Puffy, Swollen, and Itchy

It all started late Monday night. Geoff and I had undertaken the grueling task of carrying the treadmill back down 3 flights of stairs, driving it back to Wal-meezy and dealing with the return of the treadmill.

I started making dinner. A delicious Lime Chicken dinner with Avocado mash. Really, delicious. After I put the chicken in the pan to cook, I sat down to watch Geoff work on re-conditioning our bikes so we could go for an early morning bike ride since we would have to wait until Thursday to sign up for our memberships at the Y and he promised to help me get exercise in the meantime.

Anyway, so I'm sitting there, watching, waiting for the chicken to cook, when I notice that the knuckles on my hands, wrists, elbows, and knees are starting to turn really red. I assume Rom must have bit a little too hard when we were playing or something and carry on with my evening. Geoff and I eat dinner and start to get ready for bed. It is at this point I realize my right had is REALLY swollen. Like, twice the size of normal. Okay, weird. But, still, I think, no big deal.

I wake up at 3am - my hand hurts. My joints in general hurt. I am swollen all over. I, of course, call mom. She suggests Benadryl.

Geoff and I get in the car, at 3am, and drive to Walmart. We buy benadryl.

Morning comes - my hands are swollen beyond use and I have started to develop a rash. Fantastic. I call work - I won't be in this morning. I take more benadryl. I sleep.

Geoff comes home for lunch - my face is swollen, like I have a black eye. The hives are worse on my arms and legs. I feel like I've been hit by a truck. We drive to the urgent care. They give me a shot of steriods and an oral steriod to start on Wednesday.

I go home. I sleep. Geoff comes home from work and I'm still getting worse. More hives, more swelling. I go back to sleep. I wake up at midnight - I'm starting to get scared - it's still getting worse. Geoff takes me to the emergency room. They tell me I am at a stage 2 allergic reaction. I get more shots. The rash has now moved to my back and shoulders. I feel miserable.

They send me home. I sleep. I wake up - I am pretty hideous. My face is still swollen, the rash is bigger and redder and is continuing to cover more area on my body. Geoff goes to scouts in the evening.
My lower lip starts to swell. A lot. The doctors had told me to come back if I had any lip or eye swelling. I'm choosing to ignore the swelling. I go to talk to Rubio and find that I am barely able to speak. Uh oh. I call Geoff to say I think it's time to go back to the doc. We go.

The ER doc calls the internal medicine doc who wants me to stay the night "just in case." He asks me things like, "and if something should happen, you want us to do everything we can?" I am pretty sure he must be joking. I don't want to stay in the hospital. Geoff explains that if the docs think I should, then I probably should. Geoff stays with me. I assume he got no sleep. I love him.

I wake up Thursday morning looking and feeling a lot better - however, my face is still pretty puffy. My new doc seems dissapointed. I think he was hoping for something more interesting - I'm glad I'm not more interesting. In the afternoon I am discharged. I go home. I sleep some. My house is a veritable disaster.

Friday we had off work - thank goodness. I sleep 'til one. The rash is worse today - I miss the IV meds. But, I'm getting better.

I'm unsure what to do if I'm allergic to all common antibiotics. Sounds like infections from now on are going to cost me an arm and a leg. Fantastic.

My bike is still sitting in the living room. Ready for a ride. Dang.

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