“A” Words

Rounding the aisle corner at the drugstore the other day, I came upon two employees having a fairly loud, very animated conversation. It went something like this:

“I had NO idea. Turns out it was the shrimp!”

“I mean…what were his symptoms?”

“WELL, HIS FACE GOT REALLY RED—ALMOST PURPLE! THEN HIS BREATHING GOT WEIRD! THEY HAD TO USE ONE OF THOSE EPI-PEN THINGS. IT WAS DEFINITELY APOPLECTIC SHOCK!”

At this point, my brain tried to be polite, but my ADHD was already rolling on the floor. Apoplectic shock? Oh, honey.

For the record:

• Apoplectic – overcome with rage, extremely indignant, usually involves either yelling or gasping for (angry) breaths.
• Anaphylactic – severe allergic reaction, as in your immune system is trying to shut down your respiratory system because you ate something you are allergic to.

And now, a couple more “A” words:

• ADHD – technically not a word, just an acronym, but a condition often exhibited in the inability to control emotional impulses, and the reason I began laughing like a hyena in the cold/allergy aisle.
• A** – what I must have looked like to those poor women!

And the reason I’m not showing my face in my local Walgreen’s for a while…