what just happened?

Today was part 2 of the "Stab Lab".  It did not go so well.

Again, Mindi got to be the victim first.  I did my injections, but unfortunately the one didn't really work.  Even though I appeared to be in the right area, I must of missed the nerve somehow.  Dr. S had to come and numb her up so I could finish part 2 of the project.  Then, I put on her rubber dam.  It was much more challenging to put it on Mindi than it is on Dexter.  Despite having to be injected more than once and having to sit under the rubber dam for a bit, she was a real trooper and even seems happy in this photo.

Then it was my turn.  Mindi did the first series of injections (which is like a 3-in-1...three nerves anesthetized with a single needle stick).  She was about to do her last one, when I apparently started acting really weird.  They said I got kind of giddy and started laughing and wouldn't sit still.  Dr. S, who was supervising, asked me if I was feeling okay, at which point I started crying.  I just remember feeling not really myself, like I was having all these feelings but not being in control of them.  And then I felt really sleepy and not really with it.  I guess I turned bright red and got really warm to the touch.  My blood pressure went up to 155/93.  A couple of professors came over and had to elevate my feet and cool me down with a bunch of ice packs.  They also gave me some benadryl.  After about 8 minutes, I started feeling much better.  (Just like Dr. S predicted...I remember her saying something about the half life of the drug.)

They really can't figure out exactly what happened.  They say the symptoms I had made it seem almost like an overdose.  The thing is, I didn't even have the normal dose of anesthetic!  We were FAR FAR FAR below the normal limit.  Also, Minid's injection was spot on.  She did not inject into the blood vessel (which can occasionally cause problems) because she had a negative aspiration.  It's possible that it was some sort of an allergy, although those are extremely rare.  The redness and heat was caused by a histamine release, which indicates allergy.  It's also possible that it was some form of an anxiety attack, but I might have a hard time being convinced of that, because I did not feel at all anxious.  (I was much more nervous last week!)

I guess I won't really be able to be a guinea pig for any more injections, although most of the "Stab Lab" stuff is over.  I feel just fine now, so no lasting damage.  And I hope Mindi is doing better too.  I gave her quite a fright!