Another incident, and some new ideas
Jun. 4th, 2007 04:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
drwexYesterday and last night (continuing into this AM) I had another incident. Logging details for later memory:
The incident lasted about 18 hours, which is much longer than previous. I used a lot of antihistamines and rode it out. Diarrhea and abdominal pain/cramping both present. Much less severe pain this time. Pronounced gassiness both upper and lower.
Symptoms first presented around 4P Sunday. I took an antihistamine and Pepcid immediately, which seemed to calm things. I had some flushing and a lot of anxiety/fear. The emotional symptoms are hard to handle.
Symptoms resurged around 11:30P. I took another Pepcid and Benadryl after a long bout in the bathroom. The Benadryl knocked me out around midnight-40. I woke up around 6:25 with a severe bout of diarrhea. Took another (12-hour, nondrowsy) antihistamine. Things finally calmed down around 9:30A.
Symptoms manifested within 15 minutes of consuming some eggplant. Call me stupid or careless if you like. I'm avoiding the stuff from here on out.
The joys of being a scientist: I know that anecdotes are not evidence and I'm well aware that I could be psyching myself out. See above about anxiety. I realize I'm fully capable of fooling myself and all the symptoms I've got could easily be produced by my stressing myself out too much. My brother gave himself a full-blown case of IBS from overwork and stress. That said, I don't think this is in my head.
My PCP is out of town so I called the GI specialist I saw a couple weeks back. Turns out she had talked to a couple of people and is of the opinion that skin testing for food sensitivities or even allergies isn't necessarily specific enough nor even necessarily accurate. She called me back just a bit ago and we reviewed the incident, her conversations with colleagues, and what the next steps should be.
Long and short of it is she has at least two major theories she wants to test for, both of which are consistent with my symptoms. The first one is simple, and just needs me to go in for some more blood work. According to her I don't even have to stop the antihistamines, though given the unusually high doses I've taken recently we'll probably wait about 48 hours for things to flush out of my body.
The second is a bit trickier as it requires getting some blood within four hours of an incident. She'll write me a scrip that I'll carry around and if this happens again I can go to a lab or ER and present this scrip. They'll do the blood draw and send it off right away. I asked if this meant we needed to provoke another attack and she didn't think that was a good idea. If theory one turns out to be wrong we'll need to discuss other testing options. Endoscopy and biopsy may also be necessary.
I feel much more hopeful to be working with someone who has ideas and a plan for investigation. As I mentioned when I first met her, this doc presents as someone young and enthusiastic. If her skills are as good as her attitude then we may be able to beat this.
The incident lasted about 18 hours, which is much longer than previous. I used a lot of antihistamines and rode it out. Diarrhea and abdominal pain/cramping both present. Much less severe pain this time. Pronounced gassiness both upper and lower.
Symptoms first presented around 4P Sunday. I took an antihistamine and Pepcid immediately, which seemed to calm things. I had some flushing and a lot of anxiety/fear. The emotional symptoms are hard to handle.
Symptoms resurged around 11:30P. I took another Pepcid and Benadryl after a long bout in the bathroom. The Benadryl knocked me out around midnight-40. I woke up around 6:25 with a severe bout of diarrhea. Took another (12-hour, nondrowsy) antihistamine. Things finally calmed down around 9:30A.
Symptoms manifested within 15 minutes of consuming some eggplant. Call me stupid or careless if you like. I'm avoiding the stuff from here on out.
The joys of being a scientist: I know that anecdotes are not evidence and I'm well aware that I could be psyching myself out. See above about anxiety. I realize I'm fully capable of fooling myself and all the symptoms I've got could easily be produced by my stressing myself out too much. My brother gave himself a full-blown case of IBS from overwork and stress. That said, I don't think this is in my head.
My PCP is out of town so I called the GI specialist I saw a couple weeks back. Turns out she had talked to a couple of people and is of the opinion that skin testing for food sensitivities or even allergies isn't necessarily specific enough nor even necessarily accurate. She called me back just a bit ago and we reviewed the incident, her conversations with colleagues, and what the next steps should be.
Long and short of it is she has at least two major theories she wants to test for, both of which are consistent with my symptoms. The first one is simple, and just needs me to go in for some more blood work. According to her I don't even have to stop the antihistamines, though given the unusually high doses I've taken recently we'll probably wait about 48 hours for things to flush out of my body.
The second is a bit trickier as it requires getting some blood within four hours of an incident. She'll write me a scrip that I'll carry around and if this happens again I can go to a lab or ER and present this scrip. They'll do the blood draw and send it off right away. I asked if this meant we needed to provoke another attack and she didn't think that was a good idea. If theory one turns out to be wrong we'll need to discuss other testing options. Endoscopy and biopsy may also be necessary.
I feel much more hopeful to be working with someone who has ideas and a plan for investigation. As I mentioned when I first met her, this doc presents as someone young and enthusiastic. If her skills are as good as her attitude then we may be able to beat this.
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no subject
Date: 2007-06-04 08:43 pm (UTC)I hope you find the solution soon!
no subject
Date: 2007-06-05 10:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-04 08:49 pm (UTC)Good Luck.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-05 10:44 am (UTC)My paternal grandmother also had some reaction to uncooked tomatoes - possibly the seeds. I don't eat much of that, generally. And I avoid peppers because they set off my acid reflux.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-04 09:16 pm (UTC)But how do you drive to a lab and give blood in the middle of a bout of diarrhea? That sounds unpleasant and difficult. Do you live really close to a lab?
no subject
Date: 2007-06-04 09:48 pm (UTC)You don't. You drive to an Emergency Department, and then get odd looks from them when you make your request. With the scrip for the labs, I strongly recommend an explanatory letter from the physician explaining what she wants and why. Like yourself, doctors are a notoriously independent lot, and the explanation will co-opt them into the therapeutic process, hopefully making them allies rather than adversaries.
Rant on the generally poor relationship between ER docs and non-ER docs available on request. In brief, we generally don't like being servants -> (Do these labs, don't look at the patient), but are happy to be helpful -> (This patient has a hard to track down allergy, and he is presenting, as instructed, for labs which will help elucidate the following question: $HYPOTHESIS. *Our* patient would really appreciate your help). Feel free to copy out this explanation for your doc when asking for the letter, and feel free to identify me by name if you desire or feel it necessary.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-05 10:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-05 10:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-05 12:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-05 10:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-05 11:57 am (UTC)Sending you hugs and maybe a surreptitious grope or two :)
no subject
Date: 2007-06-05 01:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-05 02:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-05 10:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-05 11:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-06 04:10 am (UTC)