So, I went out to dinner with friends at the end of January and the weirdest thing happened to me. There we were, happily eating a Thai chicken dish and chatting away, when suddenly I could feel something in my right eye. Figuring it was an eyelash, I tried to blink it out, failed spectacularly, and then just sat there as my eye slowly puffed up until I couldn’t barely open it at all.
At this point I started to suspect this might be less of a rogue eyelash and more of a medical drama which was confusing, because I am not allergic to anything and never have been. I mentally reviewed what I’d eaten - some nuts, some crisps, rice, Thai spiced chicken, water because I was driving. There was nothing unusual, nothing suspicious, as far as I could see.
So then I moved on to evaluate everything else. I was wearing minimal make-up, but it was make-up I had worn before. Same with the face cream, just good old Neutrogena, hardly a reckless choice. Nothing was jumping out at me as the culprit, which felt rude given the circumstances.
I drove home while I could still technically see and took one of Thomas’s prescription antihistamines. The next morning I woke up unable to open either eye, which really felt like an escalation. Thomas took me to the out-of-hours, where they confirmed it definitely looked like a bad allergic reaction, which was helpful in the sense that it gave it a name, but less helpful in the sense that I still had no idea to what.
I was feeling very sorry for myself. I don’t exactly have a surplus of social opportunities here, so turning into Quasimodo on a rare night out didn’t feel like a strong long-term strategy for friendship.
The aftermath was dramatic. I was utterly exhausted, like I had run a marathon or given birth, neither of which I had done, and I was completely useless for two days.
Fast forward a week and I’m brushing my hair, minding my own business, when my lip starts to tingle. I look in the mirror and, sure enough, my mouth is swelling. When did I get the free lip fillers?! This time I grabbed an antihistamine immediately like a seasoned professional. The swelling went down and the exhaustion only lasted a few hours, which was a relief. I put it down to a really crazy coincidence.
Another week later, I’m sitting in my armchair, no make-up, no face cream, not even having eaten yet, just watching the evening news, when my other eye suddenly decides to close for business. Despite the antihistamine, I’m back in bed for two days recovering, still completely at a loss.
So, what do we all do in these situations now? Obviously, I described all three episodes to AI, listing everything I had eaten and everything that had been near my skin and asked what it thought, because nothing says calm, rational thinking like consulting a robot at this point.
Its first suggestion, without me even mentioning it, was that I might have developed a severe NSAID allergy which was interesting, because I hadn’t said anything about taking any. Then I thought back and realised that on all three occasions, I had taken ibuprofen about four hours before the swelling began. I've always been fairly prone to headaches.
Thomas suggested I simply take a couple more just to double check, which I didn't particularly fancy given each occasion had left me in bed exhausted for 48 hours. ChatGPT, for once the voice of reason, suggested that could end in anaphylaxis if it was escalating, so I decided to go with tests at the GP instead.
And yes, it turns out I have indeed developed an allergy to painkillers. At exactly the point in life when you start needing them more often. Timing really is everything, isn’t it?
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