Pharmacist Rescues Woman Having Allergic Reaction

A pharmacist’s swift action saved a woman’s life during an emergency situation.

Lauren Mansall started to have an allergic reaction to antibiotics shortly after taking the tablets, she told The Scunthorpe Telegraph.

She had difficulty breathing, grew hot, and felt her throat swelling up, so she sought help from her local pharmacist, Lisa McGowan, at Riverside Pharmacy.

McGowan recognized the symptoms as an allergic reaction and injected Mansall with adrenaline through a pen.

“Within seconds, I was getting better and my throat opened up, although I was in shock,” Mansall told The Scunthorpe Telegraph. “Lisa was keeping me calm all the way through. I had really bad shakes, and my heart was thumping. I thought everyone could hear it.”

McGowan said she had not been confronted with a patient experiencing an allergic reaction before, but she knew what to do because of her training.

After paramedics took Mansall to the hospital, McGowan told The Scunthorpe Telegraph that the seriousness of the event sunk in, and she felt like she needed to sit down and have “a strong cup of tea.”

Meanwhile, the hospital staff told Mansall that a mere 15-minute delay could have been fatal.

“Lisa saved my life,” Mansall told The Scunthorpe Telegraph. “I thought she had just stopped it getting worse. I didn’t realize how close I came to dying until afterward.”

McGowan encouraged more awareness of allergic reactions and use of adrenaline pens.