Because all I can talk about now is unwellness

[drwex]

2-second update: No, I'm still not well. No, I'm still not sick. No, we don't know what's wrong.


I'm still having body issues and have frightened myself fairly seriously twice now. Issues might be a combination of the extremely weird diet and the high dose of Cipro I'm taking this week, plus too little sleep and too much stress.

Why Cipro? Because the last time I had severe histamine reactions I believe it was caused by a food-poisoning bacterium that I failed to flush out with lesser methods. So I nuked it from orbit with antibiotics. The docs I've talked to so far agree that - given my history - this is a fairly sensible thing to try.

Winchester ER gets its first negative marks for failing to send records to my doc despite clear requests and signed permission forms. I'm supposed to go in on Wed for another barium swallow and X rays and I want my doc to see what was done before we do more films. My abdomen has taken a high dose of rads this month already and I'd like not to repeat uselessly what's been done.

Additional diagnostic info should come from the stool sample culture, plus I did a 24-hour urine test. Yeah, we're not talking pee into a cup here. This is a frelling JUG. Actually you can't pee into the jug because it has a preservative acid in it, but still. Man, a jug.

(Amusing and sad sidelights: I had to avoid a bunch of foods while doing this test. I was amused to realize how big a part of my diet eggplant and bananas had become. The diet sheet noted that if you're being tested for arsenic or any heavy metals then you should avoid all seafood for 48 hours before the test. Sad that there's now so much crap in our seafood.)

Blood work Friday re-confirmed what the ER saw, or rather didn't see, on Thursday: I don't have an infection. White cell count quite normal, and there's clear evidence of a histamine reaction. To what is the question. My doc has a couple of theories but he admits both are long shots. I'm hoping that the dump of diagnostic data will tell him something because the uncertainty is making me more than a little twitchy.


Whoever said "pain focuses the mind" was full of sh*t. Being in pain pretty completely destroys my ability to focus.

Comments

[make-your-move.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry you are still hurting babe. I hope they figure it out soon.

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

*hug* I'm sorry to hear that you still feel bad and still don't have a diagnosis. You looked very unwell on Saturday, and I was kinda worried about you. I hope that the situation resolves soon!

As for pain focusing the mind, it does indeed -- ON the pain! Which is why this isn't really useful for anything.

[taura-g.livejournal.com]

*hugs* I hope that they figure out something soon. I'm sorry you've had such a bad time of it.

[mrf-arch.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry that your system is still fux0red. I hope it becomes unfux0red soon.

(I should point out, as an aside, that Cipro will likely succeed in murdering all of your normal intestinal flora, along with whatever might actually be causing the problem, so it may be that getting that normal flora back will help.)

[mrw42.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear that you still haven't recovered fully from whatever has been ailing you. I hope things get back to normal once the antibiotic is out of your system.

[kimberlogic.livejournal.com]

I really hope this gets figured out soon.
*hugs*

[rintrahroars.livejournal.com]

*gentle hugs* So sorry you're still battling whatever illness has befallen you! I'm sending good thoughts your way. And ditto what mrf_arch said about the flora.

Hope you're better soon!

[keyne.livejournal.com]

Whoever said "pain focuses the mind" was full of sh*t. Being in pain pretty completely destroys my ability to focus.

Yeah, I'm with you. (Makes chronic pain a real...well, PITA.)

A couple of thoughts: 1) is it possible you're allergic to Cipro? I was fine the first time I took it, but sick as a poisoned dog the second. :( 2) probiotics rock my world; I dunno if they'd help you, but they probably won't hurt if you haven't already tried 'em?

[tigira.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry. *hugs* I wish I could make it better. I went through something similar when my nightshade allergy made itself known. Constant hives, no identifiable cause.

[slfisher.livejournal.com]

I know that when I had to take Cipro and Flagyl, it fucked me up severely, emotionally as well as physically.

[drwex]

Thanks, me too.

[drwex]

Sorry I looked so off. I felt decently OK. Didn't mean to worry you or anyone.

I've found that some pain focuses my mind on the pain. But not most.

[drwex]

Thanks babe.

[drwex]

Yes, I'm taking acidophilus at off hours from the Cipro in an effort to minimize the collateral damage.

[drwex]

I'm not even sure what there is to recover FROM.

[drwex]

yeah, like, say before Sunday.

[drwex]

Thanks, me too. I'll collect those hugs in person next time you're up north.

[drwex]

It's always possible I'm allergic to Cipro, but I have no personal or family history of allergy to antibiotics and the histamine reactions were not associated with taking any medication. So it seems unlikely.

[drwex]

Thanks. It'd be bloody annoying to have a food allergy manifest at this point in life. But if it did I'd expect different symptoms, and to have the histamine reaction be more closely associated with the time of eating.

[drwex]

I haven't had emotional responses to medication, at least not of this sort. The emotional issues I'm dealing with are pretty clearly "once burned twice shy" kinds of things.

[docorion.livejournal.com]

Emergency Departments don't send records. Medical Records sends records. And they move with all the swiftness of Soviet era bureaucracy. Sorry you're still feeling crappy, and I hope and trust an answer will be forthcoming.

[drwex]

Yep, but in this case it was the ER that took the information on where things were to be sent, got the signed release from me and then apparently forgot to pass it on. Or so we're told.

Today I'm "better" enough that I can feel the arthritis screaming in my hip as the weather goes from high 30s to low 60s with over 90% humidity. Joy.

[wolfkitn.livejournal.com]

adding my words to many you've already received: i hope that they figure out whatever it will take to help you feel better, soon, and i'm sorry that you still aren't feeling better. it sucks, totally. *gentle hug*

[drwex]

Thanks hon, the words are appreciated.