Thursday, February 3, 2011

The Hazards of Being a Healthy Wife


So, I was shopping for my Super Food day (tomorrow) and I thought to myself "Self, you should buy some kiwi anyway and slice it up for your kiddos. Just because you've reacted poorly to it, doesn't mean they can't sample that super foody goodness." Two kiwi in the cart, a few hours later, I've peeled and quarter-inch sliced them, arranged the slices in clover leafs and moved on to the meat, potatoes and veggie.

A half an hour later, my face explodes. Specifically, my left eye swells shut with small hives all around the tear ducts and my nose becomes inconsolably itchy, to the point where even the Puffs and Vaseline can do no good. My whole face is now super red; the kids don't want to even try the kiwi (gee, wonder why?) and I'm due at a play in an hour. So now I know. I can't even touch the stuff.

Let's go back a bit. Kiwi and anaphalic reactions, aside. Let's go back one day. About the same time of day. I was diligently working on my 30 point goal: cleaning and re-organizing our house's Franken-basement. {When we remodeled, they removed all the drop ceiling panels, added many new wires and pipes, then never sewed things back up.} One particular cut wire was sticking out into the room that I was reorganizing. It' bugged me, so, you know where this is leading, right? I went to cut it {thinking already been cut=safe} and it was live. Big ZAP!!! Thankfully, not affecting me at all. But very scary. Internet down for a day and half.

I hope I'm done living dangerously. And kiwi is a super EVIL food (if you are allergic to it.)

11 comments:

  1. Yikes! That's so scary! Do you have an epipen?
    I hope your kids ran the kiwi's out to the outside garbage right away for you. Did you make it to the play? What a day.

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  2. Epipen is on the "to buy" list. Husband disposed of the offending fruit and dishes.

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  3. Gives me the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it - both the anaphylactic reaction and the Franken-basement. Nobody in our house has food allergies, although I do have a penicillin allergy, which because of a recent ear infection we now know that baby Sammy is allergic to as well.

    Sue, you remember a few weeks ago when I broke out in a rash in my sweat spots at the same time, and thought it was from my narly workout clothes? (Let's not discuss that...) Well, I've changed my mind about the cause. Nearly every time I gave Sammy his pink syrup Amoxycillin, a drop or two would spill. Being the gross mom I am sometimes, I just wiped it up with my finger and licked it. I wasn't even thinking about my allergy. Then, when I had my rash the same time as Sammy (about 4 or 5 days into the antibiotic regimen), I thought, "but that's so weird, if it was a reaction to the antibiotics, it wouldn't be in these specific places on my body." Zen's opinion was that it was the antibiotics, but I wasn't convinced. But as a week went past I did change my mind because of the way it was healing, just like a sunburn heals, which is how it was the last time I took a penicillin-related antibiotic. Needless to say, Zen is now doing a "I told you so, I was right!" happy dance. So, Melissa, your sensitivity to kiwi reminds me of my sensitivity to penicillin. No more licking for me!

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  4. Melissa,
    That is kind of scary, and not at all fun. I hope you are feeling better soon. At least now you know.

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  5. First, I think it's real strange that they left a live wire just hanging in your house!! What did you end up doing with it?

    Second, I'm always amazed that people have allergic reactions to food like that, especially when other people in their family don't have the same allergies. What in our bodies DNA changed so people are allergic to certain things and not others....the human body is amazing.

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  6. I am so sorry that happened! I am so glad it wasn't any worse!!! Thank goodness you just touched them.
    No more wire cutting this weekend!

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  7. Crazy on the kiwi. I love kiwi. I keep forgetting I have some in the fridge. Sounds like lunch to me.
    I'm so glad you didn't seriously electrocute yourself. I can't believe they left a live wire like that.

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  8. I'm realy grateful you survived this week. I won't be bringing Kiwi to the beach!

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  9. It's so weird that just touching something can cause such a reaction! Lily is allergic to cashews and pistachios, but luckily not peanuts. We've never had to bust out the epipen, but we have one on hand just in case.

    Becky, stop licking your kids' medicine!

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  10. I know, I know. I'm such a weirdo! And I 'fess up to too many things here in blogworld, where I don't have to look anyone in the eye! Sort of makes me wonder what it would be like to meet with everyone (so, when are we having a HWHL reunion?!) I know you don't believe me, but really I would be the quiet one.

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  11. Audrey's hoping to be in Utah this summer, another dinner out opportunity for the Healthy Wives!

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