Day Seven

Day Seven
21 August 2006
Today was a fairly busy Monday. I had two patients that came in for throat swelling and dyspnea because of their “swollen airway.” The first ate a shrimp at lunch that he has become allergic to over the year. He took benadryl and then came to medical concerned that his throat might swell shut. He was not very excited about that prospect. The second came in at dinner time. He just finished running on the flight deck even though he was battling a cold. Just after he stopped his workout, his eyes became blood shot, his eyelids and checks and lips began to swell, he no longer could breath out his nose because of congestion, and he felt a lump in his throat with pressure in his chest with breathing which were seeming to become shallower. It was nothing that a bit of epinephrine subcutaneously could not fix. In 1.5 hours both were back to normal, one with benadryl the later with epi. The first had a local allergic reaction and the later, for some reason, had angioedema likely an anaphylactoid reaction. Too bad I cannot dig more into the reasons (we have only so many resources). They were interesting, and I am so glad those two could breath the entire time (needless to say, I know).
I am going to attempt to make my bed more comfortable tonight—the more I sleep in it the more it is becoming a hammock. Also, I have a sore arm now because of our wonderful smallpox vaccinations. I fear I am going to have to figure out a comfortable sleeping arrangement that will not include my left side. I forgot about always sleeping on my left side when trying to decide which arm to submit to that silly virus. My vanity made the decision instead. Who would want a scar on your dominant arm? Ah well, it will be a scar with a good memory…