A lip sore the size of a pimple ended up being an early symptom of a life-threatening complication for an Illinois woman named Lily.
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Earlier this month, Lily awoke to a lip sore she believed was the result of biting in her sleep. When she prepared for bed that night, her face had become almost unrecognizable from the severe swelling.
Lily checked herself into a local hospital, where she discovered that the medication she's been taking for a decade was having adverse effects.
"Learning from my doctors ... I am very lucky, and it's not lost on me how lucky I am," Lily said on TikTok. "In hindsight, I should've taken it more seriously from the very beginning. I learned my lesson from that."
Before Lily was officially in triage, her nurse asked if she was taking the blood pressure medication linsinopril. When Lily said she was, the nurse said she'd get a bed immediately.
"That's when I kind of realized this is serious," she said.
Woman Suffers Health Complications From Lisinopril Medicine
Lily later discovered that she had developed angioedema, a sudden swelling, on her lips and mouth that was triggered by her lisinopril.
Lisinopril is used to treat high blood pressure in adults and children 6 years of age and older.
The medication is also used in adults to treat congestive heart failure and to improve survival after a heart attack.
Lily is thankful that her doctors were able to manage it before her health turned for the worse.
"Learning from my doctors ... I am very lucky, and it's not lost on me how lucky I am," Lily said. "In hindsight, I should've taken it more seriously from the very beginning. I learned my lesson from that."
Following the health scare, Lily is advising others to never hesitate to seek medical attention if their lips or face swell.
"Everybody should take swelling around your mouth [and] face very seriously," she warned. Swelling in these areas can sometimes spread and clog a person's airways.
