I woke up Wednesday morning with really puffy eyes. The swollen tissue that was previously an eyelid was greenish hued. It was also my anniversary. Four years! So, I ignored them hoping a shower would help and if not that, then perhaps some makeup. It's not like I don't wake up with weird things happening all the time: black eyes, bruising, red spots, hives, rashes (okay, not all the time, but periodically). Anyway, these things usually go away within a few hours or a night's sleep; nothing to worry about. Except the eyes did not get better. They were so swollen that I could feel them and then they began to hurt. All things that I noticed even as I had totally curled my hair, put on a fabulous red sweater dress, and decorated myself with pearls (note to AM: I broke another strand, but just the clasp and I really didn't mean to!). Around lunch, I had some great leftovers of the potato soup I made earlier in the week and then my mouth began to feel like it was lacerated inside, very painful. Never mind, I would go to sleep and everything would be fine in the morning. Except that I was in enough pain that our anniversary consisted of me curled up on the couch, running a low grade fever (and the L girls do not run fevers).
I woke up Thursday, went to the mirror and yep, the eyes were back and it really hurt to brush my teeth. As the day wore on, my eyes became more achy and I had vertigo headaches. Still had a fever. Figured out that there were sores underneath my tongue and it really hurt to eat, but I could still drink water. Went to the appointment with the urologist. Kind of a bust since I am feeling better, but I figure that I now have a reference point if/when the symptoms return - also had a short conversation with him about IF. Still have a low grade fever. Really can't eat. Don't eat anything until evening: bowl of rice and cottage cheese - nearly in tears from the pain.
Woke up Friday, swelling still there, but a little bit better. Mouth is worse. 5-10 sores under my tongue in the far creases and more lining the gums all around my mouth. Hurts to talk, can't drink or eat anything. Call primary care doc almost crying, appointment at four pm. Manage to work down a creamslush treat due to the numbing effect of the ice. Inform the doctor that I would just like to be able to eat and drink something. She is surprised at the sheer number of sores in my mouth and not happy when I tell her that I have only gone to the bathroom once today (that being 8am and now being 415pm). She can't figure it out exactly, but then again, I gave her an incomplete puzzle. We do agree that it is most likely some type of allergic reaction, but even those can be reactions to something you've come in contact with for years - no rhyme or reason to them. She give me (thank god) allergy pills (1x/day-7 days), eye drops (1 drop/eye/12 hours), orders to take ibprofen for fever and pain, and a script for a huge bottle of cherry flavored lidocaine. Do you know about lidocaine? I know that we put it on really bad sunburns. Nope, I put 15-20ml in my mouth and swish and spit. It's a numbing agent so that I can hopefully eat. Only, you can't eat until an hour after you apply it because there is a risk of choking with everything being numbed. And it doesn't quite get all the way back to the sores underneath my tongue. I'm going to have to figure it out a little further. We also washed all the bedding with ALL Free & Clear - doc said this was a good idea. Especially since I wake up in the mornings with all symptoms a little worse.
This morning, my eyes are still a little bit puffy and itchy, but less so. My mouth hurts, but maybe not as much. I already took all of my pills and just need to put eye drops in and figure out if I can eat and drink without the lidocaine yet. I think my fever broke yesterday (the doctor said it could be cause by the number of sores in my mouth), but I have still woken up damp from sweating through my clothes. I think I feel better and I know that I just get to rest this weekend; it couldn't have helped that I have been working so hard this week (another gal is out sick with pneumonia). Rest and relaxation are on the docket. I also need to do something really nice for C - he's been an excellent nursemaid during this entire ordeal. He's getting me a creamslush on his way home from whatever project he's working on this morning. He also washed all the bedding and made the bed - very big deal. So when he found me passed out (and soaked through my tank and tee from being feverish) last night in the spare room, he just led me to my clean, allergen-free bed. He's a keeper.
I guess that I am doing better. I also have no idea what I am reacting to. I lean towards food because of all the mouth stuff (my tongue and lips have also been swollen in the mornings - no need for plumping these lips, baby) - it's just that we have not made anything unusual or eaten out recently. Then there is the worse part of the reaction each morning after I have slept in my own bed for eight hours. So weird.
I'm going to try and attach an awful (cell phone) picture of my eye on Thursday maybe?
2 comments:
I know that talking hurts--so don't call me unless you feel up to it. I won't call you (not because I don't want to talk, but because I don't want you to hurt anymore than you already do). I am so terribly, dreadfully, sorry. I really wish your dr. had a more concrete answer. Please let me know if there is anything you need that I could actually help with. I am thinking cooling, lovely, pain-free thoughts for you today. XOXO. M.
I had something similar to this happen to me a while back. still not really sure what the cause was/is, but it happened to me on like 4 or so different occassions. My eye looked just like yours and that was always the first sign I had too. Weird, maybe it means we are getting old? Hope you are feeling good by now and you don't have any more flare ups!
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