HOW TO calm down my swollen lip? (shellfish allergy)?

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
my upper lip is SO HUGE.. 5 times the normal size!!!

last night my whole body started itching and growing red bumps ALL over my body... then this morning I woke up and saw my upper lip HUGE!!

I just took Benadryl and put some anti-itch spray on...
What else can I do to calm down the swelling?????
I NEVER KNEW before that I had a shellfish allergy (I eat it very often... so I don't know what caused me to suddenly be allergic)
so I really don't know how to handle this...
please help!!

Take TWO Benadryl, drink a quart or two of water over the course of 4 hours, and you'll be fine. Be careful in the future as the next attack could result in anaphylactic shock, which can be life-threatening.

Your lip is huge because the immune cells are on a rampage to eliminate the foreign protein in shellfish you ate. The swelling is caused by chemicals released by the immune cells, which increase vascular permeability. This makes it easier for them to jump back and forth between your red blood and white blood circulatory system and the intercellular spaces. It also causes blood fluid to leak into the tissues, increasing their size.

The important thing to remember is that you can gain or lose an allergy to anything, at any point in your life. You're done eating shellfish for the foreseeable future. Be carefull about other fish too. Now you'll need to keep Benedryl with you all the time. You never know when some cook prepared grilled shrimp right before your grilled chicken sandwich.

In the future, if you start getting that feeling, immediately take two Benadryl, drink lots of water, and seek professional medical attention if is becomes more difficult to breath.

I would also definitely recommend getting an Epipen - an injection that could save your life in the event of anaphylactic shock. The Epipen gives you about 15-20 minutes, hopefully enough time for you to reach the hospital (or for medics to reach you). Report Abuse

sometimes allergies (especially food allergies) come out of the blue.

benadryl is the best thing at the moment. take it as directed and don't overdose (as tempting as it may be, it's never a good idea). try icing your upper lip and see if that takes the swelling down. pretty much you just have to wait it out and wait for your body to calm down.
However, if you start having any difficulty breathing, go IMMEDIATELY to the hospital. the difficulty breathing would have most likely happened earlier, but that doesn't mean that it can't happen.

if everything is still the same tomorrow, i would call your doctor and find out exactly what's going on. they may schedule you for what they call a "scratch test" to find out if you are allergic to anything else. the test is uncomfortable, but not horrible.

hope you feel better!