I have read many of these posts and still don't have a clue! Approximately 1+1/2 years ago my mom (78) started to have intermittent bouts of swelling of her face, lips, cheeks tongue. The swelling doesn't happen all the time to all the areas, sometimes just the lips sometimes just cheeks/jaw, sometimes like today just the tongue.
I've had her in the emergency room, at different doctors. She has undergone allergy tests, enzyme tests, changing her meds. None of this has helped. She was given an epi pen, and on one occasion I used it on her an took her to the emergency room where I was told after they didn't know what was causing the swelling, to not use the epi pen. They had prescribed this the last time at the ER.
She has been taking benedryl every time this happens. The swelling doesn't get worse but it takes a long time for the swelling to go down.
The strangest thing is that this only happens overnight. It has never happened during the day. She goes into bed around midnight-1am or so, than anytime after 4, 5 or 6 am, she starts feeling tingling and the swelling starts.
We are at a complete loss, all the doctors have no idea on what it could be and they don't know what to tell us to do next.
Can anyone help? Thanks!
Is there any itching that accompany the swelling? How are her vitals when she goes to the ER? What meds is she on other than the Benedryl? It really sounds like some type of allergic reaction, however, you said the tests didn't show anything. Does the swelling go down because of the Benedryl or because she had been up and about? I wonder, too, if the swelling starts at night because she is lying down. She should try sleeping sitting up and see if this occurs. The result could be a clue to why she is experiencing this. Then the doctors can figure out the problem.
Hi Elaine,
My boyfriend has the same exact symptoms...to a tee..as your mother. Did you ever find out the reason? Thanks Elaine, Jennifer