Thank God I Work In A Hospital!
Apparently...I'm severely (deathly) allergic to shellfish (i.e.shrimp).
I had just finished my third round of assessments on my babies for the night, and was getting really hungry. I had just received a complimentary meal ticket to the hospital's cafeteria, and had not had time to pack a lunch that night (I had sworn off eating from the cafeteria, but figured I'd make an exception so as not to waste money). I saw only 1 item that looked like food (shrimp pasta salad-including noodles, garlic, peas, tomatoes, pepper, and shrimp). I eat shrimp SO often, so I never would have thought to be careful around shrimp (shellfish). I was eating in the break room alone, and after only 5 minutes of eating, I thought, "Gosh, I can't swallow the rest of the food towards the back of my mouth! That's so weird." I took a drink, and realized as I palpated the inside of my mouth, that my lymph nodes were swollen so tightly all the way up both of my cheeks (like large alveolar sacs), and on both sides of the very back of my throat, the lymph nodes were also incredibly swollen. As I tried to swallow my milk, I had some difficulty. I left the break room and asked my charge nurse to get some benedryl from the supervisor. I barely got that tiny little pill down, as I could barely close my mouth. I was so embarrassed as the milk dribbled down my chin. I thought to myself, "I can shake this off." I walked out on the unit to get back to my babies, and the nurses began to stare at me and get really worried. I was talking funny. I could barely close my mouth, and my tongue was now very swollen. They each said my face looked swollen, and that I was talking funny. They said it looked like I had just gotten out of the dentist's office after major mouth surgery.
I walked back to my patients, but by the time I began my next task, my throat started to close up and tighten, and I was having trouble swallowing and started to experience shortness of breath, and was making small gasps. I told our charge nurse that I was pretty sure I needed something else. Everyone around us rushed around picking up my assignment and helping out in charting and the charge nurse quickly rushed me down to ER. As I walked in, I was put in triage while they asked me questions and such. My throat tightened a little more, and finally was put in a room, given the lovely open-backed gown, and into bed I went. I started to shake uncontrollably all over my body. I was embarrassed because I could not stop it myself. She brought in two heated blankets, and that helped. But you could still the blankets just vibrating and making small jumps from the shaking. She started an IV after she gave me an IM injection of Epinephrine (a major drug!-used in code situations). I had just finished asking her if it would make my heart race, knowing that it probably would. Within minutes, my heart rate skyrocketed. I was trying so hard to fall asleep, because I was so hyped up. I felt as though my body were running a marathon, but I wasn't going anywhere...and I couldn't calm myself down, or stop shaking. I could feel my heart beating wildly all over my body, in my legs, my stomach, my ears, my knees...I was mildly groaning as I tossed my head back and forth trying to calm down. As she started my IV and infused the solu-medrol (steriod), and the second dose of benedryl (25mg-meaning I had had a total of 50mg). Being a small-framed girl, this volume of medication into a girl who is not used to taking a lot of medication, I flushed white and was nauseous and then incredibly tired and groggy immediately, yet still in the fast-paced inside world of epinepherine. Finally, I fell asleep. I woke up what felt like a few minutes later, when in fact it had been 3 hours. Right before I fell asleep, I slurred a quick update to my mother (after 6 tries to the home phone before my charge nurse woke her up) and another quick call to Adam so that he could drive me home later). They kept me for 4 1/2 hours.
My co-workers were amazing! They took such great care of me. My charge nurse promised she would sit with me until I fell asleep. And she definitely kept her promise. She a really good friend, and a lot like an older sister, I would imagine. It was so great having her there! Then, my best friend at work Elizabeth stopped down to see me later, and even went to pick up Adam to get him to the hospital so he could drive me home.
I finally awoke to Adam's knock on the door. I was really ready to go home by this time. I had been at the hospital even over my 12 hour shift. And my body was so weak and shaky from all the medication. The doctor released me and I awaited the nurses to come in. I'm such a bad patient. I got up out of bed, folded all of the linen I had been laying on, including the blankets, changed into my clothes, disconnected myself from the monitor and all my leads, turned the monitor off, and began to tear the tape off of my reseal. I really can't remember the ride home, sweet gracious Adam....
So, I crashed into bed, and slept until 4pm. I still don't have much energy, and my heart still races when I was cleaning the house today (*smile* yes, I can't help but do that), but my throat isn't tight, no respiratory residual effects, no swollen lymph nodes anymore, and I'm well rested.
Well, it just goes to prove my motto: drama follows me everywhere.
New motto: no more seafood for a while....that freaked me out!
I had just finished my third round of assessments on my babies for the night, and was getting really hungry. I had just received a complimentary meal ticket to the hospital's cafeteria, and had not had time to pack a lunch that night (I had sworn off eating from the cafeteria, but figured I'd make an exception so as not to waste money). I saw only 1 item that looked like food (shrimp pasta salad-including noodles, garlic, peas, tomatoes, pepper, and shrimp). I eat shrimp SO often, so I never would have thought to be careful around shrimp (shellfish). I was eating in the break room alone, and after only 5 minutes of eating, I thought, "Gosh, I can't swallow the rest of the food towards the back of my mouth! That's so weird." I took a drink, and realized as I palpated the inside of my mouth, that my lymph nodes were swollen so tightly all the way up both of my cheeks (like large alveolar sacs), and on both sides of the very back of my throat, the lymph nodes were also incredibly swollen. As I tried to swallow my milk, I had some difficulty. I left the break room and asked my charge nurse to get some benedryl from the supervisor. I barely got that tiny little pill down, as I could barely close my mouth. I was so embarrassed as the milk dribbled down my chin. I thought to myself, "I can shake this off." I walked out on the unit to get back to my babies, and the nurses began to stare at me and get really worried. I was talking funny. I could barely close my mouth, and my tongue was now very swollen. They each said my face looked swollen, and that I was talking funny. They said it looked like I had just gotten out of the dentist's office after major mouth surgery.
I walked back to my patients, but by the time I began my next task, my throat started to close up and tighten, and I was having trouble swallowing and started to experience shortness of breath, and was making small gasps. I told our charge nurse that I was pretty sure I needed something else. Everyone around us rushed around picking up my assignment and helping out in charting and the charge nurse quickly rushed me down to ER. As I walked in, I was put in triage while they asked me questions and such. My throat tightened a little more, and finally was put in a room, given the lovely open-backed gown, and into bed I went. I started to shake uncontrollably all over my body. I was embarrassed because I could not stop it myself. She brought in two heated blankets, and that helped. But you could still the blankets just vibrating and making small jumps from the shaking. She started an IV after she gave me an IM injection of Epinephrine (a major drug!-used in code situations). I had just finished asking her if it would make my heart race, knowing that it probably would. Within minutes, my heart rate skyrocketed. I was trying so hard to fall asleep, because I was so hyped up. I felt as though my body were running a marathon, but I wasn't going anywhere...and I couldn't calm myself down, or stop shaking. I could feel my heart beating wildly all over my body, in my legs, my stomach, my ears, my knees...I was mildly groaning as I tossed my head back and forth trying to calm down. As she started my IV and infused the solu-medrol (steriod), and the second dose of benedryl (25mg-meaning I had had a total of 50mg). Being a small-framed girl, this volume of medication into a girl who is not used to taking a lot of medication, I flushed white and was nauseous and then incredibly tired and groggy immediately, yet still in the fast-paced inside world of epinepherine. Finally, I fell asleep. I woke up what felt like a few minutes later, when in fact it had been 3 hours. Right before I fell asleep, I slurred a quick update to my mother (after 6 tries to the home phone before my charge nurse woke her up) and another quick call to Adam so that he could drive me home later). They kept me for 4 1/2 hours.
My co-workers were amazing! They took such great care of me. My charge nurse promised she would sit with me until I fell asleep. And she definitely kept her promise. She a really good friend, and a lot like an older sister, I would imagine. It was so great having her there! Then, my best friend at work Elizabeth stopped down to see me later, and even went to pick up Adam to get him to the hospital so he could drive me home.
I finally awoke to Adam's knock on the door. I was really ready to go home by this time. I had been at the hospital even over my 12 hour shift. And my body was so weak and shaky from all the medication. The doctor released me and I awaited the nurses to come in. I'm such a bad patient. I got up out of bed, folded all of the linen I had been laying on, including the blankets, changed into my clothes, disconnected myself from the monitor and all my leads, turned the monitor off, and began to tear the tape off of my reseal. I really can't remember the ride home, sweet gracious Adam....
So, I crashed into bed, and slept until 4pm. I still don't have much energy, and my heart still races when I was cleaning the house today (*smile* yes, I can't help but do that), but my throat isn't tight, no respiratory residual effects, no swollen lymph nodes anymore, and I'm well rested.
Well, it just goes to prove my motto: drama follows me everywhere.
New motto: no more seafood for a while....that freaked me out!
posted by Adalia at 9:03 PM
1 Comments:
wow! i'd say that was some drama. it's probably best to skip the whole cafeteria thing, not just the shellfish.
it's never good to eat hospital food, you know...it's for sick people. ha!
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