Mistakes have the same value in your lifestyle as they do in pre-anaphylactic life -- they are opportunities for learning and personal growth. Perfection is an ideal that exists exclusively in Utopia alongside Virtue, Unicorns and 43 year old Virgins; so, from here on in, release yourself of the burden of having to master your lifestyle perfectly.
Each blunder reveals another invaluable clue as to what is happening in our bodies at the cellular level, which causes us to experience such severe reactions. Without these blunders, we are a powder keg awaiting the next inevitable explosion.
Mistakes are redeemable due to our ability to learn from them... Therefore, PAY ATTENTION. You know the signs -- when you feel your body launching a reaction, make note (physically, if possible -- through writing, a cell phone text/note, or via a voicemail you leave yourself) of what you ate, smelled, did and came into contact with immediately before reaction onset. How are you feeling at the moment? How does it compare to the previous incidents?
Next, CALM DOWN. Physical activity and panic make the symptoms worsen more quickly. In asthmatics, if, during an attack, the person gets emotional -- usually upset or panicked -- lung capacity diminishes exponentially. The minute the asthmatic stops the emotional reaction and forces him/herself to calm down, lung capacity starts to increase. Not an easy thing to do, but if you can manage it, you will buy yourself some valuable time. So, help yourself uncomplicate the complexity of your reaction. Calm down to minimize reaction momentum and enable yourself to think through what needs to be done next to get you into the hands of a competent healthcare team as quickly as possible.
Take your medical insurance card out of your wallet and put it in a pocket or place that will be easily accessible (to you are a healthcare provider) as your reaction progresses.
If the reaction is progressing quickly and you have an Epi Pen, you might have to use it. When to use the Epi Pen should have been discussed with your physician during the first or second office visit. Always seek the advice of a licensed healthcare professional before using prescription medication.
Seek someone's attention and ask them to call 911. Explain what you are experiencing. If breathing and speaking are getting difficult, then proceed to the path of writing.
If your tongue is swelling, you might not be able to speak clearly -- so write your plea for help on a note. Pen and paper will never become relics -- always carry them with you. Include the fact that you are having an anaphylactic/deadly (do yourself a favor and use both words to describe your situation -- some people are unfamiliar with the term "anaphylactic") reaction to [name of your allergen] and to please call 911, and [name of your most reliable emergency contact and his/her telephone number]. Also write down the location of your insurance card (e.g. "Medical insurance card is in right jacket pocket"). If you have the ability, also write the name and telephone number of your physician. Ask the ambulance if they can take you to your physician's hospital without incurring unusual charges.
Once in the ambulance and on the heavenly drip of benadryl buzz, remain alert enough to answer questions accurately, know where you are going or being admitted, and answer the questions of the ER personnel once you arrive at the hospital. After the initial flurry of your arrival, vitals monitoring and a possible administration of medicine, you will have time to doze off... Your emergency contact will hopefully arrive soon thereafter to watch over you. Ask your contact to request copies of your file for this ER visit, so that the record can be shared with your physician. Survival is dependent on a good, impropmtu delegation plan. Just don't delegate the relief. The relief, combined with the IV makes for an intoxicating mix.
After you're home and the drowsiness has worn off (and you WILL be tired -- your body just experienced upheaval of epic proportions), document all you can about this event... With particular emphasis on the hour leading up to the reaction -- this will help identify the trigger. Read through the notes you jotted down or captured on an electronic device, and listen to the voicemail(s). Weave the bits together into a set of data that can be presented to your physician during the next visit.
Now schedule that next appointment with your physician.
Each blunder reveals another invaluable clue as to what is happening in our bodies at the cellular level, which causes us to experience such severe reactions. Without these blunders, we are a powder keg awaiting the next inevitable explosion.
Mistakes are redeemable due to our ability to learn from them... Therefore, PAY ATTENTION. You know the signs -- when you feel your body launching a reaction, make note (physically, if possible -- through writing, a cell phone text/note, or via a voicemail you leave yourself) of what you ate, smelled, did and came into contact with immediately before reaction onset. How are you feeling at the moment? How does it compare to the previous incidents?
Next, CALM DOWN. Physical activity and panic make the symptoms worsen more quickly. In asthmatics, if, during an attack, the person gets emotional -- usually upset or panicked -- lung capacity diminishes exponentially. The minute the asthmatic stops the emotional reaction and forces him/herself to calm down, lung capacity starts to increase. Not an easy thing to do, but if you can manage it, you will buy yourself some valuable time. So, help yourself uncomplicate the complexity of your reaction. Calm down to minimize reaction momentum and enable yourself to think through what needs to be done next to get you into the hands of a competent healthcare team as quickly as possible.
Take your medical insurance card out of your wallet and put it in a pocket or place that will be easily accessible (to you are a healthcare provider) as your reaction progresses.
If the reaction is progressing quickly and you have an Epi Pen, you might have to use it. When to use the Epi Pen should have been discussed with your physician during the first or second office visit. Always seek the advice of a licensed healthcare professional before using prescription medication.
Seek someone's attention and ask them to call 911. Explain what you are experiencing. If breathing and speaking are getting difficult, then proceed to the path of writing.
If your tongue is swelling, you might not be able to speak clearly -- so write your plea for help on a note. Pen and paper will never become relics -- always carry them with you. Include the fact that you are having an anaphylactic/deadly (do yourself a favor and use both words to describe your situation -- some people are unfamiliar with the term "anaphylactic") reaction to [name of your allergen] and to please call 911, and [name of your most reliable emergency contact and his/her telephone number]. Also write down the location of your insurance card (e.g. "Medical insurance card is in right jacket pocket"). If you have the ability, also write the name and telephone number of your physician. Ask the ambulance if they can take you to your physician's hospital without incurring unusual charges.
Once in the ambulance and on the heavenly drip of benadryl buzz, remain alert enough to answer questions accurately, know where you are going or being admitted, and answer the questions of the ER personnel once you arrive at the hospital. After the initial flurry of your arrival, vitals monitoring and a possible administration of medicine, you will have time to doze off... Your emergency contact will hopefully arrive soon thereafter to watch over you. Ask your contact to request copies of your file for this ER visit, so that the record can be shared with your physician. Survival is dependent on a good, impropmtu delegation plan. Just don't delegate the relief. The relief, combined with the IV makes for an intoxicating mix.
After you're home and the drowsiness has worn off (and you WILL be tired -- your body just experienced upheaval of epic proportions), document all you can about this event... With particular emphasis on the hour leading up to the reaction -- this will help identify the trigger. Read through the notes you jotted down or captured on an electronic device, and listen to the voicemail(s). Weave the bits together into a set of data that can be presented to your physician during the next visit.
Now schedule that next appointment with your physician.
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