Friday, January 16, 2009

I



It's clearing up, and it's still doesn't hurt. Never did. It feels kind of odd. My allergist called it "conjuctivitis", but it doesn't itch.

He also insists that I have asthma and that my only symptom is the cough, even though I "passed" the methacholine challenge. He says he's had one or two other patients who passed it and still had asthma. So he

**Alert to Betty**

prescribed this:

and I have to go back on Tuesday. If my lung test is improved, then I have asthma, he says, and I either have to give up my allergy shots or take Symbicort, which I refused to take after last visit because ads say it can cause "death".

Death. It can cause death.

He says that it has to advertise that because one person died from uncontrolled asthma by taking the drug. I say, that if I have asthma and it causes my cough, then it's uncontrolled.

???

But. I have 5 days' worth of prednisone. I hope it doesn't make me hungry all the time. Sometimes it does, sometimes not. I hope it gives me energy. Sometimes it does.

Hmmmm, did my last course of prednisone make my depression worse, or did it get better? I need to keep track of these things. I don't remember exactly when I last took it, but my mood took a huge nosedive in September. I feel great now, have since December sometime. Unusual for me, since this is usually my worst time of year. Odd, that.

But I'll take it over the alternative.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Betty said....

Oh, you lucky woman....you got yourself some prednisone! I hope you get all of the good side effects from it and enjoy it. It's the only thing I've found that makes me feel well all over and my lungs definitely work much better after a day or two on prednisone. If only one could stay on it forever without all of the bad stuff happening.....I don't know anything about Symbicort, but Advair has helped my lungs, even though it also lists DEATH as a possible side effect. I decided that I'd risk it since I couldn't breathe well without it, and not being able to breathe can also cause death. Prednisone works better, but, for some reason, the doctor won't let me take that forever, even though I've asked. Okay, I begged. But, no.

Anonymous said...

Betty said...

p.s. I'm glad that your eye is getting better.

rita said...

I thought that you would appreciate it! Only 5 days' worth, but I'll take it. I'm coughing more; I wonder if that means that my lungs really are inflammed? I can't tell that I'm breathing any easier since I'm coughing more.

I'm hungry and I'm antsy, so something's going on!

Yeah, I guess that if you can't breathe, you can't live. Oh, and my doctor said that you can come to him, since he's diagnosed me and now you can use the same treatment. Hahahahaha! I told him you wouldn't be seeing him!

Anonymous said...

Betty said....

Yes, you know how much I enjoy going to the doctor. But, hey, if he gives out prednisone.....

Actually, I must say that my cough is much better since I started using Advair, so maybe there is something to that after all. But why would you have to stop taking the allergy shots, since the tests showed that you did have allergies to certain things? Does he think the shots make asthma worse?

I also questioned my doctor and the pharmacist about the death side effect, thinking that was a big one, and they both said that they don't put much stock in it, that people either overused the medication or used it in place of an emergency inhaler, which doesn't work. Obviously, if it killed them. I'd rather not have to use anything, but now that I can breathe easier and am coughing less, I decided it was the lesser of two evils.

rita said...

He says that my diminished lung volume makes it dangerous to take allergy shots, which have helped every aspect of my life except the cough. Even though I've never had an adverse reaction to the shots. If I did, I'd likely die because I have diminished lung capacity.

See, I've taken all this stuff before and it didn't help my cough ANY. He's not concerned about that. I need to increase my lung capacity to what it was. I tell him that it doesn't make it difficult for me to climb the steps at school or spend 14 hours walking around Disney, but that's not important.

It doesn't seem to matter that I blow into their lung volume computer until I cough and pee my pants. That's not important. Coughing doesn't matter. He wants me to take Symbicort. Inhalers make me cough. When I cough, I cough out the medicine.

I don't see how it helps to pay $35 a month for medicine that I cough right back out!

Anonymous said...

Betty said...

I can understand why you are reluctant to try an inhaler again, since it hasn't helped before. If you do decide to try the Symbicort or Advair, check out their websites, as they both offer coupons to help with the cost. I'd say you might want to get a second opinion, but I know that you've seen as many doctors as you care to see and you've had as many tests as you care to have, so you are probably tired of second opinions/doctors.

rita said...

Thanks for the coupon suggestion! I'll do that. I see the doctor this morning.

And yes, enough ENTs and other specialists--especially pulmonologists!!!

We'll see what happens.

Anonymous said...

Betty said...

Are you feeling any better since being on prednisone?