Lisinopril...
...is an ACE inhibitor used to tread hypertension and other heart related issues.I took my first dose at 6:PM on Thursday. By 11:00AM on Friday I started going into anaphylactic shock. It started with my upper lip swelling up on the right side. An hour later on my way to the MD's the entire lip was the size of a small yellow squash. MD wouldn't touch me (chicken shit; you gave me this crap) so they sent me across the way to the Urgent Care ER. Got right in, hooked up to IV's in each arm, two shots in the buttocks whilst some PA extolled on about the need for me to go to the "BIG" ER for further treatment and 8 hours of observation. In no uncertain terms I told them there was no chance in hell that was happening.
So two hours later, armed with three scripts and a feeling that my head was going to explode, I hopped in my truck with brother driving and his son following and made my trek home, via a stop at the pharmacy. This pic was taken around 7PM last night. Lower lip catching up and cheeks so swollen that within an hour my eyes were swollen shut.
I made a conscious effort two months ago to be more proactive in watching over my health. That ended yesterday. I went 28 years without going to a primary care physician and I never had to deal with all the shit I have since that time. All drug related. Hell, I've been able to keep prostate cancer at bay, on my own, for five years. So if you are under the care of someone that has taken the Hippocratic oath, RUN as fast as your ass will take you.
I'd like to say that things have improved this morning, but alas, they haven't. So I'm off to fill these cheeks with acorns. I should be able to pack in enough to get me through the winter.
posted by GalacticallyStupid at 9:29 AM
11 Comments:
"Got right in, hooked up to IV's in each arm, two shots in the buttocks whilst some PA extolled on about the need for me to go to the "BIG" ER for further treatment and 8 hours of observation. In no uncertain terms I told them there was no chance in hell that was happening."
I'm going to chide you gently now and...
...no, this ain't gonna be gentle. Are you trying to live up to the title of your blog??
I have dealt with patients that had your problem (angioedema, a known complication of ACE inhibitors, and sadly, hard to predict), and the normal methods of treating anaphylaxis usually do not work. I've seen people with tongues so large that they blocked the airway, and the only recourse was to do a tracheotomy to save their life. I can say with a fair amount of certainty that your local EMS probably doesn't have the drugs and capabilites to deal with this problem.
In other words, your refusal to go to the ER for observation was...Galactically Stupid.
Be proactive about your health, but show some common sense, too!
AD - That was somewhat part of the post. I was being self-referentially inconsistent. Be that as it may, I was playing the odds. I knew the chance of the angioedema striking my tongue and airway was high, but I was banking on the fact that I wasn't going to let it happen. My line of reasoning was this; it looked like it wanted to settle in my mouth and nowhere else. So I played the odds. Bad call? Not as it turns out. But damned if these lips don't hurt like a bitch.
As far as being proactive, I'm reverting back to my old pattern. I didn't see a GP for 28 years but was chided into go seeing one. I've had nothing but problems since then. I will stick with going to my URO and dermatologist. Those other fuckers are just quacks.
Yeah, good idea. The small ones. Yummy. n the meantime, anyone got any ideas how to get rid of the pain as these suckers go down. Damn they hurt!!
I'm no doctor, but my daughter has something very similar happen specifically to her upper lip when she's exposed to organic solvents (formaldehyde, etc.), and a good dose of benadryl (OTC pill form) seems to stop it and the lip "deflates" over the next 24 to 48 hours. If yours hasn't stopped swelling, buddy, you do need to got to an ER. Hope it gets better soon.
Joe - I'm taking my prednisone and benadryl and, for some reason, the Zantac they gave me. Not sure what that is for. Swelling is going down but lower hip hurts like a bitch from all the lost skin I have. I'll survive, but thanks for the input. Most appreciated.
Sweet Cracker Sandwich!!!!!
I was just going to comment on how painful that must be. I can only hope that some seriously good chapstick (NOT MEDICATED) would help with the skin on the lips. Guh! you poor thing!
Thanks SG - As it turns out the swelling was so bad that it cut off the blood to the capillaries to the cells behind my lips so now I have none and have to regrow them. Not a very fun thing to go through.
I AM ACTUALLY SPEECHLESS......GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR LIPS!!!
Ho.Lee.Shit.
Have had allergic reactions that wound up with the same treatment that you got, but in my case it was 4 shots in the hip.
Man, good luck avoiding those guys. First, I agree with AD up there, don't live up to the title of your blog.
Second, as you age, the bod betrays you. No sh*t man. Glad about your handling the big C.... pay attention to what you hear but always double and triple check. Not all of those MD guys could possibly have been first in the class.
Yeah, the older I get the older the body gets. Funny how that works. I'm no expert. Far from it, but I do my research and I didn't feel the need to go to the ER. As far as the big "C" goes, I lowered my PSA from 3.2 to 1.2. That shit don't happen in most cases.
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