Doc Stuff

Sorry to leave you hanging... after I got back from the doc I had lunch with K, and then had a longish nap. (For some reason, I was tired.)

So, the doc told me to stop taking sudafed, and suggested trying Procardia instead. He also said we could try 'roids, but Procardia is usually handled well, and was a better way to start. He seems to think it'll go away eventually anyway, but the Procardia could make it go away faster.

While I was in, I did a little grilling. I asked about the aspirin. He said he told me to stop it mainly because I had been on it for a while, and he wanted to remove that from the possibilities. (Yay, aspirin isn't necessarily evil!)

The doc doesn't know what caused the tongue swelling (angeoedima), but the reason it was *able* to happen is because I have a C1 esterase deficiency, which is a hereditary condition. It also manifests in swollen hands (hence the check yesterday), cheeks, eyelids, and I can't remember if there was anything else.

But gee... sometimes when I walk, I get hot swollen hands (check) and sometimes also hives on my legs. When I eat things I'm allergic to sometimes my tongue (check) or cheeks (check) swell... I mostly notice when I accidentally bite them instead of my food. And then there's the fact that my eyelids have been swollen (check) for about a year now. Nothing serious, but they've been puffy, and I like it better when they aren't. Yeah, I mentioned all this to the doc after he brought it up. (I think I forgot to mention the cheeks, though. I *did* mention the hands and eyelids.) He suggested taking antihistamines before exercise (for the hands), but didn't seem all that interested in my puffy eyelids.

After leaving the doc, I went to the student health pharmacy, only to discover Procardia isn't available there. They recommended Suttons Drugs. I just called, and they don't have Procardia 10 (what my doc prescribed), but Procardia 30 runs about $70. :P

So, K and I did a little googling, and this C1 esterase deficiency sounds like some scary stuff. As soon as I'm back in Winnipeg I'm going to go in to talk to my allergist. Maybe I don't have it... the doc here is only a family doc, and hasn't done any tests. (Note to self: google to see if there are tests.)

So, anyway, that's where things stand. Tongue is still swollen, but not getting any worse. I'm going to give it time. And google.