As the only nurse at Pulmonology Associates, many of the undesirable jobs become part of my everyday routine. One of these, unfortunately, is entertaining the tenacious drug reps that come to the office. This is not to say that this persistant fellows come empty handed- hardly. The latest appeared on thursday to persuade the docs that their drug truly was the BEST option for our breathing impaired patients. He came well armed with lunch, diet coke, and chocolate chip cookies. Unfortunately, it would appear that he came armed with food that I would be allergic to. It has been thought that I might have a seafood allergy but I had never had a true reaction......
Lunch begins with Brian latching on to my side, as if I am his best friend in the whole wide world. (Not likely, he is a Red Sox fan). I choose my chicken ceasar wrap carefully- there is a lot of tuna on the plate. I find that my sandwich has a touch of tuna on it- so I cut it off. I manage not to yawn as a I barely pay attention to Brian nattering on when all of the sudden he yells at me- "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUR FACE????" Yes, it would appear that I did not get all of the tuna or there might have been anchovies in the ceasar dressing. Either way, in a matter of 20 minutes my eyes were puffy, my face was blotchy, and my feet were not fitting in my shoes. Once Dr Lustine stopped laughing at me ( this is the wonderfully caring physician I work with) he got me the meds I needed.
Now, it is three days later- I am still blotchy, itchy, and swollen. Did I mention that my cat has a sudden need to be sitting on my lap at all times???? This borders on unbearable. I went to the grocery store yesterday and a little old lady asked me if I was contagious- I almost said yes.... Back to the office tomorrow with hopes of looking a bit better. Needless to say, Brian and his lunches have been banned.
