Allergy Update-- April's Not Fooling

The February run of cortisone was a rousing success (pun intended). The brain fog lifted and I no longer felt tired all the time. I was able to accomplish much more. On top of that, my "chapped Eustachian tubes" completely cleared up* and music is so beautiful again. I swear that I digested food better. One day, I took a shower and didn't put cortisone on my face, and I didn't realize it until the next day when I was about to go outside. I am usually reminded (via itchiness) to put on layer 1 (prescription cream) within 30 minutes and layer 2 (prescription moisturizer) within 60; then I itch for few more hours. On top of that, my thyroid started working again, proving that my immune system is the problem there too.

My point is, it was lovely and I hope to continue using it in the future, even though I'm aware of the side-effects. (I'm hoping that an additional diagnosis or two will push me into a semi-permanent cortisone zone. Who needs a rampaging blind Godzilla immune system? A rampaging blind Godzuki immune system is more my speed. Also, bones? Who needs bones?) My urgent care doctor even found the one that seemed to have the least corn and I think he must be right! Those pills were tiny for their dose.

No one needs you, Bones.

I thought that was Bad Allergy Season starting back then but I was wrong. I hadn't survived Bad Allergy Season on cortisone. I headed into Bad Allergy Season in late March.

I'm currently in Baton Rouge, home of many trees and bushes that want to kill me, this year's number 15 worst allergy city. There's a ligustrum hedge outside Whole Foods. Cars are bright green with Oak spew.

I can't go outside during the day. I try to not go out at night either. We keep the doors and windows closed. Even with that, I'm exhausted. I can't think. I have 6 blog posts in progress and I can't even work on them; I can't even read news online. My skin is swollen and it tingles everywhere. I'm cold all the time. On Wednesday, while on cortisone, I had the worst asthma attack of my life-- the first one where I felt panicked because I couldn't breathe. But Thursday was the last day of cortisone and I need to get back on it ASAP.

Left: EoE; Right: normal.

While all of those issues are important and need to be handled, there's a bigger problem that my throat has been swollen since last night. It's "minor" swelling in that it doesn't constrict my airway and thus isn't life threatening. My allergist wants me tested for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). And true to EoE symptoms, I'm not eating.

When my throat is swollen, pills and food get stuck in it. This is probably contributory to my "neurotic chewing," a process by which I liquify food before I eat it. I even chew pudding and plain yogurt; I know that there's nothing in there to be chewed but I have to verify. As for pills, it's not just large pills that get stuck on the way down. Small pills, especially ones with corners, also get stuck, so if I have to take a pill that I cut in half first, it's more likely to get stuck than if I hadn't cut it in half. Also, they're pokey. There's something about having something sharpish stuck in my throat when it's swollen and pre-irritated that I really dislike. Silly me.

Swallowing seems like more trouble than it's worth. I was able to eat ice cream last night but today I can't even motivate myself to do that. There's yogurt in the fridge. There's fresh, soft, cold fruit that I'm not allergic to. I'm not interested. Dishing out ice cream seems like it would be strenuous.

So I'm just sitting on the couch, watching a cheesy Hart to Hart movie marathon, with the current iteration taking place in San Francisco. I want to be back in San Francisco. I want to be well. I want to go back to the way that my life is supposed to be. I want to be able to go outside and maybe even eat out. I want to think again and be useful. I would happily deal with the long term side effects of cortisone if it meant that I could consistently think and eat and be useful.

I want to be able to eat the delivery food that's going to show up soon but it won't happen. I'll be lucky if I manage ice cream today even though it's yummy and soothing.

I'll just be sitting here, gargling Benadryl and shooting cortisone spray into my throat, wishing that my life could be normal. And wishing that I was capable of finishing those blog posts because I have things to say.

* Thanks entire Kaiser SF Ear Nose and Throat department for backing the ENT that said that instead of cortisone, I should stop all allergy medicines to induce post nasal drip. Since I couldn't do that without dying (not of the sinus infection that I'd have after 3 days), I'd just have to hope it cleared up-- even though they knew that not fixing it would keep me from using my CPAP. And even though I said "saliva doesn't help my chapped lips. Why would post nasal drip help my chapped throat? There's liquid in my Eustachian tubes that's clearly not helping. How is more liquid going to help?" Twelve years and it turns out that I was right all along. I don't think this is how cortisone rage is supposed to work, but CORTISONE RAGE anyway.