Unknown allergy - Eyes swelled shut

[geli87]

Last night at about 4am I woke up to find that my eyes were swollen.  In about 5 minutes it was worse and they were almost closed.  I was rushed to the ER, I was terrified that it would spread to my nose and throat.  I could only see through a tiny slit and my nose was running and stuffed so I had to breathe through my mouth.  This is the first time that something this serious has happened to me.  As far as I know I am not allergic to anything.  About 6 years ago I did wake up with slightly puffy eyes but the doctor gave me Benadryl and said I had probably been bitten by a small spider. I am really worried now, since I do not know what caused this allergic reaction I have no idea what I need to stay away from.  It's been almost 12 hours now and my swelling has gone down by about 80%.  The problem is that the 20% that is better still looks and feels horrible. The only reason I'm not freaking out about it now is that I know how bad it was before so I understand that what I look and feel like now is a great improvement.  How do I try to find out what I am allergic too?  The ER doctor refered me to another doctor for follow up in 3-5 days.

Thanks,
Angelica

(I was trying to smile in the picture so it doesn't look as creepy!)

[Simpleman74]

Gee, that is too bad. And you are such a pretty woman.
I am not a doctor but I do suffer allergies to synthetics. And I do understand about other allergies as well.
And thus all I can offer you is suggestions and hope that you keep trying doctors until you find the culprit. People can become allergic to many things at any time in their life. And there are many. Some are rare and unheard of by many people. And some doctors might not suspect it because one might be so rare that he figures it is probably not that. so he goes what I can offer for advice.

One thing you should know is that having this at morning and nite doesn't mean for sure that it is something you are only exposed to then. For these are the times that your immune is lower along with your PH balance being more acidic when tired. But not to say is isn't important too, to look for what you are exposed to in the AM and nite.
Well, I am sure you sleep in a bed, and probably sit in a chair or sofa at night. And maybe you are outside your house during the day working. If you do work and it is okay then, then you should look at your home first I guess.
And for someone to help you better, you need to post here any other symptoms you have that are related to forms of allergies. Skin itching, bumps on other parts of your body, and such. Even if it is something that sounds crazy like tiny goose bump like bumps on your behind. Check yourself closely while naked. feel your skin for smoothness. Dry skin all of a sudden? Things like this. Because they can be pieces of the puzzle.
And I say this because to look at this first can be helpful for it is something that can be done quickly. And be easy to put together. Even though this could be unrelated to allergies. Get on google and type in swollen eyes. And by all means don't strain them for hours. This may make them worse. Not sure. And putting icepacks on them frequently can help with the swelling.
Also this may be something your body was fighting off okay but a recent drug has lowered/supressed your immune. Sometimes a drug does this only initially, and then adapts.
I was just looking at some pics last nite of reactions to synthetics, and didn't see any swollen eyes that were not red also. But there are many there and didn't look at a whole lot of them. I will check again.

So get this info to us.
Anything new in your home?
Do you work? And what you do. anything new there at work?
Any sensitivities to anything? perfumes, detergents, soaps etc...
Any other places on your body changed in any way?
Pets? even a bird!
new foods or drinks you are now using. Anything that you think can be useful.
First off, You should look for anything that had changed recently before this started up. Anything.

[Simpleman74]

Also include pains, soreness, stiffness,

[Simpleman74]

I checked the pictures, and none look anything like your eyes. My first though anyways was that it didn't look like contact dermatitis anyways. But it is a mistake to rule out a possibility anyways. and with the stuffy nose it sounds more like another type of allergy, if this is an allergy to start with. If it was something else then I am not knowledgeable about it. and it still could be contact allergy. You went to bed fine and woke up 4am like that so, that means it may be in your bed, or a delayed reaction. And the air in your room. any smells in your house? Ask your friends or family members to come smell your place. Especially your bedroom.
Mold, mildew, and such can do this also. If it had rained hard and your basement leaked then built up mold that you could not smell. My ex can not smell mold when others do. Check the cellar. This time of year means heat is running. And some kinds blow the air around.