Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Paging Dr. Gregory House

Well not much sewing going on here.  I hope to get back to it this weekend.  

Please feel free to stop reading now because I really just want to vent.

Really, I'll understand.

Have a great day/evening & I'll get back to sewing or cute cats in the next post. Promise.

Oh and Remy is wonderful, made himself right at home, and loves life here.   We love him right back. Thank you for asking. You can stop reading now.  Thanks.



OK you were warned......

I hesitated to mention this ongoing, annoying, mysterious health issue I've had but thought what-the-hey, all you long-time readers have followed me through the rest of the Series of Unfortunate Events this year (yes, for all you Lemony Snicket fans I am considering changing my last name to Baudelaire).  Also, I didn't want anyone to think that my six (6!!!!!!!!!) months of bad luck had suddenly gone away.

Let me start out by saying, I have had bad luck with medical professionals in the past so I have a wary, distrust of the medical profession since childhood (except for Dr. House because he is brutally honest, makes no bones about not caring about the patient--only the puzzle of the disease, and usually figures out what is wrong with the patient in a hour. I like that.)

Since late July, I have had a weird allergic reaction to something. I have been to a dermatologist, my G.P. (twice), and a specialist in allergy & immunology.  I have been given various strengths of corticosteroids both orally, lotions, creams, and the last time a shot and each time the reaction comes back worse.  I have stopped using all my usual makeup, face stuff, shampoo, conditioner, soap, cleaning products, etc. and have rewashed everything in my house with dye/fragrance-free laundry soap (which I use anyway).

It has been extremely frustrating  because I look like an  EXTRA FROM THE WALKING DEAD!!!!! (that's a zombie apocalypse show that takes place in Atlanta for those of you who aren't up on your zombie pop culture)

Or a CHIPMUNK WITH MANGE (by-the-way Chipmunks with Mange would be a great name for a band please give me 20% of proceeds if you use this name thx.).   With a horrible non-itchy red rash everywhere and peeling dry flaky skin.

For the first few months, I got by in public OK but since the beginning of this month with not being able to use makeup (hello) and it getting worse, I have been a recluse and missed days of day-job and days at Starbucks, which is not good. I have also been very depressed and frequently despaired about this whole situation (and everything else that has happened this year...)

Skip next paragraph if you want  I digress into dangerous territory....

WARNING:  rant within a rant digression here:  [Because I now have really crappy health insurance from the state because not only do we not get performance or cost-of-living raises anymore (going on 10 years now), we also get really crappy health insurance--thank you past and now present governors.  And this has cost more money than I care to add up and yes I have to work two jobs to help pay for my crappy health care--which is going up in cost next year, and down in benefits]

DIGRESSION OVER

Today, I went the allergy/immunology specialist person who was dismayed that this hasn't gone away and said he didn't have any other ideas except for mega-doses of prednisone (again) and referred me back to the same dermatologist.  Sigh.

I am BESIDE myself with this.  A friend gave me a referral to another dermatologist that is supposed to be very good.  So I hope to get an appointment and get a &^%$#@%$^&** MIRACLE.

I really want Dr. House to be real-life doctor, although I think Hugh Laurie is pretty hot and wouldn't really want him to see me looking like a bloody zombie or chipmunk with mange so that is a quandary.  Oh he probably wouldn't be an in-network doctor anyway. Foo!

That is all. And now back to our regularly schedule cute cats & quilting.  

13 comments:

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

I really don't have any great suggestions, but I do think a doctor should not be allowed to charge you if they can't figure out what's wrong with you and have to send you else where.

I'll keep healing thoughts and prayers for you.

Tammy said...

Try going on the naturalnews.com website to see if you can find something. The Health Ranger was some wonderful information. You may want to email him. Also, have you looked at your diet (what you eat)? Try eliminating wheat and dairy products, and anything with chemicals, which is a lot of our foods. Try a raw food diet. I feel for you. Hang in there.

sewprimitive karen said...

Let me get out of the way that even though I have stopped watching House, he is gorgeous, not? How mysterious about this reaction. I take it it is not psoriasis? And no change for the time you were in Michigan? Watch it with the prednisone, I swear it almost killed me last summer.

Penny said...

You poor thing!!! I get so, so, annoyed at the doctors when they just fill their patients with chemical bandaids! We signed up for Dr. Mercola's newletters a couple of years ago and have learnt so much. You could ask for advice through their contact link and I would attached a photo of the problem (humility). His web site is: http://www.mercola.com/
Hope you find a solution to the problem soon...peeling makes me think immune system.

Sewing Junkie said...

My niece has hives and no explanation. Stress can do horrible things to you. She goes on prednisone and she sees some relief, but after it wears off she gets them again. May not be an explanation.

Penny said...

I was just telling my son about your problem and he suggested you google 'International Body Talk Association'. My son has completed the first stage of practice in Body Talk and has heard of similar problems and body swelling being healed. He said if it is immune the medication will comprise it further. We live in Australia, but apparently there are more practitioners in America than here.

dianne said...

your symptoms sound very much like my nephew's a few months ago - he owned a coffee shop in Mexico City (of all places) at the time and the docs were SURE it was COFFEE ... after isolating him from coffee and every other damn thing he and his doctors could think of, it turned out that he was allergic to dog saliva - something that allergists don't test for, for jiminey cricket's sake - go figure ... anywho, i wanted to give you a big Poor Sweet Baby and a couple of There Theres, little girlie

Cathi said...

Oh, Gretchen!!! I can totally imagine how completely frustrating this is! I hope they find the solution quickly as it must be very hard to live with. I have no useful suggestions -- just sending you cyber hugs and hope that there is a solution found soon!

Louisa said...

Try an elimination diet to see if it's food related. They've tested for all the usual allergens including the cats? Skin issue - eczema?

Unknown said...

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Unknown said...

Gretchen - check my blog! It's good (I sound like a spammer, lol...you won my giveaway!)


I also agree with Tammy - try eliminating wheat and dairy, often those are the culprit foods.

Nancy Near Philadelphia said...

HEY HEY HEY your luck is changing! You've won the give-away at Katy's blog!!!!!! I'm nearly as happy for you as if I'd won it!

My Life In Quilts said...

I'm going to go with the two previous posters and say that trying an elimination diet maybe the answer. (I usually figure out what's wrong on Mystery Diagnosis so I have some credibility, let me tell you!) Ha. Anyway, really, that might be the answer. I'm so sorry you have this problem and I hope it gets better soon. P.S.-(I too love House).