« New Theory as to Why Peanut Allergy Continues to Grow in USA | Main | Divvies Gets Some Good Press »
July 19, 2007
This May Hurt A Little - A Story of an Anaphylactic Reaction
I found an interesting and somewhat entertaining article online from The Independent, a UK based news site. I think you will appreciate it. Double splendid.
What's behind the rise in allergic reactions?
Steve Rowland didn't even have any allergies. Then an anaphylactic attack nearly killed him. Severe reactions like his are on the rise in Britain - so what's causing them?Plenty of other things could have killed me over the years: stress, high blood pressure, liver disease due to heavy drinking, injuries sustained in misjudged pub fights due to heavy drinking, my wife garnishing my food with shards of glass due to my heavy drinking. But not this - surely I couldn't be dying from an allergic reaction? Bar hay fever, I had never shown intolerance towards any-thing. In fact, I had always had a slight disdain for people who said they were allergic to wheat or milk or peanuts or shellfish. Yet here I was in A&E, with a nurse massaging my thigh, preparing it for a shot of adrenalin two hours after I had been eating cockles. I had a steroid drip in one arm and an oxygen mask on.
"This may hurt a little."
"Uhthonemine," I said, meaning I don't mind. Speaking properly had become a problem: my tongue was several times its usual size and my lips had taken over my face, which was decorated in an exotic-looking rash. It took immense concentration and will to swallow...
read the entire article
Posted by David at July 19, 2007 2:34 PM