Montelukast!

Montelukast - at last!

I popped in to the doctors' at midday and there was no queue. Nor was there a repeat prescription waiting. The receptionist admitted there had been some problems with email - in fact I think they've changed the address.

However she was very helpful and printed off a repeat prescription and then went off to find a GP to sign it. So I take everything back.

I popped a pill as soon as I got home. I certainly feel better now - the eye's not so sore, the jaw's barely aching and the Splodge is hardly itching. Maybe another tomorrow.

RAS

Summer problems

It all started when we went to a wedding in rural England at the weekend. It was in  the heartland of rural England, green, lush fruit-growing country and rolling hills. Wonderful - but as we drove out my left eye began to itch. When I touched it, I could feel it swelling. And I hadn't had a chance to take montelukast.

It seemed to calm down but today is awful. The eye is sore, so's my left jaw and the Splodge (on my upper left chest) is itching. I emailed for a repeat prescription last week but haven't had an acknowledgement. This morning I tried to pop into the doctor's surgery to see if they had it - but there was a queue stretching out of the door at  reception. It always amazes me how long it takes GP receptionists to log that people have arrived and invite them to take a seat. It might not be their fault - it might be a patient.

I've tried a salt mouth-wash in case there's a gum or tooth infection aggravating it but it's not made the slightest difference. I don't want to take anti-histamine as I have a busy day and need my wits about me.

And I've still got to get my scuba-diving medical sorted out. I need the montelukast.

RAS

Strawberries and splodge

One or two people have noticed I've been a little erratic in posting over the last few weeks. In fact I had wanted, time permitting, to do some commentaries on some of the allergy news that has been around. I thought the report that burgers aggravate asthma - but fish relieves - it, was interesting and relevant, especially as the researchers did not really get to the bottom of  the causes. The study found no link between meat and IgE allergy - the kind you can detect with a blood test and which causes normal hay fever. But the link between burgers, fish and asthma was strong. That may simply mean that children who eat lots of burgers tend to be overweight and do their asthma no good at all. Or it could reflect the impact of a smaller group whose problems are caused by salicylate sensitivity. Does anyone know how many people have problems with salicylate?

I've also been inattentive to myself. I've noticed over the last few days that the Splodge is no longer the shape of a reverse Australia. In fact it's beginning to itch a little. This may have been aggravated by a rare bout of sunshine and heat in England. Last night I was at a buffet and the "dessert" was a kind of chocolate-topped meringue nest with a strawberry cream in it - topped by a strawberry. I removed the strawberry and spooned out the strawberry cream. Not all of it, of course. Then I tried to eat around the edges. It wasn't very nice - like cardboard - so I had no qualms about giving up. But the reactions were almost instant and my left eye got quite sore for a short period.

Last night the Splodge was really red and itchy. This morning it had calmed down a little but still itches. I went to get a montelukast only to discover I had run out. The Splodge is now a splodge-shape, like a squashed strawberry. I think I had better measure it to make sure it's not growing. And must get some more montelukast.

RAS

Seaside!

A week of glorious weather, by British standards, and I found myself at the seaside. I had no sun-tan lotion so I popped into the beach shop. As always the ingredients on the bottles of lotion are far too small to read. However I took a chance on a bottle of Aloha premium suncare, which claimed to have been "dermatologically tested". As it's been tested on a random and decent-sized sample of people I guessed any problems of salicylate sensitivity might have been exposed. Does anyone have any idea how many people suffer from reactions to salicylate? What sort of general sample would detect problems?

 I sprayed it on my face and arms with no obvious reactions. It might have helped that I ate lots of fish during the week and hardly any border-line food so was enjoying quite a lot of tolerance. Also I suspect a bit of sunshine helps!

Later I put my glasses on and discovered it contained aloe. However no problems following the day out.

RAS
PS the spellchecker on my blogger has highlighted two words as doubtful: dermatologically and salicylate. Curious.