I should perhaps explain that my allergic reactions are a tad… odd.
Generally speaking, it is assumed by medical personnel that if you have any sort of facial swelling associated with an allergic reaction, then you’re most likely having an anaphylactic reaction–which means a danger of going into anaphylactic shock. That’s the sort of thing that folks allergic to peanuts or bee stings carry around epi-pen injections for.
However, anaphylactic reactions tend to be swift, fairly sudden things. They don’t happen slowly.
Naturally, I don’t follow these rules. I have reactions that develop over several days but involve swelling around the eyes. So the doctors are never sure whether to treat it as an anaphylactic reaction or not. In theory the slow nature of these reactions means that while they suck, they probably aren’t dangerous. In practice, it is possible for such a reaction to become dangerous, so doctors don’t like to take any chances. I guess that’s how I managed to get an appointment with the allergist the ER staff recommended on less than 24 hours’ notice. I think all I had to do was say “facial swelling” and I got one of the “reserved for serious problems” slots. So, tomorrow at 8:30 am I go in to fill out paperwork and then see my new allergist.
See, I have lots of experience with this type of reaction. I get it almost every time I take a new antibiotic. I just don’t usually get it with food.
Anyway, I’ve always loved the whole “high intelligence/low wisdom” saying from roleplaying. You know, folks who are so brilliant they could probably blow up the world (or at least a small portion of it), and don’t have the common sense not to. I’ve known a lot of people who fit this mold, particularly when I was going to and working at MIT. So naturally, I couldn’t help making a design for it. Embrace your deadliness!
High Intelligence, Low Wisdom
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