This Is Not Good

You'd think after about 36 hours, I'd be getting better. The swelling seems to be slowly travelling up my arm.When I first wrote about it, maybe half of my forearm was swollen. By Saturday morning it was to my elbow. Now it's up to my deltoid - my bicep and tricep look like Popeye's, and my whole arm is hot to the touch. What is up with this?

I definitely agree with spc. You need to bee seen. Oops, I mean, be seen. Did you take my advice with the benadryl and Ibuprofen? Sounds like you now need some steroids and antibiotics.

My whole arm swells when I get a tetanus shot, and the only thing that will make it go down is antibiotics, don't ask me why. I've yet to hear a good explanation from a physician on that one. Keep up with the benadryl and ibuprofen, but call your dr or go to emergency care. You definitely need more than over-the-counter therapy for this one. Keep us posted.

mld, 9/15/02, 5:42 PM

That Which Does Not Kill Me...

I'll survive. After I posted that message, I went a googling, and found out what I'm having is known in the trade a a "large local reaction" - a small to medium sized allergic reaction. It is not the life-threatening one that leads to breathing problems and heart attacks, though if I were to get stung again, it might be worse. The allergies to the venom can be species specific. Is that a redundacy? Species-specific? I got bee stung about a dozen times a few months ago, with none other than normal effects.

Now that I know what it is, I'm not worried, and I'll tough it out.

The swelling seems to have stopped at the upper arm, and the skin is now just warm, and not feverishly hot. My joints are aching like a mo-fo now, though. But it seems the worst is over with.

No Mary, I have not been taking any Benadryl. First, that stuff makes me wanna crawl outta my skin, and second, I try not to take drugs without a dire, dire need. And I'm not planning on going to the ER. Mostly coz I'm a stubborn bastard that refuses to go to a doctor, and my opinion of the medical profession makes Moliere look like the president of the AMA. :-) In my life, I've been to the hospital twice - once when I stepped on a nail that came out the top of my foot, and to get a cast when I ripped the ligaments up in my right ankle. And to visit other folks. That's it.

I read somewhere that 95% of all people die in a hospital. I figure if I just stay out of them, I might live forever. :-)

Having said all that, I will most likely call a doc and get a scrip for one or two of those allergic reaction kits. They have an inhaler, pills, and a preloaded syringe of adrenalin or ephidrine. It look like I'm at least mildly allergic, CG is definitely allergic, and several of the family might be. So, to keep kit at their house, and one in the car might be a good idea. There are always oodles of bees and wasps around there - most of the time we peacefully coexist, but when you don't know they're there, as was the case with me, feces happens.

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mld, 9/22/02, 11:57 AM

Getting caught dead in the hospital

Ok, so maybe I'll be officially declared dead at the hospital. I'll go on record as saying that I don't mind being in a hospital, so long as I'm already dead. :-)

Then all the bureaucracy, paperwork, grumpy sick folks, overbearing doctors, nazi nurses, and overall depressing atmosphere won't bother me. :-)

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