posted
Sorry if this sounds panicky, but... I'm panicked. And please skip this if you don't care for personal details.
I saw my LLMD last weekend and she started me on Biaxin XL and Bactrim to try and hit the Bartonella.
Two days ago I started having a terrible flare of symptoms that I assumed was a herx. Just a really nasty one that I have not quite experienced to this intensity before.
Because my muscle spasms have been so frequent and painful, I have tried to contact my doc for a muscle relaxant or painkiller, but I can't reach her. I guess she's out of town for Labor Day.
Today, I have 102-degree fever and tiny little red spots all over my body, especially my arms and face. (No, I have not been outside for more than a few minutes in the last few days). My cheeks look like they have been slapped really hard, I have no appetite, and aspirin has not brought the fever down more than 1 degree.
Also, yesterday my bladder started spasming where I felt like I had to go to the restroom every ten minutes. Then last night, I couldn't get urine to come out. It was as if my brain wasn't sending the message to the correct muscles.
Is this an allergic reaction to one of the new meds? Or is this a Bart herx? What should I do? I don't know if I should be worried enough to insist on seeing someone today rather than tomorrow.
Sorry if I'm being overly dramatic but I am in quite a bit of pain and am truly worried.
Posts: 220 | From central TX | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Thanks, Lymetoo. I should have known you would be the first one to pop in! I stopped taking both abx as soon as the rash appeared. I also forgot to mention that my mouth is extremely dry, like I'm sucking cotton balls, and I have spells of chills periodically.
Posts: 220 | From central TX | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Newbie here, first post. I'm a 60 yr old ex ER doc with Lyme for ~17 yrs, dx last June (late to the party). I'm gradually becoming a little bit Lyme literate....LBLLMD
Most allergic reactions don't include fever, but drug reactions can do/be anything. Agree with stopping meds and simply by odds, you have a concurrent virus that will pass. That said, some drug reactions are bad actors and you should not hesitate to be seen in an ER. I know, it totally sucks. Been there, done it (both sides of the gurney)...... But if it is a drug reaction and drops your blood pressure out, you need help sooner than later. And remember, medical advice on the net is about as valid as what you're paying for it. But still.......
jon
-------------------- ret ER MD (25yrs), lyme 19yr DX 6/06, guitarslinger www.LifePathGuide.com Posts: 28 | From Willits, California | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
The fever, facial flushing and rash can be bartonella too so it's really complicated to know if it's a herx or an allergic reaction. Probably good idea to stop the meds and call the LLMD. If you are feeling systemically ill than a little trip to the ER is a piece of mind.
Posts: 293 | From healdsburg, ca , sonoma | Registered: Feb 2005
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AliG
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9734
posted
Are you having any difficulty breathing?
[ 05. September 2006, 12:36 PM: Message edited by: AliG ]
-------------------- Note: I'm NOT a medical professional. The information I share is from my own personal research and experience. Please do not construe anything I share as medical advice, which should only be obtained from a licensed medical practitioner. Posts: 4881 | From Middlesex County, NJ | Registered: Jul 2006
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AZURE WISH
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Member # 804
posted
I hope that if you are still expereincing symptoms that you went to seek medical help (an er or dr)
Allergic reactions are not to be messed around with. I would be cautious and concerned and get checked out...
I hate hospitals but when ya gotta go ya gotta go.
I got red (well more like pink) circles on part of my body as an allergic reaction to celebrex. I dont know wether your rash is allergy or illness.
posted
Allergic reactions don't have to always have breathing problems associated with them although if your experiencing it you should go to the hopsital. I can relate to you problem here as I had a personal experience in June with an allergic reaction. Not once but three times. Was on IV Claforan for 5 weeks when I suddenly had a reaction. Had the teeny tiny blisters on my hands, back of my legs and upper chest. At the same time I had a rash. It was odd. I let it go the first day and treated with benadryl but it became worse. The itching was horrible. Ended up in the ER when my tongue became swollen and there were teeny tiny blisters on my tongue. They gave me steroids which are horrible for lyme but did help the reaction. Only took it for a day and then reacted again even though I wasn't taking the Claforan any longer. Took steroids again for two days and thought I was going to kill someone. They made me CRAZY but did help the reaction to go away. We waited a week and a half and then tried IV Rocephin. I reacted within hours. Swollen itchy face and the rash came back but no blisters this time. I looked like a monster and felt miserable.
It took me a good month to recover so take care of yourself. How are you feeling now that you've been off the meds? Is the rash going away yet? Pay close attention to how your tongue and throat feel. If you have any breathing problems you really need to go to the ER. Never having had any allergic reactions in the past I didn't realize at first how serious they can be. Make sure you get in touch with your MD asap.
Posts: 547 | From Maryland | Registered: Mar 2005
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Doesn't an allergic reaction to a medication usually include breathing difficulties?
There is no 'usual'. Drug reactions have lots of presentations. Rash is probably the most common. Difficulty breathing is a potentially life threatening symptom needing immediate evaluation. That's what ERs are for. Most drug 'reactions', whether allergy or some other type of hypersensitivity reaction are, by number, not life threatening. Those odds mean NOTHING for any individual event. Just a statistic......
jon
-------------------- ret ER MD (25yrs), lyme 19yr DX 6/06, guitarslinger www.LifePathGuide.com Posts: 28 | From Willits, California | Registered: Sep 2006
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AliG
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9734
posted
Thanks for clearing that up for me. Now that I have read this, I don't know what I was thinking. Darn this Lymie Brain.
I'm so embarrassed
[ 05. September 2006, 12:37 PM: Message edited by: AliG ]
-------------------- Note: I'm NOT a medical professional. The information I share is from my own personal research and experience. Please do not construe anything I share as medical advice, which should only be obtained from a licensed medical practitioner. Posts: 4881 | From Middlesex County, NJ | Registered: Jul 2006
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
Welcome BLUESDOC JON to the board! Wow, you made a house call here when needed! Glad to have you aboard with your medical experience to help as needed for us, and we are here for you!
I will be sending you Jon my newbies links/advise, 16 pages after I typed this in.
Texas, so sorry to read about this. My NON-medical guess would be a severe reaction.
Mom was allergic to penicillin; and her face swelled up where she could barely talk to the MD on the phone about her immediate reaction after taking the pills. That's when she found out about being allergic to penicillin. I have a reaction too, but not like hers.
When you begin feeling like this and have all sorts of things going on, PLEASE GO TO ER. Have them check you out. I'd better be SAFE THAN SORRY even if I had no insurance!
Best wishes on feeling well soon. Bettyg
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dontlikeliver
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posted
Hello Jon,
What is the difference between a 'drug reaction' and a drug allergy? Do you mean that a 'reaction' is just an unusual and possible dangerous side effect?
DLL (dontlikeliver)
Posts: 2824 | From The Back of Beyond | Registered: Oct 2003
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quote:Originally posted by dontlikeliver: Hello Jon,
What is the difference between a 'drug reaction' and a drug allergy? Do you mean that a 'reaction' is just an unusual and possible dangerous side effect?
DLL (dontlikeliver)
Allergy implies a specific immunoglobulin response by the immune system and is generally responsive to anti-allergy drugs like epinephrine, steroids, histamine blockers, etc.
Hypersensitivity reactions can be regular allergic reactions or a different mechanism that does NOT respond well to simple medications. One example would be reactions to imagining dye (CT scans, etc). It can be simple allergy that responds to treatment or something called non-iGE mediated, which reponds to nothing but time.
A lot in this realm is not well understood and if a reaction leads one to an ER evaluation, the doc will throw darts at it. That is, the doc will assume it'll be responsive to meds and use the meds and the person will or will not improve. Generally, the life threatening drug reactions DO respond to meds.
jon
-------------------- ret ER MD (25yrs), lyme 19yr DX 6/06, guitarslinger www.LifePathGuide.com Posts: 28 | From Willits, California | Registered: Sep 2006
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Ann-OH
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dontlikeliver
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posted
Thanks for clarifying that, Jon.
I think that is what I have to Penicillin then, it is negative for the skin IgG test, but scary allergy-LIKE reaction anyway (jittery, feeling of heat/pressure in chest/palps and like going to faint, etc). Too scared to take it again, at least not for years.
DLL
Posts: 2824 | From The Back of Beyond | Registered: Oct 2003
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AliG
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posted
quote:Originally posted by Ann-OH: Anyone know how TexasChaos is doing?
I was just wondering that, myself. Ali
-------------------- Note: I'm NOT a medical professional. The information I share is from my own personal research and experience. Please do not construe anything I share as medical advice, which should only be obtained from a licensed medical practitioner. Posts: 4881 | From Middlesex County, NJ | Registered: Jul 2006
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-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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lymemomtooo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5396
posted
Chaos, hope you are better by now..
And to bluesdoc..Welcome to the board..I usually hate ER Docs..they have told my daughter that she should not be taking so much abx and that lyme, bart and babs are not even all in our area..
So it is a shock to hear from one that might have a brain..and be willing to become educated about tick borne diseases..I am excited..But also search about neurotoxins and mold..They can all cause similiar symptoms in the body and most Docs are not literate about that either..
I also beg you to try to educate any other Dr that will listen to you..You would have connections and clout..Thanks..lymemomtooo
Posts: 2360 | From SE PA | Registered: Mar 2004
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Sorry I disappeared so suddenly. My temp hit 103.5 and I started getting dizzy and nauseated and having trouble swallowing and breathing, so hubby took me to the ER yesterday.
Well, actually we tried 2 different Urgent Care centers first, but they were both "Closed For Labor Day" (Well, then how can they call themselves Urgent Care??)
The ER ducks were totally mystified and called me "medically complicated". They put me on an IV with Benadryl and morphine and Tylenol for the fever. They seemed very intrigued about the Lyme and wanted to know how and where I had been diagnosed.
They decided that I was having a bad Herx and not an allergic reaction to the Bactrim (a sulpha-drug which is a common culprit in allergic reactions). They said that although the rash and breathing problems indicated a "possible" allergy, that my high fever and other "odd" symptoms indicated otherwise.
Anyway, once the morphine hit, I didn't care. They wanted to keep me longer because my heart rate was still really high, but I talked them into discharging me around 1 am.
I e-mailed photos of the rash to my LLMD, who just got back in town after the holiday weekend, and guess what? It ain't a Herx -- it's an allergic reaction to the Bactrim! Stupid ducks coulda killed me. It's bad enough that they made me sign six pages worth of insurance and financial statements while gasping for oxygen.
Anyway, I am doing much MUCH better today and just need some time to clear this out of my system.
I just had to stop in and thank y'all for your help and advice, and you don't know how much it meant to me to see your thoughtful posts asking about me. You guys are really something.
Posts: 220 | From central TX | Registered: Jun 2005
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I was concerned for you, as everyone else was. HOpe you continue to feel better!
Get lots of rest!!!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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bettyg
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posted
Texas, thanks for checking in; you had us all worried, and rightfully so. Take care of yourself. Bettyg
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dontlikeliver
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I'm really glad you're OK. DLL
Posts: 2824 | From The Back of Beyond | Registered: Oct 2003
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AliG
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posted
Sorry you went through such a horrible ordeal!
At least the ER ducks made you more comfortable until you got over the hump and you did get through it.
Thank goodness you have your LLMD!
Remember, "This too shall pass".
Thanks for filling us in. I hope you're back in the game soon!
Ali
-------------------- Note: I'm NOT a medical professional. The information I share is from my own personal research and experience. Please do not construe anything I share as medical advice, which should only be obtained from a licensed medical practitioner. Posts: 4881 | From Middlesex County, NJ | Registered: Jul 2006
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luvs2ride
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posted
PS: Keep benedryl on hand for allergic emergencies.
I had an allergic reaction to Flagyl. After the 6th dose, my throat began to close up. This occurred slowly and at first I thought I was getting a sore throat. As soon as I took the benedryl, my throat opened back up and I was ok.
I have also had body rashes as an allergic reaction and sulfur drugs give me a migraine. So allergic reactions can vary. Usually stopping the drug is enough.
I also give benedryl to my dog as his airways will close in an allergic reaction. Rule of thumb is 25mg per 10 lb of weight.
-------------------- When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, there will be Peace. Posts: 3038 | From america | Registered: Oct 2005
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I stopped taking both abx as soon as the rash appeared. I also forgot to mention that my mouth is extremely dry, like I'm sucking cotton balls, and I have spells of chills periodically.
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