Anaphylaxis kills around 200 people in the United States a year, and I am lucky to say that I lived to tell the tale.
Anaphylaxis: a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death.
Symptoms: an itchy rash, throat or tongue swelling, shortness of breath, vomiting, lightheadedness, and low blood pressure.
An anaphylactic reaction can develop over a couple minutes or a couple hours.
Most people ask me, "Doesn't that suck? Not being able to have anything?"
I think to myself, not really, no, I live.
I live with a deadly milk protein and egg white allergy. My parents could not find this out until I was 15-months old, in 1999. My pediatrician kept telling my parents to try different types of Milk, 1%, 2%, Whole, Skim, the works. My allergy was so bad, I was even allergic to the milk my mother produced.
After finding out my terrible allergy, my parents did and have done everything in their power for me to get the proper nutrition that I've needed.
When I started elementary school, I had to have a special lunch and that continued through middle school and to the beginning of high school, and then they just assumed that I could have what I could have and didn't bother making me a school lunch unless I went to them and asked.
In eighth grade, the lunch ladies forgot to make me a special meal that day and asked me if I'd like to try something new. I said, sure, because it was foreign but looked pretty tasty. They gave me what I would have, which that day was some pasta with tomato sauce or marinara or something on it.
Turns out, there was TONS of mozzarella cheese in the pasta.
That day changed my life.
I went on my way, and ate my food. When I came back from lunch, I felt fine, and I was in band class, which was my favorite class, because I got to play my Bass Clarinet.
It wasn't an hour later, I started having heartburn, which I hardly ever had. It wasn't until this day that I associate heartburn with me eating something I couldn't have.
My director sent me to the nurse's office, where she said I was fine, and to go back to class, with a mint.
Soon, the heartburn went away, which was great.
But really, this is where I can't believe I'm alive.
I was in P.E. class next, I had dressed out and put my tennis shoes on and went to class. We were outside running that day and it was a warm day at the end of September.
After running, I felt my face to wipe my sweat, and there were hives all down the side. And after that, I also noticed, I couldn't hardly breathe.
After noticing the hives, I immediately went to my P.E. teacher and asked if I could go to the nurse because I was having problems breathing.
After getting to the nurse's office, she immediately sat me down and gave me water because I kept asking for it because my throat hurt so bad.. and she gave me some and told me I couldn't have any more.. and called my mom.
My mom was a nervous wreck. She came and held me and said I'm calling the doctor's office across the street.
This was after the nurse gave me some liquid benadryl.. 10/10 do not recommend, it is the nastiest thing I have EVER tasted. But it might have just saved my life. I threw up 3 times profusely and felt about 4 times better, even though I was still getting more and more swollen.
My mother took me to the doctor's office across the street and the doctor took one look at me and called an ambulance.
And this next part might be weird for a few of you, I apologize.
I went to the bathroom because I had a terrible feeling in my stomach that I needed to have a bowel movement.. after sitting on the toilet for 5 minutes, nothing would come, so my mom told me to get up and go back in the room, because the ambulance would be there any minute.
This whole time, I was taking gasps for breaths...
The ambulance got there, and they came in the room and used a blanket to lift me on the gurney.. and take me to the hospital.
On the way, a paramedic tried to get blood from an IV.. he got about 3 tubes and was trying for a fourth, but couldn't because I was so swollen.
I got to the local hospital and the doctor was somehow convinced that this was because of a drug overdose.. because my body was beat red, and I was breathing with oxygen at this point.
After getting a blood gas test, stuck by a Respiratory Therapist, twice, they finally believed that it was from food.
After this, I got a shot in the leg of epinephrine, which is the main ingredient in an, you guessed it, an Epi-Pen.. and probably 30 minutes later, I was a lot better, taken off oxygen, and was prescribed medical steroids.
After this, I realized, I almost died.
Death was lurking next to me, and after that, I've been a lot more cautious, even more than what I was..
I survived anaphylaxis.
