Deadly Anaphylactic Reaction

[Weary Soul]

I am deathly allergic to a number of easily obtained medicines (antibiotics in particular) and almost died after a single dose of one.

When this happened, I could literally feel my organs start to shut down, and my vision started to fail.

The interesting part was that as I was experiencing this, I felt as though I was high and had absolutely no fear - maybe this was due to the slow onset of the reaction and shock (I went through a series of well-known stages related to allergic reactions)?

Kinda related - I also once accidentally stabbed myself in the foot with a steak knife (don't ask ha! - it was an incredibly stupid mistake). Afterwards, despite bleeding like a faucet and severing a nerve and tendon, I felt absolutely no pain until about an hour later. Again I think it was the shock of the injury that protected me from pain. It eventually wore off and the pain was excruciating.

I am curious to hear other's experiences with anaphylactic shock and if it was similar to mine.

I am thinking that for me (and how my body reacts to shock), this might just be a peaceful way to go.

Please note that this is personal curiosity only. I would never condone this method as this may be unique to how my body reacts to shock.

 

[Pookie]

Are you allergic to all antibiotics? I've never had an anaphylactic reaction to anything (so far).

 

[Ghost2211]

It can be uncomfortable for a while, but once hypoxia sets in you stop caring. I've gone into respiratory distress from a med before. It wouldn't be my preferred way since it's not reliable, easily saved, and pretty uncomfortable for a while.

 

[Weary Soul]

Are you allergic to all antibiotics? I've never had an anaphylactic reaction to anything (so far).

No, not all of them.

I am allergic to 3 that I know of.

One of the reasons that I really have a problem with doctors (among many other bad experiences), is that I was once prescribed Keflex for surgery on my foot (different injury).

As soon as I took it, I immediately threw up. I asked the doctor for a different antibiotic because I could not keep it down. He replied (no joke), "Take it or risk losing your foot - your choice."

O.O ​

I was pretty young and had no advocate to help me (such as a parent). It never occurred to me ask my GP to prescribe something else. Needless to say, I was forced into risking losing my foot - the antibiotic would not stay in my system.

It can be uncomfortable for a while, but once hypoxia sets in you stop caring. I've gone into respiratory distress from a med before. It wouldn't be my preferred way since it's not reliable, easily saved, and pretty uncomfortable for a while.

Yes, had the same reaction. It was initially uncomfortable but not unbearable for awhile.

I had hives head to toe, and actually felt my organs itching - which is what led me to go the hospital. Ultimately though it was very peaceful.

You make a really good point, this might not be a reliable method; although, I am not at risk at being saved because live alone.

I am hoping that SN might be similar (not allergy wise), but a short period of pain with eventual hypoxia.

 

[Ghost2211]

No, not all of them.

I am allergic to 3 that I know of.

One of the reasons that I really have a problem with doctors (among many other bad experiences), is that I was once prescribed Keflex for surgery on my foot (different injury).

As soon as I took it, I immediately threw up. I asked the doctor for a different antibiotic because I could not keep it down. He replied (no joke), "Take it or risk losing your foot - your choice."

O.O ​

I was pretty young and had no advocate to help me (such as a parent). It never occurred to me ask my GP to prescribe something else. Needless to say, I was forced into risking losing my foot - the antibiotic would not stay in my system.


Yes, had the same reaction. It was initially uncomfortable but not unbearable for awhile.

I had hives head to toe, and actually felt my organs itching - which is what led me to go the hospital. Ultimately though it was very peaceful.

You make a really good point though, this would not be a reliable way to go I am now thinking.

I am hoping that SN might be similar (not allergy wise), but a short period of pain with eventual hypoxia.

That is my hope as well. I'm very familiar and comfortable with hypoxia.

 

[SleepyTime]

I was traveling for work and was back on the East Coast of the US. I had an ear infection and my doctor had prescribed an antibiotic. After a week, it hadn't cleared up and so my doctor prescribed a second antibiotic, and then when that didn't clear up he prescribed a third antibiotic.

I was scheduled to fly home on a Sunday. When I woke up I was covered with hives and felt horrible. I asked at the hotel front desk where the nearest hospital was and drove there. In the Emergency Room the doctors rushed and hooked me up to a bunch of IV's and gave me a ton of different drugs. I asked when they would be done since I had a plane to catch that afternoon. They wanted to admit me but I asked if I they could give me what I needed so I could fly home. Because it isn't nice to be in a city by yourself and be in the hospital. They also were shocked that I drove myself to the hospital - they kept asking which ambulance brought me and told me to go to my doctor first thing on Monday.

So I go back to the hotel and check out and then fly home to the West Coast. I get up Monday morning early and go into my office. When the doctor's office opens I call and tell them what happened. They tell me to immediately come into their office. So I have all the drugs that I had been given. I pull out the three bottles of antibiotics and then all the steroids and antihistamines and whatever else they gave me at the hospital. My doctor reads the paper work from the hospital and then goes off and starts yelling at me. The hospital had written that I left against medical advice. He was mad because when the initial drugs from the hospital had worn off (which happened to have been when I was on an airplane flying across the country) I could have gone back into anaphylactic shock - where I would have died on the plane. I tell him that no one at the hospital told me it was this serious, they never told me I could have died. So he calls the hospital and yells at the doctor for not telling me how serious this was.

Then he gives me more drugs and tells me if I have any symptoms - especially like if it seems like my eyesight is getting cloudy - like the world is closing in - to immediately go to the hospital. So I go back to work and continue taking all the various drugs. Tuesday, I wake up and go into the office. And all of a sudden I start having all the symptoms they warned me about. So I ask an office mate to drive me to the hospital. But since I work in a town outside of my major city - and it didn't have a good reputation. I asked him to drive me to my hospital in the city "Because if I am dying I want to do it at home and not in a bad neighborhood."

So we get to the hospital and the ER rushes me in when I tell them I am having trouble breathing. And then I once again pull out all of the various pill bottles and go through the story of the ear infection, the first hospital visit, and then my visit at my home doctor. And then the ER doctor goes crazy. Because I am taking too many drugs and am having a reaction to all the antihistamines. The various doctors gave me drugs but never told me to stop taking any of the previous drugs. So between the various drugs from back east and then the various drugs from my regular doctor I was taking a bunch of antihistamines.

And what happens, the ER doctor tells me to stop taking all the drugs, and lets me go - but he tells me if I have any of the previous symptoms to immediately go back to a hospital.

Basically, I gave up on trusting doctors without doing my own research. I got the initial allergic reaction because you should only take an antibiotic for 1 week. But they kept rotating me through different antibiotics. So the first one sensitized me to the second and then the second sensitized me to the third. And then when they gave me about 5 different prescriptions for antihistamines I ended up having an allergic reaction to the antihistamines.

 

[Weary Soul]

I was traveling for work and was back on the East Coast of the US. I had an ear infection and my doctor had prescribed an antibiotic. After a week, it hadn't cleared up and so my doctor prescribed a second antibiotic, and then when that didn't clear up he prescribed a third antibiotic.

I was scheduled to fly home on a Sunday. When I woke up I was covered with hives and felt horrible. I asked at the hotel front desk where the nearest hospital was and drove there. In the Emergency Room the doctors rushed and hooked me up to a bunch of IV's and gave me a ton of different drugs. I asked when they would be done since I had a plane to catch that afternoon. They wanted to admit me but I asked if I they could give me what I needed so I could fly home. Because it isn't nice to be in a city by yourself and be in the hospital. They also were shocked that I drove myself to the hospital - they kept asking which ambulance brought me and told me to go to my doctor first thing on Monday.

So I go back to the hotel and check out and then fly home to the West Coast. I get up Monday morning early and go into my office. When the doctor's office opens I call and tell them what happened. They tell me to immediately come into their office. So I have all the drugs that I had been given. I pull out the three bottles of antibiotics and then all the steroids and antihistamines and whatever else they gave me at the hospital. My doctor reads the paper work from the hospital and then goes off and starts yelling at me. The hospital had written that I left against medical advice. He was mad because when the initial drugs from the hospital had worn off (which happened to have been when I was on an airplane flying across the country) I could have gone back into anaphylactic shock - where I would have died on the plane. I tell him that no one at the hospital told me it was this serious, they never told me I could have died. So he calls the hospital and yells at the doctor for not telling me how serious this was.

Then he gives me more drugs and tells me if I have any symptoms - especially like if it seems like my eyesight is getting cloudy - like the world is closing in - to immediately go to the hospital. So I go back to work and continue taking all the various drugs. Tuesday, I wake up and go into the office. And all of a sudden I start having all the symptoms they warned me about. So I ask an office mate to drive me to the hospital. But since I work in a town outside of my major city - and it didn't have a good reputation. I asked him to drive me to my hospital in the city "Because if I am dying I want to do it at home and not in a bad neighborhood."

So we get to the hospital and the ER rushes me in when I tell them I am having trouble breathing. And then I once again pull out all of the various pill bottles and go through the story of the ear infection, the first hospital visit, and then my visit at my home doctor. And then the ER doctor goes crazy. Because I am taking too many drugs and am having a reaction to all the antihistamines. The various doctors gave me drugs but never told me to stop taking any of the previous drugs. So between the various drugs from back east and then the various drugs from my regular doctor I was taking a bunch of antihistamines.

And what happens, the ER doctor tells me to stop taking all the drugs, and lets me go - but he tells me if I have any of the previous symptoms to immediately go back to a hospital.

Basically, I gave up on trusting doctors without doing my own research. I got the initial allergic reaction because you should only take an antibiotic for 1 week. But they kept rotating me through different antibiotics. So the first one sensitized me to the second and then the second sensitized me to the third. And then when they gave me about 5 different prescriptions for antihistamines I ended up having an allergic reaction to the antihistamin

OMG - this was FUBAR at its best and it is truly appalling that this happened in the medical field - there is absolutely no excuse for this, and if the statute of limitations has not run out, I would seriously consider suing them. They almost killed you - multiple times (and I am not a proponent of law suits).

SMH - I have had so many bad experiences with doctors I now have PTSD and have learned to treat myself as best I can with what is available to me. The absolute only time I will go to a doctor is when I have no other choice.

Based on my experiences, I tell everyone I know - be your own doctor, do not accept what they tell you at face value; question, question, question.

To paraphrase something that @Gnip said - if a doctor is incompetent - fire them. Many do not realize, but really, your doctor is your employee not your boss, and in any other field, gross negligence will get an employee fired. And from what you have written, you were exposed to more than gross negligence.

I once heard what was supposed to be a joke, but when I got to thinking about it - it was pretty valid. "What do they call someone who graduates last in medical school? Doctor"

O.O.

I have yet to find a competent doctor and have, at this point, given up.

I am so sorry you went through this, you deserved so much better. <3