Going into Anaphylactic Shock in India and Surviving!
Want to know how NOT to go into anaphylactic shock in India like I did?
Well, here was a fun thing! Whenever people ask me, “aren’t you scared to travel alone to Southeast Asia?” I answer, “well, I went into anaphylactic shock in India and survived, so what worse can happen?” Of course, I could die completely dead, but then I’m guessing I would no longer care.
I spent a month in India. For the first 2 weeks, I was on a fancy tour with my former partner, M, and her mother. (This is the one and only time I have been on a fancy tour, and very likely to remain that way.) While in Agra, in a beautiful hotel with an actual view of the Taj Mahal, I got sick. It started as a bit of an oogey feeling, and I thought, I should be careful what I eat, don’t have anything spicy or exciting. So I ordered Mulltigawny soup with shrimp.
Be smarter than me.
Um, what? People, if you are feeling oogey and thinking you should eat something bland, listen to your smart self and have some white rice, for goodness sake. Perhaps a banana or a piece of dry toast. Do not proceed to eat a spicy tomato-based soup with shellfish in it. I guess I thought it was the Indian equivalent of chicken noodle.
Anyway. Middle of the night, I’m as ill as I have ever been in my life. Yet to top it, very hopeful I won’t. In the morning, we consult the hotel doctor. Should I take the antibiotic I have brought for just such an eventuality? Heck yes, says he. What exactly are you waiting for? I also have an anti-nausea medication, Compazine, which he suggests I do not take. He says it’s no longer really used in Europe or in India. He suggests something else. M, who was in nursing school, bless her heart, felt that I should stick with it since I had used it before. (I did? I guess I had taken it once). Of course I had to take an anti-nausea in order to keep down the antibiotic. Which I needed to be antiboitic-ing pronto.
Make sure you’re not allergic to the drugs you brought to use in case you get sick.
Jump to early evening. Anaphylaxis has set in. Oh joy! Compazine, I’m not just a little allergic to you. I’m CRAZY allergic. First I notice that my tongue is starting to feel kinda funny. This is because it is gradually seizing up and being pulled over to the right side of my face, as the process of my entire alimentary canal becoming frozen—eventually preventing me from being able to breathe—sets in. That’s what anaphylaxis is. Fortunately for me, I didn’t know that. I was freaked out enough as it was. Though maintaining my Minnesotan-Norwegian stoicism, of course.
Hotel doctor is called when symptoms begin. He says, why did you give her the Compazine? He is a bit frustrated. Said he will be there to administer treatment pretty soon, he’s kinda busy.
Waiting.
For an interminable amount of time. My tongue is now totally rigid and sideways stuck to the inside of my right cheek. My jaw is frozen. I can’t really speak. Frightened. Okay, more like terrified. M has called the doctor again two or three times. Yeah, yeah, he says, I’m on the way. Holy cats. This guy was positively lackadaisical about it all. During this entire period of time, which seemed like an eon but was probably more like an hour, I am lying on the bed in our room. M is perched tensely by the phone trying to act calm and repeatedly calling the doctor as her vocal pitch increases in tenor. Her mother is sprawled in the chair drinking a beer and appearing to experience utter boredom.
Doctor finally shows up. Yay! He gives me an epinephrine injection and symptoms lessen immediately. I am no longer on the way to being dead. Yay some more! I still don’t feel very good, but who cares, I’m not dead!
And this is what I love about travel. It continually reminds me to be thrilled that I’m not dead.
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I really like the optimism in your post when you summarise saying that after all you are not dead! Travel can get tricky at times, but what’s the fun without the thrill involved?! After all, we are not dead by the end of it. Hahaha!
Can’t really complain as long as I am still alive and healthy! Plus, lesson learned 😉
“..what worse could happen? Of course I could die completely dead.” hahaha lol.. I really like your writing style, Cynthia, you’re the best haha.. Glad you survived this one. 🙂
Me too Stefan had a whole lot of fun since then! Thanks so much for reading :)))
Wow before I read the post I thought it would be allergy to food not drugs. Glad you are ok Cynthia. I had a similar experience in Scotland. My former partner and I took the train from Glasgow to Edinburgh, explored the sites and had some lunch before hopping back on the train to Glasgow. While waiting for the train to depart, my face starting to swell as well as my tongue (and it felt really itchy). Not knowing what it was, we were debating whether to get off the train or not. Thankfully we made the right call and got off the train to catch a taxi to the hospital. By the time we arrived, I was struggling to breathe but within minutes of them administering the needle, I was fine. I had to convince them to discharge me though and not keep me in overnight. Turns out I’m highly allergic to cats and tomatoes. Who knew!
Wow, you must have managed to encounter both cats and tomatoes that day. It’s so scary, isn’t it? Glad you got off the train, oh my, can you’re imagine?! It gets better so fast once they administer the shot, but I hate to think about without the shot! Eeedek. Wild how this stuff happens when traveling and not at home when it would be so much easier to deal with!
Well I for one am glad you didn’t die Cynthia. Would have missed all our good banter. It’s a little ironic with all the food in India that you were struck down by the medicine you took with you. Good story well told.
Thanks John, appreciate your stopping by to read this older post. A near-death experience is always bracing, I really enjoyed the Taj Mahal after that 🙂
WOW! That sounds so intense and terrifying. I’m so glad you’re okay and this is a really good tip to verify that we are not allergic to the medications we take with us.
I think you have to take a med more than once to verify that, as I had taken it once and had no reaction. ! Thanks for the read!
I can’t imagine how scared you were getting that sick while in a foreign country. Thank goodness you weren’t alone.
I would have been more scared if I had realized what was happening–grateful for my ignorance in this case! Yes, if I’d been traveling solo that would have been unfortunate 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
What a coincidence. I had a similar incident – some sort of severe allergy to something – while I was on my first trip to Agra!
There must be something in the air in Agra?? I was lucky we were scheduled to be there for a couple of days, so I had a day to be sick and still had some time to see the Taj Mahal. I’m not sure I enjoyed it quite as much as I should have, though, as I still didn’t feel all that great. It is so beautiful, would love to see it again!