Emergency, too

As pretty much everyone that follows this blog already knows, I went to the ER again on Sunday.  It was for the same reason as my last two times: a sever allergic reaction to an unknown allergen.  What was different about this time was how quickly I recognized what was happening and what I did about it.  I had just finished a late lunch when my tongue felt funny in a familiar way.  I got up from where I was sitting, walked to the bathroom and took a very fast shower - I thought that maybe I was reacting to something topical and a shower would help.  It didn't help, but I don't think it made things worse at all.  Next, I got online and looked up directions to the hospital.  That's right, I drove myself.  After I had written down the directions, I took a Benedryl and got in the car.

By the time I made it to the Hospital, most of my torso was covered in welts and my face was red, but my hands and feet were barely starting to turn pink.  Also, I wasn't having an anxiety attack this time, probably because it was all a familiar process at this point.  Because I suffered from panic attacks the last two times, I had attributed my elevated heart-rate to the stress, not the allergic reaction.  It turns out, at least this time, that my heart-rate was slightly elevated, but nothing to be worried about (according to one of the nurses).

Same as before, I got there, told them what was going on, and they saw me right away.  This time, however, I didn't get an actual bed.  Maybe it was my overly-calm demeanor, along with the high-volume of patients, but all I got was a chair.  This was annoying because they injected me with more Benedryl (along with a steroid to reduce the swelling and an anti-acid agent to help counteract the side-effects of the steroid) which made me pass out.  I was expecting this.

When I woke up, I had to wait another two hours before I could be released.  I had to be seen by a doctor who gave me a once-over and let me go.  All told, I was there a little over four-and-a-half hours.  It certainly could be worse.  At least I was able to drive there and home on my own.

And, once again, I'm curious as to what caused the reaction.  All three times have happened after a meal, but each time it was a different meal.  I don't alter what I eat from day to day very often, so why do I sometimes react after eating, but not others?  The next step is an EEG this Friday, then I meet with my regular doctor again to go over some blood test results, as well as the results of the EEG, and then I'll see an allergist.  The sooner that happens the better, because I'm annoyed that a trip to the hospital has started to become mundane.