Went in for a biopsy yesterday - Page 2

whatever22 · #41 01-11-2003, 10:33 PM

Glad your biopsy came back ok, and I'm sorry you might need shots. I don't blame you, though. IM type of shots are the worst. I hope all goes well for you with the allergist.

Magick1 · #42 01-12-2003, 12:56 AM

That is terrific news that the results turned out negative!

What a terrific message that was to receive!

**theworm**[$] · #43 01-12-2003, 08:21 AM

Rich is right! You went from worrying about a life threatening illness, to worrying about being a pin cushion for more tests. The pin cushion idea is unpleasant, but it's a whole lot better than the prospect of cancer! Let Michelle hold your hand and focus on the good news that you've had!!!!

Oh - and Eye - if you happen to read through here and get any ideas about sharing naked kid stories about your little sister - just log out instead!!!!

jankp · #44 01-12-2003, 03:01 PM

Jeff, I agree with fraz about zinc. It's a very important, essential mineral for our overall health. I know zinc/vitamin c lozenges prevent sore throats from becoming colds and zinc is a major player in wound healing. It stands to reason it would help your skin condition and allergy. Get the lozenges or pills from GNC or a pharmacy, no prescription needed. Hope you're well soon!

Jan

poseidon · #45 01-20-2003, 07:33 PM

Update: I go in on Thursday for the allergist. Michelle spoke to him today and he's agreed to let me take a Zanax before the appointment.

Michelle says I could be very entertaining on that.

**jgibson2**[$] · #46 01-20-2003, 09:15 PM

It's spelled Xanax and my husband was hysterical on it.

They gave it to him when they transported him for bypass surgery and he insisted on telling the transport people all about the presidents he's photographed (3 by that time - a 4th this year). He went on at great length about how the secret service folks treat photographers (hint, don't point a long lens at the president from close up unless they've already seen your ID). About the personalities of the various presidents he's "shot" -- it was really funny.

Be glad you're already married to Michelle. It MIGHT keep her from telling too many stories afterwards. You won't remember much.

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #47 01-20-2003, 10:59 PM

Makes me wonder what I was saying to the nurses and orderlies when I was coming out of whatever the general anesthetic was and starting to feel the morphine. I know I was talking a lot and the people around me were laughing pretty loud...

mj

sleeper54 · #48 01-20-2003, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by drmomentum
Perhaps you can arrange for Xanax. Or, better still, Versed.

Versed need not be given in an IV. It can be administered orally, rectally, or in a nasal spray.

-JP

" rectally " ??

Watch out for them dingleberries...

Me? I think I would go for one of them other 'body cavities'

...tom...

**jgibson2**[$] · #49 01-21-2003, 12:12 AM

I dunno, I think one of those versed lollipops might be just the trick. OTOH, Xanax is apparently pretty good stuff.

kidnykid · #50 01-21-2003, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jgibson2
I dunno, I think one of those versed lollipops might be just the trick. OTOH, Xanax is apparently pretty good stuff.

Oh, you mean those lollipops they give kids to put them under anesthesia for surgery? Man, there are times I wish I had one myself whenever I'd have surgery.

**drmomentum**[$] · #51 01-21-2003, 01:29 AM

These are some interesting drugs, the same ones sometimes called "date rape drugs" on the street because of their physical and psychological effect (compliance, memory loss). I was on Versed recently and I remember them turning on the drip, and then I remember coming out of it. Just like that. Apparently I was "awake" the whole time, but you just don't remember at all.

Just hope that no one around starts asking you any questions you're hiding the answers to.

-JP

ms_n · #52 01-21-2003, 04:50 AM

magenta321 · #53 01-21-2003, 07:56 AM

Xanax depends on the does it seems. I've had patients who were just a little sedated, and I've had others that were fruitloops on the stuff.

Versed on the other hand, I don't like. I've had too many patients who had adverse reactions on it. Instead of becoming sedated, they become hyperagitated. Some people, for whatever reason, have opposite reactions on it. Most of the combattive patients I've dealt with were ones with "opposite" reactions on Versed. But, this was all in MRI, and MRI really freaks some people out.

**jgibson2**[$] · #54 01-21-2003, 10:05 AM

Versed seems like overkill for MRI. I'd think Xanax or Valium would be more appropriate, but my only experience with giving the stuff is to ventilated newborns -- and our docs only use it WITH fentanyl, and then only very rarely.

My experience as a patient was much like JP's the first and third times I had it for colonoscopies. The second time (my first one post resection) I was WIDE awake. I wasn't uncomfortable, but I was so anxious going in that they'd have had to intubate me to give me enough to put me under that day. Since it was an outpatient procedure with no anesthesiologist in the room, that wasn't happening. I expect that explains your MRI patients. Versed really does nothing for anxiety -- not for me anyway. Xanax, on the other hand, does a very nice job of calming people down.

**theworm**[$] · #55 01-21-2003, 10:21 AM

I'm no expert, but if Xanax is turning people into jabbering fools, I think the dosage is a bit too high. Xanax should just calm you down, and maybe help you sleep.
It's a very effective drug - it's also an addictive drug. I'd be very wary of taking a dose that turned me into a blubbering idiot!

poseidon · #56 01-21-2003, 10:29 AM

Michelle had an ovarian cyst when we were dating that was causing her a lot of pain -- so much that her mom and I checked her into the E.R.

They gave her Xanax (I think) and she happened to be in an examination room with scenes from Bambi painted on the walls (the E.R. was busy that morning and they were apparently putting adults in the kiddie rooms).

Anyhow, the E.R. physician told me that Michelle wanted to see me, and warned me that she would be a bit loopy because of the drugs that she was on. So, I walk in the room, she looks at me, and points her finger in my direction and proclaims, BAMBI!!!!

I had a really confused look on my face and she was giggling. She then pointed just to my right and said, THUMPER!!!! -- I looked over and saw Bambi and Thumper on the walls. She then started naming all the various characters from Bambi.

Every so often I remind her of this, we get a big laugh out of it. I'm just wondering what I'm going to do in two days...

**lynnzop**[$] · #57 01-21-2003, 10:47 AM

Any chance someone can get Michelle an EA identity before Thursday? I really want to hear if Jeff is bouncy-flouncy-ing around the examination room.

Lynn

brian_igo · #58 01-22-2003, 09:58 AM

Look at the bright side. Since you had an episode before the wedding you know you're not allergic to sex.

(I can roll out Curtis' parenthood joke right now, or you can wait for the man himself.)

In all seriousness, I'm very glad to hear it wasn't cancer. I would have chimed in earlier, but I avoid H&F like the plague lest I be crushed by the guilt of missing days at the gym.

Brian

poseidon · #59 01-23-2003, 05:27 PM

Okay... I did it.

1. I did not take enough Zanax... or let me rephrase that. I took the right amount of Zanax, but the doctor's schedule was over an hour behind, so by the time they started the pricks, the Zanax had totally worn off.

2. They did 50 pricks to my back. I was not a happy camper at all.

3. Of the 50 pricks, I had an allergic reaction to 28. Of the 22 that I didn't have an allergic reaction to, at least three are false negatives. The test showed that I am not allergic to dogs (wrong, I have one, and I know for a fact that I'm allergic to him), cats (wrong, my allergies go haywire if I'm around anyone who owns a cat, let alone a cat itself) and horses (again, I've had one, I know I'm allergic). The doc said that it is possible to have false negatives and, when he looked up my nasal passages, it showed some sort of sign that I had pet allergies.

4. I'm really torqued over one of the positives -- he tested for shrimp. I knew beforehand that I was allergic to shrimp. It was the biggest and baddest reaction (my whole back felt like it was on fire and Michelle said I showed some really good blistering in that area).

5. I'm not allergic to Allegra or to Zyrtec -- or at least not any of the active ingredients in them. He said that simply wasn't possible, because neither share the same active ingredient. He did say, however, that I could still be allergic to the Zyrtec or the Allegra, because the chemicals that they use to put it into a pill form could be what's triggering the allergic reaction.

He took me off of Zyrtec for the next six weeks. He said that if my hives don't return in that time-frame, it's a good indication that I'm allergic to the bonding agent (or whatever it is). He said that he'll then put me on it and see if the reaction starts again, and if it does, we'll have our answer.

I'm now on Flonase (sp?) and he wants me to take liquid Benadryl every day before bedtime to treat my general allergies.

I've also been prescribed an epipen (sp?) which is supposed to be used if I ever get in contact with shrimp, mango, or anything else that would give me an anaphalactic (again sp?) reaction.

kidnykid · #60 01-23-2003, 08:01 PM

Remember to keep that epi pen (epi is short for epinephrine) handy at all times (literally), just in case. You never know when you will get into contact with something that puts you into anaphylactic (the correct spelling) shock.

I understand that most modern X-ray dyes do not use iodine, but if you are asked if you are allergic to shellfish just before an X-ray requiring an injection, tell them you are. That's important, too. Again, it won't happen most of the time with modern X-rays and stuff but if it does, be honest.

**jgibson2**[$] · #61 01-23-2003, 08:38 PM

Did the allergist KNOW you were allergic to shrimp before the test? If so, why bother with that one?

I guess he has his reasons.

Kidnykid is right about the xray tests. Some of the dyes use iodine, most don't. There are nearly always alternatives. My husband is very much allergic to shrimp, so when he had his cardiac catheterizations, they gave him amazingly high doses of benadryl and also gave him steroids. He didn't have any problems with that. He also, thank God, had no problem with the second cardiac cath for which he was premedicated almost exclusively with Xanax and was so busy talking about the Secret Service that he forgot to tell them he was allergic to shrimp. It was a different cardiologist, so he couldn't be expected to know.

poseidon · #62 01-24-2003, 11:36 AM

Yes. The doctor knew up front that I was allergic to shrimp. In fact, when he looked at the blisters on my back where he did the shrimp prick and said so, I said "I told you so and I was wondering why my back was on fire" and he said he was testing to make sure.

The doctor also gave me the same story about the EpiPen -- which is one of the two reasons that he prescribed two of them to me.

He suggested that Michelle carry one and that I carry one. That way, if one of us forgets, the other has it.

Secondly, he said that since these are one-use remedies, he didn't want me to use one and then need a second one before I could get medical attention and get another EpiPen.

suzer · #63 01-24-2003, 12:34 PM

Wow, well, here's hoping it is just an irritating allergic reaction.