Hives

song-chasing pavements

Hives!  Yikes! 
I can't even post a picture of some of the hives I found on google...so gross!

Clayton left on Tuesday and Thursday I started getting HIVES and huge stomach pains!  Not sure why, it was definitely a mystery?  Finally had time to relax and not worry and I end up with hives? 

 Was it the stress of everything? Was I more worried about my son than I thought?  Was it because of the chemo? 

I ended up in emergency Thursday evening and they gave me morphine (thank god for that, wish I could take that home) and some Benedryl which I had already taken at home. 

They did a Cat scan and could not find anything wrong.  But they did do blood work and found that my white blood cell count was over 34 thousand. The emergency Dr. thought that was really high and thought that was why I was having hives.  So the only thing we could think of was that I was having a reaction to a shot my chemo Dr gives the day after chemo called Nuelesta. 

 It helps boost your bone marrow and your white cell count.  So the emergency Dr. sent me home because there was not much they could do. 

So Friday morning I saw the chemo Dr (his assistant and he said if I was going to have a reaction it would be a week later.  Which was exactly to the day. But of course he thought it was just stress!!!!  So he prescribed Prednisone which seem to make it worse and then back in the emergency I went.  They gave me that shot they give you when you are allergic to bees which gave some comfort.  My thinking was if you can't get rid of these hives, then please give me something to knock me out till they pass!!!!

The emergency Dr. prescribed Hydroxyzine which worked...YEAH!   I did have hives for four days and by Sunday found relief!!!

Question?  What caused the hives?  Well, chemo lowers your resistance to germs and infection.

Last night (Wednesday) I did the same thing I did the night I got hives.  I put some  new neosporin on my boo boos and

had El Pollo Loco for dinner (salad, taquito,and a chicken leg)

Yum!

and then couple hours later started getting itchy?  I've had El Pollo Loco for dinner before and nothing has happened.  Of course I'm going to rule out the food:)  So it either has to be the neosporin or the shot of Nuelasta?

I will do a test tonight and try the neosporin and see what happens?  Pray I don't get the itchies!!!  Or actually maybe I do want them...cause I really like El Pollo Loco!

So who knows why, but tonight I will get some answers I will try the neosporin and if nothing happens tomorrow I will have El Pollo Loco and if nothing happens, my guess it was a reaction to the

shot. 

Oh... by the way this is what my bathroom counter looks like!  How do old people keep track of all their meds? :)  I've actually done really well thru this whole process (besides losing the hair thing) and hopefully this will be the worst of it!

What is Neulasta?

Neulasta (pegfilgrastim) is a colony stimulating factor. It is a man-made form of a protein (amino acid) that stimulates the bone marrow and promotes the growth of white blood cells called neutrophils in your body. White blood cells help your body fight against infection.

Neulasta is used to prevent neutropenia, a lack of certain white blood cells caused by receiving chemotherapy.

Neulasta may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Neulasta:

Bone or joint pain; constipation; muscle pain.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Neulasta:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; dizziness; fast heartbeat; increased sweating; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue; unusual hoarseness); fast breathing; fever; left-sided shoulder tip pain; left-sided upper stomach pain; a lump, swelling, or bruising at the injection site; severe or persistent bone, chest, joint, or stomach pain; shortness of breath; swelling of the hands, feet, arms, or legs; wheezing.