Allergic Reaction

Friday afternoon, I was working downtown and Liz had a doctor’s appointment at Northwestern.

I got done a bit early, and was out running errands. I was somewhat biding my time, hoping I could be around to catch a ride home.

For her part, she was downtown for her migraines. She’s tried a lot of medication that hasn’t worked all that well. So the recommendation was for her to try an intravenous infusion treatment.

I got a call on my phone a bit after her appointment started. It turned out, she started to have an allergic reaction. And they immediately stopped the treatment, and gave her a combination of a lot of Benadryl and a steroid.

She called me shortly after they stopped, and she was shifting away from the allergic reaction and getting hit with the things they introduced to stop the reaction. She said I needed to head over, and to pick her up and take her home.

Honestly, it was a bit scary. I made sure she was ok, and hopped the first cab I could flag down.

On arriving, I was taken in back… and found Liz, sitting and resting.

When she first started feeling “off” and a bit itchy, they stopped the infusion immediately. And then gave her things to counteract the reaction (the main worry was that her throat might swell, and she might have difficulty breathing).

The nurse who was attending to Liz was great, and checked in with us often.

By the time I arrived, Liz was on an IV. And the nurse put on a second bag, just to ensure that things would flush out of her system.

We both had recliners, and were more or less sitting and waiting. And trying to calm down.

In a moment of loopiness (from the Benadryl), Liz had her phone out and was concerned about her work. She messaged a few folks about some projects. In hindsight, I probably should have taken her phone away from her, as she really wasn’t in a good state of mind.

Akin to why they don’t want you signing any legal documents, close to the time when you go under Twilight sedation.

A bad reaction, and a scary window of time. But it was the absolute best and safest place for this to happen, and the attending nurses were incredibly quick and decisive about Liz’s safety.

Related:
Liz Gets Her Wisdom Teeth Removed
32 Needles: Allergy Tests at Northwestern
I Think I’m Allergic to Alcohol