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My son has severe asthma and has been on big time doses of steroids, they do make you wacky, but at the same time, save your life. It''s a hard balance for sure. He still does nebs, but with less frequency than before. Advair seems to help him. Just wanted to say I am sorry Gypsy. I can relate to the roid rage, it ain''t fun. I hope you feel better soon.
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Roid rage! Another end in sight. I called my pharmacist and he said that emotional instability is a side effect of the steriod I finish today so ... YAY... hopefully I''ll feel better.

It''s an interesting choice: "Breathing or Sanity."
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You know... you guys are such a great help. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Got a nice amount of sleep last night and I''m feeling better. Plus the meeting I had this morning went better (and shorter) than expected. Which is a bonus as I can PS for a few minutes before getting back to work!
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hi gypsy,

it''s nice to read that you got some rest and seem to be in better spirits. i''m glad you''re getting off steroids today. that will definitely help, but, just so you know, the effects take a few days to go away completely. steroids will linger in your system for a few days after a 7 day burst. i don''t mean to sadden/scare/frustrate you with you, but just wanted you to have this piece of information and encourage you to be patient with yourself.
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I''m glad you are feeling better! You sound like your spirits are up a little more than before. Good thing your getting off the steroids since that is causing the emotional instability. Breathing or sanity... a difficult choice indeed! Feel better!

*M*
 
Novia, thank you for the information. Would you mind if I asked if the inhaled steriods in the Advair will have any similar effects? I can ask my pharmacist, too if that''s a better idea.

Poptart, I am feeling better... It''s 1pm and my morning energy has completely dissapeared but I only have another 4-5 hours before I can leave so it''s not bad.

The maid prospect (couldn''t make it yesterday but DF picked up the house a bit anyway) is improving my mood greatly, let me tell you.
 
no problem, gypsy.

inhaled steroids have minimal systemic absorption so it shouldn''t be an issue. and the beta-agonist in advair is long-acting, so it shouldn''t make you hyper and tachycardic like the short-acting stuff (ie: albuterol).

some unsolicited advice... if you haven''t already done so, you should tell your health care provider that you are not currently insured. then you should ask for medication samples. a lot of this stuff is quite expensive (as you know) and often there are closets full of samples waiting to be given out. you should definitely ask about it before you shell out big bucks on advair or another script.

novia
 
My Dr. Does know that I'm not insured and he's given me samples of what he could (250 Advair and albuterol inhalers)... and generics when they were available. The drugs haven't cost more than $500 or so. The chest x-rays and the blood tests,the nebulizer treatments, plus the reduced time I've been working are what's running up the tab. He's even reduced his in office visit fee for me . He's a good MD... but he's also the third MD I've seen for this. First one was a family friend and we both felt uncomfortable because of my lack of insurance and it felt too much like an unreasonable favor, the second was a quack (I had a fever for three days running AFTER my first course of antibiotics was done and he said it was toxins, listened to my breathing -- I could barely breath-- and gave me perscribtion for an albuterol inhailer because he thought the reason I couldn't breathe was because the brand new albuterol inhailer the family friend had given my was 'probably old' and sent me on my way), and the third was my mother's doctor... who thank god knows what he is doing. He's the one who finally got this monster under control.

The other thing is that the Cipro first perscribed to me by the family friend was pricey and Im allergic... my left had got so swollen it killed my skin cells and started to turn green... pharmacist said I'm allergic, SEVERLY so. So I was put on 500 mg of Zithomax for 6 days (actually 1000 for the first day). Then I was put on Biaxin for 2 weeks, which I just finished. But I'm still coughing up green stuff (TMI??) and might be running a fever (haven't checked but have felt off, will start bringing the thermometer back to work again) so I'm afraid it's not over. I'm allergic to Penicillin and Sulfa... AND Cipro now though... so from what I understand the choices are very limited.

Sorry I'm rambling on about this... just, worried. Thanks for all the advice though, it means so much to know what's going on andf what's normal... and what's not.
 
Have they tried Levaquin? That was the antibiotic I took (2 courses) and it''s specifically for lung infections. It''s a quinolone, so I don''t know if it fits in with your allergies or not.
 
I can ask the pharmacist about it and then call my doctor if it looks like I can take it. Thanks for the suggestion Sumbride.
 
sumbride, levaquin is a great drug. but unfortunately it''s just like cipro so that''s out.

gypsy, wow! you really have been through the wringer. how frustrating! i''m glad you finally found a physician you trust though. that''s so important. as for your antibiotic courses and allergies (that allergy sounds like it SUCKED, by the way)... yes, the choices are more limited, but there are still options. the cephalosporins come to mind. they do have about a 10% cross-reactivity with the penicillin family so they may not be appropriate depending on your allergy. they are often used quite successfully in penicillin allergic patients though. zithromax and biaxin are both in the marcrolide family so they work quite similarly.

i wonder if it isn''t a viral infection though. the fact that it''s still lingering after a few weeks makes me think that it is. being a virus doesn''t mean that you feel any less lousy, or that it''s any less of an infection. it just means that antibiotics aren''t the answer. symptomatic care may be the way to go. steroids will help since they decrease inflammation and the lining of your lungs is definitely inflamed from whatever it is that''s infecting them. oral steroids sound like a good move... local, targeted effect, minimal systemic absorption. albuterol or the long-acting version in advair helps to relax the "tightness" too. do you have a nebulizer or are you using only the inhaler? if you do have a nebulizer, you should try doing treatments with just normal saline rather than adding medication. it often makes you feel much better and loosens things up without having to throw another medicine at your body. rest, as you know, is an invaluable part of the healing process. i''m glad you seem to be getting a little more of it.

i know this doesn''t make you feel any better, but 2 of the physicians i work with have something very similar to you. several weeks, blood tests, chest xrays, antibiotic courses (luckily without allergies), steroids and nebulized treatments later it''s not totally gone for either of them. but it is better. their diagnosis... bad virus. bad FRUSTRATING virus.

ok, i''m done now. i don''t mean to blabber on and give you medical advice. please take what i say as it''s meant, simply to try to be a little helpful. i do not in any way mean to suggest that diagnoses can be made on line and i do not, for a second, want you to believe what i say over what your physician says. i''m just trying to help a little.
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I realize that it''s not medical advice and will not interpret anyting in your post to mean anything other than, "here are my thoughts... talk to your doctor).

I have had fluid in my lungs... but it sounds like a virus could cause that too from what I understand above. So maybe it is a virus. I know DF did get sick... but he was only down for about a week, and he took the Cipro I couldn''t take (no drug allergies, the man can take anything) plus ONE extra pill the Dr. perscribed for him (low cost and effective). He needed a few pops of the albuterol (I had three at that point, gave him a new one) and Mucinex controlled his cough just fine. Over all, he wasn''t nearly this sick, which is why I assumed it was an infection... well,that and the antibiotics.

I''m sorry your collegues have something similar, it''s yucky.

As for the allergy. Yes, it was freaky. First severe itching, then it kept getting bigger and bigger until I couldn''t bend my joints... then slightly green (like I''d expect gangrene--sp?-- to look)... so I went to a 24 hour pharmcist, they told me it was an allergy and not to take anymore of the Cipro (I had only taken ONE)... and it took 2 days for the swelliing to reduce and my skin felt like a latex glove... then I started shedding skin. ICK.

The second MD was like: Are you sure it was an allergy? Um. Yes. I went on the web and looked up Cipro and it''s apparently one of the signs of a severe reaction... joint swelling. And it STOPPED once I stopped taking it. And no, I wasn''t going to risk death by continuing. Plus, the pharmacist wasn''t surprised once I told him it was Cipro I was on.
 
That a terrifying reaction to a drug Gypsy!! I bet you had no idea what was going on! I have only had one reaction to a drug because I''m allergic to sulfa and I woke up the next day exhausted with a full body rash. That was scary in itself. So joint swelling, geez! Please continue to get a lot of rest and hydrate yourself. I still think you should go to the doctor again though...

*M*
 
I know what you mean about Sulfa. About an hour and half after taking a Sulfa antibiotic in while Lawschool I threw myself into a cab... my whole body lobster red from hives and my throat tight... and told him to take me to the nearest hospital. Got there they were worried about my breathing gave me an shot or an epi pen... can''t remember which... or maybe it was both. And told me I was allergic to sulfa.

It''s always exciting for me to try new drugs. I never know WHAT my body will do.

Fortunately, I''ve gotten used to watching for signs while I''m on antibiotics and I''ve learned that the 24 hour pharmacists are my best friends.
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Wow, that''s an extreme reaction! But I''m glad it stopped when you stopped the meds! Bummer about Levaquin being on the no-go list. It worked really well for me. I had a little bit of itching on the Levaquin, but I thought it might also have been all the tomato sauce I had been eating because FI was making a LOT of pasta while I was sick, but he did serve me dinner every single night. He branched out after my arm turned red. And actually, a month later and he''s STILL cooking dinner for me. LOVE him!

If it is a virus, it''s probably hitting you harder than your DF because you are so worn out and exhausted! Hence the need for more rest! I know... I know...
 
Oh my goodness gypsy, you have had your share haven''t you?? I''m so glad you have a great doc now who is on top of things. I hope everything clears up soon for you. That green stuff does linger doesn''t it??
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LOL, yes the green gunk is a pain! ICK.

Thanks all for the great advice, especially you Novia, I really appreciate the insight. I''m going in for check up at the MD this coming Monday and I''m hoping to be feeling even better by then.

I''m off to bed time now. Thank you ALL VERY MUCH! Good night.
 
hi gypsy,

i just wanted to check in and see if today was a better day for you.

i''ve been thinking about you (it''s interesting what random thoughts fill your head during long plane rides)...

first, i didn''t want to leave you with the wrong impression about the viral thing. you''re absolutely right. it IS an infection. the question is, what caused it? infections can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungus. all 3 can be quite serious, but they are treated differently. antibiotics kill bacteria. antivirals kill viruses, but there are very few of these out there. maybe we''ll get better at this someday, but for now most of medical care for viruses revolves around what we call "supportive care", trying to make people feel better while the virus runs its course. it sucks for everyone involved... for doctors who can''t make people feel better any faster than they''re are going to and for patients who feel sort of "blown off" when they understan "it''s JUST a virus". the thing is there is no JUST about it. viruses can be serious. they can kill people.

so my thoughts on the viral thing (at the risk of beating what may at the very least be a maimed horse) is this. you have an infection. antibiotics haven''t made it better. therefore, your infection is caused by either a resistant bacteria that''s growing out of control or it''s caused by something else. if it were the former i would expect you to be getting a lot sicker, rather than just staying the same. if it''s the latter then antibiotics may not be the right answer since they only treat bacteria, especially in your case where antibiotics have not always been your friend.

i don''t mean to drag this out. i just didn''t want you to read my post and think something like "it''s just a virus. suck it up". that was no where near my intention. you probably didn''t take it this way, but internet communication being as flawed as it is, i just wanted to make sure.
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my second thought... for your next antibiotic course (which i''m sure you''ll need at some point in your life), i''d ask your doctor about an epi pen. your reactions seem severe enough that i''d feel better having one on hand. especially if you try cephalosporins next. they are the next big class of drugs that aren''t specifically on your allergy list, but they do have a 10-15% cross-reactivity with penicillin allergies. if you had trouble breathing, the epi pen would be your answer. maybe something to ask about when you have insurance coverage again.

an antecdote i''m sure you''ll appreciate.... i told you a couple of my colleagues have had the hack-up-a-lung, attractive-green-sputum thing for a few weeks now. well, a family traveled a good distance to see her with their child. for most of the visit, she continued to cough (wearing a mask of course). the family interrupted the visit and took the baby to the waiting room so someone could watch her while they talked to my friend and received all the test results and stuff. then the family requested that the doctor NOT examine the child because they didn''t want her to get whatever the doctor had. my other colleague (same cough, green stuff, mask, etc.) had just finished telling another family that there child has a bad disease. the mom then asked HER (the doctor) if she was ok. so i can visualize your situation (and the confidence i''m sure it''s inspiring in your clients).

i''m glad you have a follow-up on monday and hope you''ll be feeling better before that.
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novia
 
Date: 4/10/2007 1:40:23 PM
Author: Gypsy
Roid rage! Another end in sight. I called my pharmacist and he said that emotional instability is a side effect of the steriod I finish today so ... YAY... hopefully I''ll feel better.


It''s an interesting choice: ''Breathing or Sanity.''
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You know... you guys are such a great help. Thank you, thank you, thank you!


Got a nice amount of sleep last night and I''m feeling better. Plus the meeting I had this morning went better (and shorter) than expected. Which is a bonus as I can PS for a few minutes before getting back to work!
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Click to expand...


Tee hee, breathing and sanity can both be overrated!!!

Glad to know you might be getting off this rollercoaster!
 
I had a fever again on Tuesday so the Doctor wanted me to go in yesterday. I went. Ceclor is no Antibiotic number three. He granted that it could be a virus, but felt that we should try one more. He also gave me (sample) of Advair 100. And told me to rest.

Got home at 5:30 from the Dr. Went to sleep at 6:30... woke up 12 hours later. I''m feeling much better than yesterday. Gonna be increasing the sleep qoutient to 12 hours a day for the time being.

I''ve also gained ELEVEN pounds since starting the steriods.
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CRAZY! Can you say DIET!

Novia, I appreciate the virus clarification. It is true that sometimes declaring something a virus has the implication of ''oh its just a virus''... but you''re right that virus''s can be serious. I talked to the doctor about the different anitbiotics as well as an EPI pen... he said that he''d rather not even risk it at this time. I really appreciate all your advice and knowledge! YOu''ve been wonderfully helpful.
DF... I know right? Highly overrated.

I hopeful that the roller coaster will end at least within the next couple of week.
 
i''m glad you''re feeling a little better with a lot of rest, gypsy! hopefully, you''ll start to recharge soon.

are you taking ceclor now? if so, i think it''s a great choice for antibiotic number 3. numbers 1 and 2 were in the same family so presumably work very similarly, but ceclor is different so if it''s a bacteria it will attack differently. just a little warning, it is a cephalosporin and has a 10-15% cross-reactivity with penicillin allergies so you''ll just need to be vigilent if you are taking it. if you''re not allergic it will be wonderful since it''s a big family of good drugs that will be at your disposal. i''m keeping my fingers crossed for you.

hopefully, you have the weekend off and can catch up on more sleep!

oh, and i wouldn''t worry much about the steroid weight. some of it will just truly go away off the steroids. as for the rest of it, once you''re feeling better you''ll be able to move around more and burn more calories. i wouldn''t try dieting when you''re sick. you don''t need to make yourself more miserable.

feel better!!!
 
Hi Novia!

I used to take Ceclor as a child and a young adult. I used to get Strep once a year... and that''s what they always gave me. I mentioned it to the Dr. (not knowing what type of drug it was) and he said that it''s a great drug, and he''s very happy to here I can take it. : )

Good news about the steriod weight as my clothes are looking unattractively snug at the moment and buying new, larger, clothing isn''t something I want to do!

I also told my family that I am under Dr. orders to rest this weekend. So of course my mother says, "Oh. Well, I guess I''ll come visit you then."
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I just wanted to say, "THAT''S NOT RESTFUL!" but I didn''t.

The MAID CAME!!!! Everything is SPARKLY. And CLEAN. And smells FRESH! THANK YOU AGAIN Diamond Fan! I''m looking forward to the weekend. With nothing to do but re-organize my closet and rest I''m a happy camper. I''m not even going to furniture shop this weekend. Or stress about anything-- well, except my mother coming over. LOL.
It''s just been amazing the difference in my moral too since I posted about this... just having an outlet for this has been such a load off. I hadn''t realized how much I was bottling inside. Thank you guys for your support and your shoulders. It''s the single best thing that has happened since getting sick. Better than the maid even... and trust me, that''s a high compliment.
 
Gypsy,

I''m so glad that the maid came and that you are feeling much calmer! Rest, rest, rest this weekend and take good care of yourself.
 
Yay for the maid, and so glad you are feeling better Gypsy!!!!! Now R&R X''s 10!! Dr. Kaleigh''s orders, LOL!!!!
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Gypsy, I am so glad! I know that a clean house does not cure your illness, but it takes off stress and it is not bad to be in a sparkling clean place! REST rest and rest some more, and soon you will be good as new!
 
It's been a restful weekend. My mother called, but did NOT come over!! Just as I hoped. I work up at noon yesterday. Took a nap from 5-8, and went to bed at 1 am. Woke up today at noon again. Felt wonderful.

I did a little re-organizing in my closet... and bought a huge pork shoulder I'm going to marinate it in a dry rub for a couple of days then DF will roast it. It'll give us lots of easy delicious pulled pork to freeze into packs for the next couple of months. Plus one night of YUMMY dinner this week. Easy too.

That's about the extent of my exertion this weekend. DF is feeling poorly, so he's going to the MD tommorow. He might have an ear infection.

I got good news at work... my offer letter is guaranteed here next week. So in another week I'll be insured!!! I'm going to take a day off in a couple of weeks and hit the Doctor, the dermatologist, the gynecologist and the dentist. I honestly am super excited by that. Strange I know.

Beyond that... life is much better... apartment is so nice and clean!! I bought daffodils and they are such a wonderful HAPPY sight... although they are aggravating my allergies. LOL.

Thank you Kaleigh, DF and Kimberly for your good wishes and advice.
 
I''m glad to hear you''re feeling better and had a great weekend! Hope your FI starts feeling better, too!

*M*
 
Thank you Poptart!!
 
Gypsy,

I am so glad you had a restful weekend! So sorry FI isn''t feeling well. And I can totally related to being excited about getting all things medical taken care of. Tax month is awful, and I really need my teeth cleaned (DH is self-employed and I''m PT, which means there''s no such thing as good dental insurance plans for us!), I can''t wait until May when I can head to the dentist.

Keep taking care of yourself and enjoy that pork!
 
Thank you Kimberely. DF is self-emplyed too... so it's no fun around here at tax month either. Although this year, since we moved for my job we are getting a nice return. I hope you get to the denist soon!

Just covered that sucker in dry rub. YUM. So good.

would you believe I had my first pulled pork sandwich when I was 24? It was in DC at a festival and I fell headover heels in love.
 
What is pulled pork? I have never heard of it.

*M*
 
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