Really Down and Out

It has been a long 2 weeks. I don't remember lots about the past weeks, but this is what I do remember. All the dental work on Tuesday a long time ago went great! My tooth came out with no problem and with little pain. The rest of the day was fine as well. I slept most of the day and it was some of the best sleep I have had in a long time.

Wednesday morning I was up early and made breakfast. Once Jaime went to work I went on back to bed. I ended up getting up around 10:30. When I woke up I noticed I had a rash on my chest, stomach and upper legs. I called Jaime and he headed home immediately. I called the dentist and she told me it was probably an allergic reaction to the antibiotic. She told me to stop the antibiotic and start taking some Benadryl. She called in another antibiotic for me to start taking.

The rash never got better on Wednesday, but it didn't get worse. Thursday morning I got up and the rash was worse. Jaime decided it was time to go to the doctor for the rash. It was spreading and getting redder. We decided to try and get into see the allergy doctor. Unfortunately, the allergy doctor was out of town, but he called in a steroid to try and get the rash under control.

By about 2pm the rash was not looking any better so we headed to the doctor by our house. My skin felt like it was on fire. I have never felt a burning sensation like that before. We got in to see the physicians assistant, but in no time at all the doctor was in the room. They were very concerned. They gave me a shot of Benadryl and doubled the dose of steroids I was on. I was also to take Benadrly every 4 hours even through the night. The doctor gave us a list of scenarios in which we would need to go to the hospital immediately. The doctor was super nice and answered all of our questions. He calmed me down about the situation, but wanted us to know how serious it was.

We were suppose to leave for Lubbock on Friday, but the doctor said no travel for a few days. By this time Jaime had not been to the office since Monday and it seemed every time he turned around he was going to the grocery store to have a prescription filled. I have so many prescriptions that they will not all fit in a gallon size Ziploc bag. CRAZINESS!!!

Mom was nice enough to come early Friday morning to help out. James ended up working from home on Friday as well. The doctor wanted to see me Friday and Saturday to check on my progress. Mom cleaned the house, took care of all the laundry and went to the grocery store while James took me back to the doctor.

Things went well at the doctor on Friday. The rash was looking a little better, but had spread. He wasn't too concerned about it spreading, he just didn't want it looking worse. I was running a fever and had a cough with some wheezing once we got to the doctor. He was concerned about all these issues. He gave me an antibiotic and an inhaler. He told me to hold off taking both as long as possible. If the fever went up any or my breathing got worse then I needed to start the medication. He didn't really want me taking the antibiotic since I had the reaction to an antibiotic. He wasn't sure how my body would react. Fortunately, the fever and cough never got worse.

Saturday was pretty uneventful compared to the previous days. The rash looked better and it was feeling better. We stayed at the house and watched the Tech vs OU game on T.V. I felt so bad that mom had to miss the game. The last time she missed a home football game was when I was born. She has missed two games in the past 29 years and they were both my fault. Sorry mom.

Sunday morning we got up and headed to Lubbock. The doctor released me to travel, but said we still had to call and check in. The drive was not fun! Wearing a seat belt was awful, but we made it.

Thanksgiving week was pretty uneventful. I was still on a ton of medication and not up for much. Jaime worked from the house and took care of me on Monday, but then he had depos in Vernon on Tuesday. Doneece had to take care of me on Tuesday and Wednesday. Everyone was so great about driving me around and taking care of me.

Thanksgiving was really nice. There was a lot of family around and I loved it. I love just sitting and visiting with everyone. One good thing about all this drama is the medicine makes me hungry and there was lots of great food around.

Friday morning all my family loaded up and we headed to Dallas for the Tech vs Baylor game. We stayed at the Gaylord and it was beautiful. The hotel was all decorated for Christmas and it really got me in the spirit. The game was fun, but not great. We didn't play that well and I didn't feel that well. The game may have been a little too much for me. I didn't stand up and cheer at all in the second half. I really could have gone to the car and slept, but I stuck it out. The Raiders barely stuck it out. They pulled out the win, but it wasn't pretty.

Sunday morning we flew home early. We were home by 9:30am. It was so nice because we got lots done. Jaime got all the Christmas decorations out of the attic and started putting them up. I helped some, but he took care of most of it. I had a family photo shoot Sunday afternoon so he took care of the grocery shopping while I was gone. When we got home we finished putting up the Christmas tree. All the decorations are up and everything looks great. Sunday night we went to the movies to see The Blind Side.

The movie was soooo good. I knew it was going to be great, but it was better than I expected. Tim McGraw was so good and a real surprise. It totally doesn't look like him in the movie. I can't wait for the movie to come out of DVD. I fell in love with the sweet family. The movie also made me feel better about the Tech loss in the Cotton Bowl.

When we got home from the movies my legs and elbows started itching. I tried to reason that it was from getting all the decorations out of the attic and putting them up. By Monday morning the rash was coming back. I was suppose to finish all the medicine on Monday. Instead I went back to the doctor. He has decided I have Steven Johnson Syndrome. Don't google it because it is scary. I am now back on a large dose of steroid and probably will be for about a month. I am also taking Zyrtec and Benadryl daily. I can't get an allergy shot for at least a month and hopefully I won't get an type of cold.

The doctor said my body is fighting a battle and it is a really hard battle. He wasn't surprised that the rash came back especially considering how bad it was. I was shocked it came back. I thought we were done with this. I haven't felt well the past 2 weeks and I think it is going to be a few more before I feel like myself. I am completely exhausted and having muscle pain. The doctor said that was all normal.

For the next month I am to take it easy and concentrate on getting better. I can't afford to get sick because my body can't handle it and the doctor doesn't know what medications I can take without getting a rash. The next month should be interesting. Keep me in your prayers.