"Nothing can be": How I live with allergies to medications
MY FEATURE IS NOT CRITICAL, does not lead to disability, but on the quality of life, of course, affects. I was prompted to write about this by the lack of information and the long search for a doctor: seven years had passed since the onset of the illness, before I could find a specialist who could understand the mechanisms of my failure and prescribe treatment. Allergy is still poorly understood. It is not clear why a so-called fat (immune) cells suddenly begin to rebel in a healthy person. It has already been proven that this is influenced by heredity and lifestyle, but, as in other cases, other things being equal, someone eventually becomes ill, and some do not.
The first symptoms of allergy began to appear when I was 22 years old. Before finding out my diagnosis - “allergy to NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs),” I, like many allergy sufferers, had to suffer a lot of exacerbations, start to suspect everything, throw half of the cosmetics on this basis, go on a diet, do a spring cleaning (because of it, the boyfriend’s library with dusty Soviet books suffered, which was transported to the dacha).
Finding and eliminating an allergen is actually half the treatment. But not everything is so simple: despite the fact that in all large cities there are already laboratories where they can make a complicated blood test, the most common way to determine the allergen is empirical. In fact, this is a brute force method: I ate strawberries — if there is no reaction, then well, we exclude it from the list; then you try plums, then bananas and so on. Once identified approximate range of substances that cause the reaction, you can make a clarifying analysis. It is impossible to simply donate blood for all allergens: there are hundreds of them, and checking for each one is quite expensive.
There are free allergy tests on the skin: they allow you to determine the reaction to the most common groups of allergens. Micro incisions are made on the arm, a special concentrate is introduced into each, a reaction is observed for reddening. But this analysis has played a cruel joke with me: I have a reaction to dust. The harsh question of the doctor "Is your apartment comfortable?" inspired me to organize hypoallergenic life with manic waving with a rag and searching for miracle cleaning products (result: there is no such tool). The error was this: it is important not only to determine the fact of the presence of allergies, but also the degree of the body's reaction. In my case, the dust plays almost no role, and the biggest response is caused by drugs, which was finally determined experimentally after several exacerbations followed by a “miracle of insight.”
If it is very simplified, then NSAIDs are all painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs; coughs based on aspirin join them. Allergy to drugs means that it is impossible for any disease to be treated according to standard schemes that work for most people. When it comes to minor ailments like headaches after a work day at the computer or due to menstruation, this is one thing. Another thing is more serious diseases: it becomes quite sad.
It is impossible to donate blood to all allergens: there are hundreds of them, and checking for each is quite expensive.
The main symptom of my allergies is Quincke edema, an allergic swelling of the face, accompanied by spots - with a broomstick. This is a rapidly developing and very dangerous reaction. Face swells in minutes, starts to hurt. The most dangerous thing in this case is respiratory failure, if the edema begins to pass on to the respiratory tract. Therefore, any such situation is a reason to immediately call an ambulance. The treatment is rather clumsy: hormonal and antihistamine drugs, but this is work with consequences, and not with the cause of the disease.
It's a shame that the reaction can be persistent and last for several days. Previously, in order to come to work in a more or less decent form, you had to get up early in the morning and make an injection, so that by the beginning of the day the edema would sleep a little. After this, dense tonal means for masking spots were used. It is very funny to see another person every morning: one day you have big ears, another one has swollen eyes, a third one - big lips (profit!). My acquaintances mostly relate to my allergy normally (I even allow me to make fun of myself), but outsiders, sometimes, cast sympathetic looks.
But okay the external manifestations - much more serious is that I can not get traditional treatment. Almost any doctor throws up his hands: "You can not do anything." Remain homeopathy, breathing exercises, or very strong medicines. For example, for the treatment of back pain I was picked up by a remedy for epilepsy, all colds from the first day are treated with antibiotics, well, anti-allergic immunity, on the advice of my immunologist, supports asthma remedy.
The big problem is pain relief for serious ailments or medical intervention. It is impossible to get used to pain. In acute cases, it is almost impossible to endure, it can reach a painful shock with loss of consciousness. Unfortunately, I had such situations. The only way out - opiates, narcotic drugs. But everything is not easy: once I was brought to hospital in an ambulance with acute abdominal pain at night, I was sent to the ward, but after medical manipulations the pain did not pass. Crawling on the bed almost with a howl, I called the nurse several times; she came, scolded that I was disturbing her sleep, put the allowed me, but in this case, an already useless antispasmodic (the last time pointedly "put" an injection past, spraying me with a syringe, - apparently, I decided that I was doing everything to attract attention and It is necessary to "portray" treatment to calm me down). After I had suffered half the night and explained to the doctor that I had no drug addiction and I really couldn't stand it, I was finally called another nurse with a special suitcase: "Well, we didn’t know that you had this kind of thing."
Another time I managed to get sick on holiday in Turkey. Through a translator, I told the doctor several times about allergies. As a result, on the second day of treatment, confusion occurred, and I was still given an illegal drug by mistake. It was the day of departure. Already on the way to the airport, I began to realize that something was wrong. The face swelled at breakneck speed, it became difficult to breathe. I was taken off the flight and put in a small emergency room right at the airport. There, I was under a drip, while my insurance company said that they would not work with me, the maximum could be accommodating me to the hotel and send it on the next flight, which could be in a week. As a result, I managed to persuade the commander of the Russian crew to take me on board - I had to sign a paper that the company was not responsible in case of my health problems during the flight.
Despite all these stories, I try to come to terms with my peculiarity: I follow a diet, take medications, monitor my health and try to keep abreast of new information. An allergy diet is hard but necessary, even if your allergy is not food. Why? A weakened body begins to react very acutely to allergenic products. As a result, the symptoms may increase, and the treatment is delayed. Prohibited coffee, alcohol, sweet, salty, spicy, products of red and yellow, some types of proteins. When for the first time I was given recommendations - a piece of paper divided into two parts: it is impossible (a lot of text), it is possible (a small list of absolutely tasteless, in my opinion, things) - it seemed that I would have to chew cabbage leaves and cereals until the end of days. Fortunately, now it is enough for me to stick to a diet only during exacerbations.
I have to carefully choose cosmetics: my cross-allergy (the reaction occurs to "related" allergens), applies to salicylates, which are in a variety of products, from creams to laundry detergent. The consultants in the shops react very funny to the girl who reads all the small inscriptions on the jars for an hour, and sometimes even calls for help. Now I understand why the instructions for cosmetic products indicated an item that they should be checked for allergies. Any remedy, even if your allergen is not listed as part, can trigger an immune response by the same cross-linking mechanism. If a person has an increased allergic background, substances that have not previously caused a reaction may become provocateurs over time. It is much better, just in case, to apply a new remedy to the elbow bend (not forgetting that the response period of the organism can be from several minutes to 48 hours) than to heal the consequences of incompatibility. For the same reason, you should never be ashamed to ask a cosmetologist or a hairdresser to show the jars used in the procedures and remind you of your allergies at each visit. Specialists to whom I appeal, have long been accustomed to constant questioning.
I tried many ineffective methods, in case of any discomfort lay a layer, with tears I endured pain, which I endure very badly
Despite my not always successful experience of going to doctors and several cases of misunderstanding, I have a clear statement: self-treatment for any illness, and especially for people with intolerance to drugs, is the last thing. Any medicine should be selected by a doctor. Ideally, you should be under the supervision of a specialist for some time, so that in the event of a negative reaction of the body you can provide the necessary assistance in a timely manner. You should always be ready to explain what means are contraindicated to you, how you understood it, how quickly and intensively the body reacts. A compromise solution, as a rule, is still there. This may be a different treatment protocol or the use of alternative drugs. Unfortunately, before seriously taking up my health and starting to look for information and doctors, I tried a lot of ineffective methods (from homeopathy and yoga breathing to very original ways, like igniting scented candles and listening to special anesthetic chants), in case of any ailment lay , with tears, endured pain, which I basically endure very badly.
Allergies cannot be cured, but it can be partially overcome, reducing the number and intensity of episodes. First of all, you need to consult an allergist-immunologist. Sometimes I read on the forums that people cannot find a good specialist, go far, there is no time, money. One doctor said funny to me about free medicine: "To understand what's wrong with you and prescribe treatment, you need to complete the quest ..." Unfortunately, this is so. This does not mean that nothing needs to be done. Only a doctor has the necessary knowledge to help you, and he will definitely be there, if not immediately. It is necessary to show perseverance and patience, do not stop searching.
My experience of the disease is less than ten years, but during this time new approaches to the treatment of allergies and new drugs have already appeared. Severe hormone therapy is no longer necessary to relieve symptoms in certain cases, long-acting medications have appeared, and diagnostics have been improved. Not long ago, several painkillers without NSAIDs entered the market. They have their own characteristics, they act somewhat worse than standard analgesics, but this may be the solution. There are regional programs for people with severe allergies that are not treated by conventional methods - expensive drugs are provided free of charge. Again, you can learn about these possibilities and use them only by visiting a doctor.
A separate item - treatment at the dentist. Fortunately, I have not yet had a reaction to local anesthesia, but I know that there is such a problem. The strategy is the same - be sure to inform the doctor and remember that the doctor can use a variety of drugs, including NSAIDs. Dental prosthetics can also cause the body to react to a foreign body, therefore, before serious interventions, allergy sufferers are advised to take or take at least their own medicine with you in case.
I spent a lot of time searching for information about my illness on the Internet. Unfortunately, there were very few finds - a dry scientific article and superficial references. Yet my allergic reaction is not very common - it occurs in one person to several thousand. I tried to communicate in the forums, but the response was small. But there were many offers to buy miracle products - all sorts of infusions and irradiators. Advised to be treated with activated charcoal. Smile: true, but this is only a small part of the scheme. I think that people who have a basic understanding of the structure of the body will be able to imagine what will happen if you overdo it using this method.
I would like to find people like me to exchange information. Of course, this is not about the selection of methods of treatment - it is a doctor. But sometimes you want to get support, to share the experience of interaction with the medical system and contacts of specialists. If you suddenly see a character with the nickname "Pig Edema" in the network - I am ready to talk with you.
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