Sick And Frustrated

[Adalaide]

So it took some time but I think I do reasonably okay. I deal with things as they come up and do really well with laughing things off and taking them in stride when things go poorly. I even joked about how sick I am. I'm pretty competitive by nature and my husband was also sick. Well I was to the doctor today and apparently I have a sinus infection because I had to get sick better than him.

Unfortunately I couldn't get an appointment until 2 this afternoon. I knew what that meant when I made it. It meant that most if not all drug manufacturers would be closed by the time I got done. Pharmacists don't have the time, patience or frankly enough of a clue about what the heck gluten is to make a call to see if a drug is gluten free. I wouldn't trust one to call for me. Why? Well, because of the response I got today from Sandoz when I called about my z-pack. (Apparently I've developed an allergic reaction to penicillin, oh lucky me.)

So, there I am in the waiting room using every ounce of breath I can muster to scream into the phone. I barely manage to get my voice above a whisper and have to repeat myself several times to the rep before she understands why I'm calling. Finally, she says that they don't test their final product or certify anything as gluten free. Their supplier has notified them that their xanthum gum is wheat derived but that they consider their final product gluten free. She concludes by telling me that therefore Sandoz considers this drug to be gluten free.

Um... what freaking planet do you have to be from to think you can convince me to take a pill made of wheat?!?! Also, I'm pretty sure any pharmacist who made that call would have told me it was gluten free and I would have filled it and then not been able to figure out why I was getting so much sicker. So I guess that is fair warning to those who trust pharmacists to make that call. Don't.

But anyway. I've about had it. I've been sick since Thursday. I haven't been able to speak for 4 days. I've lost 5 pounds over the weekend. I haven't eaten because my throat hurts so much I can't bear the thought of food. I haven't slept for more than 4 extremely interrupted hours a day since Thursday. And then some moron on the phone makes me repeat myself like 100 times and tells me pills made of wheat are gluten free. I'd scream if I even could!!!

[Takala]

[kareng]

If you can't get another that you feel safe with, you are choosing to maybe loose your hearing, go into the hospital, pneumonia, suffer for another week or so until it gets so bad you will have to have IV antibiotics?

I would have taken it. At least a couple of doses until tomorrow and the doc coulsd order something else or I could get a different nrand from a different pharmacy.

If there was still wheat in the drop of xantham gum in a pill, its very very very small. I believe xantham gum, from any source, is considered gluten-free as it is so processed. Will see what I can find out.,

Xantham gum is on the safe list. I think any wheat that may have ever been near it is processed out.

[kareng]

Have you tried a sinus rinse? Like tis one? Open Original Shared Link

My son had a sinus infection and it helps alot. More than alot! The ENT said not to use a nettie pot because it sometimes sends the water thru too fast. Use the kind with the squirt bottles. My son says to do it it a hot shower. Its messy and gross.

I think you can get those Cepachol throat srpays that numb the throat. Suck on popsicles.

Cepachol looks gluten-free but chloraseptic says it is

Open Original Shared Link

[Jodster72]

Adelaide:(

Sure hope your feeling better soon!!!!

I know that since all my issues started last year I have mysteriously become allergic to every antibiotic they've tried lol

So I suffer or suffer !!!

Sending you speedy get wells and hoping you can get something else o replace it quickly:)

Jody

[nvsmom]

(((HUGS)))

[Adalaide]

I do use a throat spray, it's not particularly effective for more than a few minutes at a time at this point and I am probably using far more than any doctor would be comfortable with me using but whatever. Don't use for more than 2 days? Yeah, got that covered times 2. Spit it out? I'm pretty sure once you've sprayed it directly onto the back of your throat we're way past spitting. If it wasn't safe to actually consume it wouldn't be meant to be put in your mouth. And I'll keep right on telling myself that.

It took feeling like I was on death's doorstep over the weekend to get me to use flonase. I don't do water on my face and frankly unless there is a gun to my head I'm not putting water up my nose. I get that those are great for some people and my best friend swears by them. If they work for someone else I think that's just super. It's just a thing.

I was able to get something I am comfortable taking. I'm gonna be honest though. I'm sicker than I've been in 5 years, in a sick sort of way not a celiac sort of way. I will not risk taking my immune system from hyper drive (which isn't working anyway) to completely whacked out by throwing wheat at it. No matter how "safe" it supposedly is. I'm pretty sure I'm in no state to do any sort of critical thinking and until I can look it up for myself the last think I'll do is trust some random person on the phone getting paid minimum wage to tell me that her company's product is perfectly safe for me and I should buy it. Given a choice between two pills where one is made of wheat and one isn't, I'll take the one that isn't every time. Even if the one that is is theoretically perfectly safe.

[shadowicewolf]

Oh that sticks

I'm allergic to penicillian (and its family), septra (and its family), and azethromaicin. Reactions from any one of those is not fun (first two gave me very bad hives for a week and the last set my body a fire).

Warm tea and honey for that throat should help.