The week before Christmas, we went to the Columbus Zoo. If you saw the news, the zoo was a mad house because of the weather. It was in the 50s, so everyone was there. Some people took upwards of 3 hours to get out of the parking lot. We did our usual get there before dark and leave when the crowds truly got there. We took 20 minutes to get out.
At one point during the day at the zoo or during my various outings, I was exposed to gluten through cross-contamination. I have eaten a gluten-free diet since April 2021. (If you look through past posts, I also ate a gluten-free diet in 2017/2018.) Anyway, we thought it was an intolerance.
While we were at the zoo, my back started to itch. I thought nothing of it because nothing like what happened next had ever occurred before. That night, as I was sleeping, my legs started to itch. By the time I woke up, I had hives covering my legs. As the day progressed, hives kept appearing.
The next day I went to work covered up because I did not want my students to know I had hives. All day I was itching while trying to finish up grades, teach my students, and be a productive human being. I went home, relaxed, and tried to think of a dinner to cook. With no energy and hurting, my husband brought home Chick-Fil-A which is a safe place to eat. Suddenly, I noticed my lip was swelling up. I took a Benadryl and an oatmeal bath to see if it would go down, and it was a fluke. After a few minutes, it was getting worse, and I was scared it would go into my airway.
I convinced my husband to drive me to the nearest ER. I had to have an EKG because my blood pressure had risen, and they got me into a bed in the hallway as quickly as they could. (Within 20 minutes) They confirmed what I was thinking, which was I was having an allergic reaction, and I had been having one for 2 days at that point. So now, instead of being intolerant to gluten, I am allergic.
I am 48 years old. I have never had an allergic reaction like that, so I didn’t know what to do. Now, I’m the proud owner of an Epipen for when it reaches my mouth area. Benadryl and Pepcid need to be near me at all times.
After I was given a cocktail of Benadryl and steroids, I was observed for an hour. The swelling reduced and I was sent on my way home with the stipulation if it started again to come back in.
The next days were a blur of hives mysteriously appearing and disappearing, levels of itchiness increasing and decreasing, tiredness and insomnia, and medications not causing me any relief.
On Saturday, or as Friends referred to it, Christmas Eve Eve, depression almost started kicking in because I was tired of feeling as though my skin was going to burn off my body. I wanted to feel like myself. As I drove to a local bakery to pick up my Christmas goodies that were allergen-safe, I cried. “God, help me,” with tears rolling down my face.
What I didn’t realize was that I was missing a piece of my medicine cocktail. In a drug stupor at 10:30 pm on Monday night, they told me to take Pepcid alongside Benadryl like you do for babies when they have a fever when you give them Advil and Tylenol. One dose of Pepcid, four hours later, Benadryl. And the steroids, which made me gain 10 pounds.
We had Christmas Eve Eve lunch with the family and I was told to take the Pepcid. My mother-in-law had some at her house. I took 2 doses that day and woke up on Christmas Eve feeling like Traci.
The hives have all but disappeared. Every once in a while, I get the urge to itch, but it’s not enough to make me feel as though my skin is going to fall off.
My Christmas gift was taking the last of the steroids.
Tomorrow, I see the doctor for a plan of action. Do I need further testing, or can we use what happened to me during the week before Christmas as an indication of what we now know? Gluten is no longer a friend but a foe.
Stay kind!
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