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Lisa
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Hi Melissa,
Don't worry sweety, we'll help you get through this!! I very honestly think you've put your fingers on your major triggers here and so knowing these things will help you figure out what you need to so about it.
Since our bodies aren't time clocks, they fluctuate as to how they trigger - some days more triggering others less. So, you need to be as flexible with your meds as your body is responding and take your clues from it.
This is something that took me a while to learn, but once I figured it out, I was not so hesitant to step in with my meds. One of my doctors, who isn't a masto doctor, also said, Lisa, when you're needing it, hit in with those extra meds! It made me see that for even our doctors, meds are not a strict science either. So we need to listen to our bodies and learn to "go with the flow".
Since your doctor has given you up to 30mg of Zyrtec a day, GO WITH IT! I agree with Joan, I think allegra very effective and no matter how much I've had to take, it's never left me dopey. I've had to take as many as 5 in a day, but I'm down to only 2 as a rule and then add a 3rd when I'm acting up. So, if you could switch to Allegra, I'd take 180mg in the AM and then the Zyrtec at night. However, since you are in a flare situation, you must increase your antihistamines to bring back some stability. So, I'd take another dose of allegra at 1pm - it will help loads.
Yet, if you choose to stay with zyrtec, take the 10 in the morning, another 10 at 1PM and then the 3rd 10 at 6pm with your zantac. Try this for a few days and see how you're doing.
I would also add the singulair. I have been absolutely AMAZED at the difference I feel when I don't have any singulair in my system!! I ran out this past week and had to wait a bit to buy more. WHAT TORTURE!! On Thursday I went out with my husband for a drive. While in a small town I was struck with explosive diarrhea due to the stress of the drive itself - not a big deal to stress me, but that was the trigger, but I was not feeling well due to the lack of singulair anyway and just adding that extra physical stress was enough to put me into a bad way!! After I found a bathroom I took an extra allegra to help deal with the reacting and it all improved, but then on the way home I fainted. Then when we got me home I had to rest on the couch and I fainted out again!! Then after laying there for a while my husband ( who thought I was resting) woke me and gave me more allegra and then ranitidine and yet 15 minutes later I was back to the bathroom!! And later on that night I fainted for a 3rd time!! The following day was more of the same, but since my husband bought the singulair for me I took it that evening and things began to improve again! I stayed home on Saturday and Sunday and each day was better until now I'm back to my normal again and at work. Singulair brings me stability, Melissa, and I know it does the same for Heather. Not all of us can handle it, and why is the curious question, but for those of us who can, it's miraculous medicine. It clearly works for me as well as antihistamines do and without the two as a combined treatment, I'm very unstable which this episode I had clearly shows!!
Now, as to that monthly problem I recommend that you and Heather have a good talk over this for you may have some issues with progesterone, something Dr. Castells is trying to figure out with her. Heather can pass to you some of what Dr. Castells has asked her to do in order to determine if this is one of your issues. However, dealing with it is something we can help you with.
When you get into that time of the month and you know you are reacting more, then since the tides are rising, you must rise with them. You need to increase your medications along with the reacting that your periods bring to you. This means possibly doubling up your doses or putting them to be in shorter terms so that you don't go more than 6 hours without a booster pill.
For example: you are in this situation of the intense heat so with this, your reacting increases so in order to deal with the increased reacting you must increase either your doses or add one to make sure you don't go 6 hours without, which is what I've suggested you do. I think adding one extra dose at 1pm ideal which is what my doctor did with me. Then when the temporary situation improves, you merely remove that extra dose, it's that simple. Yet when you're working with the heat and your period both together, this is when you are working with doubling your normal dose AND adding in an extra. Do you see how it works?
Melissa, speak with Dr. Theo about this. Tell him what you are going through and how your allergist is scared to do anything with your meds and ask him how you can improve this situation you are going through. See if he can adjust these meds for you. Sometimes they will do this.
As to working, I understand about work being a way of relieving the stress of home life. I too work now, but I can't imagine what it would have been like when my kids were little for although living 24/7 with little kids can be incredibly stressfull, you still are able to be at home and if you run into any bad reacting, the bathroom is right there as well as your couch and a means of trying to keep a low profile when the days are not good. If you're at work and you begin reacting, you're stuck with no means to work around it. This is why you need to not worry about working yet. Until you can regain some kind of stability, you're husband must bear the responsibility, which I know is hard for him, but this is how it is. Taking care of a family requires both partners and it's no easier to care for children and a home than it is to work out there. I'm 50 years old Melissa and I've got 3 children, 22, 20 and 13. I've been living with masto since my 13 year old was 8 and I know how hard it is to try to keep up with just an 8 year old when you are totally trashed!! I can't imagine how hard it must be with a 4 year old and an infant!! But to add a job on top of this, it's an incredible amount of physical stress and this is a major trigger for us. The lack of sleep, you already know about, but what many of our family doesn't understand is that mast cells are not only triggered by emotional stress but also by physical stresses and some of us are more sensitive than others. If I began to break a sweat, I begin shaking and trembling and my stomach begins to ache something awful and the next thing I know I'm racing to the bathroom and needing a fan and about to go into anaphylaxis!! My doctors shake in their boots to touch my abdomen for just putting pressure in the right spot on my intestines will put me into a show for them! a I'm so physically sensitive that even doing a bit of wrestling with my 20 year old son will put me over the edge!! I just can't do it!!!
So, until you can get your triggering under control and have more energy and stability, you've got to stay at home and be with your family. Once you can get this under control, then a job is a good idea for breaking up the stress of taking constant care of your kids is good for you, it relieves the emotional stress and gets you interacting with adults and this is indeed good for you. But just wait a bit, this process of regaining stability doesn't have to take long, but it does take the right meds and doses and also understanding of your triggers to manage it.
I hope this makes sense.
Lisa
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