Two days ago I had a sudden allergic reaction. I'm still not sure to what, whether it was the molokhai soup I had, or something in the air, or just that my system got overloaded. Whatever it was, I was in the mall with two friends, looking for stuff for the Christmas banquet we were hosting for the staff and faculty, and noticed I started to itch on my face and neck. At first it didn't bother me too much, I often have a couple of itchy spots on my neck. But after I took my scarf off and then my coat, I knew there was something wrong.
By the end of the evening, we had stopped by the pharmacy where I picked up an anti-histamine med. I took it home, debated quite a while and read up all the side effects online, before finally taking the double dose I was recommended to by the pharmacist. Since the worst side effect didn't include death, I figured I'd be okay.
By morning I woke up and realized it hadn't kicked in quickly enough. My eyes were now quite swollen and I feared that within a couple of hours they would be swollen shut. My entire face and neck were quite swollen and I could compete with Alvin the Chipmunk in a look-alike show. I began to message friends to see who could take me to the cheap clinic at the bottom of the hill. One friend recommended a doctor coming to see me instead, he called, and within an hour, the doctor was knocking on my door.
An injection, prescription, and promised blood tests the next day later, I was resting in bed and praying the swelling would go down. The doctor couldn't give me a specific time frame for recovery as it varied by person but promised the injection would keep the swelling from getting worse. Thankfully, he was right, and microscopically slowly the swelling began to go down.
This time of looking very much unlike myself has been quite a growing experience. I feel exactly like myself, though somewhat sleepier as the medication tends to make me drowsy, plus my body is fighting hard to return to normal. Yet even though I feel and sound the same, I don't look the same and people's reactions have varied.
Some have laughed nervously, others told me I looked just fine. Some have been very frank and said I don't look like myself at all, while others said they didn't recognize me without seeing my hair (when I wore a headscarf for the Christmas concert). Then there were the encouraging ones, who promised me I was looking better each day or even told me I looked more attractive now (honestly?). The ones who took the time to check up on me by text message and see how I was doing. The ones who kindly told me not to be sad, because this would pass in a few days, as they reminded me that there were many others who had illnesses or disabilities that would not pass in a few days or even months.
I'm learning to be grateful in all circumstances, and this has been one of those circumstances that I am thankful for even though it seems rather strange to say so. I've learned that people are generally kind and helpful. I've learned to be more kind to others when they are in a difficult situation. I've learned that it's not about saying a lot of flowery words, but just saying I'm sorry and You are looking much better today are really all one needs to say. I've also learned that the One Who will never fail me will give me the strength to smile, explain what happened, and make it through the day. And for that, I'm most thankful.
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