A little drama.

***The antibiotic I took was Cipro, which is evidently commonly prescribed for bladder infections and is not one which many people are allergic to***

On the first night of our road trip that I detailed in yesterday's post, the girls and I stopped in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Right before bedtime, I took the first dose of a new antibiotic. Within 20 minutes my eyes began to itch and I started to cough. I got out of bed to wash my eyes, looked in the mirror and saw that my eyelids were quite swollen. I called Robert and told him that I was having an allergic reaction and was going to have to go to the Emergency Room. Vivian was sound asleep and Dots was in bed reading. I wasn't happy to leave the girls in the hotel room but knew that Vivian would be easier for Dots to manage while she slept in the hotel room than in an ER (plus it would have taken some time for me to get Vivian out of bed and into the car, not to mention out of the car again when we got to the hospital and I didn't have much time to spare).

I had seen a hospital across the highway from our hotel so I hopped in my car and hurried over there. When I pulled in the parking lot, however, I noticed a sign that said "No Emergency Services." I started to panic because by this point I was having trouble swallowing, my eyes were swelling further shut and my hands and feet were burning. I remembered that my car was equipped with OnStar so I pressed its emergency button. A very kind woman answered immediately and directed me turn by turn to the nearest hospital.

By the time I arrived at the hospital I could barely talk or see. I ran into the ER lobby clutching the bottle of antibiotics. As I handed someone my driver's license and insurance card, a nurse rushed me into a room and started me on an IV. While the nurse took my vitals, a doctor ordered some Benadryl and steroids for my IV. Somewhere in there I must have written down my husband's name and number because the doctor called Robert to update him on the situation. Robert in the meantime had talked to Dots at the hotel and ascertained that everything was okay there.

Within a couple of hours I was doing much better. Because of the Benadryl, though, the doctor did not want me to drive myself home, so he arranged for a police car to take me back to my hotel - my first time in the back of a police car! (I wish I had a picture of that!)

By the next morning I had almost completely recovered. The very nice hotel manager gave me a ride back to my car, and the girls and I continued on our journey, the rest of which was thankfully much less eventful. Suffice it to say, though, that I won't be taking that antibiotic ever again.


In the ER. I took this picture with my cell phone to send to Robert. He said he hardly recognized me! I told him I was glad to hear that because it was the ugliest picture I'd ever seen


Back at my hotel a few hours later. Still a little swollen but much improved