The back and forth, up and down continues. I am currently doing pretty well. Last week, I had a set back with the rash. My leg/knee areas were itchy and I scratched and scratched. Before that, my neck flared up again. None was as bad as the worst, but were pretty bad. I hadn't had the rash on my neck in a while...not sure what that means.

I went back to eating veggies and some protein, and started to feel better. I still don't think its a direct correlation, but it definitely correlated. Every time I start to incorporate normal food into my diet, I start to flare up. Go on a strict veggie diet, and it gets better. It's just so hard to eat only green veggies, especially going out.

Over One Week

I've been pretty rash free for over one week. I'm actually thinking I am going to beat this....it's been so long. I have some residual rash like thing in my arm. I can tell that the skin is slightly inflamed, but just slightly. BUT, today I scratched behind my RIGHT knee. I felt a handful of bumps. I put some oil to stop the itch and so far its good. I feel that the heat/rash is there, right below the surface of the skin. I felt flashes on my neck too. Although I feel these things, it's so far so much better than before. Also, I haven't felt my face tingle when startled in a while. I noticed the cars coming and nothing. So, that to me is a sign that I'm getting better. Need to stick to the diet, respect the diet. But, it's so hard.

The good side effect about the diet is that I've lost weight. I'm not hungry like before. I've adjusted to not eating carbs, I don't really crave it. But its hard.

One Week

My rash has been good for over a week. All this week it's been good. It started to get better last week, but all this week there hasn't been a flareup. Even over the weekend, when I can't adhere to a strict diet. There still is a little itch, but it's so tiny. I did scratch today, but only a little. The weekend is near, so hopefully it will last through this weekend.

On another note though, I got a cold/flu. I went to a game, yelled a lot, lost my voice couldn't talk at all. Now I am coughing. I hate those violent coughs, it's giving me a headache.

No New News

I'm still fighting the itching. Right now, it's my arms and just this week my neck again. I had a follow up appointment with Dr. Li, the acupuncturist. She was happy with my progress, wanted me to continue more with the treatment before putting me on a detox diet. I don't know. I want to stay with the treatment but at $75 per session 1-2 times per week, it's hard to justify. I feel the diet connection is real. Every time I eat something bad, I have a reaction. This week two days ago I went to a vegan restaurant. While you'd think that's good food, the food was loaded with sugar. Apparently to make the food tasty they up the sweetness. Well, that night, and the next day I started to itch more and more. The good news is that, in the past when I scratched like I did, my arm and wrist would be very red, raw and flaming. Now, it's so so. Parts have already calmed down. But the worrisome part is that my neck itches. It hasn't itched in more than a month.

I'm going back to a veggie diet. Well, I caved and just tonight made a chocolate drink with a tablespoon of agave. I hope that doesn't cause me to react.

The diet isn't everything. I think that when I'm worked up and flustered, my body reacts. Yesterday, last night, I itched a lot. I spent the whole evening cleaning my place, so maybe the "stress" from that contributed to reaction.

Update

Its a bit frustrating because my skin condition still hasn't gone away. I had a treatment on Saturday. Was trying to count up the number. The doctor had said I would have 10 sessions, and then see. I feel like i'm approaching that number, but I'm not sure. I seem to keep having set backs.

The past week was bad. My neck got better, but I started to itch on my left arm and behind my knees. I've been told I got the flare up because I wasn't respecting my diet. There is something to that. I stuck to the no wheat, sugar meaning green veggies and meat only (remember the atkin days?). In 2 days I started to feel better. I was really strict this time, keeping the foods pure. Before I would allow myself to eat dishes that were predominantly veggies/meat, but were mixed with sauces etc. And, then I would sneak in a small bit of bread or something. This week I'm committed to all greens and meat.

Today I had a bbq to go to. And, I ate a burger patty, kalbi, sausage. It was kinda gross since i haven't eaten that much meat (especially red meat) in a long time. I was surprised there weren't any veggies.They had a fruit bowl, but of course, I can't even eat that.

Will update. I'm excited that the week may go well, if I really stick to the diet. But I just crave and crave desert.

I'm now taking Candicid Forte and Mucosagen as supplements.

Five Treatments and Counting

I've been to about 5 acupuncture treatments. I was going 2-3 time a week. I wanted to go on Sat, but the office wasn't open and I couldn't squeeze in an appointment this week. So, my next appointment is Sat. I've been sticking to the diet...protein and green vegetables. No sugars, meaning no fruit and starchy foods.

My neck area has been doing very well since I started this. For some reason, my arm has been rashing up. I keep scratching it so that doesn't help. My wrist is better because I stopped scratching, but I just can't help it with my arm.It's about a 4 right now. I started a scale system so I can track my condition. I'm also continuing to keep a food log to see if there is a correlation. I miss the acupuncture since its been a week since I went. I was getting used to it, though having a difficult time with the $75 per session, having to constantly remind myself that it's my health, I should spend. When did we come to believe that our health should be free?

I'm taking Candida Forte. Its a supplement, that seems like the herbs that a TCM would give. Dr. Li does supplements...makes me wonder if it's because it's more palatable to be taking a supplement rather than some herb concoction without labeled ingredients.

She prescribed me another but I didn't want to spend $40 on it. Am I being foolish again? Its just that I've bought so many supplements and drugs that I don't want to. I still have the fortified drink ingredients that Dr. Swilling prescribed. I've stopped with the drink because Dr. Li said no milk for now. So, I now have his ingredients...not sure what to do with it.

Treatment and Consultation

First, I have to mention how difficult it is to find time for another treatment. I don't mind the treatments, but it's hard to take off work 2-3 times a week for 2 hours. The treatment isn't that long, but the place isn't too close to me.

I learned more about how all this works...about the energy. Acupuncture is about energy. And while, I can grasp the concept of energy flow through the body, it is harder to believe and understand how the energy flows out of you.

She had been doing this same assessment on me each time I came, but I didn't really understand what was going on. Today she explained more. I lie on my back. I hold my left hand up and she presses down and tells me to resist. Same on the right side. Then she puts a vile in my hand, tells me to resist as she tries to press my hand down. By this, she is assessing the resistance. Strong resistance shows I'm good on the issue and weaker resistance means I need to work on the issue. How to determine what the "issue" is...it's by the vile she has placed in my hand. So, for example, she put the vitamin C vial, and I was weak in the resistance. This means I need vitamin C treatment.

I asked her what the difference between the vials were. And she said even she doesn't know. The vials were labeled, so she knows what each represents. The small vials get placed in an empty baby food jar. I hold onto that jar during the session, while the needles are in me. When I'm done I rinse my hand with water to deactivate? the energy. There is some interaction between the energy and the vials, vials channel energy to focus on the specific energy of the vial...? Can't really explain it.

The sessions I've been to have "opened" me. Now I can be treated for specific allergies. She's going to treat me for eggs, milk, fruit, all the basic food items. Similar to my allergist, she is assessing me for various food and environment allergens. Although I was negative with the scratch tests, the energy tests for allergies is different. My energy level for eggs, might be weak, but not weak enough that it would show up on a scratch test. The cumulative weaknesses are what manifests as problems, for me skin issues.

I have a relatively healthy diet. And, since all this has happened I've really made a point to eat well. But, she went through my food log and says to cut out dairy, wheat and sugar, even fruit sugar. I had so much fruit on my log (it's summer!) but she recommends only apples and papaya. I didn't go through all the fruit, but those are the two she wrote down.

She also wanted me to take something for candida...it was some candidas supplements. She talked about gut health, gas...stuff i've read about and seems to affect many women my age.

It's interesting the crossover of her medical plans. She prescribes more supplements than herbs. I asked about whether she prescribes herbs and she said that she likes supplements better.

And my pillow is all wrong. She wants me to get the tempur pedic memory foam pillow. It's expensive!

Fourth Session

I had my fourth session today. It was fast because I was tired and fell asleep. The other doctor did it. He didn't do an assessment, which made me question. Normally, Dr. Li assesses me, then has Dr. Chen do the needles. Today, he just came in and did the needles. Makes me question whether he was doing the right thing, working on the right stuff. I am to make another appointment for treatment and then consultation. I want to do them back to back so I don't have another visit. It was difficult because there was no good time so I chose Fri at noon...thinking I could take a long lunch.

Third Session

I had my third acupuncture session. I'm getting familiar with the procedure. You change into the gown. She asks how I'm doing. They stimulate the neck, spine with an apparatus, sort of a primer for the needles. She massages/presses my neck. She pressed my neck and said the right side hurt and it really did. I turned on my left side, and this time she did a lot of needles, well...at least more than before. She said today she would work on hormones. I thought that was what she said on Wed.

The needles hurt this time. Usually, I don't feel anything. It feels like a sharp pencil lightly touching the skin, and when it's in, I don't feel anything. This time, I could feel the needle go in...some points were more pronounced than others. Once in, after a moment, I felt nothing. The points on my neck, however, I could feel it. It wasn't a sharp pain, but an unnerving sensation.

The rest of the day, I swear I feel something. My neck continues to itch, but in a different pattern. It's not hot, but it itches. I feel parts of my body tingle in a specific point, not like when your foot is asleep. But, an odd sensation in a specific area. I've had the sensation before, but this time, it's more, all over. It's not pain, it's just that I feel it.

The doctor said I was responding well to the treatment. I hope she is right. When I tell friends, (especially those in the medical field), that I'm going to an acupuncturist, I get the kind but skeptical looks. I'm told to trust drugs, they're really safe. I feel bad that I just don't believe in drugs, even though they are good friends. I know the drugs work, but if I can avoid having to take them, then I think that is worth pursuing.

Another Acupuncture Session

I really hope the acupuncture works. The doctor asks me how I feel...like I was supposed to suddenly feel better, notice any instant relief? I don't know...I told her "it's fine", and she responded that sometimes for migranes, people notice instant results, but for mine, it takes longer..uh oh...I've had two sessions. It don't hurt. It's just time consuming and money.

I could feel the rash today. I can feel it come back, but it's not as strong as in the past. But still, I just want it to go away completely. $75 per session. It's not cheap because you need multiple sessions. It adds up.

Follow Up

I'd pretty much given up on Dr. Swilling. His office called again reminding me about the lechtin that they had ordered for me. Then his office called again and I was told he wanted to speak with me. So, he remembered and did follow up with me. I told him they were suspecting it was autoimmune. He warned me to stay off of steroids. He reminded me of the discussion about catabolic cells, the theory behind the condition. I said I'd schedule a follow up after I had a chance to meet with my doctor. I don't think I want to see him again, but I would like him to email me back.

The fortified drink gets very bitter after a day. I think it's making me gain weight. It's either that or the lack of exercise I'm getting because I've been afraid to exercise.

Acupuncturist

I had an appointment with an acupuncturist. She was recommended by a friend who has been satisfied with her treatment. She's also a MD and practices integrative medicine. What's good about the meeting was she was able to explain the chinese medicine ways in terms I could follow. The first acupuncturist could only say i was sick, very sick...which is not comforting to hear at all. This time, Dr. Li, was able to relate the autoimmune condition in terms of chinese medicine. She looked at my lab work and concluded I have an autoimmune condition. She didn't have an explanation or cause, and said it can be multiple triggers. The goal is to keep it at bay, in check, not let it out of control. She wanted me to have some xrays taken of my neck and back to check the alignment. Its not essential, and is more of an illustrative tool. Problem is my insurance isn't covering this so it would have to be out of pocket. There is also a urinary follow up she wants done. I don't sense any urinary tract problems so I'm not as concerned. I made my first acupuncture appointment. Scheduled it right after the Rhuematologist appointment.

Meanwhile, my neck rash continues to get better. Everyone tells me it looks normal.Just these past few days, it's gotten much better. My eyes were itchy and flaky and red last week. Since this week, it's been good, almost smooth. There is some roughness. The neck is soft and supple, with just a bit of texture. No heat emanating so that encourages me.

I'm even debating whether I need the acupuncture. She wants to start me with one course, which is 10 sessions, 2 times a week to start. When she saw the ANA number she gasped and said it was high. She told me not to be in the sun long and to get a wide hat covering my shoulders. I mean, really? I've been in the sun a lot, all day and I don't think it's made the condition worse. Who knows though about a delayed reaction.

Since this has been going on for 8 or more months now, I feel like I do need to go through with it, to do whatever I can to keep the condition at bay and be normal.

Lab Tests

I called for an appointment with the Rheumatologist and she is on vacation so can't meet with her for a couple weeks. In the mean time, I went ahead and picked up a copy of the lab results. Mostly everything is within the normal range which is good. My ANA titer levels are still high but not as high as before. The pattern is different, so not sure if that means anything.

In the mean time, I have been getting better. I am staying on an extreme healthy diet. I'm reducing all the "bad" foods, grains, dairy (except the raw milk fortified drink), meat, trying to stay with the whole vegetables as much as possible. It's really hard to do, hard to get enough calories with fresh vegetables only. You can eat a huge bowl of lettuce, but you get hungry a short while later.

Appointment

I gave yet another history of my condition to the Rheumatologist. She was really patient and willing to listen. She said that my symptoms don't fit a typical lupus pattern. She will order the tests to see what they say and go from there. So, need to give more blood, wait a few days, and hopefully it will come back healthy and normal.

Rheumatolgist

I have my Rheumatologist appointment this morning in a few hours. I am eager to see what she says. Been worried because my rash was getting better but I can feel it coming back. I can feel the heat in my neck, my eyes starting to itch. What really worries is that I'm itching in other places. My behind the arms, knees, shoulder, back/bottom are starting to itch. It's not the same itch/rash as my neck. There's no heat or redness...the only redness is from the scratching...unlike the neck which has it's own pattern independent of the scratching.

I was happy my PCP doctor was able to get me an appointment. The Rheumatologist doctor wasn't taking appointments until September, and that is way too long.

I have to remind myself of patience. Should have an inspirational quote, or moment of gratitude for what I do have.

Allergy Test Results

Met with the allergy doctor today to go over the results of the test. I do not have allergies. I didn't react to much except dust and dust mites. I pointed out the lab results that I had dropped off ordered by my PCP doctor. He went over them with me. He pointed out that the high white blood cell count was due to the prednisone, so the number was not reliable. I told him my PCP was referring me to a rheumatologist and he agreed based on my ANA titler number. He tried to make it seem like it was not that significant, but as he was going over the scale he acknowledged that the number was quite high. It doesn't mean I have lupus, there are many more tests to be done, it can be indicative of many conditions.

So, I'm off to make another appointment with doctor.

Lab Tests

I got a call/message from my PCP doctor. She said the lab tests came back and she is referring me to a rheumatologist. Great...I heard the word "lupus" so that is now freaking me out. Has my body betrayed me and is making me ill. I actually think this is a likely situation. I don't think I have allergies. There is something in my body that is attacking me.

I have to wait and be patient. Wait to for the doctor. She said she was returning on Mon, so I could contact her then...great...

Allergy Test Part 1

I got tested for food allergies today. I had heard about it, and it's pretty much the grid and they put the allergens on each segment of the skin, to find any reaction.

Allergy Testing Tomorrow

I got insurance approval and am scheduled for testing. There are two tests, one scheduled for tomorrow, the other for Friday. So, hopefully by the end of the week I'll know what bothers me. Hopefully it won't be everything. I've been looking on the internet and there people who are suddenly alergic to everything...not good.

Weekend Update

I made it through the weekend without the rash and irritation getting worse. My neck is still red but not inflamed. My eyes are washboard rough but not red and not swollen. Overall, from about Monday, it is better, but I really would have though it would have gone away by now. In the past, when it had gotten to this point, it cleared up in a couple extra days.

I pretty much kept to my normal routine on the weekend. I went to the gym, did yoga and little on the eliptical. I was pleased that the getting hot and sweat didn't irritate it like I thought. So, I can't really use the condition as an excuse not to exercise.

I made the Fortified Drink for Sat, but didn't get to do it for Sun. I ate mixed okay, salad when I could, but went out to eat a couple meals so the goal of eating freash foods had to be put aside. I'm still mixed on the diet. Part of me thinks it doesn't matter what I eat, because I used to be able to eat anything. The other part of me does believe that eating fresh foods will help me get healthier, faster.

Behind my knees started to itch this weekend. Like the warm part, opposite my elbow...the uncontrolable itch. There were several times the weekend when I just itched all over my body.

I continued the meditation/relaxation. I'm focusing on this because that is the only explanation that makes sense to me. Unless I'm seriously sick, I think some sort of cumultive stress has thrown my body off, and I just need to consciously will it back to normality.

Hopefully this week I will find out the blood test results and have the allergy tests approved by insurance.

Allergist

I met with the allergist today. He was good, had personality. Talked a bit fast...I wonder how most keep up. He took a history, a fairly detailed one...the first to do so. Well, Dr. Swilling took a fairly detailed history too. He looked at my nose and ears and throat and checked my lungs. He prescribed prednisone, changed the dosage schedule. He wants me tested, just need insurance approval. He prescribed a different cream for the eyes, nonsteroid. Only problem is insurance wont cover it, but they are trying to get it approved. So, it was nice and felt good to be headed down a path, but it's still frustrating because I itch.

As I wind down my night, I feel the itch and I scratch. I was doing so well, but I don't know why the itch keeps coming back.

I've been searching youtube...meditation...hypnosis...NLP whatever that is. I'm trying it all. Maybe I should go back to the acupuncturist. At least she said I was sick, and could cure me.

The Itching Continues

I'm still itching. Now it's behind my knees. I'm sort of use to this area, its an area that gets hot, so is prone to heat hives. I've had those before. Where my neck creases, I notice it gets hot and the itchiness and hives are also there. At night, I get hot, the neck just sweats, it's so gross and I scratch uncontrollably. I just hope I don't scar on my neck. I'm pretty sure there will be scars around my eyes from all the rubbing.

Hopefully with tomorrow's appointment with the allergist, I can get some new insight and relief.

I bought some ph testing strips to test for alkalinity. I've been paying more attention to the alkaline diet. I feel like it's assumed that I'm acidic, but I really question this because I have a balanced diet. I eat my vegetables, at least I think I do. Can I really have an acid balance? We'll see...my testing strips should arrive by this weekend.

Naturopath Doctor

Later on Monday I met with Dr. Swilling. The center has a lot going on. He met with me for an hour, going over my history. He was just as puzzled because I don't have any triggering event, major change in life, etc that can explain my symptoms. He then went over the "theory"...the explanation behind "all" ailments. It starts with diet. The bad diet leads to sugar spikes and then crashes. This causes the hormones to react. The hormones overreact, which leads to a wearing down of the cells. Where cells are weak, the are further weakened by the hormones. The cells react and release waste, which he said is histamine. That is the allergy, the body reacting.

So, he put me on a fortified drink. I purchased the kit from him (not cheap), went to the store to buy other items, and started to make the drink. You take it throughout the day. Part of the ingredients is raw milk and raw eggs. It's a little unnerving to create this drink, and take it throughout the day, trying to keep it cold in my lunch bag. The idea is to drink this between meals so you never get hungry. Hope it works!

My Regular Doctor

I had my follow up appointment with my regular doctor on Monday. She sympathized, prescribed me more prednisone, added zyrtec and cimetidine, ordered some lab tests, and referred me to an allergist. I have the allergist appointment tomorrow. I am not happy that she added 2 new drugs to take.

I tried to skip the prednisone, but by Tuesday night I was itching even more and had to go back on it. I decided not to take the zyrtec and cimetidine. I'm going to wait to see what the allergist says.

Excited About My Appointments

I'm actually excited about my appointments because I've been so uncomfortable for the whole week, I'm looking for answers. I was doing well, until Thursday when the puffy eyes and itchy neck came back. The dryness and stinging increased. At times, my neck would just sting even though I didn't move it.

I've also tried to meditate/relax. My goal is 10 minutes. It's hard.

2 Appointments On Monday

I made two appoints for this Monday, June 13.

At 11:OO a.m. I have a follow up appointment with my PCP. I've been taking prednisone and the swelling has gone down. My skin is still raw, but it's healing. Strangely, while I've been at home this week, my arms, body start to itch. That leads to a cycle of a rash and I scratch more. Maybe it is my apt causing my problems.

At 1:30 p.m. I have an appointment with Dr. Jacob Swilling. He was referred from a friend of my mothers. I'd love to know if others have had good experiences with him. The consultation is $180. Is my health worth it? I tried to find out what to expect, but the receptionist wasn't helpful. What I'm concerned is that he'll prescribe expensive pills, or recommend this test or that cleanse, all of which will add up, and have questionable results. Got to let go of the skepticism. Right?

I tried internet searches to get reviews of Dr. Swilling. All I found were his websites, publications, and other professional articles. Couldn't really find any random reviews or experiences.

Acupuncture

I went to an acupuncturist. It was a few months ago. I knew I had to try something and the regular doctors weren't helping. I found a woman online. My main criteria was someone not too far. Probably not the best way to pick someone.

Her consultation was only $20, so that's not bad. She spent over an hour with me. That in itself was worth the $20. She offered me 3 plans...but that's where it got difficult. I couldn't really understand her, what the difference between the plans were, what the cost/benefit was. The 3 plans correspond to less treatment, more treatment, which translates into less and more money.

She had a quirky personality, which I was drawn to. But the skeptic in me made it hard to understand how the treatment works. All she could say was that I was really sick and that I could use treatment.

After a couple weeks debating, I went to her. What's $60 a session. Three needles in my forehead. I know that results take multiple sessions so I didn't expect anything. But then she gave me the same non-understandable 3 options discussion. She wasn't pushy, which she could have been, but she wasn't helpful in explaining what the plan for me would be. I mean, if she couldn't even explain the treatment plan, then how could I trust her. Her quirkiness, which I found fun and intriguing, turned out to be the turnoff, and I didn't go back. Plus, the prepared the herb pills for me. Wanted me to spend another $60 for them...that was too expensive for me. The skeptical in me could not pay the money for the herb pills...not when I didn't know what was in it...not when she couldn't explain what they were for.

So while I don't trust the reg doctors, it's hard to blindly trust the alternative medicine doctors.

The Reason For this Blog

I had another blog, but it's no longer relevant since I'm in a healthy and happy relationship. But, just as that was developing, and all things seemed perfect, I began experience some health issues.

As I'm looking for something new to write about, to chronicle, it occurred to me that this could be a useful topic.

The history thus far:

For a long time, I don't even remember when it started, I would have some puffiness around my eyes when I woke up. I'd wake up, one eye would be slightly swollen and puffy. By the time I showered, and readied for work, I was normal. No big deal.

By October November 2010, I noticed my eyes were bothering me. I noticed I constantly itched them. There would be some dryness or roughness around the eye lid area. It would get better in a day or so. I made a point of noticing it and marked the date in my head. On my return from spending Thanksgiving in DC area, I bought body shop eye cream to help, bought the super sensitive skin one. Thought it would be cooling, and help relieve the dryness I'd been experiencing.

The symptoms continued to get worse. I really dislike doctors. I'm rather skeptical of doctors, and pretty much everything. It was time for me to schedule my annual exam so thought I could combine the two. Do the exam, and ask about my eyes. The exam wasn't scheduled until February 2011, that was the first available.

Made the mistake of scheduling the appointment with the nurse practioner. While normally I'm happy with a NP, the scope of her advice was limited. When I saw her, she saw the eyes, immediately attributed to the dry weather. It's been particularly dry and cold, causing more dryness. While that is an explanation, it didn't make sense to me. I've never had dryness problems. She prescribed patanol and a steroid cream. I used the cream as needed, and it worked, can't deny it. But EVERYONE says don't use the steroid cream too much. The package warnings say don't use around the eye. I never got the patanol because it was over $100, with insurance.

Friends said I needed to see a dermatologist. So I asked for a referral. She gave me one and off to the dermatologist I went.

In the meantime, my neck started to itch and itch and I scratched and scratched. I went to the dermatologist and asked about both the eyes and neck. I expressed concern about steroid creams and continued usage. He dismissed my concerns, and sent me off with desonide and hydroxyzine. Desonide is an old steroid cream, supposedly mild. Hydroxyzine is an antihistimine pill; may cause drowsiness.

Took the pills for a weekend. Made me crazy. Like, I yelled at my bf. Cried like a wreck. This was a weekend where we ran together, so the frustration of running added to it I guess.

Using the desonide for a few days worked. And it does work. The problem is that when I stopped using, the itchiness came back. This leads to puffiness, redness, watering etc etc.

Basically since February I've been using the desonide cream on and off. The eye and neck problems have gone on weekly cycles. One week good, then slowly a flare up, then recovery, good for a few days, then the itchiness comes back.

I went to an allergy lecture given my a natropath doctor. She suggested an elimination diet. So, for 2 weeks I didn't eat any dairy or grains. Nothing changed. Symptoms didn't really clear up.

I then suffered through, there being good week and bad week.

This past weekend, things turned bad. I had a small flare up over Mem Day weekend. It started to get better...I was so hopeful. Then I started to itch by Wed-Thurs. Then Sat morning I woke up to very puffy eyes. I turned to claritin. Sun, I woke up to very very puffy eyes and itchy neck. I continued claritin and benedryl. Mon my eyes were so puffy it scared me. The numbness was from my cheeks to the eyes, half my face. I could see, but my vision was limited. With the wateriness it was very hard to see.

I went back to my PCP. She was better at listening and showed sympathy. She gave me an allergy shot and a 5-7 course of prednisone. And, here I am ready to blog.

What to do next? Continue with the PCP or go see a naturopathic doctor.

I've done some internet searches and it's even more confusing.