An Allergic Reaction Tale + Potato Bar
thanks for the well wishes while i’ve had some sort of virus that never wants to leave. i’m happy to say that i’ve decided to serve an eviction notice today and i’m over it (mostly i just cannot eat anymore saltines and rices, i can’t).
story follow up: i was prescribed medicine to help with my intestinal spasms (they were so weird and so painful-yuck). when i woke up thursday, i noticed i had a rash/hives on my elbows and legs. i read about the medication and it said that this could be part of an allergic reaction (but to not take benedryl).
i remained calm, cool and collected and simply stopped taking the medicine. the next morning, i woke up and the rash was continuing to spread but i felt decent, i even caught up on some work in between itching. i figured it would go away eventually.
here’s a picture of me attempting to spice up eating more rice instead of showing you a gross picture of my rash.
i had another relapse of the sickness and experienced the same almost-fainting/dripping sweat/extreme pain, except this time my husband was 2,805+ miles away (yeah. i looked it up). i called the pharmacist after getting it together a little bit, but still while curled up on that hard but cool bathroom floor.
he said i was definitely having an allergic reaction and needed to get in to see a doctor right away, especially if i hadn’t taken a dose in more than 24 hours and it was getting worse. he said i needed to get on a steroid to help reverse the effects because it could lead to more serious allergic reactions like throat swelling and not breathing.
*cue semi-freak out.
i texted my friend alison to see if she could take off work and drive me to urgent care, again. thank goodness for friends like her because she immediately left work, came straight to get me, and sat with me for an excruciatingly long time in the waiting room.
when i finally got to see the doctor, she prescribed the steroids to help reverse the effects of the medication. as she was checking me over, she looked up my nose (where i have both nostrils pierced) and was like “oh my…what is that?!” haaa, that gave me a good laugh.
within a few hours of taking the medication, the rash started subsiding and i became ravenously hungry (a side effect of the steroid). other side effects can be “extreme bitchiness” (the doctor’s words), becoming manic, becoming depressed, feeling anxious, increased sweating, flushing, and then some gross things. if the reaction i got from this was just eating sleeves of saltines, i’ll take it.
i knew i couldn’t run, let alone even walk a 5k the next morning but i wanted to be there for my friend beki! one thing that i could do is sit and eat a potato later so she came and got me and off we went to the race.
as you can see, it was st. patrick’s day theme and the oregon weather came back with a vengeance. excuse the blurry picture and apparently my color was a bit off. it looked more normal when i took it but you need to see beki and be proud of her!
if you ever wondered what it might be like if you didn’t run and stayed behind, below is the depressing scene. i’ll take a nalgene filled with diluted gatorade, neat.
she completed the 5k and totally rocked it! she’s been a rockstar in training and pushing herself more with each run and it’s been really inspiring. we’re ready to sign up for another one, where i’ll actually participate (i said it out loud beki, now we have to).
look at the badass medal she got (and i was only 93% envious) and what i thought was originally a mashed potato bar turned out to be a straight up potato bar. can you tell which one belongs to who?
i tried not to judge her for getting beans (remember, i hate beans). the toppings included butter, broccoli, nacho cheese, regular shredded cheese, chives, sour cream, beans, bacon and bananas. well, maybe the banana was as a side. it was a solid spread!
this past week has been a little intense and i’m ready for a fresh one. it does make me grateful that this was just a virus and is on it’s way out. health is not something to mess around with or take for granted. i also haven’t had a vegetable in a week and i actually miss them. i blame you, whole30.
here’s what i’ve gleamed for the experiences over the past week:
- listen to your body
- make friends with quality people
- one can eat too many saltines
questions:
1) have you ever had an allergic reaction to something before?
2) do you run races or have you?
3) what do you put on top of your baked potato?
Lauren @ Oh Hey I Like That!
March 16, 2015 at 11:59 am
Oh you poor poor thing! So I’ve only had an allergic reaction to a medicine once, and it was actually more funny than it was awful. When I was a teenager, my doctor was trying me on a medication that I took first thing in the morning. A little while after taking it, I felt a little funny but nothing too serious. Then my brother told me that we had to leave or we’ll miss the bus. I bent over to grab my backpack, stood up and then fell flat onto the floor. Needless to say, I was allowed to stay home from school (but only for the morning, since my parents could see that I was feeling better after a few hours) and I didn’t take that medicine again.
I’m so glad you’re feeling better and you’re kick butt at your next race!
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chelsea
March 16, 2015 at 7:28 pm
ha! glad you were bending over so you had less of a fall, lauren! glad it was nothing more serious and your parents run a tight ship making you go back to school 🙂
Paula Howley
March 16, 2015 at 12:54 pm
OH honey- you’ve got a good friend in Alison. You keep her. You might want to consider naming your firstborn after her too- even if it’s a boy. Take care.
1. I had a severe allergic reaction to my first husband.
2. I used to race as a kid in track but nothing like that since.
3. Lots of butter. That’s it!
chelsea
March 16, 2015 at 7:29 pm
it’s quite true…i will have to take into consideration about the potential child’s name-ha! hope you are back to 100% now paula!
glad your allergic reaction to your first husband has been resolved (your comments always slay me…i LOVE them).
Paula Howley
March 16, 2015 at 12:55 pm
I also think this is quite an extreme method of getting out of a race.
Paula Howley recently posted…Head Start Public Speaking for Kids- Add Humor To Your Speech- week 19 (good bye Queen Elizabeth!)
chelsea
March 16, 2015 at 7:29 pm
you know me too well, paula. i shall never reveal it…
Anastasia Ivy
March 16, 2015 at 1:05 pm
I had an allergic reaction to a bee sting medication, once. I got stung by a bee, and it left a crater in my leg about 6 inches in diameter. The medication I was on made me break out in hives for a few hours, but only between my knees and my ankles.
I have found that the impact of running triggers my asthma pretty quickly. I can go and go on an elliptical, but I haven’t been able to work up to outside running yet. (Then again, I can go uphill outside … it that an impact thing?)
As for potatoes … I live in Idaho, the potato state. A twice baked potato is on the menu a few times a month. I love salt-free butter, sour cream, chives/green onions… and that’s about it. Sometimes I like to add a meat, like turkey bacon or ground beef but normally not.
chelsea
March 16, 2015 at 7:31 pm
ahhh that sounds terrifying, anastasia! 6 inch crater in your leg?! no thank you. running gets me too sometimes but my trusty inhaler seems to help some with that (though uphill is never my friends).
ohh potato state! you’re an expert! twice backed potatoes are my favorite form of potato YUM!
Audrey
March 16, 2015 at 1:27 pm
Oh man… that was an insane week! Alison sounds like a top-notch friend! As far as I know I’m not allergic to anything, but I just keep waiting for the day something weird gives me a crazy reaction. Yikes! Good for you for running! I hate, hate, hate it! My best friend is really in to Crossfit so tonight she’s dragging me along for a second time. Last time I couldn’t move for 3 days… we’ll see how it goes!
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chelsea
March 16, 2015 at 7:32 pm
she totally is and thank goodness for her because i was turning into a scared baby.
i totally used to hate hate haaate running too until i found that i like the endorphins more than i hate running (although i don’t really enjoy the process of the run).
hope cross fit didn’t kick your booty too hard tonight, audrey! i’ve heard it’s intense but haven’t done it.
Amanda
March 16, 2015 at 2:24 pm
I’m glad you skipped that run and got to save up your energy to kick your illness. Also that potato looks so good I literally just wrote it into my meal plan. Yum!
Amanda recently posted…Going Natural: Update
chelsea
March 16, 2015 at 7:33 pm
haha love that potato just made your meal plan list! i’m excited to actually get to plan some meals this week-yay!
Rachel G
March 16, 2015 at 2:42 pm
Aww man, that sounds like quite the miserable week! Good thing it sounds like your on your way back to health, now. Throat-swelling and not-breathing are definitely allergic reactions that you don’t want happening.
And, no, I’ve never run a race, and I never will. I despise running. I will stand at the finish line and wait for Angel to run a race, however.
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chelsea
March 16, 2015 at 7:35 pm
i totally used to despise running too (don’t super love it now but i do like the benefits of endorphins from it). my friend challenged me to run a 5k to combat my super negative attitude towards running and it was SO hard but i did it and then it sort of stuck. although not long distances and not in extreme weather-ha!
i stood at the end of a marathon finish line once and was overcome with emotion watching all the people cross it and appear so proud! that’s sweet that you’re there for angel 🙂
chelsea recently posted…An Allergic Reaction Tale + Potato Bar
Lindsay @ The Newlywed Notebook
March 16, 2015 at 4:09 pm
What an insane week for you! So glad to hear you are on the up and up! Allergic reactions are no joke, I’m glad you were able to get it under control quickly, and that you have awesome friends willing to help you out!! xo
Lindsay @ The Newlywed Notebook recently posted…Using Anti-Aging Products at 25 | Smart or Just Sad?
chelsea
March 16, 2015 at 7:35 pm
thanks lindsay! it was not one of my favorite weeks and i got almost nothing accomplished work wise but thankful i’m back at it now!
Karen
March 16, 2015 at 4:37 pm
sounds like a doozy of a reaction! glad you’re getting it figured out.
Yay Beki!!! That’s super awesome about the 5k! I like to run too. I also ran a race over the weekend, though mine did NOT have a potato bar at the end…I was totally at the wrong race.
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chelsea
March 16, 2015 at 7:36 pm
woohoo! hope your race was great, karen! well done! i do have to say that you should have probably been at ours since there were potatoes to be had 🙂
Ashley @ Saving Money in your Twenties
March 16, 2015 at 4:52 pm
what the heck?! your body is going crazy– hopefully you’re feeling better now!! That’s great that you have such an awesome friend to come rescue you! now come home ravery!!! 🙂
Ashley @ Saving Money in your Twenties recently posted…What would you do if money was no object?
chelsea
March 16, 2015 at 7:37 pm
riiiiight, ashley?! i’ve never been to urgent care EVER before and i’m allergic to one other thing and that’s it! it was totally weird and get home now ravery is RIGHT 🙂
Kim
March 16, 2015 at 4:56 pm
1. I just found out I am allergic to penicillin and derivates of it. Really itchy rash, awful. I am also deathly allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. I guess my granddaughter got those allergies from me.
2. I will run a 5k, but I would rather walk them.
3. butter.
Kim recently posted…Leaving for Lady and the Champs
chelsea
March 16, 2015 at 7:38 pm
oh wow kim! i am so sorry to hear you have allergies to delicious tree nuts and peanuts 🙁 and sad to hear you just found out you’re allergic to penicillin-hopefully you took a test or something and didn’t find out the hard way!
i’m all about the butter on the potato too. classic and delicious!
chelsea recently posted…An Allergic Reaction Tale + Potato Bar
Addison
March 17, 2015 at 5:42 am
Ugh! Being sick like that is the worst!! I had an allergic reaction in college that made my eyes swell up and almost shut. I drove myself to the ER at 3 in the morning and when I got there, they asked if I had been in a bar fight! Haha no! Hope you feel better this week! It’s crazy how little we notice our health until it decides to take a leave of absence.
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chelsea
March 17, 2015 at 1:35 pm
ahhh i cannot believe you drove yourself to the ER with your eyes all swollen, addison! how scary!
feeling much better today, thanks 🙂 it’s so true how little we notice our healthy status until it changes. be well!
Kayla
March 17, 2015 at 5:57 pm
You are 100% responsible for us having baked potatoes for dinner tonight. My husband thanks you, haha!
I am glad you are feeling better but that allergic reaction sounds like no joke!!! My husband used to travel for work and I would’ve freaked out!!!
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chelsea
March 18, 2015 at 9:11 am
yeeeeees!!!! i am so happy to hear baked potatoes made an appearance for dinner, kayla! i hope they were delicious!
yeah…there was definite freak out because i’m sort of a big baby when i’m sick but i survived
Amanda Wood
March 21, 2015 at 11:30 am
Oh My Goodness! I’m glad you are feeling better! That sucks being sick when your spouse isn’t home. It makes it seem much worse and that much longer.
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