I guess it seems pretty fitting that at 30, there's some significant health issue that brings new perspective into your life. I've been reminded of and reflected on so many important things this year, and one thing you should never take for granted is your health. I know many of us do though, unfortunately.
And I should know better. As a person who actually had weight loss surgery to live help myself live a healthier lifestyle, you would think that I would be more in tune with my body and totally clean. But I still love cheese and alcohol and days under a blanket with netflix. Getting up and going the gym will always be a challenge for me, as will be cutting out some of my favorite foods. I don't miss ice cream or brownies or tons of fried food and globs of red meat. No worries there. I've done and will continue to do everything I can to keep from getting diabetes and heart disease since I have them in my family history.
But I know I'm not as "good" as I should be. I have a Primanti's sandwich here and there. I have girls night, and I don't make the dip with fat free anything. I never say no to a good a beer or a dinner with friends. So I can't say that I was completely shocked when in the beginning of September, one of the most stressful times in my career and personal life, I didn't feel well. I was working at least 60 hours a week and my "free" time was taken up with more work and prior engagements. So I was definitely not sleeping or eating well. I noticed the day after labor day that I was feeling a bit "off". I chalked it up to overdoing the holiday weekend and moving in my new living room furniture. I upped my water intake and started concentrating heavily on eating a lot of fresh veggies to get vitamins and clean out leftover toxins.
On Wednesday, I thought I was experiencing a migraine. I get them occasionally, so I thought I could take a tylenol and wait it out as that's usually all I need. By Thursday, I was in excruciating pain. I had to take massive amounts of tylenol just to function and not to pass out from pain. Without it, every 5 or 30 seconds I was feeling a sharp pain, always in the same spot; base of my skull, behind my ear. I tried to joke that I now knew how Zeus felt giving birth to Athena. But it was worrying me. I never had a migraine like that before or for that long.
I started to worry about what it could possibly be if not a migraine. Maybe it was a tumor. Or maybe I was having a stroke. Maybe it was cancer. I had officially WebMD-ed myself and was convinced I was dying of any number of terminal illnesses or STDs even. I was terrified to even call the doctor and terrified that I was taking so much tylenol that I would go into liver failure and not wake up.
On Monday I called my doctor and they agreed to take me as a walk in that same morning. My doctor diagnosed me with a cluster or icepick migraine do to muscle strain and stress. The prescribed me a low dose of prednisone for the inflammation and a migraine medication. They checked all my vitals and mentioned that my throat was a little raw and we attributed it to post-nasal drip and seasonal allergies. I was not 100% convinced that it could be that simple of a diagnosis, and I was still taking some additional tylenol with the meds for the first few days.
By the time I was nearly done with that round of medicine, I felt tons better, hardly any pain at all and I was no longer taking tylenol. But my throat was REALLY sore. Something told me to look in the bathroom mirror. My tonsils were nearly the size of ping pong balls and covered in white patches. Time to call the doctor's office AGAIN.
I should probably mention here that I hate going to the doctor. I was scarred from childhood and a lifetime of being overweight. It seriously took my until I turned 20 just to be able to get shot or give blood without having to be held down. So, as and adult, I learned to approach a healthy lifestyle and use diet to prevent and treat illnesses, which worked pretty well. I rarely needed medicine, even over the counter stuff. Even my migraines were rare and totally manageable. So I called the doctor, and played on the fact that I had just been in there the week prior and my symptoms had been observed, now they were worse. They finally agreed to call in a prescription for me, a strong antibiotic that I was on a time or two before.
I start the next round of medicine, and within 24 hours, I have a rash. It started small, faint and barely itchy on my arms. By lunchtime, it's all over my neck, chest, face and back. It's starting to swell. I know I have to call the doctor's office, but just to be sure, I see the nurse. She confirms my worst fears and gives two benadryl. The doctor's office wants to see me this time. No calling in a scrip. I begrudgingly agree and set another walk in appointment for 10:30 the following morning. That night, I take pictures of my arms and chest. I believed that since I stopped taking my anti-biotic, the rash might be gone by the morning.
Not so. I wake up and the rash is all over my body, inflamed and much darker. I get so nervous, I call my mother on the way to to hospital (where my doctor is conveniently located). I seriously consider begging her to come with me. I was so scared that they would admit me after seeing not only my rash, but also the fact that my throat was no better. I had no clue what was wrong with me, and all I can think about is how the person who never gets sick has been in and out of the doctors for the past 2 and a half weeks. At the office they joke about how I must be getting sick of being there, little do they know how right they are and how miserable I am physically and mentally. She expresses great concern over my tonsils, as they are so swollen that she can't even see around them; they could be abscessed and/or need to come out. She gives me the name of an ear, nose, and throat specialist. I decide to myself that I will call him, but unless I need to, I will not call until after Molly's wedding.
They give me another prednisone pack and z-pak since now I'm allergic to ceftin; they have reason to believe that I'm allergic to all "cillins". She tells me I can take an anti-histamine. I choose allegra on Molly's advice and the fact that allegra has the highest dose I can find at Walgreens.
I give this until Tuesday. The z-pak finally clears up my tonsils, thank goodness. I'll call Dr. Straka - after the wedding. But my rash is getting steadily worse. It has vacated my face and neck, but the rest of me is a mess. I call the doctor again. The NP agrees to put me on a higher dose of prednisone as well as an anti-itch pill. I feel helpless, I'm begging her, "I have a wedding on saturday..." I trail off. She agrees to pull some strings so I can see an NP at a dermatologist's office near my office.
The dermatologist's office calls me within 10 minutes. I take an appointment at 9am the next day. Unfortunately, and a $25 copay later, I find out that there's not much to be done. Ceftin is a strong anti-biotic that will not leave my bloodstream anytime soon. Time is the real cure. She writes me a prescription for a topical steroid cream and tells me to triple my antihistamine intake. She can't promise me that I'll be any less red or puffy for the wedding.
It's been 24 hours and I feel much better, I'm not sure how I'll look this weekend, but I do feel a lot less anxious. Especially when I think about how I felt 2 or 3 weeks ago, and all the things that ran through my mind, I realize that I'm really not 22 or 25 anymore. It's really important not to neglect getting the proper amount of rest, exercise, water, vitamins. I lost 3-4 weeks of my life suffering from all kinds of ailments and worry and trying to make up for lost sleep, and putting chemical medicines in my body. I don't want that to be a theme in my life. Definitely a wake up call I needed, though.
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