Running My Race: Unexpected Bump in the Road

When are bug bites not truly bug bites? When does the change in how food tastes not have anything to do with the food? When does having a bit of trouble breathing on my walk have nothing to do with my conditioning? The answer to all these questions lies in a small pill I've been taking the past week.

If you can read the small print in this picture, you see that one of the rare side effects of Arimidex is hives and itchiness. On Tuesday, I felt what seemed at the time a mosquito bite as I walked. It was on my stomach, just below the waistband of my pants, and very difficult to get to while bundled up against the rain and chill. When I got home, I put cortisone on what turned out to be 4 small bumps. My only thought at the time was how weird to get mosquito bites this time of year and in that area.

By yesterday, these bumps had multiplied, spreading to my thigh and one on the top of my foot. I remember having a reaction to amoxicillin, and the rash was all over. This didn't seem like a bad reaction, if it even was such a thing, but I perused the medical information included with the prescription and online to see if hives might be a possible side effect. Last night, I told Walt that it is likely that I am having a mild allergic reaction to the drug, especially as I saw no change to the bumps after several days. I looked at pictures of hives online and realized my bumps looked more like those than mosquito bites, after all.

At dinner last night, I noticed that all the food tasted bland, which helped me not enjoy the food as i usually would. I still didn't connect the dots that my tongue might be numb because of the Arimidex.

Intending to call my doctor this morning but still unsure if this was a true allergic reaction, I took my pill as scheduled last night. This morning I didn't have any achiness when I woke up. To tell you the truth, that has been the side effect I was zeroing in on, making sure I exercised and stretched so I could prevent or alleviate any stiffness. After seeing the kids off to school and having my daily time reading the Bible and praying, I set out with Sugar for a walk. I had climbed a hill outside our neighborhood and felt a tightness in my throat. At that moment I started thinking that this really was a reaction, and I hope it isn't serious. Then I remembered that I hadn't taken a Claritin this morning. Since it worked so well at eliminating the sharp back pains I experienced my first days of the medicine, I faithfully took it every morning. In hindsight, I think taking that antihistamine daily kept my allergic reactions to a minimum, which is why I had a hard time believing they were real.

I had only been walking about 10 minutes at this point, and knowing I probably wouldn't get out another time today, and since it really didn't seem all that bad... (yes, I can rationalize with the best of them), I continued on my walk, electing to take the shorter route, just in case, but still going further away from home. At one point, with the rain soaking my pants, feeling my throat tightening a bit more that I slowed my pace, I wondered how good of an idea this actually was. Fortunately, I made it home safely, but I have to say, not without some concern toward the end.

As soon as I got home, I took a Claritin and almost immediately felt the swelling and numbness lessen. I called my doctor and spoke with the nurse, who said she would relay the information and get back to me as soon as she was able to connect with Dr. Kohn. I mentioned that I knew I should discontinue Arimidex, but would I need a time for the medicine to clear my body before starting back on Tamoxifen? I noticed when I spoke that my tongue felt a bit clumsy and my voice sounded like I had a sore throat.

While waiting for the return call from the doctor, I sipped water and felt my throat loosen up even more. I don't think Ben noticed anything different as I read and discussed history with him. When the nurse called, she said Dr. Kohn agreed that I should stop Arimidex, that I should take Claritin or Benadryl (which I told the nurse I had and it was helping), that I could go back on Tamoxifen tonight without a waiting period, and that we would discuss trying one of the other aromatase inhibitors at my next appointment. I told her that I thought that was a good plan and hung up.

From the start, I was hopeful that I was going to be able to handle this medicine, expecting to gain a bit of advantage in this fight against the cancer coming back. I think that desire for it to work prevented me from seeing how it was truly affecting me. I am thankful that the reaction was minor. I'm glad to be back on tamoxifen, something I know. Every new entry into the world of prescription drugs is tainted with lots of uncertainties and cautions. For now, I'm thankful that I have something that will work (tamoxifen), and my doctor and I can figure out in February if we should try something different.

Today, I'm still recovering from this unexpected bump in the road. My body is a bit shaky, my mouth is still numb but breathing is fine. My skin and eyes are still itchy, (connecting that final dot that it wasn't my contacts that was causing my eyes to itch so badly). I foresee these all returning to normal soon. In the midst of all this, I'm thankful, at peace, knowing God is in control of all this.