The Unhappy Me thread

[Nick]

Originally Posted by xilman

No-one has the faintest idea what set off the reactions so further series of tests have been arranged. I have essentially no history of any kind of allergy so these episodes were totally unexpected.

That must be rather alarming - I hope the tests quickly make it clear what happened!

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by xilman

Two multi-hour sessions in Addenbrookes' Accident & Emergency Dept. this week. Both were for anaphylaxis; both resulted in lengthy observation periods following blood tests and treatment with steroids and antihistamines.

No-one has the faintest idea what set off the reactions so further series of tests have been arranged. I have essentially no history of any kind of allergy so these episodes were totally unexpected.


Ho hum. I'm quite clearly becoming old and decrepit.

Aw, geez! Anaphylaxis is life-threatening, and usually means a severe allergic reaction. You may have to constantly carry an Epipen henceforth. Depends on what you're allergic to, and how easy or difficult it might be to avoid it. Also, there are "allergy shots" that may reduce your sensitivity.

Sometimes allergic reactions come on like that -- you get exposed to an allergen time after time with no problems, but gradually become sensitized. Then, with that "one exposure too many," WHAM!

Good luck with determining the allergen, and with your treatment!

[richs]

Originally Posted by xilman

Two multi-hour sessions in Addenbrookes' Accident & Emergency Dept. this week. Both were for anaphylaxis; both resulted in lengthy observation periods following blood tests and treatment with steroids and antihistamines.

No-one has the faintest idea what set off the reactions so further series of tests have been arranged. I have essentially no history of any kind of allergy so these episodes were totally unexpected.

Check out this severe allergy that is spreading in the US due to tick bites: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-gal_allergy

People are experiencing anaphylaxis after eating red meat.

[henryzz]

Originally Posted by xilman

Two multi-hour sessions in Addenbrookes' Accident & Emergency Dept. this week. Both were for anaphylaxis; both resulted in lengthy observation periods following blood tests and treatment with steroids and antihistamines.

No-one has the faintest idea what set off the reactions so further series of tests have been arranged. I have essentially no history of any kind of allergy so these episodes were totally unexpected.


Ho hum. I'm quite clearly becoming old and decrepit.

Ouch. You have spent too long in there this year. Hope you find the cause.

[xilman]

Originally Posted by henryzz

Ouch. You have spent too long in there this year. Hope you find the cause.

Yeah, the staff are starting to recognize me.

[Mark Rose]

Originally Posted by xilman

Two multi-hour sessions in Addenbrookes' Accident & Emergency Dept. this week. Both were for anaphylaxis; both resulted in lengthy observation periods following blood tests and treatment with steroids and antihistamines.

No-one has the faintest idea what set off the reactions so further series of tests have been arranged. I have essentially no history of any kind of allergy so these episodes were totally unexpected.

It can be anything, too. I developed an anaphylatic allergy to nitrile products; nitrile is often sold as an anti-allergenic replacement for other materials. I would think back to everything you ate or touched both of those days before the reactions, from laundry detergent to hand tools. I have allergies to many things that are not found in regular allergy testing; they only test for the most common allergens.

[kladner]

As in nitrile gloves versus latex?

[ewmayer]

Originally Posted by xilman

Two multi-hour sessions in Addenbrookes' Accident & Emergency Dept. this week. Both were for anaphylaxis; both resulted in lengthy observation periods following blood tests and treatment with steroids and antihistamines.

No-one has the faintest idea what set off the reactions so further series of tests have been arranged. I have essentially no history of any kind of allergy so these episodes were totally unexpected.

Ho hum. I'm quite clearly becoming old and decrepit.

Except that old usually means a dampening of the immune system, which one would hope would also mean weakened histaminic response - not so, it seems.

Hope your medical team identifies the allergen soon - just out of curiosity, how much does an epi-pen (or whatever it's called in the UK) go for, compared to the usury/monopoly pricing here in the Land of the FreeSeverely Overpriced? [Credible estimates have been done which put the cost to manufacture an epi-pen at under $2 ... the sole US manufacturer was recently charging $600, until public outrage prompted them to offer a discount model at the low, low price of just $300.]

[dleclair]

Yikes xilman, take care. I hope you can quickly find the cause. It took me a while to find the cause of my own reaction which was late onset, unexpected, and severe but not as thoroughly bad as what you describe. It turned out to be a specific food which I miss very much. I can't remember if we were in regular contact about NFSNET when that happened but it was around then.

[Mark Rose]

Originally Posted by kladner

As in nitrile gloves versus latex?

Yep, that's how the allergy developed. It got progressively worse and the last time I wore them I ended up in the hospital.

[henryzz]

Originally Posted by xilman

Yeah, the staff are starting to recognize me.

It's not as if your beard isn't memorable.