It has been a while since my last blog, but I have been busy in other ways. The week before Christmas I broke out in systemic hives, to the extent that I could not walk to the bathroom without help. My body was swollen and red, warm and terribly terribly itchy. If anyone has ever had chicken pox and remember them, hives is 100 times more miserable. The only thing that helped was fairly high doses of steroids, that have terrible effects on blood sugars, weight gain, and swelling...awesome. I had several rounds of blood tests...nothing. I finally had the opportunity to have allergy testing done to see if I was allergic to something NEW. That's where the above pictures came from. Nothing but fun. From 10 a.m.-4:30 pm I sat in an office and was scratched with 40 different food items....no response. THeN I got to come back for the intradermal injections on both of my arms-20 each...no response. The weather was terrible -30 with wind chill when we were in Billings, my other MD appt was scheduled for April 19 (the soonest I could get in) but the allergist and the other MD were in the same office...what are the odds that I could get in on a cancellation? Maybe. Please. I will be early, I promise. The next a.m. at 8 they had a cancellation-YES!! Meeting with Dr. Bolding, who is a rhumatologist, was a huge blessing. The results are in...I DO NOT have Lupus or Rhumatoid Arthritis, but I do have something similar to both of them. Basically I have some autoimmune response that has attacked my skin, causing the hives, the treatment is a low dose cancer medication until I am symptom free for 1 year. Sound good? It does to me. Its an answer that I have been looking for, for over 2 months. Hives have taken over my life making me unable to work on some days, some days I wake up with my lip swollen to my nose, and other days my hands are like I am wearing red gloves from hives-they hurt and are terribly itchy, to the point that it takes over your mine on what you could rub your hands on to make them STOP ITCHING. Anyway, that is the explanation for the lack of blogging, excuse if you will :)
Another medical adventure...
It has been a while since my last blog, but I have been busy in other ways. The week before Christmas I broke out in systemic hives, to the extent that I could not walk to the bathroom without help. My body was swollen and red, warm and terribly terribly itchy. If anyone has ever had chicken pox and remember them, hives is 100 times more miserable. The only thing that helped was fairly high doses of steroids, that have terrible effects on blood sugars, weight gain, and swelling...awesome. I had several rounds of blood tests...nothing. I finally had the opportunity to have allergy testing done to see if I was allergic to something NEW. That's where the above pictures came from. Nothing but fun. From 10 a.m.-4:30 pm I sat in an office and was scratched with 40 different food items....no response. THeN I got to come back for the intradermal injections on both of my arms-20 each...no response. The weather was terrible -30 with wind chill when we were in Billings, my other MD appt was scheduled for April 19 (the soonest I could get in) but the allergist and the other MD were in the same office...what are the odds that I could get in on a cancellation? Maybe. Please. I will be early, I promise. The next a.m. at 8 they had a cancellation-YES!! Meeting with Dr. Bolding, who is a rhumatologist, was a huge blessing. The results are in...I DO NOT have Lupus or Rhumatoid Arthritis, but I do have something similar to both of them. Basically I have some autoimmune response that has attacked my skin, causing the hives, the treatment is a low dose cancer medication until I am symptom free for 1 year. Sound good? It does to me. Its an answer that I have been looking for, for over 2 months. Hives have taken over my life making me unable to work on some days, some days I wake up with my lip swollen to my nose, and other days my hands are like I am wearing red gloves from hives-they hurt and are terribly itchy, to the point that it takes over your mine on what you could rub your hands on to make them STOP ITCHING. Anyway, that is the explanation for the lack of blogging, excuse if you will :)
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