Anaphylactic shock

I've been fairly quiet so far this year, which I guess is a good thing when the medium is a blog designed to bleat about my various ailments, but I think enough has happened this week to warrant another update!

After returning from Venice I came down with a chest infection. I'm not sure whether Ryanair or Venice canal was the culprit, but on Tuesday afternoon I decided it was too severe to self-treat and dragged myself to my GP who gave me antibiotics. I started the course that evening and felt a bit wheezy and itchy, but not terrible. I came up in a bit of a rash, and also felt incredibly anxious for no clear reason, but went to sleep and woke up feeling okay.

On Wednesday morning I took the 2nd dose of the antibiotics and felt a lot worse. My chest felt a lot tighter, so I went (okay, cycled) to an urgent care centre because I was worried the infection was worsening. I also, inexplicably but adamantly, felt that something awful was about to happen: I'm very used to hospital admissions, and I had an inkling that that might have been the outcome of my appointment, but that wasn't what was worrying me - I just couldn't work out what was. I was triaged by a healthcare assistant and I can remember being really surprised that my temperature was too low rather than too high: I really thought I was septic. My blood pressure was low (but mine always is), and I was slightly tachycardic at 100-110bpm, with a respiration rate in the 60s (a healthy adult should be taking about 10-20 breaths a minute). The healthcare assistant said she was worried, and that I'd be seen next by the GP.

I went back to the waiting room, and saw a nurse in a navy uniform walking past carrying a cup of tea. I'd barely sat down before she saw me, grabbed my upper arm, and pulled the emergency buzzer whilst pushing me into a room. My memories become very hazy from here, but I remember the nurse shouting for an ambulance and the crash trolley. I've been told I then lost consciousness, that my blood pressure and oxygen saturation were unrecordable, and I was given adrenaline followed by hydrocortisone. I was blue lighted to resus at QMC, where treatment for anaphylactic shock continued.

The antibiotic I'd been prescribed was amoxicillin, a penicillin drug, and I'd had as severe an allergic reaction as it's possible to have whilst still being alive to tell the tale. I've taken penicillin numerous times before with no issues, but this time was obviously one time too many. Whilst I appreciate that adrenaline undoubtedly saved my life and is a very useful drug; it's also a bloody horrible drug in terms of side effects! In the hours following it my resting pulse was >130bpm, I was uncontrollably shaking, and I just wanted to rip off my monitoring equipment and go for a run.

I recovered very quickly, and it didn't take me long to get home. The upshot is: I now carry an epipen, and absolutely must not take any penicillin drug - which is an issue as a neutropenic! This means I need to be seen again by haematology to discuss G-CSF a bit more seriously, and also immunology to try to work out what happened!

Summary: it all sounds scary, and it was bit touch and go, but it's all fine now!

Love Emily x