Over Reactions

I have no idea why my body has changed so much but it has. And I tend to blame chemo for the changes. Since chemo, I have reactions to tons of things. The list of things I am allergic to has grown immensely. I am even allergic to Benadryl....

I will say its been a very long time since I was stung by a bee. That is approximately 1986 when I stepped on a bee that had come in through the wall of our kitchen in an apartment. I remember it as being extremely painful because there is no flab on your toe to absorb the venom. I ended up calling the pharmacist to ask for options.... But I also remember it going away mostly by the next day.

I was stung one other time that I remember being stung by a bee was as a child....

On Friday I had a bit of an adventure. I was feeling better so I went and poked around in the garden, did some weeding, admired my tiny little green tomatoes, and watered a little bit. My husband had gotten stung by a bee a couple of weeks ago near our rhododendrons out front. 

All of a sudden Friday, I got stung twice by bees and started running to the front door as I got stung two more times. I got stung one last time at the front door. I have I think a total of six stings: left elbow, left knee cap, left lower calf, behind my right knee, right upper calf and right ankle. As it has been so long since I was last stung, I waited a little bit to make sure I was feeling okay and wasn't having a severe reaction. That's a lot of stings. 

Now it is almost 72 hours and they itch like mad! I have tried all sorts of things to get them to stop. I did some research and got some spray on anti-histamine 

That's the bite on my lower left calf. Look how big it is. Some of the other's are even bigger. My research told me this:

"Normal local reactions

You’re likely to develop a raised welt around the sting site. A tiny white mark may be visible in the middle of the welt where the stinger punctured your skin. Usually, the pain and swelling recedes within several hours of being stung. Unless you’re allergic, most bee stings can be treated at home.

Large local reactions
“Large local reactions” is a term used to describe more pronounced symptoms associated with a wasp or bee sting. People who have large local reactions may be allergic to wasp stings, but don’t experience life-threatening symptoms, such as anaphylactic shock. Large local reactions to wasp stings include extreme redness and swelling that increases for two or three days after the sting. Nausea and vomiting can also occur." 
Most of the time, large local reactions subside on their own over the course of a week or so. Let your doctor know if you have a large local reaction after a wasp sting. They may direct you to take an over-the-counter antihistamine medication (such as Benadryl) to reduce your discomfort."

A week or so? Thanks I can't wait to itch like this for four more days. I'm still blaming chemo. Damnit.

Challenging doctors

I think I challenge my doctors. I think they they I am going to fall apart on them or something and I am not that easy to treat. First of all, I am allergic to all the good drugs - penicillins, Benadryl and prednisone, plaquenil (treats RA), codeine, and a couple other things. I even had one doctor say to me that I must be really fun to treat.

If I have an allergic reaction, the standard course of treatment is Benadryl and steroids. Not me. They have to find another combination. And if I have an RA flare, the common treatment is steroids, usually prednisone. Not me again.

And if I need antibiotics, I am allergic to penicillin and related drugs and other antibiotics interact with some of my other medications. Its not uncommon for a doctor to question me on the reaction I have had to a medication. Or to ask me to alter some of my other medications while on antibiotics. I have sometimes even gotten a phone call from the pharmacy telling me they can't fill my new prescription because of interactions and they need to go back to the doctor for a new one.

Also, the list of medication allergies has ramped up significantly in the last few years. I am nervous about trying new medications because I seem to develop new allergies frequently. Who knew that the anti-inflammatory gel for my arthritic hands and feet would make my heart race?

Finally, without a thyroid, I can't take most medications that have warnings about thyroid disease. Between that and being allergic to Benadryl (which translates to some kinds of antihistamines), treating the common cold is a royal PITA.

The way I see it, they went to school for a really long time and I get to make them think a lot about how they can treat me. I can be a challenge to them so they can't just give me the basics and move on.

Did chemotherapy change your body?

A week or so ago, I had asked a doctor about change in your body due to chemotherapy. A friend and I had the same discussion yesterday. Does chemotherapy change a person's body in more ways than we think?

I am talking about food and medications to be specific.

Before chemotherapy, I enjoyed all kinds of seafood - preferably cold ocean water seafood to be precise. Shrimp, lobster, clams, oysters, scallops, cod, haddock, hake, salmon, calamari (octopus), and more. I never turned it down. Now I hate shrimp. I won't eat them. I can't stand them.

More importantly are medical allergies. Before chemo, I was told I was allergic to amoxicillin and penicillin (full body rash and hives on an international business trip). I also reacted to the codeine in my pain meds after knee surgery. At my first chemo infusion, I learned I was also allergic to benadryl. Since chemo I have found I am allergic to:

• prednisone - also used to treat RA flare ups as well as allergic reactions
• plaquenil - an old school RA drug
• voltaren gel - anti inflammatory used to treat specific areas of pain and inflammation with RA
• adhesives - as used on pain patches

I was given both prednisone and plaquenil at the same time when first treated for RA. I reacted to both. At the same time. How (not) fun.

And as a result in being allergic to the 'cillins' I have a problem with any potential dental infections. There are four drugs commonly used to treat dental infections. Two are cillins so I can't have them. One is something else that I can't remember what its called (chemobrain) that conflicts with one of my other medications so I can't have it. The last one is super strong and is only used as a last resort. We'll just say I am limited.

If I get a basic cold, I can't take an antihistamine because of the benadryl allergy. Also, I can't take a lot of the others because of the lack of thyroid issue.

I am petrified of concerned about any allergic reactions. They seem to become more and more frequent as time passes. And since I can't be given steroids or benadryl for allergic reactions, there are other drugs which I can take but not the first line treatments. this is one of the reasons I always want to go to the same hospital which has all my medical records. 

But I digress, I think my body changed because of chemo because foods that had appeal no longer do and it seems much more sensitive to medications. My friend also has experienced similar issues. Are we the only ones? I don't think so. And I wish they told  us before chemo that we could expect these changes.

I assume it was only Chinese take out.

Yesterday morning I woke up feeling fine. I went to work and felt fine. At lunch, a co-worker and I decided to have Chinese food delivered. Partly because our lunch choices were lame (me) or non existent (her) and partly because they would bring it to us instead of us going to pick it up. We get take out every couple of weeks from the same place and we get two days worth of food for one day's price due to the portion size.

We both ordered the same thing pretty much - a lunch special of pork lo mein but we had different appetizers. I ate the mushrooms, she picked her's out as she doesn't like them. After lunch, my head started to spin and I couldn't focus. She felt fine. I ended up going home from work early and took a three hour nap. I slept solidly.

My husband came home and couldn't find me. He thought I had gone to run an errand or something. Finally he looked up stairs and found me asleep.I slept through the phone ringing, him calling me, the cat walking on me. I was out like the proverbial light as they say.

We had soup and sandwiches for dinner. He had 2/3 and I had 1/3. It helped the nauseous feeling I had. I slept all night as well and could barely drag myself out of bed this morning.

Why is she blogging about this?  Why am I reading this (you are asking yourself)? As I left work among comments about bad food, someone said the fateful words 'or are you coming down with something?'  That is the problem. Compromised immune systems and all that.

Yesterday was Wednesday (in case you forgot) and that is methotrexate injection day around here (and methotrexate is what suppresses my immune system). A few months ago, I had a stomach flu thing that laid me up for 9 days. I was told after I should skip methotrexate if I am sick at all.

So yesterday I thought about it and decided I am going to pretend I am a normal person and do the injection and assume it was a minor Chinese food mix up and not something that can do me in for more than a week.

If I am whining about not feeling well for the next week or so you can feel free to comment and say "I told you so" but sometimes its nice to pretend our ailments do not keep us down and a bad bit of Chinese takeout is all it is. Sometimes we do live in the shadow of our ailments as they interfere with all the little things in life. It was only Chinese take out.

New Medications Are Not Agreeing With Me

Friday I went to my new doctor, a rhuematologist to start treatment for my newly diagnosed Rheumatoid arthritis (early stage, non erosive). She put me on prednisone (2 tablets daily for 1 week, then 1 tablet daily for six weeks) to start working sooner and Plaquenil (2 tablets daily forever) for long term treatment to stabilize the RA.

I picked up my prescriptions in early afternoon and took both. I knew there was a risk that the prednisone would keep me up at night. It did. I barely slept which means I was a touch cranky and nearly fell asleep at the gym (but get points for getting my lazy butt there). I said no more prednisone until Sunday when I can take one tablet first thing in the morning and hopefully it will have worn off in time for me to go to bed. We slept late so I decided to put that off until Monday morning when upon arising at our normal weekday time I immediately took one prednisone. I did take Plaquenil on Saturday and Sunday.

By the time I took a shower, I decided that I must have gotten a sunburn when we ate lunch outside on Sunday as my face was feeling burnt. Upon closer examination my face was all red and bumpy so I figured some kind of reaction. I got to work and the three women who were there (who are mothers and therefore good a noticing and diagnosing little ailments instantly) said 'why is your face so red?'. Their diagnosis was I had a rash all over my face.

I called my rheumatologist's office immediately and ended up speaking with her nurse practitioner as the doctor doesn't work on Mondays. She thought I was having a reaction to the Plaquenil but I could tell she wanted me to head to an ER if it got worse. I am allergic to Benadryl so I couldn't just take one to help with the symptoms. I did tell her I had an appointment with my back pain doctor that after noon to talk about treatment for my newly diagnosed fibromyalgia and would mention it while I was there.

My pain doctor thought it was a reaction to the prednisone and not the Plaquenil but advised not taking either until I talked to my rheumatologist today. He also did not prescribe anything new for my fibromyalgia other than to increase my pain meds dose. I think he wants to get the RA under control so they can focus on one ailment before going on to the next ailment.

I felt pretty yucky yesterday afternoon and drank tons of water on the theory that I could wash it out of my system. I sat around for a while and then went to the gym which turned out to be a good thing as one of the trainers were there and gave me lots of advice for adapting my exercise program until the RA meds kick in.

Last night I went to bed early, and woke up every couple of hours. My face still feels weird but not as red and blotchy as yesterday. The true test will be when I get to work this morning on what today's verdict is from the mother's I work with.

I don't like these new meds. They are turning my world upside down. Who knew two little brown prescription bottles could change my life so much? I need to find something to work for the RA and then go on to the fibro. This will take months. Grr, grr, grr.

Pinkotober is causing denial

All this pinkwashing that is driving us crazy is having an effect with women - denial that they may get breast cancer. Apparently men realize they are supporting breast cancer awareness but in women its different. There is a lot of psychology here but apparently some man must have dreamed up all this pink crap because women react differently to the pink stuff - they are more likely to go into denial that they will get breast cancer or whatever it was that got pinked.

Go read this article (after coffee so you don't fall asleep) and it explains how men and women react differently to ads and colors in them. They also use the example of graphic warnings of cancerous lungs on cigarette packs - women are more likely to go into denial that they will get the ailment.

So as far as I am concerned the NFL can wear pink helmets and cleats and they are supporting breast cancer but all that pink stuff for women is a bunch of hooey. There are some ways to help reduce your risk of getting breast cancer but buying a pinked thing isn't going to help you.

Overreactions

How do you draw the line between overeactions, paranoia and hysteria? Think Salem Witch Trials if you aren't sure. We are all so quick to climb on the bandwagon, fanned by the flames the media, twitter, Facebook, or whatever has created. The desire to know more, as soon as possible, creates a kind of hysteria or mania to learn more and now. Why do you think flash mobs are possible? The spontaneity and the desire to be part of the action fuels this kind of mania.

One person's over reaction, leads to another, and another, and another. One person's freaking out, leads to others either to compensate for or as a reaction to their over reaction and things start to spiral.

We also do this on a smaller scale - in other words, we make mountains out of mole hills, or Everest out of mountains, even. We take the little things in life and blow them completely out of perspective. No a piece of ice is not going to fall out of an airplane the second we take a step outside. If we take a ride on a motorcycle, we are not going to die. If we fly in an airplane, it is not going to crash. If we cross a street, we are not going to get hit by a bus. If we go to the doctor, they are not going to tell us bad things. We end up letting these little paranoia's get out of control and take the enjoyment out of life.

Part of coping with life's ups and downs is learning how not to overreact to the little things. With cancer, you get hit in the face with a nasty diagnosis and continue on the life long roller coaster, facing the ups and downs and learning to cope so we don't blow things out of proportion. Then you learn to deal with the little things in life that matter in a calmer manner. Cancer treatment may leave bald, fat, and scarred but you are still alive which was the goal. Or would you prefer the other option?

A little bit of over reaction can be helpful when it allows you to vent your emotions and frustrations. There is nothing wrong with going home and crying, screaming, throwing things across the room, or chopping up firewood to relieve some of the stress. But then your reactions need to get in control so you don't continue a life that is running crazily amok, stressed out at all the little things for no reason. It may take some work, or even some therapy, to learn to stop making mountains out of mole hills, but its called balance. But balance is what leads us to a happier life.

If this is what healthcare reform is all about, I'm really not sure

Yesterday, I had a lovely medical procedure on my back. My husband went with me. Usually I have been dropped off by someone and picked up by someone else so am basically on my own for the duration which is not a problem. Most of the time, no one is allowed to go with me. But yesterday's included sedation so I knew I would be waking up for a bit and preferred to have my husband there to hang out with me.

We arrived at the hospital in a timely manner (in other words, with all my procrastination, we weren't late). I was checked in and allowed to change into a 'lovely' gown with coordinated robe and my husband was sent off to the waiting room. Then they stuck an IV in the back of my hand - ow, ow, ow, and it bled all over the place. After a brief wait, I was taken in to the 'minor operating room' and they started the sedation which was meant for me to be pain free but able to hear them.

They started the needles and the doctor remarked that insurance was no longer going to cover the procedure. Hmmm.... I couldn't talk but I definitely wanted to follow up on the remark. I asked the nurse about this as she brought me to recovery and she said as part of health care reform we are going to see more of this, that insurance companies are going to stop covering procedures because, in the case of this procedure, they don't think it works. But why is an insurance company making decisions about what procedures work and don't? Isn't it up to a medical professional to decide what is the appropriate course of treatment? Who went to medical school here and has seen that patient? Not the insurance companies - they are just faceless voices on the phone after long periods of being on hold and told 'you are important to them'.

I am calling my insurance company this morning to be sure I am covered. The hospital admissions department was supposed to get a pre-approval last month when the procedure was ordered but I want to make sure. Actually I was told by one of the nurses that it is a best practice when ever a procedure is ordered to call your insurance company to ensure you are covered and get their name and a confirmation number of the call.

Anyway, so after the procedure yesterday I was in recovery with my husband. My pain level went up to somewhere around 9.5 out of 10. It was awful. They got me some percocet and it barely touched it. I was also shaking uncontrollably. And crying. And squishing my husband's hand. Then they gave me morphine and then some more morphine. Then they gave me Demerol. The pain finally subsided and the shaking eased up. They told me to go home and sleep and wait for the drugs to get out of my system. The theory was the shaking was a result of all the medications in my system.

I woke up 3 hours later feeling shaky but not shaking with my pain somewhat bearable. I figured out by looking in the mirror the pain wasn't where they did the procedure by in my hip instead. I slept so so last night. Today I will unproductively work from home and catch up on my DVR shows. After I call my insurance company that is.

PS I just called my insurance company and was told if a procedure is deemed medically necessary by the doctor, they approve it.