Just a little bump...but watch your step!

I finished off the prednisone and actually didn't do as bad as I thought I was going to. Some slight swelling in my legs and I was having some stomach pain that made it difficult to eat.  The first few days coming off of it was slightly miserable.  It is hard to explain the feeling, my head just felt like it was full of helium, I guess you could say an "air head"...just an odd uncomfortable feeling.  It took about 4 days, then got better.

I had the post ER follow up with the oncologist on July 30. He asked why I was there...? Ummmm.....because they told me to?  Because going to the cancer center and ER is my idea of fun! I'm being sarcastic, just in case you didn't figure that one out.  I replied that I had an allergic reaction after taking the Arimidex, which he was well aware of because the ER doctor had called and told him. He asked me a few questions regarding my reaction to the medication and said that was a very unusual......REALLY?!!!  Gosh... I have NEVER heard THAT before ( sorry more sarcasm)  Of course, it was probably all in my head, or that is what he told me during our first visit.  So anyway, I told him that although I didn't tolerate the Tamoxifen 8 years ago, I would be willing to give it a try.  I figured my body and hormones had changed, so my tolerance may be higher. 

The nurse gave me 7 pills in an unmarked lab ziplock bag.  Mike dropped me off at home and headed back to work.  I decided to go ahead and start the Tamoxifen. Hailey was home and I have to say she wasn't very happy about me trying a new med.  I guess she doesn't like to go on field trips to the ER.

I took the tamoxifen and within minutes my tongue started to feel like it had pins poking it and I started having difficulty breathing.  Luckily this time I had the chewable Benadryl, I immediately took one and two regular Benadryl.  I called Lyster's office and talked to the nurse and told her that I had a reaction to the Tamoxifen and that I had taken the Benadryl. She said to go to the ER it got worse... all I could think of is I'm not paying another $150 unless I'm near death.  The look I got from Hailey was enough to keep me breathing.  

I had to use the inhaler a couple times, but I think I caught it soon enough that it wasn't horrible. I was having some difficulty breathing, but I could still talk (and argue), so I figured I would just keep on top of it and hopefully it would get better.   After thinking about how immediate the reaction was compared to the Arimidex, I wondered if they accidentally (or not) gave me Arimidex?  I have the Epocrates app, so I looked them up...definitely Tamoxifen...and guess what? Breathing difficulties are very "rare".  What a surprise.  Only problem was that it can stay in your system for 4 days...and it did.  Should I have gone to the ER or urgent care?  Yes, probably.  I tried calling my primary care doctor to see if maybe I needed to go on more steroids. They told me to call the oncologist since they put me on the damn medicine, they can deal with it (not their exact words,but implied) and my regular doctor was out of the office. I figured they would just send me to the ER, so I self medicated for the next couple days with Allegra, Benadryl, my inhaler, and some essential oils that seemed to help.

I was feeling better a couple days ago...until I decided to eat a mini Almond Joy candy bar, which I guess I am now allergic to.  The last couple of days have been interesting.  Food that I was never allergic to or may have had a very slight reaction to in the past have started to cause wheezing and difficulty breathing.  It makes eating a challenge.  I've been taking Allegra for preventive measures and keeping the Benadryl close by.  I also asked my primary doctor for an EpiPen, which she called in to my pharmacy, so I now have that.  They give you a "dummy" pen and I was trying to show Mike how to use it.  He scares me... I really hope he doesn't ever get the chance to use it on me.

So Mike and I are heading up to Phoenix today.  My appointment with Banner is tomorrow.  I'm not sure what to expect.  Another medication? Surgery? Radiation? Some days I still think that this can't be happening to me again. The one thing that is hard to take is that I felt pretty good until I started getting treatment to make me "better".  I do know that the next time they give me a medication, I am going to sit in their office when I take it. So there!