“I was 10 minutes away from dying.”

In the wee hours of March 16, I was in the emergency room, with my lips, throat and face swelling more every second. I wear a 16-inch collar and I must have swollen to a 19. I must have looked like a balloon about to burst. My tongue was so large it filled my mouth. I couldn’t talk and could only breathe through the right side of my nose. But just barely, because my throat was closing up fast because of the swelling.

The ER doctor said, “We have to intubate you.”

I knew what she meant. She was going to jam a tube up my nose so they could pump oxygen into my lungs and keep me alive. The trouble was that my nose was swelling up too. Every time the tube touched it, I flinched.

“I can’t put you under,” she said, “and you’ve got to be still. Otherwise, I have to go in through your esophagus. And we don’t want to do that.”

I could see the intensity in her eyes. I wondered if she could see the terror in mine. I had to get it together. I’d been a tough farm kid back in the day. I had to be a tough old guy now.

“I’m going to try once more,” she said, “then I have to cut you. I’m running out of time.”

She said it was the smallest tube they had. But it still felt like a red-hot rat file ripping through my nose. Tears filled my eyes. I wanted to scream. But I didn’t flinch.

Three days later they removed the tube and I woke up and was finally able to breathe on my own. The doctor told me what had happened to me: Near fatal Anaphylaxis.

I knew that word too. Anaphylaxis is a serious, potentially life-threatening allergic response marked by swelling, hives, lowered blood pressure, and dilated blood vessels. In severe cases, a victim will go into shock. If you’re not treated immediately, you can die.

That was almost me. The doctor said, “You’re lucky you live near a hospital and your wife got you here in time. Ten minutes later and you would have been dead.”

The doctor also told me what caused the allergic reaction that almost killed me: Lisinopril. It’s a diuretic the VA gave me along with my other blood pressure medicine, I’d been on it for years.

“Doesn’t matter,” she said. “You can get a severe allergic reaction at any time and without warning. In fact, Lisinopril is now off the VA list of approved drugs.”

If you’re on it, check with your doctor. Better yet, check with an allergist who understands drug interactions, not just the doc who does scratch tests for pollen and dust mites. You should have all of your drugs analyzed at least once every three years. Vietnam vets have enough medical problems. You don’t need another one to be a deadly allergic reaction to Lisinopril or any other prescribed medicine. Call your doctor now.

Steve Conner, Brockport, NY

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