It sucks growing old

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

[Mrich]

I spent Friday afternoon and evening in an emergency room with my sister. She has been sick since MLK day - strep, ear infection, that cough/cold that's going around... you name it. (She's 64 and a special ed teacher, and is exposed to EVERYTHING.) Since she was experiencing vertigo, I drove her to see her primary care doctor, who said "you might be having a stroke" and sent us to the ER. I hadn't noticed because I had just picked her up and driven her to the appointment and hadn't taken a good look at her, but her right side of her mouth and right eye were drooping.

Luckily, it wasn't a stroke; she was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy. They gave her a script for steroids, eye drops, something for congestion, and told her to tape her eye closed at night so her eye wouldn't dry out and cause cornea damage. Inconvenient, but infinitely better than a stroke!

My sister finally got in with a ENT doctor who diagnosed her with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which is caused by the chickenpox virus.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsay_Hu ... ome_type_2

About a year ago my 92 year old mother developed shingles (which I have mentioned in this thread caused some dementia) which is also caused by the same virus. My mother had the old shingles vaccination; my sister had not had either.

I cannot recommend the Shingrix vaccination enough!

Oh, and short update: my dad - along with about 30% of the residents in his memory care facility - got COVID. Luckily he was fully vaxxed and they immediately gave him the antiviral stuff; he is more tired than normal but is otherwise doing fine.

[AndyinPA]

Thanks for the update.

I'm sorry about your dad and sister. I hope your sister has a good outcome. I never heard of it.

[Mrich]

...I hope your sister has a good outcome. I never heard of it.

I have never heard of it either. The doctor told my sister "don't google it" but I did - and apparently Justin Bieber had it last May. The pictures he posted look a lot like what my sister's face looked like.

(I just checked my profile - my "most active topic" is this topic. I am so glad to have this forum to vent on. Seems like my entire life since COVID is dealing with sick relatives. I also help with my local Meals On Wheels so I know how lucky I am, which helps keep it in perspective.)

[Slim Cognito]

…
Oh, and short update: my dad - along with about 30% of the residents in his memory care facility - got COVID. Luckily he was fully vaxxed and they immediately gave him the antiviral stuff; he is more tired than normal but is otherwise doing fine.

My dance troupe performs at a lot of nursing homes, and one of our shows this coming week has been canceled because of a Covid outbreak. It’s pretty bad here in Florida and I am seeing people wearing masks. Maybe more than the first time around.

[AndyinPA]

For the third time in three months, landed in the ER yesterday. The A-fib got me this time. Started Thursday night, but wouldn't stop. It's unpleasant and uncomfortable, but so far not really painful. My heart was racing when I went in, but eased up on its own after a few hours. Now on another drug for it. This is getting tiresome.

[jemcanada2]

For the third time in three months, landed in the ER yesterday. The A-fib got me this time. Started Thursday night, but wouldn't stop. It's unpleasant and uncomfortable, but so far not really painful. My heart was racing when I went in, but eased up on its own after a few hours. Now on another drug for it. This is getting tiresome.

[p0rtia]

[bill_g]

For the third time in three months, landed in the ER yesterday. The A-fib got me this time. Started Thursday night, but wouldn't stop. It's unpleasant and uncomfortable, but so far not really painful. My heart was racing when I went in, but eased up on its own after a few hours. Now on another drug for it. This is getting tiresome.

Which drug - the one where you work in the nursery, or the one where you go hiking? Don't they have one where you eat pizza*, or open gifts all day?

(referring to TV drug commercials)
(of course)

* not cauliflower crust pizza. No thank you. I think that is Dante's Tenth Ring.

[keith]

* not cauliflower crust pizza. No thank you. I think that is Dante's Tenth Ring.

WTF IZZAT?

That sounds more abominable than pineapple on a pizza. At least pineapple is edible.

[bill_g]

* not cauliflower crust pizza. No thank you. I think that is Dante's Tenth Ring.

WTF IZZAT?

That sounds more abominable than pineapple on a pizza. At least pineapple is edible.

Thankfully Oz has been spared the horror of no carb diets. It has spawned some terrifying and awful recipes.

[johnpcapitalist]

Which drug - the one where you work in the nursery, or the one where you go hiking? Don't they have one where you eat pizza*, or open gifts all day?

(referring to TV drug commercials)
(of course)

* not cauliflower crust pizza. No thank you. I think that is Dante's Tenth Ring.

Agree completely.

In the early days of COVID, people cleaned out the freezer section of Trader Joe's as soon as new stock came in... Except for the cauliflower pizza crusts. Clearly, most people would rather risk their kids starving to death in a pandemic than serve them... that.

[sugar magnolia]

* not cauliflower crust pizza. No thank you. I think that is Dante's Tenth Ring.

WTF IZZAT?

That sounds more abominable than pineapple on a pizza. At least pineapple is edible.

Thankfully Oz has been spared the horror of no carb diets. It has spawned some terrifying and awful recipes.

So has vegan.

[Maybenaut]

I was in the ER again yesterday. I had another allergic reaction. We went to my favorite Mexican restaurant and I had chicken tacos. Chicken. Flour Tortilla. Salsa. That’s it. There must have been some cross-contamination.

About an hour after I ate I got a stomach ache. That’s a common symptom with alpha gal, but also common with spicy food. Then my hands started to itch and I realized it was an allergic reaction. I took pepcid and benadryl, which can often head off a serious reaction, but a half hour later my tongue started to swell. I had my husband jab me with the epipen and we headed to the ER.

Since I already had benadryl and epi, they only gave me more pepcid and a steroid by IV and kept me for an hour and a half.

They sprung me in time to make my singing gig out in Lost River, WV.

I have to say, I’m getting pretty sick of this shit.

[AndyinPA]

[jemcanada2]

[June bug]

to everyone!!

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

[bill_g]

for Maybe.

My annual checkup is coming up. This is a reminder for me to ask about a couple rapid onset reactions I've had.

The latest one was last Monday or Tuesday after lunch. Within a half hour of eating, my scalp started to itch really bad. Then my face broke out in spots. That progressed downward. I swallowed some Benadryl caplets, took a couple huffs on an inhaler, and then headed to the bathroom to peel off clothes to apply hot water everywhere. I finished with dabs of Benadryl gel and cortisone on all the welts.

It took about a half hour to get it under control. By that time all the Benadryl was kicking in making me very sleepy. I put fresh clothes on, and then had a solid three hour nap. I'm going to write this up, and have it with me during my appointment.

[pipistrelle]

What did you eat?

[bill_g]

A half sammich of swiss, lettuce, and onion on WW with mayo and a touch of mustard. Never had a problem before.

[Maybenaut]

A half sammich of swiss, lettuce, and onion on WW with mayo and a touch of mustard. Never had a problem before.

ask them to check you for Alpha gal. It might not have been what you just ate, but what you ate earlier in the day. Reactions to Alpha gal are generally 6 to 8 hours after you eat. They detect it by doing a blood test. It’s worth ruling out. also, allergic reactions on your head are very, very dangerous. You can’t feel your throat close up. If that happens to you again, go to the ER. I guarantee you, that would not be an overreaction.

And get them to give you an epi-pen!

[bill_g]

So has vegan.

Portland actually has a good vegan scene especially if you like Pan-Asian food. The Vietnamese and Cambodian communities have plenty of native vegans, and they know how to cook. Wow. You won't go away hungry, and not all of it involves hot peppers.

As always, my basic rules apply - don't eat food from Earth Mothers in Prairie dresses, people with big hair, or people with a lot of tattoos and/or facial metal.

[bill_g]

Agree completely.

In the early days of COVID, people cleaned out the freezer section of Trader Joe's as soon as new stock came in... Except for the cauliflower pizza crusts. Clearly, most people would rather risk their kids starving to death in a pandemic than serve them... that.

Ha! I recall a similar thing happening here. You knew exactly what the public thought by what was left on the shelves.

[bill_g]

A half sammich of swiss, lettuce, and onion on WW with mayo and a touch of mustard. Never had a problem before.

ask them to check you for Alpha gal. It might not have been what you just ate, but what you ate earlier in the day. Reactions to Alpha gal are generally 6 to 8 hours after you eat. They detect it by doing a blood test. It’s worth ruling out. also, allergic reactions on your head are very, very dangerous. You can’t feel your throat close up. If that happens to you again, go to the ER. I guarantee you, that would not be an overreaction.

And get them to give you an epi-pen!

I didn't see this yesterday. Good advice. It's in my notes to the Dr now. Thank you!