Is it Botox or something else?

From Web MD website

I swear guys; the last couple of weeks have been a total mess.  A week and a half ago I woke up a week ago Saturday with lips twice their size.  What’s going on?  Seriously, it looked like I had Botox injections.

At least I know what I’d look like now if I ever got them.  It’s so unnatural and I can’t drink out of a glass because I spill it on myself.  My lips are too big to feel the glass edge.

I had been dealing with mouth ulcers for the previous three days and this was an extension of that.  You know the kind you get from eating tomatoes and other foods that are too acidic.  I’ve gotten in the habit of washing all the seeds out of tomatoes because I love them so much, but I don’t always do it.  I guess this will teach me.

You have no idea the ordeal I’ve been through with this.  I never get half a dozen in my mouth at the same time.  I probably don’t need to tell you how painful this is.  So, I started out using some Kankar on them because I had that in the medicine cabinet.  That wasn’t doing it, so I got on my old friend Google and searched for a solution to this issue.

Everyone was shouting out praises for alum, yes the pickling spice.  So, I decided to give that a whirl last Sunday and Monday nights.  Now warning, this is not for the faint of heart.  This stuff burns enough to send you through the roof for a few minutes.  Hubby helped me apply it.  The instructions were to count to one hundred and then spit, but not rinse and then go to bed. 

The next morning, things weren’t improved at all so I had another dose on Monday night.  On Tuesday morning, my lips were stuck together, so I gently wiped them with a wet paper towel and then rinsed my mouth.  I felt like crap, but got ready for work, hoping no one would notice.  I stuck some moisturizer in my jeans pocket and used that all day because it felt like my lips would crack at any moment.  That day I also used campho phenique recommend by the pharmacist at Walgreens.  Hubby was a bit concerned at this point, went down there, and talked to him.  The pharmacist said it was the best over the counter medicine for ulcers in the mouth. 

Does anyone remember this stuff?  We used it on mosquito bites as kids.

I had Wednesday off, so I decided to go to the doctor and have this mouth situation checked out.  I’m not one to run to the doctor for every little thing, but I was sick of fighting this.  I really wanted it gone by Thanksgiving.  I was down to eating bland mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs.  Those eggs reminded me how much I hate plain scrambled eggs, but almost everything burns my mouth.

My regular MD is on vacation until December 1, so I had to see the on-call doctor at the office.  He told me I had a virus going on that I most likely got from a water fountain.  Excuse me.  What?  I don’t drink from water fountains and certainly not with my lips right on them.  To make a long story short, he gave me an anti-viral pill and “magic mouthwash.” 

The next two days I had to spend talking all day at work, so that hasn’t helped things at all.  I also can’t just take off to doctor my mouth when I want to.  I did take my prescriptions to work and used the “magic mouthwash” on my breaks, applying it with a Q-tip.  This mouthwash deadens your whole mouth for a while.

Now on Sunday night as I’m writing this, my mouth is better.  I’m almost out of my anti-viral medication but the ulcers are still there (the swelling is gone.)  So, it’s back to the doctor in the morning before my shift at work to see if I can get a refill or if he’ll give me something else.  At this point, I figure what is still left in there will get worse because I have to talk at work for the next three days and then Thanksgiving is a holiday, so best to take care of this now.

I’ll be seeing a different on-call doctor this time because I couldn’t get an appointment, so I have to go in, wait until they call me, and hope it’s before I have to leave for work.

Hopefully, I won’t be having scrambled eggs for Thanksgiving.

Has anyone else out there had this situation?

Be careful of old people medicine

Generic for Fosomax

This is a warning for any of you that are older and perhaps will be prescribed medication you didn’t know you needed.  Such is the case with me.  Until I became old enough for Medicare about three months ago, I didn’t know I had osteoporosis in my back.  They discovered this in a Dexa scan (a bone density test).  This test is among many you get free as a welcome and wellness visit when you sign up for Medicare.

This innocent test was only the beginning of the horrors to come.  Things haven’t been the same for me since getting on a prescription that’s supposed to grow stronger bones.  I’ve felt like I’ve aged at least twenty years.  I’ve been achy and nauseated and that’s disrupted my sleeping and eating.  If I can get any food down, I get severe heartburn so I’ve stocked up on antacids and some ginger ale, which is very good for nausea.  I hate to drink so much soda and haven’t since this was my go-to drink for the hot flashes some years ago.  My hands are so cramped these days.  I can’t even pick up a glass of water.  It’s ridiculous to find myself in such a circumstance.

My doctor and I had quite a discussion about all of this with him assuring me things will get better.  I’m beyond taking anymore of this medicine because I can’t function and I let him know in so many words.  I’m certain there’s something in there that’s disagreeing with me and I’m not touching it with a ten-foot pole.  The jury is still out as to what will be the substitute now.  At this point, I’m ready to take my chances with breaking a bone.

 Generic for Fosomax - Beware if your doctor ever wants to give you this

 

I’ve been fortunate to be a well person most of my life and if I’d never gone for this test, I wouldn’t be any the wiser now.  I eat right and exercise.  Frankly, I can’t afford to try another medicine that may have the same effect.  I need a guarantee for any future prescriptions because I have a job to consider now and it was hard to come by.  I don’t intend to jeopardize that.

Logic tells me that I’ve had this condition for some time and I’ve fallen many a time onto the rocks in the backyard, or the patio, and never hurt myself.  This usually happens every winter around here when the weather is beyond horrible and plants have to be taken care of when a strong north wind is blowing.

There’s no doctor on the planet that’s going to give me a guarantee of not having a reaction to something.  I’m certainly old enough to know that.  I think I’ll be looking around and researching for natural alternatives.  If I find anything, I’ll let you know, for anyone wishing to do the same.