Dangerous conversation

I only remember a few sketchy details about the first time I was admitted to hospital.

I was about five years old and visiting my grandmother’s in Cessnock when an emergency doctor was called in the middle of the night.

I was covered in giant hives and he called an ambulance because he was concerned about my throat being obstructed by the swelling.

It took ages for the hospital to work out what had caused the hives. They initially thought I was allergic to the oleander tree down the side of my family home, but it turned out Penicillin was to blame.

I have a few flashes of memory: the doctor standing in my grandmother’s hall, his dark skin, the hospital bed and jumping out from behind the couch at my grandmother’s house to surprise my parents when they came to take me home.

Fast forward to last week when I was sitting in a doctor’s surgery discussing my UTI. He asked if I was allergic to anything and I said Pencillin.

He asked: “What happens if you have Pencillin?”

I replied: “I die.”

He asked if I was sure and I had to admit I wasn’t. I just remember being told it was really dangerous for me to have it. I was so young that I don’t remember the specifics, but I’ve always been under the impression I’m anaphylactic.

But I conceded that “I might die” was a more appropriate answer.

Anyways, being allergic to Penicillin hasn’t been too much of an issue throughout my life, but it does narrow down your treatment options.

The doctor called me yesterday about my UTI test results. Apparently my UTI is antibiotic resistant and the doctor reckons it must be because I’ve been popping antibiotics like they’re candy, but I haven’t.

I told him I rarely have antibiotics, so he said it was weird that my UTI was being so difficult.

After we got off the phone I remembered having staph in my ear a while back and swallowing a pharmacy full of pills to get rid of it.

Sigh. That might explain it.

He reckons my only options for now are non-prescription, cranberries, lots of water, Hiprex and other vitamin-related stuff.

He said if I start running a fever I should call him because they might have to put me in hospital on a drip, but unless that happens I just have wait it out.

Last night I waited it out at the Vivid Sydney control centre, while doing my second night of crisis comms duty until 11pm.

That was a blast (lying), but fortunately the toilet was nice and close in the demountable next door.

I couldn’t bloody sleep when I finally got to bed at midnight, so today is going to be a blurry one.

Poor me.

Yawn. Catch you tomorrow, I’m off to the bathroom for the gazillionth time, then the supermarket to buy more sugar-free cranberry juice.

Song of the day: Stevie Nicks “I can’t wait”