My Interesting Week

[przed]

So, my week started well, and then rapidly got weird/bad/semi-dangerous. Let me share it with you.


I'd been looking forward to Monday for ages, because not only was that the day I was going to see the Game of Thrones Exhibit down at the TIFF Lightbox, but TIFF had brought George R.R. Martin in to do an on-stage interview and book signing and I'd got tickets for myself and one of my best friends that I'd encouraged to read the books. (She then managed to rip through them all, including the latest one, faster than I ever could. Ah, for infinite time.)

The exhibit was very cool. They had Dany's dothraki costume and the pin of the King's Hand, a Stark shield, several swords, King Robert's crown, and Ned Stark's head on a pike. The Sweetie got to see the exhibit a couple of days before me when he was down at the Lightbox for a screening, and he was practically bouncing when he came in.

Sweetie: Guess what they had in the exhibit?!
Me: Does it have something to do with Ned Stark?
Sweetie: Yeah!
Me: Is it Ned's head?
Sweetie: ::looking distinctly less bouncy:: Yeah.

Poor boy. But he did make it rather easy to guess. He takes too much delight in the Bean getting killed off.

They also have a replica of the Iron Throne that not only do you get to sit in, but that they take your picture in. Alas, after waiting half an hour for the privilege, they seem to have lost the pictures of everyone who had their pictures done on Monday night. But you can see the Sweetie glowering on the throne here.

The Martin interview was fun. He's a funny, engaging guy, and as a bonus they showed the Season 2 trailer on the big screen in the theatre, along with interview clips with various cast members. One of the best clips was when they asked which character they thought Martin himself resembled. A few, predictably, said Tyrion, a few, less predictably, said Varys. But Nicholaj Coster-Waldau said Samwell Tarly, which I thought was interesting and not one I would have come up with at all. But it makes sense.

After the interview, Martin adjourned to the lobby to, and I quote, "deface your books." I got him to deface my copy of Game of Thrones, but also a copy of Armageddon Rag, which I'd accidentally found in a box of box I happened to be moving in the basement.

So, that was the good part of the week.


The bad part of the week started out normally. I got up at 5:30 on Tuesday to head out to my martial arts class. On arriving, I found out that Sir Winston (all the instructors are either "Sir" or "Ma'am") wasn't teaching, and Sir Sean, who I'd been warned about, was. He got us to run laps until I could feel my asthma starting to kick off, and then to skip rope until I thought I was going to die. Which wasn't the bad part, actually.

The bad part was when we started doing kata, and I felt my scalp getting a bit itchy. And then inside my ears. And then, when I realized things were about to go tits up quite quickly and went back to the car to retrieve my antihistamines and Epipen, my left eye swelled shut, and the inside of my mouth swelled up. I downed the antihistamines, drove the five minutes home, during which my throat swelled enough that it hurt to swallow, and jammed in the Epipen as soon as I got in the door. (You don't want to drive after you've taken adrenaline. Truly.) This stopped the worst of the swelling, and gave us enough time to get Ros ready so the Sweetie could drive me to the hospital and then drop her at school.

In the E.R. the doctor made sure my airway was clear, gave me even more antihistamine, and told me I had to take the bloody stuff every 4 hours for 24 hours to make sure the swelling didn't rebound. Which meant lying on the couch all day either in an absolute fog or unconscious. I couldn't even watch anything I really wanted to since I couldn't stay awake for more than 30 minutes at a time. And yesterday when I went into to work, I had enough of a Benedryl hangover that I was dopey, dizzy and useless for most of the day.

So, yeah, not my best day ever.

The scary thing is not that this is a recurrence of my usual mysterious "idiopathic angioedema" (which is my favourite diagnosis ever, as it basically means "you swell up and we don't know why") but that this time the bloody thing seems to have been kicked off by the cardio exercise. I gave up beer years ago since that seemed to be triggering this. I'm not bloody giving up exercise.

From this point forward, the week has got to get better.

Comments

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, that's horrible. (Um, not the cool exhibit part, I need hardly say. *g* That sounds wonderful.) I really, really hope it's not the cardio. Maybe there was something in the environment that triggered it. Or...well, if it was the cardio, maybe the point is not to push past your tolerance level quite so much. (Which, actually, is a good idea in general. Your'e not twenty anymore...)

Here's to much improvement for the rest of the week! And no repeat of the bad stuff.

[przed.livejournal.com]

I don't know that it being environmental would be any better, since I want to keep going to that dojo. I'm hoping it was just my usual freak swelling thing and that I go another 3 years without it happening again, thank you very much.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Oh, and the exhibit was small, but very, very cool. Especially the throne.

[beledibabe.livejournal.com]

Yikes! I'm sending you non-swelling vibes...

[przed.livejournal.com]

Non-swelling vibes much appreciated. (I think my body is trying to see how many weird ailments it can have before I kick off. Really, it can stop any time.)

[kassidy62.livejournal.com]

that sounds hideous! You have my sympathies and a fervent wish that you don't have to go through that again. I have to carry an Eppie too but never had to use it so far (knock on wood). Given my unpleasant reactions to many stimulants, I'm sure it'd be horrible, frankly.

[przed.livejournal.com]

It's the second time I've used mine, and I've had adrenaline in the E.R. twice as well. It's rather like having a panic attack, without the panic. (This has now happened often enough that it's mostly annoying, accelerating to concern when my throat starts going.) I hope you never have to use yours. ::knock on wood::

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, YIKES. That's terrible!

*hugs* and many hopes that the mysterious swelling leaves and never comes back.

[przed.livejournal.com]

It is most irksome. And yeah, I hope it never comes back, but I'm not going to put money on that.

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

That sounds so awful - and with no real reason!! It wouldn't be so bad, somehow, if there was something you knew you could avoid! I'm glad you're OK - it sounds a rapid reaction and maybe you shouldn't really have driven home but I can see why you did. I like your posh-sounding diagnosis too.

(((((hugs)))))

I hope it stays away for at least three years.

The juxtaposition of jeans, T-shirt and throne is wonderful. What a pity they lost your pic!

Take care of yourself!

[przed.livejournal.com]

It's the complete randomness of it that's most frustrating. I've seen five allergists over the years, and after they've all had different (and sometimes crack-potted) theories about what's going on, I've given up on the lot of them.

I do wish I knew for sure that it wasn't beer, though, because I could do with a pint every now and then. :-( At least I can still drink scotch. And gin.

I have hopes that they'll find the rest of the Monday pics, but I'm probably delusional. Don took Ros down the other day, so I'm hoping to find her shots eventually. (You have to go through literally hundreds of pics on their facebook page to find yours, so I've haven't gone looking for her yet.)

[norfolkdumpling.livejournal.com]

Oh blimey hon - that's horrible! I hope you're feeling better now, and I'm crossing everything that it was just a coincidence and nothing about what you were doing that triggered it.

[przed.livejournal.com]

I'm much better now. As I told Moth, the other option, apart from allergies, is an auto-immune reaction. Which, really, would also suck, but what are you going to do. :-/

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

Oh bummer luv! (The swelling up bit, not the cool exhibition bit!) That must be a complete nightmare - bad enough it happens, but not knowing what set it off? Ayeeee! I hope it's gone and stays gone. *hugs*

[przed.livejournal.com]

At least I only have a bad attack every 3 years or so. And I know enough about how it progresses that I don't completely freak out any more. But yeah, it's all a big pile of no fun.

But I'm feeling much better and hoping I don't have another big occurrence for another few years.

[solosundance.livejournal.com]

Sheesh, it made me feel panicky just reading that, despite the awesomely calm way you obviously live and cope with whatever causes the reaction. Ergh and don't you just hate "idiopathic" diagnoses? If it is pinned down as an auto-immune response, will management be any different? Glad to hear you're feeling better now and I hope there's a way to ensure you never have to endure another episode.

*massive hugs*

[przed.livejournal.com]

Trust me, the first bunch of times it happened, I was totally panicked. Twenty years later, my reaction is more "Really? Are we really doing this again?"

If it is auto-immune, there's the possibility of adding prednisone into the treatment on top of the antihistamines, but since the side effects of steroids aren't much fun (agitation and sleeplessness, no thanks) I'm avoiding that for now. And the E.R. doctor was pretty up front about the medical community being split down the middle between those who advocate antihistamines, and those who favour steroids. Oh, and that there's absolutely no scientific evidence for either working. Yay!<--sarcasm

[halotolerant.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Stupid human body (seriously, what possible use is an immune system that thinks doing *that* is a good plan?) I hope you're feeling much much better now and that it stays the hell away from you from now on (if it has no clear trigger, which it clearly doesn't, it can just... not be triggered, thanks)

The 'Game of Thrones' exhibit sounds amazing, I wish I could have been there. I've almost finished 'Clash of Kings' now and I'm still loving it.

Have some medicine that isn't scientifically proven either but definitely more fun than anti-histamines:

[przed.livejournal.com]

I seriously think my body just does these weird things just to mess with me. (Last night I was musing on which of the stupid conditions I have I'd like to get rid of most. Frighteningly, the angioedema thing came in about third.)

I like your idea of medicine. You're the best doctor ever!

I forgot to add one detail which I think you'll appreciate. When we were telling Ros that mommy would be going to the hospital, and then probably taking medicine all day that would make her sleepy, she got very interested.

Ros: Are you going to sleep on the couch?
Me: Probably.
Ros: When you wake up, are you going to watch TV?
Me: Yeah.
Ros: You should watch Take That.

Clearly, I'm raising her right. *g*

(I did follow her advice and pull out For the Record.)

[draycevixen.livejournal.com]

Egads woman I believe you need to have stern words with that body of yours, stern words I tell you!

I'm just really happy to hear that you're all right as I can imagine how scary that reaction would be and yet you handled it so calmly.

*squishes you gently* ♥

[przed.livejournal.com]

If only stern words would suffice. Still, I'm hoping this is it for a while. (On the positive side, it's probably nearly ten years since I've had a reaction this severe.)

The calmness has only come with years of putting up with this nonsense. Now I mostly react with irritation, coupled with a bit of concern when my throat gets involved.

[just-ann-now.livejournal.com]

Omigosh, that's terrifying!

I really hate the idea of you having to give up a vigorous exercise program that you enjoy. Hope it gets sorted out for you!

[przed.livejournal.com]

I refuse to give up the exercise. Although I did decide to take a break from yesterday's class when my alarm when off at 5:30 and the Sweetie pointed out that going right back to class was possibly not the best idea ever.

Next week, however, I'm going to be back in the dojo!

[shayheyred.livejournal.com]

Good grief, girl!

[przed.livejournal.com]

Yeah. :-/

[saintvic.livejournal.com]

Oh luv, am so sorry that happened. Am really pleased you got home safely and to the hospital and am hoping this recurrence will not happen again. Make sure you look after yourself, rest and recover *hugs you*.

[przed.livejournal.com]

I wasn't fun, but I'm definitely, finally over the effects. (Took a couple of days, though.) Fingers crossed it doesn't happen again, but I'm not going to place any bets to that effect. :-/

*hugs back*

[nsandik.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you're better! Hurray for antihistimines and epipens. So many of us would be dead meat if we lived 100 years ago!

My first thought when I read your misadaventure: What kind of cologne was this Sean fellow wearing?

Scents and perfumes can bring on migraines for me, and I have food allergies so I'm always thinking that way. My local friend V has Crohn's disease, so I understand the wild, woolly ride that comes with auto-immune and random illnesses. *hugs*

[przed.livejournal.com]

I am sooooo glad I didn't live a hundred years ago.

Sir Sean was nowhere near me when it all went pear-shaped, so it's not his fault. Except for the getting us to run around until exhaustion. That is totally his fault. *g*

Scents give me migraines too, but this particular reaction, they've never been able to track it down to any one trigger (beer, corn chips, corn tortillas, and leftovers that I'd eaten perfectly happily the day before have all seemed to be culprits at one time or another, but nothing has ever shown up on any allergy test.) Basically at this point I just keep the Epipen with me and watch out for trouble.

*hugs back*

[elfwhistletree.livejournal.com]

I hope the mysterious allergy goes away and never comes back - that sounds like a whole load of no fun ♥

But be sure to get a new Epipen anyway, just in case - maybe another time you should ask someone from the Dojo to drive you home or to hospital, rather than trying to drive yourself - but I guess it might have taken just as long to explain as to drive yourself? I think perhaps you need a small sparkly chap as a chauffeur and personal assistant?

*gentle hugs*

[przed.livejournal.com]

I certainly hope it never happens again, but at this point I think I'm resigned to occasional flare ups.

My sparring partner did offer to drive me home, but I felt bad when it was so close. But next time... (Now, if it had been a certain small sparkly chap offering the ride, I would totally have taken him up on it. *g*)

*hugs back*

[jawanderer.livejournal.com]

Oh yikes! Scary!

It seems like it would be at least easier if you knew what caused it. Not only so you could avoid that something, but just... mysterious stuff is scary.

Here's hoping for the mystery swelling to go away permanently and never come back. !!

[przed.livejournal.com]

I've pretty much given up on allergists and finding the cause, so I just keep that Epipen handy and be prepared to use it. Fortunately, mine goes fast, but not as fast or severe as some people's. And yeah, if it never comes back, I will be very, very happy.

[cyanne]

I'm glad the exhibit was awesome and I hope that you never get sick like that again. Sending you lots of good thou

[przed.livejournal.com]

I hope that you never get sick like that again.

You and me both. *g* But I'm not counting on it. :-(

::hugs::

[kayberrisford.livejournal.com]

The good bits sound very interesting! I think I might see if I can download Game of Thrones for my hols. I have never read any GRR Martin (will admit to not even knowing who he was until chatting to you and Halo) but I really need to read some more fantasy to get me back in that mindset for the final Greenwood novel.

Eeeep! *hugs* for the bad, though :( Glad things got better again :)

[przed.livejournal.com]

I can highly recommend all of Martin's novels. The Game of Thrones ones are particularly good. They're very gritty fantasy and based on the War of the Roses. Also, you should know going in that no character is safe and he's quite famous for killing off popular characters as he goes.

The bad is much better now. Though I'm holding off until next week to go back to Tae Kwan Do.

[sunshine-2525.livejournal.com]

Good start of the week with that cool Game of Thrones Exhibit, but bloody hell, the end of your week was really bad :( What a scary experience! I would have panicked big time. And it's scary too that this could happen without you knowing exactly what it is that is causing it.

It's good to hear that you are better now :)

[przed.livejournal.com]

The Game of Thrones exhibit is quite fun, but yeah, I could have done without the other stuff. I don't quite panic anymore, but I have to say this was the worst reaction I've had in a number of years. But it's all good now.

[sooguy.livejournal.com]

Wow, that sounds horribly scary. I remember you telling me about one of the first times that happened to you. I can't imagine a more scary experience. Stay safe! At least you and Don know "the Drill" now.

[przed.livejournal.com]

The scariest part was the drive home, when my throat started going and I started hoping it didn't go so fast that I couldn't get home to take the Epipen before it got really bad. But I did, and it was fine and from that point on it was just irksome maintenance.

I do wish it would stop happening, though. Even once every few years is too much.

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Ouch! I *knew* there was a post of yours I had to go back and read. Good grief, I hope you are okay now and everything is back down to normal size. I really hope it doesn't happen again, especcally when you are about to kick martial arts ass.

Take care, hon xxx

[przed.livejournal.com]

Am definitely fine now, and very happy that all the Benedryl is out of my system. (I felt utterly stupid for 2 days, and only slightly better a day or two after that.)

And yeah, I really hope I don't have another attack in the dojo. Or anywhere, really.

::hugs::