Why I am Not A Doctor
December 10, 2008 04:53 PM
This post is coming to you right from the UCSF
Infusion Center. I’m sitting here with an IV in my
arm and thought this time was as good as any to
update you all.
As you know from my last post, I was in a funk from all of the side effects I’d been enjoying. Well, it turns out I am terrible at self diagnosing, and in this case that is good news. Specifically....
My cough is not an infection or anything serious. It is a reaction to the interferon. It stimulates my lungs and makes them think there is something to cough up. But there isn’t. My doctor says we can manage it with cough syrup until my body gets more used to the interferon. It should go away in a few days.
My radiologist gave me several different lotions to put on and around my ear. The weeping and crusting has stopped and the swelling has gone down considerably.
As for my missing taste. My doctor found that in fact I have a fungal infection on my tongue! This was causing the bad taste, not interferon. Because my surgery removed a large part of my salivary gland, and due to the radiation I received, the PH balance in my mouth is way off. This created the opportunity to get this fungus. Ugh. The good news is that it is curable with about five days of medication. I can taste things again already.
So you see, all of my conclusions as to what was causing what were all wrong. I sure am glad there are paid professionals nearby, because if it were up to me, I would have killed the patient long ago.
As you know from my last post, I was in a funk from all of the side effects I’d been enjoying. Well, it turns out I am terrible at self diagnosing, and in this case that is good news. Specifically....
My cough is not an infection or anything serious. It is a reaction to the interferon. It stimulates my lungs and makes them think there is something to cough up. But there isn’t. My doctor says we can manage it with cough syrup until my body gets more used to the interferon. It should go away in a few days.
My radiologist gave me several different lotions to put on and around my ear. The weeping and crusting has stopped and the swelling has gone down considerably.
As for my missing taste. My doctor found that in fact I have a fungal infection on my tongue! This was causing the bad taste, not interferon. Because my surgery removed a large part of my salivary gland, and due to the radiation I received, the PH balance in my mouth is way off. This created the opportunity to get this fungus. Ugh. The good news is that it is curable with about five days of medication. I can taste things again already.
So you see, all of my conclusions as to what was causing what were all wrong. I sure am glad there are paid professionals nearby, because if it were up to me, I would have killed the patient long ago.