Thanks for the shout out Subcool. Jessi here. Getting sick from a dab is a little embarrassing, but in the medical grey-area of BHO, I think it is important to get info like this out. Last week, I took a dab of some BHO that was not our own. It had a sour after-taste and was purged only by whipping to a budder without heat. This is not our method, and it seemed under-purged compared to what we usually smoke (which has never caused a problem). James didn't like the taste and thought it was harsh so he didn't smoke any after his first hit. I kept smoking it all night. My throat went from a dull ache to an unable to swallow sensation. I felt like I had something stuck in the back of my throat and when I looked in the mirror I was shocked to see what looked like a second tongue coming out from down my throat. I needed to lean forward to breathe properly and at times it felt like a flap was sealing off my airway. I went to the urgent care where they told me they were unable to handle my situation and would need to escort me to the adjacent Emergency Room for immediate treatment. I received a quick diagnosis at the Emergency Room because the doctor had seen an instance like mine a few weeks prior, although it was previously a very rare occurrence (BHO has just recently become popular in our state). I had Chemical Epiglottitis, which can be a life threatening situation. Luckily, mine was not! Chemical Epiglottitis is caused by irritants or hot vapors that pass by and damage the epiglottis (the flap the covers your wind pipes when you eat/drink). When this happens, the epiglottis swells and has the potential of closing off the wind pipe, making it impossible to breathe. I was lucky and the swelling stopped before I needed any serious medical interventions. For those less fortunate, a run in with Epiglottitis has the potential to send a patient into the ICU, emergency surgery, or a tracheotomy. Its serious stuff! It was a hard lesson for James and I and taught us to always smoke our own, or at least know what we are smoking. We are both taking some time off of BHO and are slightly disappointed that our usual health-conscious decisions were so unknowingly reckless. It sounds like a different girl also had a scary experience at the HighTimes cup. I hope she is alright as well!
James and I are dab-neutral and do not want to stir up a debate on the pros and cons of BHO, ISO, RSO or any of the other extracts. We do, however, hope that medical instances like my own serve to improve the safety of the community and do not hinder the progress of legalization.