Help with PTSD homework?

[spacecanada]

I'm into week 6 of my PTSD therapy and slowly working through the program.  There are good days and bad days.  Most days are still emotionally and mentally draining, especially with my daily homework.  (For those who don't know, I suffered PTSD after my last anaphylactic reaction, a year ago tomorrow.)

Part of my therapy includes prolonged exposure to situations that are safe, despite my brain now thinking otherwise.  So now I have to confront those situations in a gradual fashion to make them normal again.  (i.e. With emergency vehicles being a major trigger, sitting outside a fire hall when nothing is happening - the first time was very uncomfortable but now it's normal; I'm now building up to visiting a fire hall and eventually going for a ride along with my friend who is a firefighter.) 

The next situation on my list is reading about allergic reactions.  Without reading through the whole 'Reactions' folder (because that would be too uncomfortable for me), I need to find some narratives that aren't very detailed, or of lower grade reactions, going up to higher grade anaphylaxis. 

Could someone help me with this?  To give you some perspective, right now I'm reading The Princess and the Peanut and it's causing mild to moderate discomfort reading a cartoon story about a girl experiencing an allergic reaction.  So I need to build up on that.  Feel free to post a few links in this tread, and let me know how detailed or unsettling they may be.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[CMdeux]

I'm going to suggest that people feel free to excerpt/summarize the critical features of what they post for you here--

that is, 1) how severe the reaction described is, 2) how much detail and how sensory those details are, and 3) the outcome-- was there a hospital visit? medication administered, etc.? 

and to USE THE SPOILER FEATURE liberally.


For an example:

1.  This example describes a time when my preschooler got a low-level (irritating, non-life-threatening,) reaction while shopping.  Benadryl and washing was fine, no medical treatment needed.

[spoiler]
While sitting in a (seemingly clean) shopping cart for our trip to the grocery store, she developed hives over her face, one hand, and both forearms, where skin was exposed.

I pulled her out of the cart, gave her benadryl, and washed the affected areas with soap and water.

Within 15 minutes, the hives receded and she was fine.

This happened when my daughter was three.  She was allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, wheat, milk, and sesame at the time, and had experienced very severe reactions to nuts and eggs. [/spoiler]


Is that the kind of thing that you were hoping for?

[spacecanada]

Yes, that is exactly what sort of thing I am looking for, and love the suggested format. Thank you, CM!  I only need a few each week, but feel free to post a few here (or links to other threads) that I can visit as I progress through the next few weeks of treatment.

I can update periodically with were I am at or specific situations that bother me more than usual (and need to read more of). For instance, CM's example didn't raise my anxiety levels too high (but still much higher than normal), which means I can tolerate reading similar or slightly worse situations right now. (Even fictitious stories are helpful.)

I love this community!

[Macabre]

I'm sharing a minor reaction that DS had at an amusement park when he was 10 that was resolved with Benadryl and hand wipes.


[spoiler]When DS was 9 or 10 we went to the Busch Gardens amusement park in Williamaburg, Virginia. We had gone to amusement parks many, many times in Texas and Virginia without any problems. While waiting in line, DS held onto the rail. He started to break out in a rash where his arm and hand had touched the rail and on his face, which he had touched with his hand.

We did not even get out of line. we used Wet Ones on his hands first and then his arm and face. I gave him a 12.5 mg Benadryl strip (no longer made). The rash disappeared. No further symptoms presented. We went on the completeley terrifying and insane roller coaster and had a blast!

[/spoiler]

[spacecanada]

These two reaction stories have been a huge help this week. Tomorrow is the the start of week 7. Could someone please post some grade 2-3 reaction stories? Maybe when epi is used on someone not in significant distress?

Many thanks.

[spacecanada]

No more stories this week?  I guess I'll venture into the Reactions and Stories thread and may post some links here for later in the week.  Feel free to continue to add stories as you feel up to it.  I appreciate your help, as it makes it less stressful on me.

Edited to add some links for this week:

Gave child epi for known ingestion with stomach ache, no further symptoms:
Had to give DS the epi

Hives from airborne nut particles, hospital, no epi:
dd had a non-anaphylactic airborne reaction to roasting nuts

Throat discomfort from possible cross-contact, Benadryl, no further symptoms:
Mild Reaction - Like OAS - New Allergy Developing? Contaminated cutting board?

[Macabre]

I have one I've been meaning to post. It's been s very busy week. Maybe I can post it tonight.

[Macabre]

I'm sharing a reaction where the EpiPen was needed and all tuned out fine.

[spoiler]

(Click to enlarge.)

Guess who did not even glance at the well-labeled box?

Within 20 minutes:
-Runny nose (not horribly), watering eye (left nostril and left eye)
-Tight chest and slight difficulty breathing
-Spaciness
-Itchy skin

25 Mg of liquid benedryl

Then called DH who started on his way home (from 20 miles away) and felt the following:
-Hands felt tingly and without strength
-Eustachian tubes felt swollen
-overall sense of malaise (and maybe impending doom?)
-chest still tight

Went to the bathroom and noticed I had started. Joy.

Changed pants and shirt because I wanted to wear something else to the hospital.  Sent an email to colleague that I was about to Epi and go to the hospital.  I was having a difficult time being coherent. Closed my laptop.

Called DH and told him how I felt. He stayed on the phone with ne while I Epid. Reminded me to rub (totally forgot that, and it's not like we've never done this.)

I called 911 and lay down and put my feet up. I did get my purse, keys and briefcase. 
This is my busiest week. Unlocked the drone door. Three paramedics came in.

I felt so strange. I know I wasn't speaking clearly. I remember mispronouncing the word "weird" and said "fierd". But the paramedic said I was forming complete sentences and was doing okay.

The ambulance arrived at the hospital inside. Inside!

Good thing because it was around 15 degrees.

I got a second dose of Epi. It is apparently standard protocol along with pred and Zantac.  But before they gave it to me I felt my hands go weak again and started feeling icky. Felt better afterswcond Epi.

I am home. I am having some uterine contractions, like I did (for 4 days) when I had to Epi in 2006.

I do.not.get front menstrual cramps--just back ones. But I'm guessing this is both rxn and period related. That is, I wouldn't be having this if it weren't for the rxn but the fact that I am on my period made the uterine stuff more likely.

Ugh.

This is not something we need to have pay for while making two house payments. Lovely. I always read the labels but didn't for some wild reason.

I'm so angry at myself. Ugh.

We can move this to Reactions after a bit. Just wanted more visibility.

Had abdominal cramping most of the day--intestinal and uterine. Ugh. I'll dose with Benedryl tonight when I don't have to drive.

[/spoiler]

[spacecanada]

Perfect timing; I'm doing my homework right now.  I'll use yours for the rest of this week and next week too. Thank you!  (I know it's not easy to post personal reaction stories.)

Looks like I'm climbing the ladder again... time to post some grade 3 or 4 reactions.  I guess those would be ones where Epi is required for life-threatening symptoms, but nothing too graphic. (I get enough of that in the other half of my homework, reviewing my own trauma memory.) 

[spacecanada]

Adding this week's homework links: grade 3 and 4 reactions.

Various reactions with breathing difficulty and EpiPen - once in a school setting and once in hospital (food challenge)
Driven nuts by food allergies

Unknown ingestion (?), Auvi-Q, ambulance, biphasic at hospital:
Allergy Eats - Son had rxn

Accidental ingestion, stomach pains and vomiting, EpiPen, asthmatic symptoms at hospital:
DD - Anaphylaxis Yesterday