zeptember

I have a pet peeve.

When I am telling someone about how bad my recent virus-turned-lung infection is, and that person says, “but have you tried Mucinex?” And I respond with “No”, it annoys the living piss out of me when said person gives me a look that says I have utterly failed as a person and worse, that I have brought this worsening of the condition upon myself.

I know that this person has no idea that the last time I tried Mucinex, my face wanted to explode. This person has no idea that doctors kept pushing the Mucinex on me and that in January, 2009, I gave it another try just to say I did it - to prove them wrong.
This person doesn’t know that I ended up having to go on antibiotics again, anyway, because Mucinex makes it all worse for me. Either I have tiny ducts or really thick constantly inflamed mucus in my sinus cavities, or both. Mucinex, which is guaifenesin, is supposed to thin the mucus enough to allow it to exit the sinus cavities more freely. It never works that way on me. The stuff gets thinned out in the sinus cavities, but builds up like a pressure cooker, because the ducts themselves are either too narrow or easily blocked.

Yes, I’ve tried Mucinex. It doesn’t work for me. Yes, I drink enough liquids. I’ve been on soup, tea, electrolyte water and occasionally Lemon Ginger Echinacea juice constantly for two full weeks, now.

I didn’t have all of this history in my head to recite back to the person who gave me a dirty look for not taking Mucinex. I just know that I shouldn’t take it. That was enough for this person to judge me - to think that I wasn’t doing all I could do to take care of myself, or worse, making excuses to seek pity for my illness.

So I am laying out my history here for myself and for others. The person who judged me today won’t even know or care what I’m talking about come Monday if I try to recite all this back to her - people judge and move on to other things and forget.
I’m the one taking it personally. I’m the one trying to prove myself to others every time they give me that look and say, “yes but have you tried…?”
But what happens every time - is that I get all crazy trying to PROVE MYSELF, to PROVE A POINT, and to SHOW THEM THEY’RE WRONG - and who gets hurt out of it?
ME!

So I get just a wee bit touchy. Just keep your goddamned advice to yourself, OR if you really really think I need to hear your advice or hear about some latest drug or remedy, DON’T give me that look when I say I can’t take that drug or remedy.
Take me at face value. Don’t make me feel like I have to go and prove myself to you. Don’t make me justify my reasons. You can take what I say on its own and be satisfied that I know what the hell I’m talking about, or you can go shove a hot poker up your ass. And leave me the hell alone.

That’s what the reality of the story was - not food allergies but viruses. I went from being bedridden the last week of January/first week of February, and on February 5 while walking to dinner, I had declared how wonderful it was to be alive and walking with my husband again. And BAM within an hour I was sick with what the doctor later said was enterovirus.

The enterovirus took me down hard. I never had so much diarrhea in my life - and within a span of 3 days. I could not eat anything more than soup, tea and banana mush for a week straight. I found out that the Cream of Rice was making my fingers split open, so I cursed it and stopped using it. I don’t care if it says Gluten Free on the package - I call cross-contamination and won’t use B&G brand ever again.

My fingers cleared up within 48 hours of no longer eating Cream of Rice.

By Friday, February 12, I once again declared I was feeling better. I had gone back to work and worked Feb 10, 11, 12.
By Friday night however, I had a lot of sinus drainage and was sneezing a lot.

By Saturday, February 13, a full on respiratory tract infection was now at play. My head felt full of rubber cement, yet my right nostril had a continuous thick leak of goo. Despite that, I rode my bicycle to run some errands, and went out into the cold night air for a local zombie-themed pub crawl. I endured cigarette smoke at the bars (ppl smoking in the doorways and smoke coming inside), which of course did not help. I blew my nose all night.
Saturday or Sunday I’d called the doctor’s office, and the on-call doctor called me back. He said that I likely caught a secondary virus, that it wouldn’t be a continuation of the enterovirus. He said there was nothing to be done except pain meds, neti pot, salt soaks, and a heating pad to my face. We had talked about over the counter (OTC) remedies - I can’t take most of them because of various side effects. The doctor told me the sinus infection was likely not bacterial and to just keep doing what I was doing.

On Sunday I was bedridden all day. I thought I was getting strep throat, my throat was so sore. I had a pounding sinus headache. Both ears plugged up; I had really bad left ear pain, and droning engine noise in head. I did the neti pot, huffed salt water, drank lots of tea and soup and water all day. Other than that, I didn’t eat much. Running fever up to 100°F - it was up and down all day.

On Monday, February 16, I was bedridden half the day. I had another pounding sinus headache. Both ears plugged up and I had really bad left ear pain. Mucus strained with blood when I cleaned out my nose with the neti pot. I also huffed salt water, drank lots of tea and soup and water all day. I had spicy Thai chicken dish for late lunch and again for late dinner (leftovers). I took one tylenol 3 and felt better for awhile, then congestion returned and both nostrils plugged up again. Running fever up to 100°F - it was up and down all day.

On Tuesday, I went to the doctor. Still getting blood spatter in the nose goo. Doctor confirmed I still had a fever - it was 99.4°F I think - and the doctor said yeah, I have a sinus infection alright. She heard out my medical history (had chronic sinus infections all through childhood thanks to living with a pack-a-day smoker in an industrial part of town), and decided to put me on antibiotics.

I was back in the doctor’s office again on Wednesday, February 17, because I’d tried to go back to work that morning. The chilly morning air and the thick fog made my lungs ache badly and it became hard for me to breathe. I looked pasty white. I barely fixed my hair to go to work, I was so sick. I turned right around and came back home because my lungs hurt so bad and I was having trouble breathing. I was able to get into the doctor’s office at noon that day, and saw a different doctor. She listened to my heart and lungs. She said I have ‘junk’ in my lungs, and that I was wheezing. She gave me my first ever albuterol treatment (nebulizer delivery).
Although it cleared my lungs and made for velvety smooth breathing for the next six and a half hours, the ingredients in the albuterol treatment also made me very light headed, gave me tremors, and removed my ability to concentrate. I darted my eyes and head around and had anxiety all day long. I told the doctor I can’t work in that state, and that the treatment is no better than the illness itself. I opted to stay home another day.

When I got back home, I found Alameda County Industries vehicles all over the intersection near my home. They were shoveling a sand like material onto a spill of some sort, which was all up and down two streets and filled the intersection. I saw a garbage or recycle truck with its hazard lights on. I went over to the working men and asked if it was hydraulic fluid that had spilled. They said it was. They assured me that the sand they were putting down was harmless, and was like ‘kitty litter’.

Please google hydraulic fluid toxicity to learn more, and also check out a news story about a woman who died after a similar accident.

I have also uploaded photos here. My lips were stinging when I got back into the house last night after taking pictures. I should have worn a mask of course. Of course.

I shed all my clothes in the kitchen and put them in a garbage bag. I took a shower immediately.

Last night I filed complaint with the Alameda Department of Public Works and the City Clerk’s office for Boards and Commissions. This morning, following Susie Collins’ advice, I phoned up the police department to make sure they’d been notified. They said they had, and seemed indifferent to me. They routed me over to the fire department, where I was told I’d get a call back. I got a voicemail saying they’d send someone over to check out the street, but I didn’t see anyone come by in a Fire Department uniform or vehicle.

At 3pm today, I received the following email:

Good afternoon,

Guy Martinez Safety Manger

I sent an email back to Mr. Martinez, asking for specifics on the hydraulic fluid; “Thank you for your response. Can you tell me what type of hydraulic fluid had spilled, aside from it being ‘premium’? Was it mineral oil, organophosphate ester, or polyalphaolefin?”

And now I wait.

That brings us up to Thursday - today. I’m home, still on antibiotics, still getting painful ears plugging up, still filling the waste basket with snotty tissues…and avoiding going outside to save my life.

Edit:

Today I got another answer from the ACI guy regarding the hydraulic fluid spill:

Good morning it is a petroleum-based mineral oil, have a good day guy.

Well, since I didn’t get a brand name or anything, I turned to google and found a MSDS for a petroleum-based mineral oil hydraulic fluid by Graco (get the PDF here).
The usual applies - respiratory, CNS and skin damage can occur with the use or misuse of hydraulic fluid. I just have to watch my health over the next few months to see if anything manifests out of this. I’d already developed an upper respiratory infection which turned into either bronchitis or RSV before the spill happened.

Today is the second day in a row that I did not have diarrhea upon waking. Today is the second day in a row that my stomach and intestines tried to stabilise - until I fed myself something other than Cream of Rice with mashed banana.

Last night it resulted in 8 episodes of diarrhea. This afternoon it resulted in moderate nausea and stomach and intestinal gurgles. I’m worn out. I’m tired as hell. And I worked a full day today on top of it.

I was supposed to see a physical trainer today, but instead I went to the doctor.

That’s when I found out that it’s not JUST a food reaction I’ve been having, and it WASN’T food poisoning.

My doctor is certain that I have an enterovirus. She said it’s going around - she’s seen patients with my exact symptoms for over a week, now.

I know that what’s going on with me IS also a food reaction on top of the enterovirus, because my left thumb is covered in flaky dermatitis, and my thumb is cracked and will probably start bleeding tomorrow.

According to MedScape, I was harbouring the enterovirus for up to a week before the diarrhea hit me on Friday. It says, “The average incubation period is 3-10 days, during which the virus migrates to regional lymphoid tissue and replicates. Minor viremia results, which is associated with the onset of symptoms and viral spread to the reticuloendothelial system (spleen, liver, bone marrow).”

Another MedScape article says, “The enterovirus enters the human host through the GI or respiratory tract. The cell surfaces of the GI tract serve as viral receptors, and initial replication begins in the local lymphatic GI tissue. The virus seeds into the bloodstream, causing a minor viremia on the third day of infection. The virus then invades organ systems, causing a second viremic episode on days 3-7. This second viremic episode is consistent with the biphasic prodromal illness. The infection can progress to CNS involvement during the major viremic phase or at a later time. Antibody production in response to enteroviral infections occurs within the first 7-10 days.”

I could have caught it at my neighbor’s house when we went over there last Tuesday to watch the season premier of the last season of LOST.
I could have caught it from my new psychiatrist’s office on my first visit.
I could have caught it at work.
I could have caught it anywhere.

The bum deal out of all of this is that I went from being bedridden with endometriosis pain right into being laid out flat with massive diarrhea for three days. I lost two weekends of fun out of that deal. I didn’t get to see an old high school acquaintance who was in town for the weekend. Worst of all, I went out on Sunday to a party while still sick with the virus, because I was convinced it was food poisoning and/or food reaction I was still dealing with. I ate some home cooked food at the party after having been on mush earlier that day, and the stomach cramps returned with a fury. When I got home at 9pm Sunday night, the diarrhea returned and I had 8 rounds of it.

I didn’t want to go in to work today, but I was still partially in denial about actually being SICK sick…even though I called to cancel my physical trainer appointment on my way to work. To be fair, I took my temperature at work and it was 99.8°F at 11am. I hinted that I should go home, but the director told me I was fine. The secretary told me I was fine.
What they meant was, “Lunch rush is coming up in the next half hour, and we’re short staffed. You have to stay, we need you.”

I did stay on, but that’s when I called my doctor and scored an appointment after work.

When I left out of the doctor’s office, it was raining, and I hadn’t brought my raincoat with me. I walked in the rain back to my car, parked a block and a half away. When I got home, I took a blow dryer to my hair, put some dishes in the new dishwasher my husband recently bought, scooped the cat litter, and got into my jammies and crawled into bed.

I’ll be staying home tomorrow - I made sure to get a doctor’s note the moment the doctor suggested I stay home. I called work the moment I left the doctor’s office to let everyone know I won’t be in.

Once again, I’m kicked when I’m down, thanks to my immune system being deficient, thanks to endometriosis and allergies and lord knows what else I have going on immunologically.

I guess if one can find a silver lining… I lost 6 pounds in 3 days. I’m down to 158lbs.

Friday night, I went out with my husband to a local taqueria to have dinner. I ordered a corn quesadilla with cheese, and it came with guacamole, salsa and sour cream. The order also came with some fried tortilla chips, hot red sauce and mild green sauce.
I drank a Mexican Coke (no corn syrup) with my meal (I rarely drink pop these days, but I was craving the coke).

A corn quesadilla is not a big meal. Corn tortillas are rather small by American meal standards. Normally I can easily finish this and feel full, but on Friday, I wasn’t even a third of the way through my meal when my stomach began rumbling.

I wondered if it was the oil they’d used for cooking - had it gone bad?

I wondered if they were cooking with lard, since my body really hates lard.

I continued eating, albeit a lot slower, to sort through what my body was trying to tell me.

But WAIT, you say, Didn’t you tell yourself back in October that you have a corn allergy and to stop eating it?

I got about half-way through the quesadilla, and eaten perhaps a third of the guacamole, when the stomach upset reached a maximum for me. I turned to my husband and told him I was ready to go home. He looked at me, concerned, and said, “Oh no.” He could tell I was having a food reaction, but he couldn’t believe it. The food I’d chosen was all on my approved list. He asked me if I was sure, just as I was saying, “I gotta GO, be right back” and fled to the bathroom.

Diarrhea. Was it a food reaction…or was it food poisoning?

I asked my husband if he was alright, he said he was feeling fine. But then, he usually has a stomach of steel.
And then again, a long time ago, he’d gotten food poisoning from this very taqueria.

We began walking home and happened into the local used book store. I was alright in there for awhile, and then we resumed our walk home. We only got a few doors down when I declared I needed to use the bathroom again. We went into Tucker’s Ice Cream parlour, and ran into one of the parents at the school I work at. She’s also a friend of a friend. The need to go subsided, so we chatted for awhile, then got nervous as I always do when in a social situation, which flared the need to go again, so I excused myself and made my way to the bathroom.

Another episode of diarrhea.

We had some ice cream with our aquaintances (who were sans child), and then made our way once more towards home.

I cannot recall if I had any further episodes on Friday night.

However, early Saturday morning, I had a couple more episodes of urgency, and noticed that my lower back and my stomach region were killing me. When I got out of bed for the day, because my back was pounding from the pain, the diarrhea started up again with a fury, and lasted all damned day. No solidity whatsoever.

I had 16 or 17 episodes of diarrhea on Saturday from 7:44am to 1am Sunday. I was a miserable mess. I cried once. The world had that same hazy blur around it that it does when I’m in a lot of pain from endometriosis. I was listless. I didn’t want anything to eat. I chugged half a bottle of powerade with some water but all it did was make the diarrhea worse, so I stopped drinking it. I’m assuming it was the sucralose - I always get loose stool from sucralose. But I can’t have Gatorade because of corn syrup and dextrose. Same thing with Pedialyte because of the dextrose, which is a corn derivative.

I woke again this morning with severe back pain. It’s downgraded to moderate, now. All I’ve eaten today is a bowl of Cream of Rice with mashed banana. My stomach still feels like roto-rooter has gone through it.

I began wondering about the avocado moreso than the corn, because in the past 6 months, whenever I’ve eaten guacamole, more often than not, I will get loose stool pretty soon afterwards. Whether I eat out or make it fresh at home doesn’t matter.

And in trying to pin down my allergies with sushi - I’m sure I have a sulfite sensitivity, but I also eat avocado with most of my sushi rolls.

So now I need to cut out corn, sulfites and avocados.

So those boxes of chocolate my ma got for us?

I began chowing on them on Tuesday. Within two days, my fingers began splitting open. This is usually the sign of a wheat reaction, so today I popped out of my complete denial and began looking up the ingredients in the chocolates.

Whitman’s chocolate contains a bunch of stuff, but for me the red flags are invert sugar, sodium metabisulfite, confectioner’s glaze and invertase.

According to sugar.org, “Sucrose can be split into its two component sugars (glucose and fructose). This process is called inversion, and the product is called invert sugar. Commercial invert sugar is a liquid product that contains equal amounts of glucose and fructose.” Ok, so no gluten to worry about, but I don’t want fructose in my diet. Whitman’s chocolates have invert sugar AND corn syrup, so it’s out.

Sodium metabisulfite contains the word ’sulfite’, and according to wikipedia, “may cause allergic reactions in those who are sensitive to sulfites”. Hi that’s me! Well I didn’t rash out or get diarrhea like I do when drinking wine or eating stuff with too much vinegar, but still…Whitman’s chocolates contain sulfites so I shouldn’t have it.

Confectioner’s glaze, aside from the gross potentiality of being made from scaly mealy bugs, does not appear to contain an allergen for me.

According to enzymeindia.com, “Invertase is a yeast-derived enzyme”. Because I have a yeast sensitivity, I should not be consuming invertase.

The Queen Anne’s cherry cordials also have corn syrup and invertase in them, so of course they’re out.

Sorry ma, no more Whitman’s or Queen Anne’s chocolate deliveries.

Besides, after having eaten gourmet chocolates in the time I have lived in California, Whitman’s tastes like crap now, anyway.

Whitman’s therefore becomes another childhood favourite to fall dead, along with Baskin Robbins ice cream and Taco Bell…killed dead by becoming enlightened through California cuisine.

So…my fingers. It’s my right ring finger and my right pinky finger, both split open and started bleeding on the right side of each digit. I bandaged them up last night and all of today, and they seem to be healing up nicely…until I got home from work today and chowed down on some more chocolates. And then remembered…oh yeah, my fingers split open.
So they’ll be splitting open again, heh.