Sunday Walks

I love Sundays and today was one of my favorites.  The meetings were so uplifting and the day was beautiful we went on a little walk outside and it was picture perfect.  It made me really count my blessings. Last Monday I went to the doctor because it was day 10 of a bad cold, cough, and sore throat.  The doc told me that I had a sinus infection.  He gave me a prescription for an antibiotic.  Because I am allergic to penicillin he said there was about a 5% chance I would be allergic to the medication he was giving me, but he was really confident that I wouldn't have any problems.  I started to take the antibiotic on Monday night.  By Tuesday I wasn't feeling any better but just assumed that I needed more time for the medicine to kick in.  By 2:00 am on Wednesday I was absolutely miserable!  I woke up with aches and chills so bad that I didn't know what to do with myself.  I couldn't stand, I couldn't sit, I couldn't lay...and I didn't connect any of that to the medicine.  I am normally achey from the Mixed Connective Tissue Disease so I figured that I was having a flare up.  After taking some ibuprofen and Tylenol I was able to fall back asleep around 3:30.  I found that I had to continue to take ibuprofen regularly or else the pain was too unbearable.  Okay, I am clueless.  I still didn't connect it to the medicine.  My sinus infection wasn't getting any better and I was feeling crumby.  I was starting to get a little discouraged.  Saturday morning I woke up at 7:30 because I was in pain.  When I went into my bathroom I almost screamed because my face was bright red and all puffy and swollen.  Suddenly I began to realize that I had a rash from head to toe.  I was having an allergic reaction!  I called my mom and she told me that was the same reaction I showed to penicillin when I was a baby.  She told me to go to the insta-care asap.  Tish was so kind and went with me.  When the doctor called me back he was shocked at how I looked!  I really did look ilk a cherry tomato...it was awful!  He told me that the severe aches and pains as well as the rash and redness were from the antibiotic.  That 5% chance was my chance.  And no wonder I wasn't getting any better from my sinus infection!  He prescribed me a steroid and told me to take benadryl and claritin for the next several days.  I feel really lucky that I was able to get into the doctor so quickly.  About 10 hours after I started the steroid the rash went away and I was feeling a little bit better.  This morning when I woke up the rash had appeared again on my legs but it has gone down a lot throughout the course of the day.  Overall it was kind of a crazy situation but at least I know now not to take that antibiotic!  It really all ended up being a blessing!