One day I woke up and noticed a little bit of redness under my eyes and slowly began to swollen as the day went by. I thought it was probably because I didn't get enough sleep. However, by the second day, it worsen. I was still hesitating to see a doctor because I thought it would naturally "go away" and the other thing was I don't have health insurance. And who should I see, a family doctor, dermatologist, or allergist? I have NEVER had any health issues or any allergy as I know as I am 33 years of age. And if you are wondering, I am an Asian female.
By the 4th day, it was so bad...my eyes were so swollen I could barely see. Then my face and ears swollen too! And it was a little itchy as well. If you have ever seen the movie, Hitch, starring Will Smith you can envision how I would look like (not a pretty picture and I am too embarrassed to post one online). But seriously, this is very similar to how I look like or should I say, how I am barely recognizable from my normal self.
Imagine this as me before this incident (normal looking):
This is really how I looked like, I am not exaggerating! My eyes totally swollen and later my face and then my ears:
I decided to see a doctor first. I was given a physical exam and everything was normal. The doctor asked a lot of questions regarding my diet. He originally thought it maybe something I ate, something I am allergic to. Like I said, I do not have any allergies that I know of. Now that I am in my thirties, I would think I have tried most things in my life. And during that time, I didn't try any new foods. But later, he omitted food allergy because if it was that it would affect my whole body and not just my face. After about 40 mins., which cost $75, he was unable to tell me anything. He did give me 2 prescriptions, one for antibiotics and other for steroids.
The steroids was amazing--I saw immediate results on the first day. After taking antibiotics and steroids for 4 days I was almost back to my normal self. But by no means is this a good thing. Overuse of steroids can kill your kidneys and antibiotics can affect your tolerance to your immune system. I was extremely happy going back to my old self until a month later...
Yes, unfortunately for me, it happened AGAIN! The exact same symptoms. This happened on and off again for the next few months. It was very aggravating as the doctor has no idea what caused it. I too kept a food journal and was not able find any problems. I researched online and read a lot of forums about people with the same symptoms. My findings is that no doctor, dermatologist, or allergist can tell you what it is or what is causing it--all they can do is only provide you with a prescription. And this happens to most females of various ages.
I did come upon someone who tried using Benedyl and Pepcid AC.
She said she tried this and it worked for her. Benedryl is used for allergies, a type of antihistamine while Pepcid AC (though usually used as an acid reliever) is also another type of antihistamine. I was a bit skeptical at first. But it was way better than taking antibiotics and steroids, so I tried it. And it worked! Whenever I feel it coming on (usually in the mornings when I wake up with a bit of a swollen eye), I would take one Benedryl and one Pedcid AC. Usually this is all I need and it would go away.I am so happy and relieved to find something that works. This has saved me tons of money as well from going to see the doctor, dermatologist, or allergist and only getting a prescription. Hopefully this will also help anyone else with the same problems.
