Anaphylaxis, also called anaphylactic shock, is a potentially life threatening condition. I write about it tonight because yesterday afternoon my friend’s mum called me to come next door to see what was wrong with her.
When I got there she was having extreme difficulty breathing, had broken out in hives, and had swollen lips. She was crying because of fear (EVERYONE panics when they can not breathe) and the pain from the rash.
I knew immediately that she was in trouble. I told her mum to call the paramedics and asked if she had any diphenhydramine (trade name Benedryl). She did not.