Just like this fishing vessel I am in dry dock here on Hilton Head, S.C. No playing in the water for me today.
For those of you who read my post about Cobia Fish I want to tell you what happened to me after I ate the fish. I ended up in the ER at 4AM with a case of Acute Hives that were so bad I could not sit down on my " buttocks" to quote Forest Gump. The itching was worse then watching a flea on a dog and I had the urge to howl at the moon! I even had hives on my ears and on the back of my head as well as most of my trunk and under my arms.. I was covered in a giant ball of red skin that seemed to pop out of nowhere and attach itself onto the next hive creating a giant blob. Not a pretty sight.
I called my Dr. who suggested the regular procedure of some benedryl. It seemed to take the itch away for about 2 hours but there were so many new hives there was no way I could keep up with this so I decided after 24 hours the ER was the best place for me as my hands were getting numb and my upper lip felt like it was swelling. It really scared me. Hubby said can you wait until morning? I told him to turn on the lights and take a look at me. The look on his face confirmed that I had indeed turned into a character in a horror movie.
The Dr. in the ER said he could not say for sure if it was the Cobia fish, a fish bite on my foot (not jelly most likely not sting ray as he could not see a barb), or the new flavor of sun chips I was eating , or an exposure to a chemical as I was playing in the garden or a bee bite. I am allergic to bees and would have blown up like a blow fish within 5 minutes so I know it was not a bee. It is a mystery?
Lots of meds in the ER and 4 prescriptions later I am feeling better. The hives are receding and thankfully less itching. As you can tell from writing this I can now sit on my Buttocks once again. Of course I am having a reaction to one of the meds as I awoke this AM with a beet red face. I not sure which med is causing this problem? It is a never ending battle. So here I sit in dry dock contemplating the great mysteries of life!
I am not sure if it is the Cobia fish but I wanted to say to those of you who have shell fish allergies you may not want to eat the Cobia even though it is Not a shell fish. I am allergic to crab and lobster but not to shrimp or other shell fish which is strange.
I was given an epi pen to carry with me at all times and was told to inject myself and go directly to the ER at the first sign of my next hive episode. I pray this is the last of the hives for me ever again!
Bless your heart, you have had a really bad time of it! I am sorry you are in "dry dock". Hope you are past this soon.
ReplyDeleteBarb
Ohhhh my Dear, I am soooooooooo sorry! Best wishes that this episode is all over and soon. And no repeats.
ReplyDeleteGentle hugs...
Oh Joyce you poor thing! I can't imagine how bad that was for you. I have seen my daughter have hives and it is scary! Take care!! Hope you are all well very soon.
ReplyDeletesorry you got sick. IT'S GOOD YOU DECIDED TO GO TO THE ER.HOPE YOU ARE WELL. ROSE
ReplyDeleteOh my! Thank goodness you went to the emergency room. Allergic reactions are not something to "wait and see" about.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your sweet note regarding my sad trip to Savannah. It was the saddest funeral I have ever attended. Sue, the mom, lost her sister two weeks ago. She raised Jonathan, her only son as a single parent. Her husband was killed by a drunk driver when Jonathan was small. She has had a very tragic life and even with faith, it is hard to overcome the loss of a child, particularly your only child. God bless both she and her sweet son.
Poor Joyce! Your episode sounds scary. Hope you feel better very soon. My mom had a similar experience eating king crab in Alaska and after that she was afraid to eat any kind of fish.
ReplyDeleteOh no that is terrible. Too bad because that fish picture looked really yummy.
ReplyDeleteI saw your comment on Ladybug Creek's post on plantar fasciitis and want to let you know about a way to tape your foot/ankle that was taught to me by my physiotherapist. It worked fabulous on my fasciitis/heel spurs and they have not come back.
Email me if you would like a link to the picture and some instructions.
Oh my.. .that sounds awful! My bet would be the fish. What a shame. Hopefully no more episodes such as this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the visit today. Good luck with the shoes. Hopefully you can just try on a pair and then decide if they'll help. I certainly hope so.
Take care!!
Karen
Ladybug Creek
Oh no! I hope everything has calmed down. Take care and be well.
ReplyDeleteJoyce-That can be a really scary thing--especially since it is so hard to pinpoint the cause. I do have sympathy--I break out in hives when I am really stressed. Mind the doctor and keep that epi pen with you!! Thanks for your sweet congratulations! I see a lot of flour in my immediate future. Husband wanted to make bread this afternoon, but the heat index was 110 and I just did not want to turn on the oven!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog. Yes! The book is excellent; and No! I didn't know it was part of a trilogy. Makes it hard for me to read the other 2 as I got the 1st at a thrift store. Oh well! Library here I come.
ReplyDeleteSo scary Joyce! You were smart to go to the ER because you might have gone into anaphylactic shock! Perhaps the fish has a lot of iodine in it? You should get tested by an allergist. Stay well!
ReplyDeleteWow~ That is terrible.
ReplyDeleteI had a horrific reaction to Amoxicillin once and have been warned off any "cillins".
As bad as that was, the Benadryl did work after a couple of days.
Hope you are back to your happy and healthy self very soon.
Becky K.
Yikes! How scary. Something similar happened to my husband years ago after eating shrimp. He didn't eat shrimp again for quite a few years but decided to be tested and he had no allergy to shellfish. He's eating shrimp again. We'll never know what did it to him either. So glad you got help quickly.
ReplyDeleteHugs!
Kat
(Did you move to Hilton Head? I always thought you were in Atlanta>)
Oh dear Joyce, I do hope the meds help your hives and your feeling better real soon. It sounds like it could very well be the fish. I'm glad to hear that your under a Dr.'s care.
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel. My body reacts to certain things (like codeine) or stress by producing hives. When Hurricane Katrina happened and my uncle died of cancer after my MIL had died three months previous due to cancer, and school started, Open House, so much going on -- I had hives for three days. It was not a pleasant situation. I also had them one summer while in Michigan and was told the same thing ... no way of knowing what caused them, so I just did the Benadryl thing, itched for days on end until it finally went away. I had a reaction to shrimp when I was younger, but I don't think it was the shrimp, it had to be something else, as it never happened another time. Strange! Some things we won't have answers for. I sure hope you are feeling much better by now. Best wishes, Tammy
ReplyDeleteOk.. talk to an allergist before you even consider the Epi Pen .. a friend who is allergic - deathly allergic - to bee stings got stung and then used the Epi pen and you dont want to know more other than the doc in the ER said NEVER USE THEM ... better to find out what the exact allergy is .. trust me ... and the red face .. that is due to one of the meds they gave you which didnt interact well with another or with a Statin ... I know because I had a similar issue and doc said to discontinue or take aspirin with it ... god I am so glad you are ok
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! Hope you feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteBless your heart, you really had a bad reaction!!!
ReplyDeleteThe sad part is that allergies can crop up at any time...seems worse as I get older though! I am also allergic to crap and lobster but not shrimp...go figure! However, they also make me vomit and have other unpleasant things...lol But my allergies to other foods like cherries, carrots, apples and so far celery...make me break out in hives and I also get chest pains. The last time I ate cherries we were on the way to Pawleys Island and I ended up in the ER as well...not fun! With the fruit & vegies I thought it was because of pesticides but even organic stuff does it. Then now I think it's the skins and fiberous things because when I cook carrots and cherries (as it pies/cakes yum :) I do not have any reactions. It's funny cause I've alway had an aversion to raw foods and maybe my body was just trying to tell me...and my parents favorite thing was..."Oh! it's all in your head"...that is till they saw me in the ER! Hope you can figure it out as well!
ReplyDeletesatta king
ReplyDeleteplay bazaar Find out which of your team members are most successful and pick their brains for good ideas and techniques.