Hi, hope all of you are well and managing to retain your sense of humour during this crazy time!
I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced what I experienced recently, with or without an insect sting?
I'm quite newly diagnosed with ET and have been taking Hydrea for about two months.
Last week I was in the garden gathering blackcurrants and was stung on the tip of my left forefinger. I didn't see anything fly off, but I'm assuming it was a wasp or something similar. I've never been allergic to stings, so didn't think much about it. My finger felt a bit sore and began to feel a bit numb later in the day - nothing to be concerned about.
By that evening I felt achy all over and when I stood up from the couch I felt so dizzy that I had to hold myself up on the back of the couch. For several days since, my torso has been aching, in particular on the left-hand side. It has not been pain exactly, but an aching discomfort, especially when trying to take a deep breath in. It has eased over the last couple of days and is now almost back to normal.
Could it be that the venom from the sting reacted with the Hydrea? Anyone else had any similar experiences?
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Fernsong
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Hi Fernsong, I’ve had the opposite. Before taking hydroxycarbamide if I had any insect bite it would swell up quickly and be uncomfortable even using antihistamine. If I get an insect bite now it stays small and I don’t feel anything from it.
Hi. I react the same to bites and stings certainly much more than before I had ET and went on HU. Before going for a walk or gardening I always use a barrier cream and if bitten I have antihistamines which my doctor prescribed
I’ve got a naturally high histamine level, so have always reacted to stings and bites, I was stung in my teens by a wasp and experienced a similar reaction, my hand and arm had swollen quiet a bit, I remember needing additional meds and had to have my arm elevated in a sling for a number of days. I react in a similar way to ivy of all things! No take daily antihistamines to reduce reactions and day to day itchiness. I’ve had ET for what appears 15 years and been on hydroxy for over a year, I react pretty bad to mosquito bites too they go big, very red and itchy. I find relief using After Bite, hydrocortisone cream and taking antihistamines 3 times a day help! I’m pleased to hear your feeling better xx
I was walking into my sitting room and stood on a bee. The little thing stung me in the side of my foot. You would think I had been stabbed in the foot. (I’ve been stung before but not like this)
The pain was unbearable, my foot went red, I couldn’t walk on it for hours. I didn’t ease off until the next morning.
I was doing gymnastics in my back hard at age 11. During a handstand, I stood with my palm on a wasp. My hand was swollen for a week. Once was bitten by wasp inside the foot also. Yes. Stabbing. Such a tender area with so many pressure points. Was much better the next day. 🙂
Wow. That seemed heavy. Please be careful if this happens again and get to a doctor. Maybe the reaction will be stronger. Better stay on the safe side.
I know that all kinds of bugs and illnesses are spreading around the globe. I have gotten simple mosquito bites that have needed weeks to settle. This often means that the bug is carrying some virus and we get infected. Happens more often than we are told.
It’s always good to have Anti histamine drops Or gel in the med cabinet.
By the way, I was always the one who attracted mosquitos. Since being on Anagelide for almost 3 years, they don’t seem to prefer me any more. 😂
It is at first! I’ve actually been able to fix up my health in the 3 years since my diagnosis. I eat the autoimmune paleo diet and have banished almost every Single chemical out of my life. I’ve been studying alternative and natural healing, cancer, Alzheimer’s, Depression, autoimmune, autism, heart, and skin illnesses.
I’ve amassed 1400 pages of handwritten notes! I have gotten rid of all my autoimmune problems (except thyroid-but I’ve halved my meds), my depression, incontinence, leaky gut, eczema, hair loss and so much more!! I no longer have eye migraines with aura and after 6 TIAs, my last was 1.5 years ago! My platelets are also going down.
At one point, I was on 6 Anagrelide capsules and now I’m on 3. I‘ve also removed all my amalgams, take supplements and detox regularly.
My belief is that, if we undo what our lifestyle and environment has done to our body, it will eventually find a way to curing itself. Our bodies were well equipped until we started taxing them with chemicals and stress. I see myself as a guinea pig. 😂
Wow, You're doing great work, Anag! Well done to have got so far along the path back to natural health.
I've had a similar journey. I had stage 3 ovarian cancer in 1999 and fought through a complete hysterectomy and Carboplatin chemotherapy. Over the years since then I've learned so much about myself. I stopped stressing out, worked on my negativity, started eating very healthily (although not paleo) and began exercising on a regular basis. I thought I'd really turned the old C-word on its head, so was extremely disappointed to be diagnosed with ET after putting in so much work on myself on every level. Then another real jolt to have had a melanoma removed a few weeks ago. Hey-ho...
I'm determined to stay positive through all this. I'm not ready to go yet!
I was diagnosed with ET four years ago, I'm on Hydroxycarbamide and the dose has been steadily increasing since then. I've read about the autoimmune Paleo diet and had been thinking of giving it a try, do you have any recommendations as for a good reference point to get started? as there is a lot of misinformation out there.
This is a huge step, but really worth it. I have gathered my info from everywhere. There is really a lot of crazy and idiotic, irresponsible info out there. I have 1400 handwritten pages of notes on treating and preventing almost all pertinent diseases and conditions, diet and food as medicine. For an overwhelming majority, the AIP diet is the one that makes most sense and can be eaten for a life time. I will gather my thoughts and write you again when I have a bit more time.
I'm finding that I seem to be much more sensitive even to ordinary mosquito bites. The swelling and itching linger now for days, even a week. I'm wondering whether it could be the Hydroxyurea or maybe the Polycythemia? Or maybe just age??
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