A Young Wife’s Tale

The week of September 12-18, National Chronic Invisible Illness Awareness Week, David started getting red welts or hives on his torso. Just a few at first, and I initially thought it was the psoriasis. I immediately went into panic mode, assuming the Humira had stopped working on his Psoriatic Arthritis, and that he was going to start having the terrible flares that leave him bedridden again. David quickly figured out it wasn’t psoriasis. He took Benadryl, and the hives went away.

The next day they came back, only worse. He saw our family doctor who gave him some allergy medicine. I make our laundry detergent and cleaning products, and nothing new had been introduced. David wasn’t using any new shampoos or soap.

This went on for days. Allergy medicine would clear up his skin, but the welts kept coming back. Then one afternoon while I was at my part-time administrative assistant job, David started having trouble breathing. The allergic reaction was making his throat close up.

The Aftermath or My Recovery from David’s Flare Up Part 2 I’m getting the house under control. I just dusted the whole house, in the hopes that it would make my throat feel better. My allergies are always severe in the fall, and they’ve started up early this year, probably due to all the rain [...]

Before David received his diagnosis, I went to Sunday School by myself one Sunday. A man asked me where David was. I told him that David was home because of back pain. His response, “Well my back hurts all the time. I’m still here.” We don’t go to that church any more.