Experimenting -- Am I or Am I Not?

A week with a holiday on Wednesday is a complete waste of both a holiday and a work week.

During the first part, nobody gets too enthused about doing anything, because, after all, . . . “we’re off on Wednesday.”  When you come back on Thursday, the same reasoning prevents starting any new projects. 

Besides, half of your coworkers have taken off either the first or last half of the week, or both, so essential personnel aren’t available.  It is a week of piddling without breaking a sweat (metaphorically speaking; it’s 102 degrees out there this afternoon).

It’s also too hot to even think about cooking, which means that we had the “where you wanna eat” discussion along about 5:00. 

Red Lobster won.

It won for a couple of reasons, not the least of which that we wanted to try an experiment to see if I really had acquired a shellfish allergy. 

Where better to test this theory than a seafood restaurant.

Besides, we know that my doc is in town, the hospital is less than 10 minutes away from the restaurant, and I had my epi-pen, which is a real pain to have to remember, with me.

A shrimp lover’s feast awaited.

The lobby to Red Lobster is my favorite part of the restaurant, especially if there are little kids.   The lobster tank is both fascinating and within reach unless the parental units are really on their guard.  I learned this early on when Caleb, upon seeing a similar tank in the grocery store, promptly ran up to it and asked in his loudest 7 year old voice, “WHY DO THEY HAVE THEM BIG BUGS IN THE GROCERY STORE?”

Today, an even younger child noted that the entrees on the hoof at Red Lobster were, “. . . taking a shower before dinner,” a reference to the recirculating pump that kept the water aerated in the tank.

It’s all a matter of perspective.

So anyhow, we ordered (a beer first; if there was going to be a hospital stay involved, I wanted to get a bit of early relaxation going) and then our food.

It was very systematic – take a bite, check for symptoms.  Take a bite, check for symptoms.

At least, that’s what I was doing.  About halfway through the meal, I observed that there didn’t seem to be any adverse reaction. 

Sweating?  Yeah – it was still triple-digits outside.  I defy anyone my age and size NOT to sweat, despite air conditioning.  Not clammy, though (at least not that I could tell from the inside of my skin) and the sweat wasn’t such that it seemed to be shellfish-related.

Not being the one with the medical expertise in our family unit, though, I turned to the in-house expert for a second opinion only to realize that he had forgotten that we weren’t just at dinner but were engaged in a serious experiment to see whether I "swole up" and was gonna die or not.

The only thing on my first-responder’s mind by then was whether or not I was going to eat those last 3 shrimp on my plate, once again proving that it is imperative that the patient be involved in his own healthcare plan.

In the end, the experiment was successful.  It confirmed that I continue to get significant indigestion when eating deep-fried anything, which is unfortunate given my dietary preferences, but concerns about a shellfish allergy seem to have been misdiagnosed.  

I wish I'd known that before we went to Maui on vacation.  

But now instead of an epi-pen, I get to carry Prilosec, which is preferable.