When symptoms — like movies — are similar but different

My screenwriting class sat in stunned silence as they stared at the picture on the screen. Finally, light chuckles filtered through the room.

“Whenever you think someone has already done it,” I said to them, “remember this picture.”

On the screen was the infamous meme of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in four separate screenshots. In each panel, he’s wearing a nearly identical shirt and the same perplexed expression on his face while standing in the middle of a lush jungle. At first glance, they look like shots from the same movie. In actuality, they’re from four different movies:  “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” “Jungle Cruise,” “Jumanji,” and “Red Notice.”

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Sure, they all have Johnson’s character in some action sequence that somehow leads to the jungle. And yes, there always comes a moment when he makes the same facial expression with the same furrowed brow. But the movies have nothing to do with one another.

I pointed this out to my screenwriting students to illustrate that while some ideas may look the same, they can be reworked to form completely different storylines.

I realized later that medical symptoms can follow the same logic.

Before our oldest daughter, whom we lovingly call Ladybug, was diagnosed with hereditary angioedema (HAE), she was already battling unpredictable bouts of itching and hives.

The symptoms would start the same way: She’d start to feel tingling on her face, arms, or legs that eventually turned into itching. Then hives would suddenly cover that section of her body.

We’d rush her to the emergency room, where she’d receive epinephrine, Benadryl (diphenhydramine), and steroids, only to have to return a few days later with “unknown swelling.”

At first, my husband and I were convinced it was something she ate or the detergent we used, but it turned out to be a completely different “movie.” And it wasn’t hereditary angioedema, either.

After several more incidences, Ladybug was diagnosed with chronic urticaria. After consistent treatment with Xolair (omalizumab), the hives subsided. We breathed a sigh of relief.

Then one day, the tingling in her face returned. We were sure that the Xolair would take care of it. Unfortunately, the familiar symptom led to what we now know was a laryngeal flare. It was a similar shirt but a different movie. Thus began a new journey that led to her official HAE diagnosis.

We are much better about recognizing what “movie” we’re in when Ladybug is having a challenging month. We are even more grateful that healthcare providers give each one the independent attention it needs so that Ladybug can have better days.

Note: Angioedema News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Angioedema News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to angioedema.