how trying to be "healthy & proactive" almost killed me....

so yeah, i bought some metamucil. i got it for dan & i both because it's supposed to lower cholesterol, and also help with IBS if taken once a day. so, i was trying to be proactive and healthy. i took only the lowest dose with extra water to be safe.

but within a few minutes my lips were burning, my ears were burning on the inside tubes, and i knew it wasn't going to be good. by the time we realized i need to go to the ER, my entire face was bright red and ballooning up. i was covered in hives on my neck, upper thighs, etc...and start to have some trouble breathing.

i looked up metamucil before i took it, just to be safe. but i didn't look up its actual main ingredient: psyllium seed husks.

per wiki: Possible adverse reactions include allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis.
here's the 2nd part of the problem: my bariatric surgery. my stomach and the opening to it is smaller then normal. and i guess metamucil expands and then wads up and get stuck in the small stomach opening. again, i read a little about bariatric surgery and people who take this med and read a few "this is ok" thing. again, reading the wiki on pysillium husks would have give me the better info:

per wiki: Gastrointestinal tract obstruction may occur, especially for those with prior bowel surgeries or anatomic abnormalities, or if taken with inadequate amounts of water.

so i had a double whammy: a rare anaphylaxis (severe allergic) reaction to the ingredients, and then my crazy post-weightloss surgery plumbing (an anatomic abnormality) took the ingredient, which explaned and got stuck.

awesome! so we went to the ER. i had to bang on a double glass window to get anyone's attention (i was too freaked out to notice the call button.) they took me right back (since i was bright red and puffy and then next step in that kind of reaction is to stop breathing.) the lovely nurse (that dan knew from high school!) tried to get an IV started. no luck. my veins are small and they roll. so after multiple deep jabs with the needle, the vein blew out.

the doc came in and said with my history of IV problems (last time in the ER they ended up put a main line right into my heart.) so instead i got injections of steroids and ephedrine. after a while it finally started to work. we were in the ER about 3 hours total.

i'm home and it's breakfast time. the streoids are working (even my roseaca is gone for now). i'm hainvg a cup of coffee and some cooked spinach. my take it slow and not eat anythings to dense or hard to digest. but i'm fine. i'm ok, you're ok.

finally: the ER on a saturday night is a trainwreck and reminds me of the movie "jacob's ladder."