Would you believe that I am SOOO special that I am one in 130,000 people who have this particular adverse reaction to the Yellow Fever immunization? Oh yes! Lucky me!
After seeing my allergist again today, and later spending over an hour and a half with the infectious disease specialist, we have pretty much determined with 99% certainty that my rash/hives is an allergic reaction to the shot I got last Wednesday for yellow fever.
I am on four different antihistimines and anti-itch meds and have been advised to NEVER under any circumstance get this vaccination ever again. Or the flu shot.
Lovely!
Praise God that we figured it out. Now I have to sit and wait. And sadly, I will not be traveling with People to People to the UK & Ireland this year. I'm really disappointed about that, but I know it's best for my delegation and also best for my health. Learning to relax and rest are things I need to work on, so God will be giving me lessons in patience over the next few weeks. The great news is that I will be able to spend quality time with friends and family, and for the first time in 3 summers, I'll be able to celebrate both my Dad's birthday and Father's Day here in the states. This is a great thing!
The other positive is that it's highly likely that I'll be well by the time I'm to travel to Kenya in 6 weeks time. I will now have more time to get to know my team better and prepare for that 17-hour long journey to Nairobi. Had I gotten the vaccination after my People to People trip, it would surely have disabled me from participating in this trip, which is ultimately serving God's people and purpose in Africa, something I've longed to do for a long time.
Praise God for amazing doctors and modern medicine! I'm so thankful for my clever nurse friends and my caring friends who keep checking in on me. For now, I'm awaiting the arrival of my cousin who has offered to bring me dinner from Doc Chey's (sans the eggs!) and looking forward to some chill time with her!
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song." Psalm 28:7 (New International Version)
4 comments:
Just sent you an e-mail, but wanted to say that I think your attitude about this is AMAZING. The fact that you're finding all the good things in this situation is a testimony to how great your character is, and how deep your faith runs. I'm very proud of you, and I'm still praying!
In other glass half-full news, will we be seeing you at showers this weekend? :)
Autumn, so cool how you are keeping your chin up! That must be total misery. Please know we are thinking of you and praying for you! -Mike
Hey Autumn! So happy that you now know what has been causing this. You're an inspiration. See you around BC.
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