Girl's Head Was So Swollen You Could Poke a Hole in It | 22 Words

Allergies suck. Being allergic to something can completely put your life on hold, whether that's having a pet allergy, a nut allergy, or even an orange allergy - yep, I've heard that's a thing.

A few sneezes and a sore throat can be dealt with very easily and quickly, but an entire change in your appearance? Not so much...

A young woman from the U.K had an allergy so severe that her entire head swelled to double its size, and it looked pretty horrific. Keep scrolling to learn of the eye-watering yet hilarious story of how this woman dealt with her new look...

 

Allergies are no joke...

Those who suffer will understand the complete nightmare that certain allergies can bring.

People can be allergic to a wide range of things.

This goes from household pets to different types of foods. Some allergies are mild and only bring on a sneezing fit and a runny nose, whilst some are severe and can even kill if not treated quickly.

Angioedema is brought on by severe allergies...

It consists of severe swelling beneath the skin's surface and is often accompanied by hives or itching. The condition is usually harmless and will disappear in a few days, but it can be dangerous if the swelling is near the throat or any other airways.

Angioedema can transform someone's appearance completely...

This is something that Caitlin Tyson can relate to, a young woman from Cumbria in the U.K. She was doing what every young woman loves to do - attending a music festival with her friends.

Festival season...

Kendall Calling is a popular annual festival held in England's Lake District, and it attracts thousands of party-goers every year.

Whilst enjoying the festival with her girlfriends...

The weather took a turn for the worst and made the weekend extremely wet and muddy - resulting in damp grass getting into campers' tents. This isn't ideal when you have a grass allergy...

The incident occurred at last year's Kendal Calling...

Caitlin's friend, Rihannon, documented the full thing via a Twitter thread. Her allergies began to kick in 3 days into the festival when the rainwater had begun leaking into their tent, making it, and the grass, very soggy.

Caitlin was looking pretty fed up on day 3 of the festival...

And her head was looking noticeably bigger. Of course, her pals were documenting the entire thing with their smartphones... well, it is known that British people do have "good banter..."

Her head began to feel heavy...

On day 4 of the festival, Caitlin complained of her head feeling heavy and, after looking in a mirror to apply some makeup, she realized that she resembled a "hammerhead shark," or the alien-shaped chips that are popular in the U.K. The resemblance is uncanny...

As the day went on, Caitlin's head began to swell outwards.

Her pals couldn't resist but compare her to the famous alien, E.T, which Caitlin didn't look at all impressed about.

The group of girls decided to have some fun with Caitlin's new look...

They were able to poke holes into her head and even make shapes, which, at the time, gave them a great deal of fun and satisfaction.

Caitlin was finally taken to the medical tent...

She was fitted with an "ice pack headband" in an attempt to cool down the swelling, but it, instead, just looked like a giant diaper on her head.

Going home did not cross the girls' minds...

But it's apparent from this photo that Caitlin and her newly-enlargened head were growing pretty tired.

Things began to get worse...

Caitlin's eyes began to swell, and, despite her slowly losing her vision, she still managed to smile her way through the ordeal - she is our hero.

The girls finally saw it fit to go home...

After the tent collapsed and one of the girls fell over 63826 times (to be precise), the girls decided to call it a day and pack up their camping gear. Caitlin, however, was expanding day by day and her entire face was swollen at this point.

Caitlin's mom was horrified when she picked her up...

She was taken straight to the emergency room at the local hospital and she simply couldn't resist taking a selfie on her journey there to update the world on her now-unrecognizable face.

Wondering why people were staring...

via: Twitter

 Poor Caitlin had a hefty wait in the emergency department and was attracting some pretty big stares as a result of her inflated appearance...

Home finally, safe and sound!

Caitlin was sent home after being given antibiotics and her swelling went down in a mere few days. Luckily she was home on time to catch the final of the U.K reality show smash hit, Love Island, even though she had to hold open her own eyelids to be able to see properly...

Caitlin was soon back to normal!

And it's wonderfully refreshing to see how well she handled the ghastly situation, because if that happened to my face, I would have a total meltdown.

Rhiannon shared a disclaimer for the haters out there...

She insisted that she and her friends knew that Caitlin, who is a student nurse herself, was in an acceptable state, and, if she was showing any signs that suggested that she was struggling to breathe or that her health was deteriorating, they would have taken the appropriate action. They were all simply having a bit of fun and Caitlin was more than happy to join in.

No drugs or narcotics were involved...

Rihannon stressed that her pal didn't take any drugs or narcotics at the festival, but she was simply a "fanny" and had a grass and wheat allergy. Seems legit to me...

A lesson well learned?

Maybe next time Caitlin goes to a festival, she should make sure that she has some antihistamines on hand at least! Allergies are no fun and allergies that can cause death are truly terrifying. But according to some scientists, those with a peanut allergy may not have to suffer much longer! Keep reading to hear more on that!