Allergies

So, I went back to the allergist yesterday and guess what? Even more problems! Surprise, surprise! As of right now, this is my full allergy list: Beef, lamb, pork, soy, halibut,  tuna, pistachios,goat milk, pineapple, histamine from fish, histamine in general. The histamine in general one poses the biggest problem. Actually, being allergic to meet and soy doesn't help either. 

The histamine allergy is one huge piece of this puzzle. Certain foods hurt me really badly- including tomatoes, eggs, cheese, acidic food, most dairy, cinnamon, chocolate, eggplant, beer and more. I was trying to figure it out for a while, and I now know that those foods are high in histamine, along with some other ones. Basically I have to go vegan, but with no soy. Oh wait, it's even worse than that. I can't eat some fruits and vegatables.

I can't have eggplant, pumpkin, sauerkraut, spinach, tomatoes, apricot, berries, dry fruits, peach, papaya, nectarine and I'm probably missing something. 

So far, this is my list of foods that I can actually eat: Whole wheat stuff, rice cake, peanut butter, honey, brown rice, oatmeal, some vegetables, some fruits. I'm not sure about beans yet. We'll see. Hopefully the list grows and/or I figure out cool new recipes. It can't be that hard, right? Right? Anybody? ... 

:: sigh :: 

I just want to figure out what else is wrong. I know that fibromyalgia and allergies are a big part of it but I'm sure there's something else. I just can't figure out what it is yet. I have an appointment with my neurologist in a week and a half. He's the only one of my doctors I currently trust. Somehow they're all awesome the first visit or two and then they turn on you. Weird. We'll see if it happens with him as well. I hope not. 

Drug Woes

So, I had a horrible reaction to the Nasonex. Upon looking at the side effects, sure enough, I saw that it matched my reaction- throat irritation and runny nose being an example. He also said that allergic reactions to Nasonex were not possible since it's just chemicals. What? One- yes it is; two- the pamphlet which came with this spray said that if you're allergic to the ingredients, tell your doctor. 

Meloxicam gave me canker sores. The doctor said it was a coincidence and those weren't the side effects for that drug. I looked it up. Canker sores were included in them. He told me to try again. I did try again. I got canker sores. Now I've been getting them a lot more often even after stopping to take it. I noticed that after stopping Meloxicam, my pain got worse when I wasn't taking it. And it remained that way. 

Now I got prescribed two more meds. I'm sure you can see why I'm reluctantant to take them. So far, anything that doctor said didn't make sense. He also said that all my symptoms are either from fibrmyalgia and the rest are from anxiety. I told him a lot of them were probably from allergies and he rolled his eyes.

Today I told him my list of allergies. He asked me how I knew I was allergic and I told him about the skin prick test. He scoffed at it. 
Um, ok?

I have to take Tramadol for a week, and then start Lyrica. 

I read that it is not advisable to take Tramadol if you have an addictive personality or if you were ever suicidal. The doctor never mentioned that. 

Also, these medications aren't safe if you plan on getting pregnant soon. I'm getting married in 2 months and plan on getting pregnant around that time. Another reason taking these meds is not a good idea. 

This doctor doesn't believe in allergies, apparently. I wonder if he believes in pregnancy. 

Allergic to Doctors

I saw an allergist today. He said we made a lot of progress for the first visit. He also told me many things that shocked me and seemed very helpful. 

My doctor told me that I don't need to see an allergist and that it won't help. He didn't want to get me a referral because he said it'd be a waste of time and that maybe later on I can try an allergist but for right now it's not a good idea.  I got my neurologist to give me a referral. 

These doctors are supposed to be good. Why do I have better advice than they do? 

Either way, apparently I'm allergic to beef, tuna, pineapple, pistachoios and soy. It's ironic because beef is my favorite food. It's also ironic because beef is the one of the only foods which does not make me sick. If I don't eat meat for more than 2 days I get very weak and sick. So it's very odd that I'm allergic to it. 

He also said that my nose is very stuffed up and in horrible condition. I mentioned my nose problems to my doctor who said that it wasn't a big deal. 

The allergist also said I have stomach problems and prescribed something for it. My doctor said that the stomach problems are part of fibromyalgia and that there's nothing I can do about them for now. 

I'm going in next week again for more tests. I have to get the food allergy tests and then the air thingy allergy test. I knew I was allergic to a lot of things, but BEEF? I wonder what other fun things they discover I'm allergic to. 

I need to be out of the country before September 13th. I was supposed to leave in July. We'll see how this plays out. 

Another Dead End

I went back to my rheumotologist today. I was telling her that my symptoms are getting worse. She responded that my pain is psychological, that it's all in my head and that there is no such thing as it getting worse. Then I asked her why she's prescribing Tramadol and Lyrica if the pain is psychological as opposed to neurological. She then stated that she never said that and went on to explain to me how it was neurological. :: rolls eyes :: You don't need to explain it to me, lady; I just *told* you that it's neurological. Why would I say that if I need it explained to me? 

She also said that my pain threshold is lower than anyone else's in the world. Uhm... ok? She did request my MRI results and they came back normal. That was nice of her. 

I don't think she's gonna be much help at this point. She told me to go to physical therapy and occupational therapy last time. This time when I told her it's getting worse, she denied it, then when she acknowledged it, she said nothing can be done except for meds. When I mentioned physical therapy, she said that's not a good idea or a good solution. Then why'd you refer me to physical therapy, lady? Something is wrong here.

She's also the second doctor who went crazy when I asked about the meds. Certain doctors get very defensive if you even hint at anything negative or concerns about the medication. Weirdos... 

It seems like I reached another dead end here. She doesn't want to give me advice, she contradicts herself and she wants to push the medicine now without discussing anything else. I do know that a lot of them get paid more if they give out meds, but come on... 

MRI Experience

First off, the people in this office were actually nice, caring and understanding for a change! 

The woman made me really paranoid when she asked if I have any metal on or in me. I triple checked but I still had that feeling that I forgot something. (I didn't) 

Oddly enough, claustrophobia is not one of my problems so that part wasn't too bad. The noises didn't bother me that much except when they became synchronized. I started getting delusional and thinking the machine is communicating with itself using Morse code. Weird. I'm very sensitive to motion, even on the bus, so I did feel the machine shaking. At some point it was shaking so much that I thought it was going to break. 

For a while I was getting paranoid that I had metal in me somewhere, through surgery when  I was little or something, and no one told me about it. I was getting so anxious that my chest, wrist and knees were going crazy and shooting up in intense pain. For the rest of today, it hurt my chest badly when I tried opening any doors or exerting myself in any way. 

I didn't like keeping my eyes closed. I like to have my eyes open so I can see if anything was about to happen. I was lying there with my eyes closed, having delusional and paranoid thoughts running through my mind the entire time. 

He also tried speaking to me through a mic. He said three or four different things. I didn't hear any of them, and I starting panicking anew each time he would speak. He sounded eerily muffled and far away. I still have no idea what he said. Oh well. 

The last few minutes weren't so bad. I was getting used to the movement and noises of the machine. Actually, towards the end, it had a calming effect. I liked it. I was able to relax, which is very rare for me. The now familiar noises and movements of the MRI machine became comforting. I actually miss it now. A lot. I wish I can crawl into one and fall asleep in there. It would probably help me sleep. 

There were a lot more thoughts running through my mind at the time, but I forgot most of them.

They gave me a little plastic box thing to keep my partial denture in. I usually use a plastic cup covered with a paper towel to store my "retainer", as I like to call it, in. 

If nothing else, at least I got a free denture holder. 

Crutches

I was getting something from my room and all of a sudden I couldn't walk anymore. I had to stay still until someone got me my crutches, which I'm happy I ended up keeping.

I hope I just pulled a muscle in my right upper thigh and that it's not something worse.

My wrists got worse too, and that's after I thought they were getting better already.

Also, I've been feeling nauseated and dizzy a lot lately too. And I've been getting headaches a lot more often.

My doctors are insisting that every single thing wrong with me is from fibro. I don't know. I just hope it's not  something worse. I'm getting an MRI tomorrow...

Neurology

It just occurred to me that I forgot to post about my neurologist visit. 

He basically said what all the other doctors have been saying, that I'm very messed up- physically and mentally. I didn't need any doctors to tell me that. He also said he'll look into sensory therapy for me and possibly a mental health therapist when I get back. Get back from where? Well, I still haven't spoken about that but I'll get to it on a different post.

He also told me that he commends me for getting out of bed every morning and doing my thing, getting stuff done, socializing, etc... I wasn't sure how to take that. On the one hand, I felt complimented; on the other hand, I didn't really think it was a choice until now. You mean I actually have the option of staying in bed all day, emotional and physical pain free?! No way!! *Ears perk up & eyes light up* I wanna stay in bed all day and do nothing!! 

I had another appointment with them to conduct a balance test, which seemed more like an eye movement test. I'll get the results when I go back for the EMG in about a month. 

I interrupt this post to bring you-- 14 envelopes from my insurance company! Yes, FOURTEEN! 14 letters, all stating approval of certain physical therapy procedures- most of which were not followed. Yes, the same PT place which told me they can do nothing more for me and it wasn't helping. Who not only did wrong techniques, but also applied for approval for completely other ones. WHAT?! Now I know where else I'm going next week.

:: sigh ::

Actually, now I'm not in the mood to finish this post. Maybe next time...

House Pain

I woke up feeling like death about an hour and a half ago. That's about 4 hours earlier than the earliest I usually wake up.

I woke up sweating. That's the first thing I noticed. Then came the pain and weakness. My feet, my back, my wrists, upper arms, shoulders, shins, ankles, heels, stomach... And my eyes were itching and burning. Then I noticed I was unusually hungry.

This is what I get for cleaning the house. One simple task that anyone else would only be in minor pain from extremely heavy cleaning.

I'm feeling a tiny bit better now after lying on the couch for a while. I'm waiting until I feel better enough to actually get up.  =/

Another Day, Another Doctor

Apparently every single one of my symptoms is from fibromyalgia. Everything. It causes everything. How is that even possible? I guess I'll post all my symptoms eventually. There are many. He did tell me something scary. He said that right now I can control it by exercising and taking meds, but when I get older it will be a curse. Scary stuff! In that case, I should take the meds when I'm older instead of taking them now and becoming immune to them...

My dentist gave me my tooth today, too.

I did some light house shopping and cleaned a little more. I didn't feel as much pain today as usual. Normally,  I would think of it as a good sign that I'm getting well, but now I know better. Fibro is not curable. Sometimes the pain lessens, but it's always there. And it's not going anywhere. And sometimes it's so bad that you can't move.

Either way, I think today should have been more productive. And tomorrow I'm off to the neurologist!

Laundry Day

Laundry day. What fun. There is no better way to destroy your feet, knees, wrists, back and shoulders all at the same time. It's even better than cleaning the house! Between doing laundry, folding it and putting it away- my body hates me; but I did it! I got home ok, but my left wrist gave out for a little while but it's working again. I put the laundry away with the wrist brace on, so it took a while. But at least I was able to today. I haven't been able to do laundry in over a month! 


I spent the entire day cleaning again. I think I made a little more progress but not as much as I wanted to. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to tell him that I'm getting worse. And they say fibro isn't progressive... yea, ok. I'm also getting my tooth tomorrow from my dentist. I think it's been long enough walking around missing my front tooth. What do you think? 


Then on Thursday is the infamous neurologist appointment. *Gulp*