Yep, you read the title of this blog right. That was me yesterday. No joke. My life is just one big adventure after another. *sigh* Oh, and please excuse any typos I may miss. I'm still shaking from my latest adventure.
Yesterday started out like any other day. Woke up, got dressed, called up the stairs to R to wake up and get dressed, made us breakfast, brushed R's hair, got us out the door, took R to school, came back home, exercised, went up to my "studio" to make some hairbows and watch TV (mainly it's just on to keep me company), went to pick R up from school, went to Sally's for some clips, Whataburger for lunch, home, more bows, went to get my flu shot at Walgreens...And that's when it all began.
I don't know if I posted this a couple of years ago or not, but I found out the hard way that I'm allergic to bee stings. So I have to carry around an EpiPen. In the 2 yrs. I've had the thing, I've never needed it. I've come close, but it never happened.
Oh, boy, did I need it yesterday. A and I had appointments at Walgreens to get our flu shots. We got them. I had noticed that they had a basket of EpiPens there, and I asked what that was for. They said it was in case someone had a reaction. Huh? Never heard of that, but I pulled mine out and showed them I had my own. They asked if I thought I would need it, and I said no, so they left it at that. They have you stay around the store for a bit to make sure you don't have a reaction. I never understood what that was about, but now I do.
So we're walking around Walgreens - I should say I was walking around getting stuff we needed, and R and A were playing/racing/looking at toys - and all of a sudden I noticed that my throat felt like it was closing up on me. I thought it was nothing, since I was really thirsty. Then I noticed my tongue felt bigger. I had to stop and think and evaluate myself. I knew my arm was hurting where I'd gotten the shot, and I had started to feel funny. As I stood there evaluating myself, things kept getting worse. I was now having problems swallowing. I could still swallow, but with difficulty. I told A, and he said we need to tell them NOW. So I went there, stood there till they were done giving some poeple their shots, and told them I wasn't feeling well. They asked what was wrong, and I said it felt like my throat was closing off. They said, "You need to sit down NOW." I didn't argue. As I got to the chair at the table, I started having problems breathing, and it kept getting worse. They remembered I had an EpiPen, so they got it out of my purse where they had seen me put it, and had me get it out of the tube. This whole time I'm shaking and I can't breathe and I feel like I'm going to pass out. I couldn't focus on the directions to administer the shot, and I kept telling them - with difficulty - that I couldn't do it. I was in really bad shape, and I could feel the blackness coming on. One of the ladies took my pen, put it in my hand, wrapped my hand around it, put her hand on top of mine, and jabbed me with it. That was the only way they could "give" me the shot. Otherwise, it would be considered that they were giving me a drug and I could sue. Yeah, fat chance of that. They had a store employee call 9-1-1, and kept me there, trying to keep me from blacking out.
They pulled out my papers, and kept asking A for some medical info on me. They took my bloodpressure a few times, kept talking to me. The whole time, though, I was still having problems getting my breathing under control. I was panicking a bit because I couldn't control it. All of a sudden, I heard a voice in my head that kept telling me, "Focus. Focus." I don't know who's voice it was, but I wasn't ignoring it. Luckily, the flu shot clinic was right in front of my favorite section of any store: the makeup! So I zeroed in on a color and focused on that. It helped control my emotions AND helped me to get my breathing under better control.
By this time, the fire dept. had arrived. They hooked me up to some monitors, asked A and the pharmacists that were doing the clinic all sorts of questions about my and my health history, were trying to get me to answer questions but it was hard for me to talk still. They did a glucose reading on me since I'm diabetic, but it was normal. This whole time, they kept blocking my point of focus, so I had to constantly shift it. I was getting pissed because I would lose what little control I had on my breathing. Every time they asked me a question, all I would say was, "Focus." I didn't want to lose my focus and have my control slip. I kept trying to answer questions, but I just couldn't. It was hard to talk, it was hard to breathe. My throat and tongue were slowly getting back to normal, though. The EMTs finally got there and took over some. They gave me oxygen, which REALLY helped with my breathing...but I still had to focus. I was put on a stretcher and rolled out to the ambulance.
They did all sorts of readings in the ambulance, and by then my health was getting back to normal. I was able to talk more, which really relieved the guys. I still had to focus, though, because they had taken me off the oxygen in the store and didn't put it back on until a few minutes after getting me in the ambulance. I had found a turniquet that was tied to a rail on the ceiling of the ambulance, so I focused on that. They, all of a sudden, one of the guys reached up and grabbed it. I got mad and said, "You took my focus!" They just laughed, sillies. I had to shift it elsewhere again. They only other thing was a screw, which I kept losing because it was the same damn color as the rest of the ceiling. *grr*
By the time we got to the hospital, I was feeling loads better, but not 100%. I didn't need to focus anymore. They'd hooked me up to and IV and flushed some saline into me to push out the vaccine and stuff, to wake me up a bit. The oxygen was a great relief to me. Once they pulled me out of the ambulance, the driver asked if I was still in my focus zone. I said no. Then he said, "That's good. Now explain." *lol* I had to explain to them that focusing on something was a way to help get my breathing under control a little so that I wouldn't panic and keep the blackout at bay. They'd never heard of that, but they thought it was a good idea. My older sister said they just learned something knew yesterday.
I spent a couple of hours at the ER. I never got a room since they were all full, but I did see the doctor. It was a busy day for them there. One thing after another, short staffed, missing labs, no orders from doctors until labs came back...The list goes on. But they parked me right in front of my nurse, so she and the others kept a close watch on me. Everyone all told me it was good that I had my pen on me, but they all asked why I had one in the first place. I told them I'm allergic to bee stings. They asked what happens, and I told them since I've only been stung once, I'm not really sure if it's full blown anaphalactic shock or not. But I explained what had happened with the bee sting, and they asked me to describe what happened with the flu shot. Pretty much the same thing happened with both, and the doctor called it progressive anaphalactic shock. Which just means that it will be MUCH WORSE the next time. The doc ordered a steroid and Benadryl to be administerd through my IV, and said I'd be there for several hrs. because he wanted to see how I did once the adrenaline from the pen wore off. I felt woozy after the Benadryl was administered, and my nurse laughed at me. She knew exactly how I felt. I fell asleep for about 30 mins., and I really had to go potty. All that saline did me in - I forgot to say that I got MORE saline with the meds to flush them into my system faster. Soon after that, I was discharged. I didn't spend the several hrs. there that the doc had said, and I'm glad. I was freakin' cold! And I had 2 blankets! But I know it was the meds and shock and all that.
I left with Rx for 2 EpiPens, Benadryl, and steroid pills for my lungs. I'm on the steroids for the next week, which will do 2 things to me:
1. It'll lower my immunse system, making me more prone to getting any illness that I come into contact with. I'm now coming down with something, but I don't know what. It could just be from my ordeal, but I dought it. Sore throat, cough, scratchy chest/lungs, chills...
2. I'm diabetic, so it's going to cause my glucose levels to go haywire. Yeah, I've been pretty sleepy and out of it all day. Oh, and freakin' shaky!
After I was discharged, we went back to Walgreens so that I could get my Rx filled. The 2 ladies doing the clinic were still there, working at the pharmacy. They were relieved to see that I was okay and feeling better. They noticed my limp, and I told them it was from the EpiPen. I thanked them both for saving my life, and they just brushed it off and said they were just glad that they could help me and that I was feeling better.
I got my meds for free! I didn't have to pay anything. The doc wrote out a Rx for 2 pens instead of the 1 I'd always had. The 2 pack comes with a trainer, so now my family can practice helping me to administer the pen in case I need it again. And because I'm now allergic to a shot I've been getting every year since I can't remember when, the manufacturer of the vaccine will be covering all my medical expenses from yesterday. That's a relief. It's going to be a lot of money since I had to be transported by ambulance.
The best thing about yesterday? I DON'T NEED TO GET A FLU SHOT ANYMORE!!!!! The bad thing about yesterday? I DON'T NEED TO GET A FLU SHOT ANYMORE!!!!! *lol* It's bad because diabetics are supposed to get it, since we're more susceptible to getting sick. But I can't anymore because I'm allergic. I don't care, really. It's just one less shot I have to get every year.
The lesson for all of you reading this is this: Even if you think that you won't have a reacting to the flu shot, stick around a bit. You'll never know. Forget about the hurry you're in. Play it safe, just in case. All you parents that take your little ones in for flu shots, this applies to you, too. I've been getting this shot for I don't know how long. I *NEVER* knew a person could have an allergic reaction to it. NEVER!!!!! I'm glad I stuck around and played it safe. It sucks that I'm allergic, but it could happen to anyone. This just goes to show that you really CAN all of a sudden be allergic to something that you've been drinking/eating/doing for years.
So when you go for your flu shot, play it safe. Stick around, just in case.
-me
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