Most people know their allergy triggers and how to avoid them. I know some of my triggers and do my best to avoid them. The problem is that I don't know many of my triggers. It can be something as simple as a smell, or a food that I've safely eaten many times before. That's where the Idiopathic part of my condition comes into play. Idiopathic means unknown. I never know when I will react to something. As I type this now, I'm having trouble swallowing and had to get up and take Benadryl. Ugh.
Friday night was a scary night. I babysat that night and everything was fine and normal. I was driving home around 10pm when I felt it. That horrible throat feeling. I'd hoped it was just a tickle in my throat, but after a minute or so it hadn't gone away. I have no idea what caused this reaction. I had not eaten anything in hours. My windows and sunroof were closed. Maybe some pollen got through the air vents. Who knows?!? I was at a red light a few miles from my house. I quickly got my Benadryl and didn't even bother to measure it. I took the Benadryl and decided to call my mom and let her know that I was having trouble swallowing.
The scariest part of anaphylaxis is that my throat could completely close at any second. I talked to my mom the rest of the way home. I was coughing (another symptom) and still had trouble swallowing. I put ice on my throat and took my regular nighttime meds. It took a while for it to get better. All the while I'm trying to stay calm and not think about having to use my epipens. Thankfully, my throat did get better. I stayed up for a long time waiting for my swallowing to return to normal. Houdini was being a good watch cat and stayed by my side while I was going to sleep. It's amazing how animals can sense trouble and be of comfort.
I tend to have what I refer to as an "anaphylactic hangover" after an attack. I'm super reacty and sensitive to everything. I'm on pins and needles waiting for the next attack.
In other news, I'm still on the Elimination Diet. Apparently when you reintroduce a food, you then have to go back to the rice, etc to see if you react. So far, I've learned to avoid onions. I'm still trying to figure out some more triggers. I'm ok with dairy. And today I tested eggs. Still need to try wheat and soy. I may or may not have reactions to these and may not react one time and then the next time react. My grocery cart is filled with rice, rice Chex, and rice milk. I never knew they made so much stuff with rice. I'm waiting for the day when the Elimination Diet is over and I can eat Mexican food again!!
Comments
Post a Comment