“It couldn’t have been the chicken, could it?” Amelia* thought as she struggled to breathe. But that was all she had eaten for dinner. She thought it was safe, but the allergic reaction she was having seemed to prove differently.
It was late Sunday evening when the episode began: a feeling of her throat constricting, not being able fill her lungs with air. Recognizing the symptoms as an allergic reaction, Amelia reached for one of her EpiPens.
But the injection didn’t bring the relief it should have. As her throat continued to constrict, Amelia used a second EpiPen…then a third.
It was no use—the EpiPens weren’t doing the trick, and Amelia began to panic as she felt her airway closing. Knowing that she desperately needed help, she pressed the button on her Belle device.
Amelia was promptly connected to AvantGuard operator, Peter, who quickly dispatched the paramedics to Amelia’s home.
“I could hear how hard it was for Amelia to even talk to me,” said Peter. “I reassured her that help was on the way, and stayed on the line while she waited for the ambulance to get there.”
Emergency medical services arrived within minutes. The epinephrine finally started taking effect as ambulance pulled up, and Amelia was able to walk out on her own. Upon arriving at the emergency room, though, she felt her body slipping back into respiratory distress.
The situation had become so severe that physicians deliberated about whether or not she would need a tracheotomy in order to get air into her lungs. Luckily, they were able to treat the symptoms of the reaction with less drastic methods, and Amelia made a full recovery.
In regards to the service she received, Amelia enthusiastically said, “The service has been great! I’ve used it a couple times for allergy-related incidents and several times for pain. For me, it is literally a lifesaver.”
Since this experience, Amelia has resumed her day to day activities and is breathing much better.
*Name changed