Things you learn to cherish after a near death experience

About two days ago I was closer to dieing then I have ever been in my entire life.
I over dosed and had an allergic reaction to Benadryl, which therefore caused my entire body to be covered in hives.
It started early on in the day after I spent the night outside on an air mattress with my brother. I woke up with about 7 spider bites, some of them on my face. My parents and my brother went to the river that day and I stayed home and had my boyfriend over. I started getting itchy and I went to the medicine cabinet to get spray on benadryl. I sprayed it all over my bug bites in hopes of making them go away. About 30 minutes later I started getting hives in a couple different places and my face started swelling. In panic I called my mom who had me go to my neighbors house (my neighbor happens to be a nurse) and he gave me a benadryl pill. He then gave me the entire pack and said that if it didn't start getting better I could take another one. My boyfriend and I went back home and the hives didn't start getting better so I took another pill.

We carried on with the rest of the day and my parents came home. We made dinner and ate and I forgot about having hives. Then, after laying out and looking at the stars, I went back inside with my boyfriend (by the by, my Mormon grandparents were on their way to visit us after they got in from their plane ride, but it would be later. I had wanted my boyfriend to meet them so he was staying late too) and walked by a mirror and then paused, lifting up my shirt to find that my entire stomach and face and arms and legs were completely covered in hives.

I was terrified. My dad told me to take a cold bath and then my mom came in and gave me ANOTHER benadryl . I got out and put calamine lotion all over my body. I was shivering at this point. I got dressed and then my grandparents arrived. I tried to be normal but could barely see anything. My grandma offered my topical benadryl to rub all over my hives. I did so and then they left. We took my boyfriend home and then I felt really really drowsy. I got into my bed and almost passed out.

Then at about 3:45 I woke up, completely covered in hives again. My legs were burning and everything tingled. At this point I was delirious. I got up and opened my parents door. Suddenly my vision was gone and I could barely see anything. My ears were ringing so loud and everything anyone said was so loud. My mother lead me to the kitchen and then I blacked out. All I remember is waking up on the ground. I didn't know where I was or what happened. But everything felt surreal. I could hear voices yelling and screaming in my head and cars rushing by. My parents sat me on the couch and tried to talk to me but I don't really remember what they said. My entire body was covered in huge swollen hives. I then tried to go back to bed and 45 minutes later I woke up. My parents had told me not to stand up, I think. But I did anyways because I didn't even remember them saying that. I went to the kitchen again and tried to put calamine lotion on. My mother came out concerned and then went to get my dad.

Then right when she left suddenly I blacked out again. This time though no one caught me when I fainted and I hit my head right smack on the tile. I remember hearing so many voices and screams and I felt like I had been gone a really long time. I woke up crying and my head ached really bad. There was a huge bump there. There is still a huge bump there. My parents were freaking out and then eventually my dad figured out (from the Internet) that I was probably allergic to benadryl. And especially the fact that I had taken so much, even if I wasn't originally allergic to it, I at least over dosed on it. My body was still completely covered in hives and I was delirious. I sat on the couch and my parents got me a blanket and my pillow. My parents knew that if my throat even started to close off then I would die. They had an epi pen but none the less, that was only a time saver. My mom wanted to take me to the emergency room but it was 6 at this point and my dad knew that we would just end up waiting there. So we decided to wait until morning to take me to the doctors.

My brother opted to spend the night on the other couch with me to make sure I didn't get up. Throughout the rest of the night I got barely any sleep and my lips suddenly swelled up. I couldn't even talk. I woke up and my dad had to carefully take me to the car. My blood pressure was extremely low.

At the doctors they gave me a shot and some prednisone and told me to be really really careful. I had hardly any appetite but ate some food. I had to drink a lot to try and get the benadryl out of my system. By about 4:30 that next day I was finally starting to feel ok. Some of the hives were going down least and the worst was over.

I feel almost all the way better now, but I am still getting some hives....And its hard for me to walk and do things really fast because everything spins.

Anyways....the point of this is that I have become so grateful for my life and for everything I have. I am the luckiest girl alive. And I thank the lord for my health and safety.