Quote:
Originally posted by Gutterboy
The strange thing isn't the substance, its that she didn't know she was so severely allergic to it.
It takes two contacts with an offending food or insect sting to produce an anaphylactic reaction. The first exposure sensitizes you, the second (and subsequent ones..) cause reactions ranging from flushing & abdominal cramps to hypovolemic shock and vascular collapse. People are usually exposed the common stings and foods that cause these reactions twice as kids, and for that reason its usually kids who die of this stuff.
I would expect she'd been exposed to shrimp more than once in her life.. but I guess it could have been a preservative or some component particular to this sort of shrimp.. maybe it the shrimp/egg combo.. who knows.
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My mother is allergic to shellfish, specifically the iodine in them. As a child she had minor reactions to them i.e. itching and some hives.
One night about 10 years ago when she was 40 we had clam chowder. A short time later she began to get hives all over her body and started having trouble breathing.
I was an EMT at the time so I decided to take her to the hospital. Fortunately it was only two blocks away. As we arrived her airway was completely blocked by the swelling. A single shot of epinephrine and the swelling subsided and she started moving back to normal. A few hours later she was fine.
Being a former EMT you have probably seen plenty of people die. No matter how many times it happens it's always difficult especially when it's someone you know if even just a little.
If you ever don't fell like shit when someone dies in front of you then you need to re-evaluate yourself.