Monday, May 31, 2010

Part 1 - Back From The Sweet Life

 
I had a great time laying around the pool all day drinking pina coladas on my lounge chair, but don't start getting jealous yet things weren't all sunshine and sunscreen. 
Early Thursday morning we started our extra long weekend vacation. As soon as we pull up to the casita the kids are ready for the pool and we are ready to relax. 90 degrees, a slight ocean breeze, drinks handed to you before you're even finish with your last, ahh this is the life. So we think.
Friday morning around 12:00am I woke up to a swollen lip. Another case of idiopathic angioedema (unknown cause of swelling). I was officially diagnosed with this last summer, unknown allergic swelling popping up in random places and have somewhat have learned to deal with it. As I watched the sunrise over the sea from my bed I thought it might be a good idea to go to town and get an epinephrine pen, just in case I needed one.(Medicine is cheaper in Mexico than in the States.) Once I was up and dressed I didn't think about it again, and by the afternoon the swelling was gone along with a few pina coladas and a margarita.
Saturday started like any other day in paradise. We woke up early and headed off to the beach. Once the tide started coming in we headed back for another day at the pool. As I was relaxing on my lounge chair I turned to put some newly purchased earrings in my beach bag and WACK. I smacked my elbow on the arm of the chair. Since I'm not just any normal person it turned out to be more than just hitting my funny bone. As I went to readjust myself back into the chair I was hit with a jolt of pain through my arm. The only way I could describe it is like the dentist hitting a nerve. It continued to hurt with the slightest bend or pressure, until my husband came to my rescue. He leans over me and tells me, "You just have to move it." then grabs my wrist and yanks my arm back and forth. Shockingly that made it hurt worse, and tears started rolling down from behind my sunglasses. He felt bad, probably not as bad as me, and he went to the bar to get me ice. Only I can find a way to hurt myself laying in a lounge chair. (I couldn't even get dressed for dinner without assistance.) As of today it still hurts.
Early Sunday morning rolls around 12:00am again and......

10 comments:

  1. Intrigued by the photo of the swollen lip (idiopathic angioedema?).
    I get exactly the same sort of swelling. Doctors don't seem to be of any use. My lip swells in exactly the same place about twice a month since about 3 years now. It's most inconvenient as I am an actor. Do you have any advice?

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  2. Lowe, I finally found out my swelling is a physical allergy, due to extreme stress.(not just my everyday stress) Mine started off two or three times a year, but the last 2 years I have been more stressful than usual and I began to swell everyday.
    I am now very careful not to let certain situations upset me like before and have not had an episode for a few months.
    Here is a website I found with some information on physical allergies http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/sec16/ch185/ch185f.html
    I hope this helps, I know how frustrating it can be.

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  3. I forgot to mention it is during the times of extreme stress that the slightest pressure on my skin causes the swelling. Anything from resting my elbow on a table to carrying my purse on my arm.

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  4. Hi Lowe and Roxie,

    I had the exact same swelling in my upper lip but only to one side, just as it appears in the picture. My first swelling started in September 2011 while I was sitting in class. I felt am itching inside my upper lip and thought it was strange. A couple minutes later I bit my lip and could feel it was quite swollen but not as noticeable as I pulled out my phone and had my mirror camera option take a picture. In about an hour or so when I reached home my upper lip ballooned and it was extremely irritated but I knew to leave it alone or else it would get worse. I just left it alone and it went away the next day when I woke up.

    It has happened a couple of times, perhaps 3 or 4 but has not ballooned out so protrudingly. But it has since stopped. I went to an allergist who turned out to be no help at all. I guessed it might be a food allergy since it happened more than once but nothing changed in my diet that made me believe it was something I ate. I took an allergy test which was not very comfortable where you lay on your back and a nurse pokes you with about 40 different allergants. Nothing really happened. I did react to dustmites though. But the swelling in my lip happened after I washed my sheets. The allergist was very unhelpful and for a $500 visit (of which I had a copayment of $50 - thank God) and in about 2 minutes he basically said he had no idea what it could be.

    Now that I think about, I was going under a lot of stress during my last semester and not from school alone but other factors. I did not consider that stress could be q factor because the swelling was so dramatic and immediate. But just thought I'd share my story.

    Joe

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  5. I have that right now! Had this happened to me on the other parts of the lips. It would takr a day or two until it went to my other part of the lip. I still dont know whats going on with...

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  6. I do have a swelled lower lip too right now.. that's how i reached here!! Thanx for sharing this info, had it a couple of times before but didn' t relate it to stress though! The fact is- you have to stop irritating it with your teeth or it'll get increasing more & more.

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  7. 'Net research led me to think my swollen lips & hives were thyroid-related. I started taking Selenium, vit D, B Complex, etc., and the swelling episodes stopped. I've neglected my supplements for the last couple of days and also ate a small portion of a grocery store rotisserie chicken (seem to remember this being problematic for some reason). I have a swollen lip this morning, along with a puffy red heel. I swear by Selenium.

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  8. I have had this exact swelling....I have Lyme disease. Just thought I'd mention it xx

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  9. I have also had this exact swelling and also just found out I have Lyme Disease. Please keep in mind that my first two Lyme tests came back negative - it took me going to a Lyme Literate Doctor to be diagnosis and the Igenex test to get positive results! :) Hope this helps someone!

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  10. Did a small spot in your throat hurt before the lip swelling happened please reply thanks!

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