sick sick sick!
so after an agonizing weekend where my joints ached so bad i could hardly walk and my fingers were so swollen i had to lotion up my hand and twist my rings off...
i went to urgent care saturday morning with the above symptoms. the doc there said i probably had a virus. rest, liquids, the usual. he gave me a scrip for some sort of anti-flu drug and sent me home, and told me to follow up with my family doctor monday if i wasn't any better yet.
saturday and sunday were horrible. i mostly laid on the couch or the bed and held back bathroom visits until the last possible minute because standing and sitting were unbearably painful. steve got me motrin on saturday and i must have taken 12 with only mild relief in my knees and no relief in my hands. my fingers swelled to the point that i had trouble turning doorknobs and opening bottles of water- steve had to do it for me (god bless that man).
so i called off work this morning and called my doctor's office right away and they said they could get me in at 9. steve made me swear not to drive so i called his mom and she came and got me and took me to the office, which is also her family doctor. i actually felt a little silly going in because immediately after i made the appointment, my knees and ankles started to feel better. i walk with a slight limp now instead of hobbling and my wrists have a little more flexibility. but my fingers are still painful and stiff and the skin is tight from the swelling (i'm typing very slowly today- hunt and peck which i hate)
but in the end i'm glad i went in. i apparently have "serum sickness" which is an allergy to a virus. i wouldn't have thought of is as an allergy since i've never had one, so i'm not familiar with symptoms or anything. the doctor gave me a steroid scrip and told me to take benedryl and absolutely not to go back to work until at least wednesday. that's sort of dependent on the swelling in my fingers going down, since right now i can't hold a pen without wanting to cry. he said it's good that i'm starting to improve on my own, and i'm not contagious, but if the swelling is not down by wednesday i have to go back in to see him.
i just came out of my first benedryl-induced coma and thought i'd update. going back to bed now.
i went to urgent care saturday morning with the above symptoms. the doc there said i probably had a virus. rest, liquids, the usual. he gave me a scrip for some sort of anti-flu drug and sent me home, and told me to follow up with my family doctor monday if i wasn't any better yet.
saturday and sunday were horrible. i mostly laid on the couch or the bed and held back bathroom visits until the last possible minute because standing and sitting were unbearably painful. steve got me motrin on saturday and i must have taken 12 with only mild relief in my knees and no relief in my hands. my fingers swelled to the point that i had trouble turning doorknobs and opening bottles of water- steve had to do it for me (god bless that man).
so i called off work this morning and called my doctor's office right away and they said they could get me in at 9. steve made me swear not to drive so i called his mom and she came and got me and took me to the office, which is also her family doctor. i actually felt a little silly going in because immediately after i made the appointment, my knees and ankles started to feel better. i walk with a slight limp now instead of hobbling and my wrists have a little more flexibility. but my fingers are still painful and stiff and the skin is tight from the swelling (i'm typing very slowly today- hunt and peck which i hate)
but in the end i'm glad i went in. i apparently have "serum sickness" which is an allergy to a virus. i wouldn't have thought of is as an allergy since i've never had one, so i'm not familiar with symptoms or anything. the doctor gave me a steroid scrip and told me to take benedryl and absolutely not to go back to work until at least wednesday. that's sort of dependent on the swelling in my fingers going down, since right now i can't hold a pen without wanting to cry. he said it's good that i'm starting to improve on my own, and i'm not contagious, but if the swelling is not down by wednesday i have to go back in to see him.
i just came out of my first benedryl-induced coma and thought i'd update. going back to bed now.