So my wonderful sister Heather and I were eating lunch together yesterday. I had sliced up a raw apple and made a sandwich. I got two bites into my sandwich and a few bites into my apple. Then my mouth started to tingle and feel weird. As someone with severe allergies that is a major red flag. So I spit the apple out. When I started to cough I took my rescue inhaler and a full dose of liquid Benadryl. When the coughing got worse I took a breathing treatment. Nothing was working so I used my epipen. This was when it started to get scary. The epipen didn't work. At all. This was the point I told Heather to call 911. An epipen should have pretty close to immediate results. If you don't see any improvement in at least three minutes it's not good. Well the EMTs got to the house pretty quickly. By the time they got to the house I was choking and turning blue in the lips.
Normally EMTs get you into the ambulance and then start treating you. Today was a we're treating you where you're laying on your bed. For the first time ever someone got an IV in on the first try without blowing a vein! I really think EMTs should teach other people how to do IVs. Well they did a second shot of epinephrine, a shot of Benadryl and another breathing treatment. It started to help enough that my lips weren't blue anymore.
The EMTs got me moved into the ambulance. Moving me was quite the feat since they had to pull the oxygen mask off and the EMT fireman carried me to the stretcher in the hall. They thought they were going to be able to go non-emergency at first. By the time the second EMT got back to the ambulance after going back into the house to get his bag things went from bad to worse. The second shot of epinephrine should have opened everything up..it didn't. Things were bad enough that a pulse oximeter on my finger didn't work. They couldn't get any readings from it. The EMT increased the oxygen in my mask and did a 3rd breathing treatment.
Since the epi wasn't working he made a potentially dangerous call. He gave me magnesium sulfate which I have never had before. With my list of allergies it was clear he was backed into a corner. EMTs normally treat with a solu medrol pack. Well solu medrol is a form of prednisone which I am deathly allergic to. Because I'm allergic to steroids it severely ties the EMTs hands when they're trying to treat me. He made the right call to try the magnesium sulfate. While it was a risk it would eventually pay off. By the time we were turning off of my street things went from worse to life threatening. My airway closed completely. I started choking badly. For the first time I got sedated in the ambulance to facilitate intubation if it came to that. The EMT also needed something to relax me so my heart rate could come down some and I could calm down some. I was understandably freaked out and it was not helping my breathing.
I've had EMTs consider intubating before but this was the closest I've ever gotten to it. The EMT had everything out and ready to intubate when I finally turned a corner. The medicine finally started to take effect. By the time we reached the ER I was starting to stabilize. The EMT that treated me spoke to Alex. He said that he's been doing that job for 20 years. He said that he has never been that scared or shaken before in his entire career. Alex said that even by then he was still visibly shaken. He told Alex it was the first time after getting a patient to the hospital that he had to sit down and collect himself.
He was also going to do something for us that is pretty amazing. Our house is now flagged in the EMS database. So if I call and am unable to speak they will send EMTs immediately. Also if we find out a clear diagnosis of Mast Cell Activation Disease they actually have a protocol for it. They start an epinephrine drip instead of doing single shots of epi. It is something strangely enough that the EMTs in our area are completely familiar with. On a side note I was taken to the hospital that I usually avoid like the plague. However they improved!! After my last visit went so bad I spoke with their risk management director a few weeks ago. I actually saw the improvements this time around. They called for a physical interpreter and wrote things down till he arrived!! They even used tape not bandaids on me. It was awesome. It's nice to know that an ER can improve and quickly.
In a way all's well that ends well. I'm at home recuperating from the whole mess. I'm grateful to amazing EMTs that I know we're nothing less than inspired on how to help me. I'm also very grateful to an ER that improved and did the right thing by contacting an interpreter immediately. Thankfully this ambulance and ER trip ended ok. I'd love to say I think I'll avoid any more close calls but recent history has shown that just isn't going to happen. I can only hope that those around me will continue to be inspired on how to best help me!
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