Kate,
It can get better. You've stabilized before and you can do it
again, but it will take a long time and you may need to take
considerable time off work. I've heard of some really bad cases
including people on long term O2 getting stabilized and working
again...but it took years and hard work. When I'm highly reactive I
find that staying home and being extremely careful what I eat helps a
great deal. Things build up fast when you are in overload...tiny
exposures become life threatening...then it calms down a little at a
time if you are very careful. Heather



--- In LANTERN@yahoogroups.com, "lost2latex" <lost2latex@y...> wrote:
> I hve never been in a chat room before but I need some support I
> guess. I have had a latex allergy since 1993, diagnosed after an
> anaphylactic reaction while at work. The hospital I worked for
> basically ran me out. I have had varying jobs over the years...
> College Health at my Alma Mater, administrator for home care
company,
> head nurse for new dementia unit( a very proud accomplishment),
> recently, visiting home nurse and my proudest accomplishment of
all,
> Wife and Mom. My allergy was so in control. I had it figured out,
I
> thought. I gave birth to two kids and avoided a latex reaction. I
> researched all products before purchasing them or bringing them
into
> the house avoided all contact with gloves, powdered or otherwise,
no
> chewing gum, no rubber bands etc etc etc. Then my present
employer
> forgot to tell a new hire about keeping gloves bagged and separated
> from dressing supplies that would be left in the patients home for
> use by all visiting nurses to provide care and I got re-exposed in
a
> major way. Life has not returned to "normal" for a year. I am
> beginning to wonder if this is my new normal. Last year I spent 10
> weeks never knowing how long it would be before my body figured
out
> how to get past the myriad of meds I was taking and launch another
> full blown anaphylactic reaction. I did it big... swollen mishapen
> face, closing airway, dropping BP, racing heart rate. They said
they
> didn't know how to stabilize me, my body just insisted on being in
> anaphlaxis. Over a 10 week period, I had 12 epi shots (3 separate
> occasions I had to self administer while waiting for an
ambulance...
> once on the side of a road. Finally, they added Singulair to the
> list of meds and things calmed down. But will it ever be "normal"
> again. Does this ever stop? It seems that I am so sensitive to
> latex now and it doesn't ever fully settle, like it did 11 years
> ago. There doesn't seem to be an acceptable level of stability. I
> have been in the ER from touching pictures that a photo tech
counted
> while wearing a latex finger cot. Most recently, a trip to the
> local school for kindergarten orientation sent my allergy nutty and
> I'm back on prednisone again. The Doc considers these successes
> because my airway did not close and I made it to the ER on my own
> steam, not in the back of an ambulance. I take singulair and
> allegra... when things start to cook, I take cimetidine and
benedryl,
> then prednisone and if they still don't settle, its off to the ER.
> On hand always is a nebulizer with albuterol, epinephrine, and now
> glucagon. Glucagon to alter the cell walls so the Epinephrine has
a
> better chance at working.... last time it took three shots from
the
> Advanced life support crew to get me to the ER breathing. I make
> everything from scratch that we eat to avoid cross contamination, I
> sew my own bras and undies, get only cotton/Lycra blend socks (not
> easy to find), I will be making my first attempt at sewing a
bathing
> suit... maybe next week. Does this ever end? Does it ever get
> easier? I don't know what else to do to avoid exposure. I feel
like
> a freak. There isn't one restaurant in town that is latex free.
> When you try to provide education about latex allergy, they think
you
> are a nut. Even many local MDs are resistent to accepting latex
> allergy. One idiot wanted to find a latex glove and "challenge"
> me... that was upon arrival to the ER after the three shot
ride.What
> is wrong with these folks? Has anyone found a better way to live
and
> manage the allergy? Has anyone had any success in providing
> community awareness successfully without being labeled the
> neighborhood nut? Does it get better? They say life is going to
be
> managing me from one crisis to another, that I will never be med
free
> again, and that unless labeling regulations and rubber usage
changes,
> this is it. I am 35 years old with two very young children. I am
> having a hard time accepting what they have to say. Is there
anyone
> out there that can give me some hope with their story? Thanks for
> listening... Kate