Death by Guinea Pig

This afternoon was our mother/daughter book club. The family that hosted this month have two guinea pigs, Gilligan and Skipper. They are cute little fellows and I just had to hold Skipper. I held him, gave him a few quick pets and handed him back to his owner.

Then I started sneezing. Then my nose started running. Then my eyes started itching. Then my face started to itch. Then my eyes started to swell. Then my throat started to swell shut. Then I started having trouble talking. I have never ever had anything happen like this before. I have no reaction to any of our animals. I asked for an allergy tablet, which they had thankfully, and I still kept getting worse. Another mom there says where do you go to the clinic if we need to rush you there or should we just go straight to the hospital? Let's give the tablets 20 minutes and see how I am. I am sure if I go in they will just give an allergy pill and charge me an arm and leg.

So I am sitting there thinking what if my throat completely closes and I die at book club while discussing Jane Eyre? What would they put on my death certificate, Death by Guinea Pig? Would it take about a 100 years until no one in the family would remember that Grandma or Great Grandma died from touching a guinea pig? Not the legacy I was hoping to leave.

My throat stopped swelling and actually got a little better but my eye just kept getting bigger. By the time we left, my face had swollen around it, I had a huge bag under my eye and the white on my eye ball looked like a water balloon with a dark spot sunken in the middle. Both of my eyes were what Spark would call Devil Red.

It is now been nine hours , six allergy tablets and an ice pack since I touched Skipper and my eye is still swollen and very painful but I think the danger has passed.

I am swearing off guinea pigs forever.