Spiders

A week ago tonight, I woke up at midnight nauseated, vomited, (sorry) worse taste in my mouth, figured my stomach was just upset with life, went back to sleep and started dreaming that I was at work and my tongue was swelling and told my boss I needed to leave to go to the hospital. She wouldn't let me, at about 3 am, I woke up with the feeling that my tongue was actually swollen. Got up to go look in the mirror, Lord, it was true, my tongue was 4 times the size it should be and could hardly fit in my mouth, not trying to over react, I went downstairs and took a Zyrtec, an antihistamine, being a nurse, I was not overly concerned or maybe just too sleepy to worry about it at that time of night. Went back to sleep, work up for work, and Lord again, it was even bigger and could hardly talk without a southern lisp. Jim freaked, obviously not a pretty sight, there was a purple mark in the middle of my tongue and two little fang marks. I called in sick and then called Julie, my doc and boss who lives not far away, "I'm on my way, take another Zyrtec and I'll bring you some liquid Benadryl," another antihistamine. She was on her way to Livingston and wanted to take me to the hospital, oh no, I'll be fine with the medication, a spider must have bitten my tongue, and I swallowed it, not the worse thing that has happened to me. Feel asleep with all the medication, woke up at noon and my tongue was a little less swollen, so tried to eat, it was like throwing food behind my tongue so I could swallow since I needed to eat before I had to drive Jim to see his doc in Livingston and then he could take a look at my tongue.

We're driving to Livingston, I start feeling lightheaded and not able to breath normally, started hyperventilating and Jim had to take over the driving. We finally get to town and the clinic, and my poor Jim had to help me into the clinic, I throw myself on the couch in the waiting room, I'm delirious and tell them, I'll be okay, this is Jim's appointment, take care of him, just let me lay here, the nurse ran and got our doc, I know he had to bite his own tongue to keep from laughing if it hadn't been so serious and because I was ranting, go take care of Jim and just let me lay here until I feel better, I was having an anaphylatic reaction and hyped up from the medication, I couldn't have been talking any faster if it wasn't for the lisp, before it was over, I had to have an EKG, more medication before my breathing became normal. Been sleeping with a pillow over my head now, just in case and carry two epi pens with me. I always go back to what Gilda Radnor used to say, "it's always something."