Sulfa I Hate You!

College Days:

Once upon a time when I was in college I needed antibiotics for a sinus infection. I had been taking them for a few days and all the sudden started to break out. I never had hives like that ever! At first I really thought I had zits all over my face! Then it moved to my arms, legs and before too long I was covered! My oval face turned round. I truly looked like a freak! I itched like CRAZY!

My Mom (Grandma Spiehs) told me to call the doctor's office. I did. They said, "Just take another pill. If it gets worse call us in the morning." My Mom (Grandma Spiehs) told me, "Don't you dare take another pill! I can't believe an allergy clinic told you to take another pill!" I'm so glad my Mom told me not to take another pill! If I had, I probably would have ended up in the emergency room. She instructed me to have a Baking Soda bath. That night she laid in the living room with me. She was worried my throat would close up with hives.

The next day I went back to the allergy clinic, so they would help me with my hive mess! The nurse looked down at her chart and said, "It says here you have hives on your body. Where do you have them at?" She looked up from her chart and said, "Oh I see!" Then she went to go get a few other nurses to stare at me like I was some kind of freak show.

I was given a shot of steroids and a different kind of antibiotic.

On the way home from the clinic, I went to Goodrich because my good friend had just gotten her wisdom teeth out. I wanted to get us a few shakes. I'm sure the man that checked me out thought I was a junkie. I was shaking when I handed him the money and I looked like a freak with a blown up face and blotches all over!

I laid on the couch for a few days. My younger sister (Aunt Terra) was going to set me up on a blind date prior to my reaction of Sulfa. She just looked at me and laughed. She felt sorry for me, but I truly was odd looking!

Since that time I've told every doctor that I'm allergic to Sulfa in the worst way!

Fast Forward to Today:

I have this leg that has the bad bruise that's healing. I was told to lather on lotion. I did. What I didn't do is look at the lotion's ingredients. I never would have thought that Sulfa would find it's way into lotions, hair products and make-up! What was in one of our lotion bottles, methosulphate gave me hives all over my already damaged leg. I only knew that I couldn't have it in the drug form, inside an antibiotic. I never would have thought that ingredient being in anything else. At first I didn't know why my leg was itching so bad! I washed all my bedding. I'm pretty good about that, but washed everything anyhow. Have you ever seen the movie Bug? Ya, I felt like I was loosing my mind! Than my husband looked at the ingredients in the lotion. That's when he spotted the methosulphate that was oh so small. Even Eucerin Cream has Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate in it. I looked it up on the internet and it's in all kinds of products. I've had problems in the past of my face being beat red when I get out of the shower. Now I'm wondering if sulfa in some form was in one of my shampoos. I've been taking Benadryl every 4 to 6 hours. It feels better and than itches like CRAZY when the Benadryl has wore off! Tomorrow I may have to go in to get another shot of steroids if that's what they decide I need. For now I'm limiting myself to only the Tropical Traditions Peppermint Lotion that is all natural. There are times where I want to itch off my leg!