I know what sent me to the Emergency Room four separate times last year! I'm allergic to NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) - just as I suspected!
On Sunday night, I felt like I was experiencing a low-grade fever, in the form of some minor body ache located in my neck. Since my allergist had assured me that I was not allergic to NSAIDs, I took a normal dose. Within about forty minutes or so, my first hive appeared. Aha! The standard reaction I experienced that sent me to the ER four separate times - this time with a clear cause! I immediately took some Benedryl and waited for it to kick in.
After about fifteen minutes, my symptoms were slowly worsening. I called my parents to explain what was happening and get some advice. They asked a lot of questions, but in the end, we decided that the Benedryl hadn't kicked in yet and that I should be patient. We said a prayer together and said goodnight.
I called them back twenty minutes later, expressing concern over a new symptom: swollen armpits. Now if you'll recall from my previous experiences, my hands and/or tongue would swell up slightly, but never my armpits. My dad looked up what that could be online and suggested that it may have to do with my lymph nodes. I told them that I thought that I may have had a low-grade fever earlier that evening (prompting me to take naproxen sodium, my NSAID of choice), so maybe I had some sort of infection that my immune system couldn't take care of at the moment. We decided that the best course of action for the time being would be to take some more Benedryl and try to get some sleep. I was out of the drug, so I had to got to the only store still open that I knew would have it: Wal-Mart. I bought liquid Children's Benedryl so that it could enter my system even faster. Less then ten minutes after taking it, my redness was going down. I soon passed out, relieved.
The next morning, my armpits were no longer swollen, but they were very sore (as was my neck and groin, locations of other lymph node clusters). I called out of work and went to an urgent care center. I was checked out pretty thoroughly, but the doctor didn't prescribe anything. He ordered some blood work and sent me on my way. I'll find out the results next week. I ended up staying home from work again yesterday, but the soreness finally went away in the afternoon, so I'll be back in the office today.
As for my negative NSAID test from before, I'm not sure what happened. The best I can guess is that the steroids I received at the ER were still in my system, keeping me from reacting. Maybe there's some other variable that I'm not seeing, but as far as I'm concerned, I am allergic to naproxen sodium, ibuprofen, and aspirin. That means that acetaminophen is my only over-the-counter pain-reliever option.
As frustrating as all of this is, I'm happy to finally have a firm answer. I can finally say that the Case of the Unknown Allergen is closed.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Monday, August 11, 2014
Linger Longer
Yesterday after church, the Ward hosted a "Linger Longer," a small get-together designed to help the members socialize and get to know each other better. To help prepare, we were asked to bring either a plate of finger foods or a dessert. As you may have guessed, there were more sweets than anything else. I was a bit nervous that bringing brownies would be too boring, but by the time I made it to the food tables, all of my brownies were gone, so clearly I made the right decision.
While I was lingering, I had one sister come up to me and thank me for the work that I had done to help her with her resume a few weeks ago. I told her that thanks were not necessary, but I was still happy that my efforts were appreciated. Soon after we ended our conversation, another sister in the ward approached me and asked if I would help her daughter with her resume. Of course, I said that I would help and she enthusiastically thanked me, promising to email me the document soon.
My only complaint about the event is that while I was standing in line for food, the kid behind me (I'd guess around nine or ten years old) stood way too close and kept bumping into me. As someone who gets anxious when people violate my personal space, I was more than a little uncomfortable. However, since this was one of those situations that just can't be helped, I just ignored it.
Overall, it was fun to get a chance to see the other members of the ward in a more casual setting.
While I was lingering, I had one sister come up to me and thank me for the work that I had done to help her with her resume a few weeks ago. I told her that thanks were not necessary, but I was still happy that my efforts were appreciated. Soon after we ended our conversation, another sister in the ward approached me and asked if I would help her daughter with her resume. Of course, I said that I would help and she enthusiastically thanked me, promising to email me the document soon.
My only complaint about the event is that while I was standing in line for food, the kid behind me (I'd guess around nine or ten years old) stood way too close and kept bumping into me. As someone who gets anxious when people violate my personal space, I was more than a little uncomfortable. However, since this was one of those situations that just can't be helped, I just ignored it.
Overall, it was fun to get a chance to see the other members of the ward in a more casual setting.
Friday, August 8, 2014
Asking the Right Questions
Samuel has been working part-time as a dishwasher ever since he got his work visa. He is qualified for better work, but he hasn't had any luck find something else within walking distance, so he's still a dishwasher. Since starting work there, he's complained about how the managers haven't paid him all of his wages yet. I told him that he would need to review his pay stub before he complained to anyone, to make sure that he had a claim to make, but I encouraged him to confront the managers to make sure that he gets paid everything he's earned.
As it turns out, Samuel didn't understand how earning an hourly wage works. He's explained to me that in his homeland, everyone is paid a salary. When you start work, they tell you how much you'll make each week and cut you a check for that amount. I thought I had explained the basics to him (and how for a labor-intensive job like washing dishes, earning a wage is actually better than a salary), but I apparently was still making some assumptions about what he knew. The idea that he wouldn't get paid for his thirty minute break was brand new to him and one of the reasons that he kept complaining that "they don't pay me!" The bigger issue, however, was that he didn't understand the delay between a pay period ending and actually being paid. Once I saw that missing piece it was easy to explain that every business needs time to process the hours worked and take out the right amount of taxes. He saw that hours were missing from his paycheck and couldn't understand why he was being told that they would carry over to the next check. He simply saw it as an excuse to not pay him.
Living with someone from a foreign country has been an interesting exercise in communication. I can't use idioms and I try to cut down on using slang (though, like a true Californian, I never stop saying "dude"). On top of that, I just learned that when I think I've explained something thoroughly, I may have left out some vital piece of information. Even so, I have it easy: Samuel has an even tougher time recognizing when he misunderstands a situation, so I do my best to help out where I can.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Good Timing
Most of the time when I bake something, it's for a specific person or event; however, every now and again I spend some time in the kitchen just because I feel like it. On Monday, I decided that I wanted to try out a recipe that I had Frankenstein'd together because it sounded like fun. I was thinking of summer flavors and decided that I wanted to try my hand at what I'm calling "S'more Pie" - graham cracker crust, chocolate custard filling, and toasted marshmallow topping. When I was finished, I thought it looked pretty good, but it was too late for me to sample so I put it in the fridge for the next day.
The next day, I got an email in the morning from my Elder's Quorum President, Mark, about a surprise move that evening. We were already planning on meeting up for an unrelated manner, so the move simply pushed our meeting back a bit. I checked my email on my lunch and found another email from him saying that since it was his and his wife's 30th wedding anniversary, he wasn't sure if we would still be meeting after all. I wrote back and told him that we would meet later and that he should spend the evening with his wife; I would simply swing by for a document that I needed for the project that we're working on.
That's when inspiration struck: When I stop by to pick up the document, I should give them the S'more pie. So, after a brief stop at home, I went by Mark's place for the pick up and surprised them with the pie. And surprised they were! Considering that I didn't know that it was their anniversary, I'd say that the timing couldn't have been better. Mark told me that the combination of the pie and me accepting the assignment to help with the move so that he could stay with his wife were probably the best anniversary gifts he had received this year.
Inspiration can sometimes be so subtle that we don't realize that it's inspiration until later on. In this case, I made a pie for a couple of people that I care quite a bit for, even though I didn't know it while I was making it. I think that's pretty amazing.
The next day, I got an email in the morning from my Elder's Quorum President, Mark, about a surprise move that evening. We were already planning on meeting up for an unrelated manner, so the move simply pushed our meeting back a bit. I checked my email on my lunch and found another email from him saying that since it was his and his wife's 30th wedding anniversary, he wasn't sure if we would still be meeting after all. I wrote back and told him that we would meet later and that he should spend the evening with his wife; I would simply swing by for a document that I needed for the project that we're working on.
That's when inspiration struck: When I stop by to pick up the document, I should give them the S'more pie. So, after a brief stop at home, I went by Mark's place for the pick up and surprised them with the pie. And surprised they were! Considering that I didn't know that it was their anniversary, I'd say that the timing couldn't have been better. Mark told me that the combination of the pie and me accepting the assignment to help with the move so that he could stay with his wife were probably the best anniversary gifts he had received this year.
Inspiration can sometimes be so subtle that we don't realize that it's inspiration until later on. In this case, I made a pie for a couple of people that I care quite a bit for, even though I didn't know it while I was making it. I think that's pretty amazing.
Monday, August 4, 2014
Serve 'Til You Drop
On Saturday, the Elders Quorum was assigned to help move a family that was moving out of the ward. While Samuel and I arrived a little late, we arrived with most of the moving truck still empty. After bringing out some larger pieces of furniture, I stayed behind to help with what I call "truck tetris," or arranging all of the boxes and furniture in the truck to be as tightly packed as possible. It paid off, because a couple of hours later, everything was on the truck with only what seemed like millimeters to spare. The family was very grateful for the help and thanked us for our service.
Afterwards, Samuel and I stopped for some lunch before heading to Baltimore. He had asked if I would take him to an international market that specializes in Nigerian groceries and I was happy to assist. We drove to the store, which was farther away than I anticipated (that'll be important later), and he was able to complete his shopping.
Before heading home, he asked me if we could make one more stop since to we were already in Baltimore. I was very tired from the move that morning, but I agreed to drive him so that he could pay his phone bill. We drove even farther and arrived at a mall. Apparently, Samuel has a friend that runs a cellphone kiosk and he has been paying him to cover his phone bill. However, when we got to the kiosk, we were told that Samuel's friend was on vacation. Samuel looked at me apologetically and said that he hasn't been able to get in touch with his friend and was worried that his phone would be disconnected. Since there was nothing we could do, I suggested that we leave. Back in the car, rather than express my frustration with situation (or Samuel), I suggested that since he now has a checking account that he should simply mail his friend a check every month. Clearly this was a new idea to him, but he immediately liked it.
Once home, I practically fell into bed. No, we hadn't been out for the whole day, but I was exhausted from the move that morning and from driving Samuel around Baltimore to run his errands that afternoon. After a well-earned nap, I took Samuel to the learning center that I sometimes tutor at for him to do some cleaning (it's a once-a-week job for him, but it's a good addition to his job as a dishwasher).
I slept very well that night having served nearly the whole day.
Afterwards, Samuel and I stopped for some lunch before heading to Baltimore. He had asked if I would take him to an international market that specializes in Nigerian groceries and I was happy to assist. We drove to the store, which was farther away than I anticipated (that'll be important later), and he was able to complete his shopping.
Before heading home, he asked me if we could make one more stop since to we were already in Baltimore. I was very tired from the move that morning, but I agreed to drive him so that he could pay his phone bill. We drove even farther and arrived at a mall. Apparently, Samuel has a friend that runs a cellphone kiosk and he has been paying him to cover his phone bill. However, when we got to the kiosk, we were told that Samuel's friend was on vacation. Samuel looked at me apologetically and said that he hasn't been able to get in touch with his friend and was worried that his phone would be disconnected. Since there was nothing we could do, I suggested that we leave. Back in the car, rather than express my frustration with situation (or Samuel), I suggested that since he now has a checking account that he should simply mail his friend a check every month. Clearly this was a new idea to him, but he immediately liked it.
Once home, I practically fell into bed. No, we hadn't been out for the whole day, but I was exhausted from the move that morning and from driving Samuel around Baltimore to run his errands that afternoon. After a well-earned nap, I took Samuel to the learning center that I sometimes tutor at for him to do some cleaning (it's a once-a-week job for him, but it's a good addition to his job as a dishwasher).
I slept very well that night having served nearly the whole day.
Friday, August 1, 2014
Calling for Samuel
We had a visitor in our home Wednesday night as a member of the Bishopbric arrived and asked to speak to Samuel. I headed for my room to give them some privacy, but I was invited to stay. As we all sat in the living room, Brother Wood extended a new calling to Samuel, which he accepted. He will be the new Class President for the Gospel Essentials class. Brother Wood asked me to explain what that would entail, I think because I'm a Sunday School teacher and I interact with our Class President on a regular basis. Samuel was very excited at the idea of having responsibilities at church.
After Brother Wood left, I told Samuel that having a calling has kept me going to Church when I might have otherwise not gone. When I was unemployed and depressed, I know that if I didn't have a calling to fulfill, I would have stayed at home multiple times. He agreed that having a calling would be good.
I believe that this is Samuel's first calling in the Church. He was baptized while he was living Mexico, but his Spanish is shaky, so I doubt that he had a calling there. Regardless if this is his first calling or not, it's great to see him grow in the gospel and readily accept his calling with pride.
After Brother Wood left, I told Samuel that having a calling has kept me going to Church when I might have otherwise not gone. When I was unemployed and depressed, I know that if I didn't have a calling to fulfill, I would have stayed at home multiple times. He agreed that having a calling would be good.
I believe that this is Samuel's first calling in the Church. He was baptized while he was living Mexico, but his Spanish is shaky, so I doubt that he had a calling there. Regardless if this is his first calling or not, it's great to see him grow in the gospel and readily accept his calling with pride.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Reconnecting
At Church on Sunday, Mark (the one that had me over for Thanksgiving last year) asked me if I wanted to come over and have a swim. I was surprised, but happily accepted the invitation. It was a timely invitation since I had just changed my running routine to be sprinting rather than distance running and I inadvertently gave myself shin splints, so having an option for cardio that didn't require pounding my bones into the ground sounded quite nice. We planned on me coming by Tuesday evening.
I arrived at the expected time. What was unexpected, however, was that I was asked if I would join them for dinner. The family had just redone their kitchen and was testing out their new oven with homemade pizza. Not only was it delicious, it also marks the first time that I've eaten kale and actually enjoyed it. Then, we sat around and talked about some of our favorite "Weird" Al songs, with their thirteen-year-old son playing a couple on his smart phone. Pizza and "Weird" Al. Can it get any better?
After an adequate rest, Mark and I changed and got into the pool. Mark is a trained lifeguard and doesn't like to go swimming unless someone else is present, so my being there was as much for him as it was for me. While I enjoyed the swimming, I forgot how hard it is. I'm used to running where I can just breathing hard while I move, not having to plan when I can inhale. I ended up switching from freestyle swimming to the breast stroke to make breathing easier. Even with the challenges involved, I enjoyed the time in the water.
When it was time to get out and dry off, Mark asked me when I wanted to come back and for now, we're planning on me coming by for a swim next Tuesday as well. I don't know how long we'll keep this up, but for now I'm enjoying it.
I arrived at the expected time. What was unexpected, however, was that I was asked if I would join them for dinner. The family had just redone their kitchen and was testing out their new oven with homemade pizza. Not only was it delicious, it also marks the first time that I've eaten kale and actually enjoyed it. Then, we sat around and talked about some of our favorite "Weird" Al songs, with their thirteen-year-old son playing a couple on his smart phone. Pizza and "Weird" Al. Can it get any better?
After an adequate rest, Mark and I changed and got into the pool. Mark is a trained lifeguard and doesn't like to go swimming unless someone else is present, so my being there was as much for him as it was for me. While I enjoyed the swimming, I forgot how hard it is. I'm used to running where I can just breathing hard while I move, not having to plan when I can inhale. I ended up switching from freestyle swimming to the breast stroke to make breathing easier. Even with the challenges involved, I enjoyed the time in the water.
When it was time to get out and dry off, Mark asked me when I wanted to come back and for now, we're planning on me coming by for a swim next Tuesday as well. I don't know how long we'll keep this up, but for now I'm enjoying it.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Flapjack Flipping Fun
Pioneer Day was last Thursday, so my ward celebrated by having a pancake breakfast the morning of the following Saturday. Since I worked as a cook at IHOP for one summer, I volunteered to help cook. I wanted to make sure that I would fall asleep early enough so I could wake up to help set up, so I took a homeopathic sleep-aid the night before. Apparently it worked too well because I slept through my alarm - I woke up at about a quarter after 8, with the actual event starting at 8:30. I jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed and woke Samuel up so that we could leave. I stopped long enough to eat a banana and take my anti-seizure medication and we were out the door.
We arrived right as the cooking was starting. While I do feel bad for not being there to help set up, at least I got there in time to cook. The cooking was done on camping stoves on the Church patio. We had a couple of brothers on bacon duty, with a father-son team cooking most of the pancakes and me on a smaller stove doing my part. I did see some of the other pancakes come out underdone, so I gave a few tips to help out, which were well-received. I got several compliments on my pancake cooking-style from members that made a point to sample from my work, which was nice.
In the end, we cooked for a little over an hour and went through six pounds of bacon, an entire large bag of pancake mix, and and three or four watermelons. While not everybody got to have bacon, everyone who came was able to have pancakes, even the couple of families that came late. I made sure that I helped clean everything up, especially since I missed setting up.
And, yes, I ate a few pancakes myself, but, no, I did not enjoy them. What I did enjoy was being able to serve in the ward using my skills that I have acquired over the course of my life - that was quite delicious.
We arrived right as the cooking was starting. While I do feel bad for not being there to help set up, at least I got there in time to cook. The cooking was done on camping stoves on the Church patio. We had a couple of brothers on bacon duty, with a father-son team cooking most of the pancakes and me on a smaller stove doing my part. I did see some of the other pancakes come out underdone, so I gave a few tips to help out, which were well-received. I got several compliments on my pancake cooking-style from members that made a point to sample from my work, which was nice.
In the end, we cooked for a little over an hour and went through six pounds of bacon, an entire large bag of pancake mix, and and three or four watermelons. While not everybody got to have bacon, everyone who came was able to have pancakes, even the couple of families that came late. I made sure that I helped clean everything up, especially since I missed setting up.
And, yes, I ate a few pancakes myself, but, no, I did not enjoy them. What I did enjoy was being able to serve in the ward using my skills that I have acquired over the course of my life - that was quite delicious.
Friday, July 25, 2014
Beautiful Words
Pardon me while I indulge myself on a favorite topic of mine.
I was thinking recently about how amazing it is that we have written language. With written language, not only do we have a way to communicate with someone who isn't right in front of us, we also can lock words into place. Our memories are unreliable and it is easy to, not only forget things, but to remember things that didn't happen. For example, I remember seeing the traffic crosswalk sign show the symbol for "walk" when I was hit by the bus, but according to all other testimonies, that's incorrect. When we write things down, we have a permanent record of what actually happened. There have been multiple times when I've gone back through a journal or this blog and reread entries and been reminded of events that I had long since forgotten.
Not only does this mean that we can communicate to ourselves in the future, but we can relay information to people who haven't even been born yet. In 1 Nephi, the Lord expresses the importance of the scriptures to Nephi, to the point of commanding him to slay Laban in order to obtain the Plates of Brass (though, yes, according to the law at the time, Nephi had every right to slay Laban for stealing his property). The word of the Lord existed because His prophets had written down revelations they had received. The scriptures could not exist today without written language.
Since we know that Adam and Eve had written language, that means that written language was created by God. And with it, what an amazing tool we have!
I'm sure that it's not terribly surprising I would contemplate something we all take for granted (myself included) since I've dedicated my life to the written word, but it's still nice to take time and appreciate what a beautiful thing that we have with writing.
I was thinking recently about how amazing it is that we have written language. With written language, not only do we have a way to communicate with someone who isn't right in front of us, we also can lock words into place. Our memories are unreliable and it is easy to, not only forget things, but to remember things that didn't happen. For example, I remember seeing the traffic crosswalk sign show the symbol for "walk" when I was hit by the bus, but according to all other testimonies, that's incorrect. When we write things down, we have a permanent record of what actually happened. There have been multiple times when I've gone back through a journal or this blog and reread entries and been reminded of events that I had long since forgotten.
Not only does this mean that we can communicate to ourselves in the future, but we can relay information to people who haven't even been born yet. In 1 Nephi, the Lord expresses the importance of the scriptures to Nephi, to the point of commanding him to slay Laban in order to obtain the Plates of Brass (though, yes, according to the law at the time, Nephi had every right to slay Laban for stealing his property). The word of the Lord existed because His prophets had written down revelations they had received. The scriptures could not exist today without written language.
Since we know that Adam and Eve had written language, that means that written language was created by God. And with it, what an amazing tool we have!
I'm sure that it's not terribly surprising I would contemplate something we all take for granted (myself included) since I've dedicated my life to the written word, but it's still nice to take time and appreciate what a beautiful thing that we have with writing.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
All By Myself
Lately at work, I've been the only one in the office all day. All of my coworkers are either working from home or are on vacation. It's kind of weird being in the office alone.
I've thought about staying home and working in my pajamas, but I don't for a few reasons:
1. I don't have a desk and ergonomic chair in my apartment, so working on my work laptop all day would not be nearly as comfortable.
2. By being out of the house during the main part of the day, I can turn off the air conditioning and still be comfortable in the office while saving money.
3. With my work so close, it's not like it's a burden to make the commute anyway.
4. I work better when I'm in the office. There's too many distractions at home and it would be way too easy to justify not being on task.
So, that means that I have to be all by myself while at work. Worse things have happened. And, admittedly, I only occasionally interact with my coworkers anyway, so it's only weird in the fact that I can't hear other people walking around.
I've thought about staying home and working in my pajamas, but I don't for a few reasons:
1. I don't have a desk and ergonomic chair in my apartment, so working on my work laptop all day would not be nearly as comfortable.
2. By being out of the house during the main part of the day, I can turn off the air conditioning and still be comfortable in the office while saving money.
3. With my work so close, it's not like it's a burden to make the commute anyway.
4. I work better when I'm in the office. There's too many distractions at home and it would be way too easy to justify not being on task.
So, that means that I have to be all by myself while at work. Worse things have happened. And, admittedly, I only occasionally interact with my coworkers anyway, so it's only weird in the fact that I can't hear other people walking around.
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