10/09/2010

It’s official.  When my parents went shopping for my immune system they were clearly shopping in the wrong store.  Thanks guys.  Personally, I think the immune system is the one place they shouldn’t have cut corners, or tried to save money. Unfortunately I didn’t get a say in the matter. 

I’m not saying the poor thing doesn’t TRY. I’m sure it does.  It puts up a valiant fight, but it just can’t handle it.  This is the third weekend I’m spending in bed.  My immune system simply couldn’t hack it against the combined attack of a rather nasty bronchitis AND a stubbornly disgusting throat infection. 

I think I wrote a week ago that I was on antibiotics for the bronchitis. I was. I finished them last saturday. Tuesday I came home to a swollen and spotted tonsil.  I emailed my doctor who said that the antibiotics were still in my system and would I like a steroid for the inflamation?  I hate steroids. With a passion.  So.  No, I don’t think so thank you.  

I called the doctor’s office and told them I was in pain. My tonsil was swollen. My tonsil was spotted. The lack of concern alternately frustrated and reassured me.  I was still on antibiotics, it would go away.

Except.

It didn’t.  Friday morning found BOTH tonsil swollen and spotted.  My left so swollen it was blocking half my throat, and protruding from my neck.  My lymph nodes are swollen nigh to bursting. I was covered in a rash.  I was miserable.  So I called the doctors office from school and politley demanded an appointment.  The doctor I normally see was booked so I went to a different one.  There I was told that I had a "really bad throat infection" and definitely needed more antibiotics, whether it was strep or not.  She prescribed me a new antibiotic, offered steroids to "make me more comfortable" and sent me on my way.  I refused the steroids again, as I’ve had to take them too many times already and she said it was for comfort not medical necessity.  I took the oddly colored pill twice yesterday. I got up at 6 am this morning to take another one.  I took said pill, thought to myself, "My face feels a bit odd" and walked into the bathroom.  My face was swollen.  Very swollen.  It was also red, burning, stinging, and itching.    I went into the kitchen to see if this was a possible allergic reaction, found I was rather dizzy and seeing spots and rushed to sit down before I passed out. The pill says you can’t lie down for ten minutes after taking it.  The one thought going through my head was, "I can’t pass out! I can’t lie down for ten minutes!"  My mother found this amusing later.

My mother came to get me and take me to the ER, but by the time she got there the swelling had gone down and we decided to go to the saturday clinic at my doctor instead.  We arrived promptly at 9 am for the 11:45 appointment they had given me.  I told the receptionist what was happening and I saw a doctor at 9:05.  Apparently they take allergic reactions seriously.  That was nice.  The doctor was actually very nice, and thorough which I appreciated.  I told him the whole saga from Tuesday on. He looked at my rash. He looked at my face.  He looked at the picture I had taken to send to my mother at 6:30 that morning.  He was rather amazed at how swollen my face had been.  He then proceeded to check my lungs, listen to me hack up a lung, and look at the disgusting mess that is my throat.  His reaction upon seeing it was rather priceless.  He then sat back, thought for a minute and said, "I’m going to prescribe two medications, and let me tell you why." That was… refreshing.  He said that I was "in really bad shape" and "a mess" and a "tough case" because I have a bad case of bronchitis, I have a REALLY bad throat infection, and now I’ve had an allergic reaction to the medicine.   It never rains but it pours. 

So now.  Now I take a different, STRONGER antibiotic.  I’m taking benadryl.  I’m taking mucinex.  And… I’m taking steroids.  Apparently they simply could not be avoided.  His reasons were valid however.  He said that because of how swollen my throat was he would have prescribed them anyway, and that he only does so in the most severe cases, just as he only prescribes this antibiotic in the most severe cases.  He told me I didn’t have to take it but I had to get it filled.  His second reason was equally valid.  He said that if I went home and my reaction flared up again I could either go to the ER, or I could take the steroids.  He felt they were medically necessary to calm and control the reaction.  Fine, I’m taking the damn steroids. 

I also have two more antibiotics on the list of antibiotics I can’t take.  You see, we don’t really know if I was reacting to the first or second antibiotic, or if it was the family of antibiotic.  I’m allergic to ammoxicillin so all the cillin’s are out.  Now, all the mycins are out too.  I’m going to run out of antibiotics if this keeps up, then I’ll really be in trouble. 

I will apparently be spending my weekend in antibiotic, steroid, benadryl induced haze.  Yay!  On the plus side I can actually open my mouth again, this is good I think. 

I really do think my parents could paid a bit extra for a better immune system.  It actually would have saved them a lot of money in the long run.