Me and Mike Tyson
So . . . my reality show continues. I am sporting a massive shiner, I think I broke the bone over my eye, and my knee is a mess. AND I ended up in Bellevue Hospital yesterday.
Yup. Quite an adventure. Short version, I've been getting these massive hives for a year now off and on. Can't nail down what it is I am allergic too. Could be a bunch of things. I usually take a Benadryl . . . and try to find some correlation on a food diary. Nothing. They've been getting worse and worse, and I KNEW I need to go see a doctor, but I haven't gotten around to it. So yesterday, I had a hive attack . . . and long story short, my heart was tachycardic . . . my blood pressure dipped to 70 over something . . . and I went temporarilu blind--couldn't see anything, but could hear voices sort of.
So . . . outside Grand Central, I fell face first, unconcious, and it now looks like Mike Tyson and I went a round. Completely "out." Fire department EMTs came (cute!), adrenaline into my heart like Pulp Fiction, and assorted shots and so on. Off to Bellevue. Bed next to me had a heroin addict looking for methadone.
Soooooooooooooo, after hours there, I was sent home with several epi pens and steroids. And the order to see a doctor pronto when I get home lest "next time" I have a heart attack for real and that's the end of me. So what the HELL am I allergic to?
Anyway . . . my reality show continues.
And you want to know what I thought as I was coming to in Bellevue?
That I wrote a SCENE in the Bellevue ER . . . and I have NAILED it. It IS a nuthouse and it's a damn good scene!!!!!
Only a writer.
Peace,
E
Yup. Quite an adventure. Short version, I've been getting these massive hives for a year now off and on. Can't nail down what it is I am allergic too. Could be a bunch of things. I usually take a Benadryl . . . and try to find some correlation on a food diary. Nothing. They've been getting worse and worse, and I KNEW I need to go see a doctor, but I haven't gotten around to it. So yesterday, I had a hive attack . . . and long story short, my heart was tachycardic . . . my blood pressure dipped to 70 over something . . . and I went temporarilu blind--couldn't see anything, but could hear voices sort of.
So . . . outside Grand Central, I fell face first, unconcious, and it now looks like Mike Tyson and I went a round. Completely "out." Fire department EMTs came (cute!), adrenaline into my heart like Pulp Fiction, and assorted shots and so on. Off to Bellevue. Bed next to me had a heroin addict looking for methadone.
Soooooooooooooo, after hours there, I was sent home with several epi pens and steroids. And the order to see a doctor pronto when I get home lest "next time" I have a heart attack for real and that's the end of me. So what the HELL am I allergic to?
Anyway . . . my reality show continues.
And you want to know what I thought as I was coming to in Bellevue?
That I wrote a SCENE in the Bellevue ER . . . and I have NAILED it. It IS a nuthouse and it's a damn good scene!!!!!
Only a writer.
Peace,
E
Labels: NYC
posted by Erica Orloff at 9:25 AM
37 Comments:
I worry about you, young lady.
As much as I hate doctors, I really think you should go. ASAP!
That's really scary! Hope you discover what the allergic reaction is from.
As for your reaction to seeing Bellevue -- LMAO -- yep, only a writer.
Yikes!
Stop that!
Allergies; I'm sure you did the what...seven..common ones, right? What were you eating? Drinking?
lol-on the writer thoughts. Isn't it funny how we always revert to that?
Stay well.
Oh, Erica, you are TOO much! But geezuz, please be careful. :-( You practically gave me a heart attack, just reading about it!
Yes, please stay well. :-)
God God, Erica. Take care of yourself. (And I take back what I said about you on my blog today. Well, sort of. I sure as hell don't envy that sort of crap.) Glad you're okay.
wow. I've read all the advice about writing what you know, but you're taking things to an extreme here. You'd better follow their advice and get yourself to a doctor as soon as you get home.
By the way - had some experience with firemen/emts/paramedics and ambulance rides myself. They really are cute!
Oh, crap!!!! How awful....Tho I must second anti-wife's observation rhat EMTs, etc are great visual distractors :)
So sorry the medical stuff got in the way of your NYC adventures. It is great material, but there's got to be an easier way to get it...
Please, please feel better soon.
MicheleL
Wow! That all sounds big time frightening. Partially blind? I would be freaking out. Let alone the rest of the symptoms. Our bodies can be such a pain to analyse. I never get it quite right with the good foods/bad foods for my body.
I echo everyone else in here - get thee to a doctor.
Wow Erica... scary things are afoot in your space. :(
Sorry to hear about all of that, but I totally understand about the 'writers eye' for details and setting and dialog.
I hope you feel better soon, and that you find out what the cause of this is.
Take care of yourself, Erica. I hope you find out what it is. Fast!
Holy Crap, E!
Please be careful. And I think this is a perfect excuse for a Spring Vera bag. You need extra pockets for your epi pens. ;-)
My teen has allergies to McCormick's Season All. We found out by continually feeding it to her in different foods and watching her lips swell up.
Now, I thought it was the Cayenne in it, but I've since served her chillie with loads of it and no lip swell.
She was hoping it was chicken--she hates chicken and I like to cook chicken in a variety of ways. Every time I made chicken with Season All her lips and throat would swell up.
One time I got lazy and made these frozen stuffed chicken cordon bleu things. We found that they must have the ingredient in Season All that gets her because her lips did it again.
The doctor told us to try to narrow down the spice. Well, individually the spices don't affect her. It only affects her with the Season All mixture.
Anyway, now I know the secret ingredient in those chicken cordon bleu things: Season All.
Long story, I know, I'm long winded too. I would check your spices.
I hope you get better soon!
Jude:
Sufficiently scared. Will be seeing a doctor pronto.
E
Hi Liz:
I swear to you, I was observing all the triage and figuring how I could use it.
Aimless:
Yeah. None of the common ones.
Of course that would be my luck--LOL
E
Aimless:
Yeah. None of the common ones.
Of course that would be my luck--LOL
E
Hi Spy:
I know. My face is a MESS!!!! ARGH!
People will think I am a battered wife.
MArk:
Now I am off to see what you wrote!!!!!
anti-wife and MicheleL:
Not only cute firemen, but cute cops AND a cute doctor. I was quite lucky in that regard.
suzanne:
Very scary. I could not see my daughter--and she was inches from my face. Like a black curtain dropped. I basically thought I was gonna die. Then I hit the concrete hard--and that didn't wake me though I thought I heard this BOOM (it was me hitting concrete). I don't remember much til they shot me full of adrenaline.
Edie:
Thanks,
HEather:
PERFECT excuse. LOL!
Hi Muse:
It has happened a bunch of times in all different circumstances. I eat a vegetarian diet mostly with tuna once in a while for some extra protein. So I am pretty picky about what I eat. So . . . gosh darn it, I cannot find the offending food or I would eliminate it.
E
Oh, Erica! That sounds awful. I hope you heal soon and find out what's been messing with you. And I had to laugh when you mentioned that you had written a scene in Belleview. That's my consolation whenever anything bad or frustration happens: well, it gives me something to write about.
Oh Erica! I hope you get well soon! It's bad enough to be ill, but to not know what causes it is even worse!
You'll be in my thoughts and prayers!!
Sheesh E! NOT cool!
Be careful and get checked out...before you check out!
Yeah, just like you to "come to" thinking about writing!
;)
JLK
Oy, Erica, I hope you're okay - and that your doctor figures it out quickly for you.
Ya know, Bellevue could've scheduled a tour for your research, but NOOOOO, you had to do it the hard way.
Be well.
Dang, That sounds traumatic. Hope you get those allergies squared away soon.
Good lord woman, what are we to do with you?!? I'm saying extra prayers for you from here on out.
In the meantime, take it easy if you can.
And I know exactly what you're talking about in terms of observing as a writer. It's a disease. It just doesn't stop. I had the same thing happen to me when I was coming down from the morphine high courtesy of the c-section.
Cheers,
Mary
Erica, good golly please take care of yourself, girl! That story scared me over here in TN, and I think you need some serious rest. Please keep us posted, okay?
Holy moley, Erica!!
True writer that you are, I'm sure you got a brilliant scene from the experience. But that kind of "research" is a bit extreme.
As I say to my dogs: Heal!
When Miss Snark retired yours became my morning coffee blog. If you croak, where am I going to go?
Jeez Erica, that's one helluva New York adventure!
Please take care of YOU!
Hello all:
Love you to bits . . . doing OK. New blog post.
xo
E
Cripes, Erica... I'm glad that you are still with us!
What this says to me is that on the days when I don't get by to read your blog, Bad Things Happen!
So I just have to read your blog every day without fail. You know, to keep your safe! :-)
I had a puzzling series of allergic reactions years ago that the ER docs didn't believe were possible, but couldn't deny. It was like anaphylaxis in slow motion... hours after I ate or last drank... I would wake up in the middle of the night with eyes, gums, lips, and throat swollen, and I had trouble swallowing and breathing. The first time the doctor told me that I had an infection and was about to loose all my teeth, which thankfully didn't happen. It got a little worse each time, and finally the ER staff agreed it was an allergic reaction, and it could be serious.
It happened off and on over two years, getting a little worse each time. The only commonality was that it always happened on karate nights. I finally figured it out... About two of three times a year, I would add a little bleach to the water when washing my gi to make it a vibrant white (symbolizing the purity intention). And I was reacting to the Javex.
So... might it be possible that you're reacting to something unexpected, like a cleaning product, or a laundry ingredient... that sort of thing?
Hope this helps, and that you feel better soon.
Hi Smart:
Thanks . . . I, too, feel it's going to be something odd like that as I've been having them (getting worse and worse) for a year--with no single common food. So that makes me think . . . maybe it's something IN my food. I also notice, in hindsight, it happens more when I eat out. At home, I am a vegetarian--lots of rice and veggies and fruit . . . and no prepared anything.
E
Oh my gosh! ERica! I am so sorry you are hurt! But I loved your reaction! ONly a writer!
Best to you and a full recovery!
Peace
Thanks, Ello.
And yes, only a nutty writer.
E
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