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Week in hell!

polycounter lvl 18
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Spark polycounter lvl 18
Last tuesday I had an allergic reaction to something I ate at PF Changs, going into annaphelaphic shock, and taking an epinepherene shot, I was taken to our local hospital where they pumped me full of benedryl/steroids/and something else. After being discharged, I was given some medicine to take over the next week to help me with my initial reaction, one being a benedryl, the other a steroid that you slowly ween yourself off of over a period of a week, and a pepcid to help with your stomach as the steroids can make it upset. Well after going through a 10 lb wieght loss, anxiety attacks, hot flashes, night sweats, and muscle aches, I thought I was coming out of things. That was until yesterday, when I go into my allergist to find out what exactly caused it:) So I grab the food that I ate, take it to him, and after him swabbing it to my skin, and waiting some bit I go into the same type of reaction, so he gives me an epinepherene shot, and tells me to go home after 20 minutes, I decide to wait ( which was a good thing ) as after about an hour, I start having the same type of reaction, so yet another shot was given to me and him telling me that yeah your allergic to something at PF Changs, so just don't eat there....yeah @#$#$##! thanks.
I then went to a emergent care place, to sit until my wife got home from work just to be safe ( yes I am paranoid a bit atm:) ). So that was pretty much my last week, still feeling sick, though feeling slightly better, I decided to check with my doctor this morning, who tells me that the steroids can cause.. hot flashes, anxiety, muscle aches, phychosis, and other problems, and that I should slowly start to feel better ( what in the hell are they good for? ), but here is some xanex just to help. Sorry for the long part of the story, but I wanted to know if anyone else has had similiar problems, or stories dealing with the wonderfull world of medicine.

Cheers
Spark

Replies

  • Slum
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    Slum polycounter lvl 18
    Holy shit. Sounds like my entire childhood. I spent quite a bit of time in the hospital for allergies, asthma, and heart trouble.

    When I was in the 8th grade, I smashed my head on a friend's while being a goofball at a concert. I was knocked out cold, and woke up vomiting blood (busted up sinuses caused blood to leak down my throat, plus nausea from a concussion) I went to the hospital, got some x-rays, and they sent me home saying nothing was wrong. A few hours later, they call back and say "Whoops, we were wrong. His skull is actually broken in 3 places and you need to come back right away"

    Needless to say, we went to a different hospital.

    I hope you get better, dude. That sounds like a *blast*
  • Xenobond
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    Xenobond polycounter lvl 18
    Dang, man! That sucks. Did you ever find out what it was in the food that you were allergic to? What dish, too? *_*
  • Joshua Stubbles
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    Joshua Stubbles polycounter lvl 19
    I have a severe food allergy to some specific forms of gluten/wheat gluten. I don't know what kind, but I know certain things that set it off. Any bread from Subway for example, sets my stomach on a stampede. But bread from Gandolfo's doesn't do anything to my stomach.

    For the longest time, doctors kept telling me I'm just a hypochondriac, or I have IBS, or I'm "making it all up". I switched doctors last summer (after 2 1/2yrs of BS) and he's the first one to say I have a real problem. I sure as hell hoped so, seeing as how I've shat blood 2 times. I recently had a colonoscopy & endoscopy and everything was perfectly normal. No disease, no rot, no cancer. So the food allergy was the only explanation. I've had to keep a food journal for quite some time now, noting what things upset my stomach and what doesn't.

    I'm also on steroids, but not the variety that you're taking for that. I take a topical corticosteroid for eczhema. Not sure if that's also a cause for my upset stomach, but it's weak enough to where that's highly unlikely.

    I've also got a hiatal hernia, which is where part of the stomach is pushed/pulled up into the esophagus, past the lower diaphragm. This causes severe heartburn, and pain that's nearly identical to a heart attack (left arm pains, pain around the heart).

    So I'm on several meds for this crap. Not fun. At all. Aciphex for my heartburn, Clobetasol-Propianate for ezchema, and antihistamine's to help with any allergic reactions. I *may* be going in for "minimally evasive" surgery (small incisions, and they use tiny robot arms inside of me) to fix the hiatal hernia.

    Much like you though, I'm tired of getting medical run-a-rounds. I'm just glad I have someone now who actually knows what they're doing.
  • Luxury
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    Luxury polycounter lvl 18
    Not only was I born with IDS (Imminent Death Syndrome), but I also suffer from an acute case of Entitilitis.

    Good call on not going to P.F. Changs anymore - even if you weren't allergic to their food. tongue.gif
  • skankerzero
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    wow, that's crazy!

    Glad you got better!

    Hopefully you figure out what it is you're allergic to.
  • jgarland
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    [ QUOTE ]
    Not only was I born with IDS (Imminent Death Syndrome), but I also suffer from an acute case of Entitilitis.

    [/ QUOTE ]Oh really? So do I! It's a small world. wink.gif

    On a more serious note, sorry to hear about your condition, Spark. It seems strange that you would only learn about the allergy at this point in your life. Just what is P.F. Chang's putting in their food? confused.gif
  • Joshua Stubbles
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    Joshua Stubbles polycounter lvl 19
    Some people are HIGHLY allergic to seasame (seed/oil), which is very prevent in Asian cuisine...
  • Spark
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    Spark polycounter lvl 18
    Hey guys, wow alot of us seemed to have gone through some shit.
    Slum: That's crazy man, and glad you were able to find a better place.
    Xeno: No, the allergist said they don't do test's, so just stay away from asian food with msg and preservatives. Which made me laugh, and cry at the same time.
    Vassago: Damn, is all I have to say to what you have had to go through, but glad that you are finally finding out some of what has been causing your troubles.
    Luxury: Thanks man, yeah I'm a hater of PF Chang for life!
    Skank: Thanks buddy, preciate it.
    JGarland: Not sure actually, suppossedely some preservative that doesn't agree with me, and yeah something you eat for 30 yrs of your life, can turn around and kill you the next...allergies suck!
    I'll update soon with my next reaction, which will hopefully be a long time coming.

    Spark
  • Daz
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    Daz polycounter lvl 18
    Jeez brett, glad you managed to nail down what it was!
  • Mark Dygert
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    wow I'm glad you're doing better, hopefully that won't happen again!

    It's kind of ironic that it happened at PF Changs. I have a mild allergy to wheat and glutton and its one of the places I can get an allergy free meal. Changs Chicken FTW.

    It took me 5 years of being sick to my stomach after almost every meal before we figured out what it was. Once I was off the glutton my stomach healed and I am much more tolerant. My Dr thinks the allergy was brought on by a really bad reaction that put me in the ER. We aren't really sure if it was food poisoning, the allergy or something else that touched it off but I was puking my brains out for 3 days, after the first 6hrs I ran out of things to chuck so I just dry heaved the rest of the time occationally tossing water.
  • MoP
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    MoP polycounter lvl 18
    Holy shit, so that means you went into anaphylactic shock right after you messaged me on MSN saying "brb, getting PF Chang's"?

    Glad to hear you're ok, that kinda stuff can be very frightening I'm sure.

    Vig: Heh, mild allergy to "glutton" smile.gif
  • Ghostscape
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    Ghostscape polycounter lvl 13
    it's "gluten" and my mom suffers from the same allergy. She was undiagnosed for most of her life and developed a bunch of nastiness as a result of trhe years of malnutrition it brought on frown.gif

    However she's a lot better now. The worst part is that hops and barley contain gluten as well as wheat, which means she can't have most alcohol. Thank god for potato vodka smile.gif
  • swampbug
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    swampbug polycounter lvl 18
    Your doctor deserves a swift punch to the throat. Sounds like his expert medical advice "Dont eat there" really was worth all his time in med school.

    I once thought I was allergic to wheat as well. Every time I ate at panera bread, later that day I'd have chills, full bloated feeling, and axiety from it all.

    Could have just been a coincidence but I've eaten Gluten jerky and was fine. :P

    One thing to note, some people have developed intolerances to Genetically modified foods as well. Rare cases suffer pretty good others expirence discomfort and dont know what its from.

    BT crops have a pesticide built directly into the DNA forexample. Don't tell me that can't have some effect on some people frown.gif


    Power on Sparks and.. "Dont eat at Changs" -my expert advice :P
  • Snowfly
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    Snowfly polycounter lvl 18
    Glad you came through OK! I share your grief, it's never pretty being ordered off food you like (regardless of the general opinion of PF Chang's in this thread so far)... I'd hate to think what would happen to you if we traded places! The asian cuisine down here is too good, MSG, preservatives and all...
  • Mark Dygert
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    [ QUOTE ]
    Vig: Heh, mild allergy to "glutton" smile.gif

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Bwhahaahaha! opps I should pay more attention to what auto correct brings up =P
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