A Steroid: A Short Story

I remember this specific morning as if it happened yesterday. I woke up from the sound of my mother walking through the front door. It was eight o’clock in the morning and she was just getting home from her twelve hour night shift at the hospital. When I woke up it was rather hard for me to breathe or to even close my mouth. I immediately got up to go see my mother and I will never forget the look on her face when she saw me. She said, “Oh my god! Chelsea!”. My throat and cheeks were so swollen I couldn’t keep my tongue inside my mouth. My mother immediately took me to urgent care. Next, I find myself inside a cold, small room sitting on crinkly paper that made noise whenever I moved, waiting to hear from the doctor. When the doctor came back she informed me she does not know what caused such fast, severe swelling. She told me I would be receiving a double dose shot of an antibiotic and a steroid. The corticosteroid, Prednisone, was to reduce the swelling and would also weaken my immune system. After being given the two shots, I was prescribed

Dave notified me my mother was contacted and on her way to the hospital, but for some reason I could not respond or move, only stare. When my mother came in the room, she rushed to my side and told me everything would be okay. As she was talking to Dave and the doctor, I began to have an anxiety attack because I could not speak to her. With tears running down my face and motionless, she calmed me down and said that my sister was on her way. The doctor informed my mother that when I first arrived I was on the verge of being intubated. Moments later my sister came through the door and immediately collapsed onto my chest crying and holding my hand. I had another anxiety attack because I could not say anything to comfort her or squeeze her hand back. As the night went on, I underwent many tests and finally got to go home around three in the