You are what you eat they say... well, I certainly ate something that was not agreeable...
Ahi tuna steak salad - since I came over all healthy like and avoided the usual (excellent) burger and fries... it did me no good...
The following takes place between 12:30 and 6pm - pacific time... (all times are appox)
12:30
Eat tuna salad...
13:10
Starting to get stomach pains and cramps... food poisoning..?
13:20
'Does my face look bright red?'
'God yes - it is really red'...
not good...
I sit down and feel the pulse of the blood rushing through my face...
by now I look like the worlds most embarrassed man...
13:22
Take headache tablet and Tums... wait...
13:30
G suggests I go to the emergency hospital at UCLA...
Enter 'stiff upper lip'... no no.. 'it'll pass'...
13:35
Go to bathroom - no result from that queasy feeling though...
13:38
Meet friends outside lift...
what happened to you!!!'
well I ate something that I have reacted too - I don't feel to well'
get to the emergency room now - don't make me call Anita...'
G - ' Get in the car'
LA traffic...
13:50
Get to UCLA emergency center
13:51
Go to bathroom - experience deleted...
13:59
Check in
Gave name and they took pulse and blood pressure...
take him to emergency ward 10 - bed 1'...
14:01
Quizzed by nurse as to what I ate
take you shirt off please'
huge red angry rash down arms, chest, back - eyes like Dracula after a good feed... not good...
how's you breathing..?'
'feels fine at the moment...'
mild worry...
you feel dizzy?'
ayes'
'lie down and I'll remove your trousers'
'I usually have to pay for this service'
Good job she has a sense of humour - they all did
Hooked up to ECG... scans room for the machine that goes 'ping' - not here - damn!
arm tied up with rubber torniquet - vein found - IV drip at the ready...
14:08
Doc arrives
prescribes injection and drugs - no IV (damn - never had one!)
14:11
Injection given - drugs taken
you may feel your heart race for a while - it is normal...'
heart races
15:00
regular checks and banter as follows:
we'll soon have you back to your normal colour...'
'how do you know that this is not his normal colour?'
'I'll get you an Epi-pen injection kit so if you get this again you can inject yourself - it can save your life, especially if you are out in the hills hiking and a giant tuna jumps up and attacks you...'
was it the tuna or the mercury do you think..?'
what did you eat?'
'Tuna salad'
'Novel cafe?'
'How do you know that - you got a load of folks here from eating that?'
'no - I ate that today too...'
16:00
We'll keep you in for an hour - just to make sure the drugs wear off safely and you have all symptoms cleared
16:35
Get moved into corridor - lack of space - thought that was just a UK symptom...
17:00
Get dressed and go to reception for discharge
Total costs are covered by my medical insurance - apart from the 'copay' the amount I have to pay per visit - like the excess on car insurance...
$100
hmmm - some expensive lunch that...
17:30
At the pharmacy - pick up my Epi-pen and drugs
wrong name on prescription - doh! come back tomorrow - Epi-pen taken just in case
18:00
Back at office - pack up and go home
So - tuna is off the menu for now - went back to the Novel cafe to see if they used any unusual ingredients on this dish - turns out not.
NEVER had such a reaction before - had a reaction to a drug called Septrin as a kid (do they inject tuna with that..?!)
So I am now armed with a pen that I can ram into my thigh whenever the urge takes me (it says specifically NOT to inject buttocks - dammit!)
So I now look a lot less embarrassed and feel a lot better...
Thanks to G for taking me to the hospital and big thanks to the staff of the UCLA emergency word for a very fast and efficient service and a great sense of humor!
Battle scars...
Nice set of pads to wear home..
looking yellow now as opposed to red!
A jolly good waxing of the chest hair... ouch!
Tagged but not bagged...
Armed and dangerous with Epi-pen and hard drugs...
Adventure ends...
2 comments:
you left out the important bit - what is/was wrong with you? apart from all the obvious stuff....
Dunno - it was an allergic reaction to a foos stuff as yet unidentified - hence the Epi-pen - should I blunder into it again... Tuna is OFF them menu though - it is prime suspect at the moment...
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