Death by Pretzel.

Today, I nearly died.
Yep, you read that right, and nope I'm not joking.
I'm 100% serious.
I have this deadly food allergy to any type of tree nut and peanut (including coconut! who knew?).
I'm one of those people that even the scent can start to send me into a reaction. (Airplanes are torture to me)
This week was aide appreciation week, so the awesome PTA brought in gourmet white chocolate dipped pretzels and milk chocolate dipped gummy bears. I absolutely looooooove white chocolate dipped pretzels.
But today...the dipped pretzels did not love me. I ate 2. 2 dang pretzels.
Almost instantly after I swallowed the 2nd pretzel my mouth starts itching so bad that it HURTS. Like not in one obnoxious spot, all over my mouth. I realized that the chocolate must have been cross-contaminated, and realized I was having a full on reaction. I always carry benadryl in my purse, so I hurried and took the benadryl capsules hoping it'd stop the itching. Next thing I know, it's hard to swallow. I notice my heart is starting to beat funky. Then my Mom walked into the room to remind me to pick my little sister's homework up at the junior high. I look at her and told her I think I'm having a reaction. She asked if I needed to leave, I was hesitant to say yes, because I was at work and that wouldn't be very professional to just leave. But then I swallowed again. I was running out of time. and oxygen. She ran and got her stuff since ti quickly became obvious there was no way I would be able to drive myself to the urgent care. (I refused to go to the ER.)

15 minutes after the reaction started we pulled into urgent care. My heart was beating faster even though I was doing relaxation breathing. My body was trying to kill itself, and the dang desk lady wanted to make sure we paid the copayment before she'd take back the paperwork to the nurse. I was ready to yell "I'M GONNA GO INTO ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK IF YOU DON'T HURRY THE HECK UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" But since I didn't want to waste my precious oxygen, and since I get freakishly emotional when I have a reaction I kept my mouth shut.
22 minutes after reaction started I'm in the back getting my vital signs taken. Heart Rate: a whopping 128 beats per minute, and that is resting my friends. The average resting heart rate for an adult is 60-80 bpm.
25 minutes after, 5 additional random pills I can't remember the name of swallowed. all at once. I'm amazed I didn't choke. After I swallow another nurse hurries and preps my arm and gives me an epinephrine shot.
The doctor listened to my lungs and freaked when she could hear them begin to wheeze. I begin to feel light headed, and my vision starts to go out. The doctor glances at me before I could say anything and again freaked out by how pale I was. Somehow, I didn't black out, thaaank heavens! Oh and I was laying down, while all this was going on. I started to have a panic attack at the thought of blacking out, because I knew in an anaphylactic reaction, if I blacked out chances of me waking up again were slim to none.
35 minutes after, Mom hurries back to the school once she knows I'm in good hands and won't be dying anytime soon. She kind of left her class in the library... At this time, my heart rate lowered to 121, but it was pounding so dang hard that it HURT. Having your heart pounding like that for a good half hour with little to no slowing is killer. Especially when you're just laying there. It pounded like that for a good 45-50 minutes. My poor heart pretty much ran a marathon today. It's sore now, but at least I'm alive.

120 minutes after reaction began: The medicine worked, I can swallow, breathe, lungs sound perfect, still having hot and cold flashes thanks to the medicines side effects, my lips are back to normal size, the shakiness has started to wear off. The doctor gives the okay for me to go home. My Mom comes back to get me and we go get me a new EpiPen (never again will I go a year without getting a new one like I did this time!) and Prednisone to keep the reaction from coming back in the next 36 hours.

The drugs have made me beyond loopy, so if this makes little to no sense, it is because I am heavily drugged up like you wouldn't believe. But I am thankful to be alive. I just better not have another one anytime soon. This was my first one in 7 years!!! That's pretty impressive! So this time I'm aiming for 10 years, and hopefully never.

Yay for Kicking Death in the Trash!!!