Winny Dough Girl

Triumph Over Adversity!

Today I am dealing with the aftermath of my mammalian meat catastrophe of yesterday evening.  My brother told me this morning, yes - that WAS pork.  He didn't even think to tell me and I didn't even think to ask.   Only a teaspoonful or so of meat and about a half cup of rice and vegetables that had touched it and I had hours and hours of pain and misery.  Thanks heavens I had already been loaded up on antihistimines so it didn't get out of control!

This is what happens to me once my body decides it is going to react to something.  Each time the reaction is to smaller and smaller amounts and the reaction is more extreme.  I am hivey all over tonight with small hives, and my digestive system is still having episodes of angioedema and spikes of extreme pain.  My face and body are puffy and my nose and the insides of my ears are slightly swollen and my eyes are all scratchy.  I wish that I could just put myself through a wringer washer and squish everything out!  I feel all puffy like the Pillsbury Dough Boy, but I don't want anyone to poke me in The Belly.  It's mad enough at me right now without aggravating it further!

My blood tests came back with good news - no infection no elevated amylase or lipase, so no matter how awful The Belly is treating me it is not really out of kelter.  The nausea/vomitting are still ongoing, this is now at least five days into this.  All I ate today were some caffeinated beverages to keep going and a cup of boiled rice with some non-fat milk on it.  I will just have to be extra cautious since I gave it some delicious pork to digest and it didn't want to cooperate.

I sent some of my digestive enzymes I take for chronic pancreatitis off to the University of Virginia for analysis to make sure it is OK for me to keep taking them.   I contacted them to see if any people with the alpha-gal allergy had problems with digestive enzymes.  They are made from "porcine proteins" or in other words PORK.  The brand I was using (Panges) did not break me out in hives like another brand (Creon) did, so it may just be something in the manufacturing process and not the pork that is causing me issues, but I would rather check it out.  I ordered some vegetarian enzymes from a company another chronic pancreatitis sufferer recommended.  However, they are very expensive when you have to purchase OTC and they are not regulated by the FDA for quality or content.  There are no manufacturers of vegetarian digestive enzymes currently approved by the FDA for prescription strength therapy.  Life just gets more and more complicated.

I have an appointment on Monday to see the nurse practioner for Young Dr. Kildare the neurologist.  I guess I won't get to see kindly Dr. Welby again.  Now another level of doctoring to jump through and another neurologist I will have to endure.  Dr. Welby was such a keeper!  Maybe Dr. Kildare will be a keeper too, and the nurse practitioner.  I generally get along pretty well with NP's, just have no experience with the one at this neuro practice.  I don't hold much hope for help, as I just keep getting passed on from doctor to doctor to doctor.  This is now going onto my sixth year of having these continuing issues post radiation therapy.

I don't know if there is anything they can do for The Legs but I am willing to try almost anything.  I balk at the monitored biofeedback for "voiding" control and pelvic pain issues simply because it sounds very painful.  I am also not wanting to do physical therapy for pelvic pain, simply because when it gets going it is like this month - weeks to get it calmed down.  Before this year I could keep on motoring, buckle down and keep going, but I either just don't have the will power left or the pain tolerance I once did or the pain has just increased beyond my limits.  Maybe its all three - well, probably its all three - let's make that most certainly its all three.

The Headache is not good today but I am so pleased I was able to keep it in the bounds of non-emergency room worthy pain mostly utilizing the occipital stimulator, heat pads, and ice packs.  WooHoo!!!   This is the silver lining for my cloudy week.

I am pain medication free but I may take a Soma pill this evening without the narcotics.  I am like the walking dead in my zombified state today.  Must....get....sleep.....soon!!!  I am still plenty jiggly twitchy from yesterday so sleep will not come easily tonight.  Sigh.  But if tomorrow is as good as today and I behaving myself over the weekend I can see myself returning to work next week.  Yeah!!!