and it seemed very dramatic to go to the ER.

But, all of a sudden, I saw purple fireworks and my vision got weird and I had to sit down.  And I said, I think we should go to the ER.  So, we quickly walked to the car, leaving the kids, and Mom called Randal to tell him to come home now.

I think that the gravity of the situation really struck hold as Mom barreled down the gravel road and I felt my tongue starting to swell.  We both had some dark thoughts about what could happen on this drive, but we both pushed them down, because it wasn't helpful to the situation at hand.  When my speech became more impaired, I called Mackenzie who was fortunately working that day (she's a hospitalist) and whose husband, Ivan, is an ER doc.  I told her what was going on and she asked to see a picture of what I looked like.  I sent her a picture of my swollen, very red face and one where I stuck my tongue out.  I had told her that we had an expired EpiPen whose liquid was discolored (the label says not to use it if it's discolored), but weren't sure if it was safe to use.  I wasn't having trouble breathing, but I was having trouble swallowing.

I quickly got a response that said, "Use the EpiPen."  I'm so glad that I did and that Mom kept that expired EpiPen.  It didn't work quickly, but by the time we got to the ER, I felt that nothing was getting worse.  And we were at the hospital and so those dark thoughts that Mom and I had had were not going to occur.

Mackenzie was waiting for me at the doors and I was rushed back into a room where I very speedily got IV steroids, pepcid, and other epi injection.  That was a rush and I spent the next 20 minutes violently shivering in bed while the meds did the work.

It ended up being a lovely hospital visit.  Mackenzie was done with her shift and we all got chai lattes and chatted for the next hour or so while I was under observation.  I heard several times, "you look SO much better."  Mom and I shared several laughs after the tension was over and were just so grateful for so many serendipitous things that happened.  Randal observed that the Woodmizer saved my life!  If they hadn't been there, what would have happened?!

Unfortunately, I don't really know what I'm allergic too, so I will have to carry an EpiPen with me all of the time now.  But, there are worse things.

One thing I do know is that I am so full of love for Mom and Dad and Milo and Marian and especially, most especially, Randal.  The thought of him kept me present in that drive.

So, today I am grateful for modern medicine and my family and my children and my husband.  And I am a lucky, lucky girl.