What is it(?)
Marie suffers from anaphylaxis reactions. Normally, the cause is in response to an allergen: bee stings, peanuts, etc. In Marie's case, there doesn't seem to be any single known cause. It has been hypothesized her body is storing the 'toxins' in her system and, due to some trigger, her body releases them all at once. However, no amount of testing has revealed this to be the case.
What have we done?
Fortunately, we live in Denver, Co. This is close to National Jewish Hospital, a leader in allergy and allergic reaction research. Marie has been dozens of times. These are in addition to visits to Boulder University Hospital. No one has provided any clues as to a potential solution.
How Severe can it be?
Potentially, it is fatal. She needs to get to the hospital immediately and she needs immediate treatment within minutes. A few times in the past I've thought this might be it, but she has always pulled through. She carries around an epinephrine in her purse, and we have a few around the house 'just in case'. All the kids are trained to administer an injection and call 911.
Future Options?
We don't know. Besides putting her in a giant hamster cage, and I have my doubts that would help, I'm not sure what else we can do about the condition. We refuse to 'give in' and we will continue to do the things we enjoy: hiking, going out to dinner, theater, etc. We are careful, and we plan things, but we can't give up doing the things that make life worth living.
Now, if anyone knows of a physician who might know something about this condition, by all means leave a comment below.
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