Okay I have been having some issues swallowing for almost 2 weeks now. I don't know how to explain the feeling I get besides that it feels like after I eat or drink I get this feeling that the food/drink won't all go down. at first I thought it was just that I had irritated my throat because I ate something that didn't agree with me and threw up a few times the days before I started to notice this (I was sick for about 3 days so it could have been some virus too but no one else got it).

So I called my neurosurgeon's office first just to make sure that it couldn't be something to do with my neck surgery (discectomy and fusion of C6/C7). They told me that since I had just been sick to wait a few days and if it didn't get any better to call back. Well I waited 4 days and called back since it isn't getting better but not worse either. They put me on Methylprednisolone 4mg dospak21's, making sure that it isn't swelling from the surgery but they didn't think it was since I am 7 weeks post op at this point, and it is a new thing. I am on the second day of this med and this is the 3rd time I have been on it in the past year, so this is not a new thing.

Well.. tonight on my way home from work my face started to turn really red and burn like I have a sun burn except it itches really bad. At this point 5 hrs later I have taken a shower to make sure I didn't get into anything and the redness and burning has spread to my neck and chest and shoulders. If this was a medication I had not taken before I might think that it was an allergic reaction and i know that it still could be but I have never heard of anyone being allergic to steroids. I have had this same burning and itching but only when I have done something as silly as walking through a cedar forest when I am extremely allergic to cedar.. and it was in full bloom, but after taking a shower it mostly went away.

I am about to take a couple of benadrly just to be on the safe side.

Any ideas??? I have no clue what is going on with me....

And I haven't eaten anything unusual and I haven't been outside to get sunburned either.

By Ginny~moderator on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 07:41 am:

Sometimes one can develop a reaction even to a medication one has taken before - I've had that experience. Whether the benadryl worked or not, I hope you call your doctor's office this morning and use whatever protocol they have to be sure you speak to someone. It sure sounds like an allergic reaction to me (sensitivity to sun is a side effect of some meds), and given that you are already having throat problems you don't want to risk swelling in your throat. It's possible that this particular batch of the medication has something different in it (unlikely, I know, but possible).

As for your throat, how about getting a referral to an ENT and having your throat scoped. There may be some swelling or a growth that (a) has nothing to do with the surgery or (b) does have something to do with the surgery but is unusual. Either way, trouble swallowing sounds to me like it needs looking into and looking at ASAP. (I've had my throat scoped several times as I have a small growth on a vocal cord. It's not a comfortable process but not usually painful.)

By Bobbie~moderatr on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 08:29 am:

You might have injured, tore, something when you threw up. The redness sounds like a reaction to something, if you are still having issues you might want to go to urgent care or the ER to have your symptoms evaluated because the last thing you need is sudden swelling so you can't breath. Stay on this, an ENT sounds like a good idea..

By Texannie on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 09:25 am:

Acid Reflux can cause that feeling too. but I would definitely get checked out cause you are having a reaction to something!

By Tayjar on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 09:33 am:

This happened to my dad. He had been taking an antibiotic for a UTI. Two weeks after stopping the medicine, he started feeling badly and brokeout in a horrible rash. He had been allergic to the meds. I'd have a doctor check you.

By Tarable on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 10:45 am:

My neurosurgeon wanted me to finish these steroids because if I had injured something throwing up then it was most likely swelling causing my problem so the meds would help. He is sending me to a specialist but I don't remember which one if this doesn't take care of it.. which i am on day 3 and it hasn't helped at all.

I am going to call my regular dr's office this morning and ask what they think I should do. The redness and heat went away with the benadryl but I am still itching all over.

Annie, my DH has really bad reflux and he said the same thing but he doesn't think that is what it is because I have been trying just about anything and taking OTC prilosec isn't doing anything for it and I have been taking it for 10 days now. Not to mention you don't normally get reflux over night.. I have never had any other symptoms of it until after i was throwing up.

Thanks for the advice.. I was a little freaked out last night and didn't really want a trip to the er to start my weekend.

I am so sick of doctors and er's that if I never saw one again it might be too soon. But that is another story for another post.

By Dawnk777 on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 10:47 am:

Ditto on having a doctor check you out, either at an walkin/urgent care/ER.

Methylprednisolone may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

* upset stomach
* stomach irritation
* vomiting
* headache
* dizziness
* insomnia
* restlessness
* depression
* anxiety
* acne
* increased hair growth
* easy bruising
* irregular or absent menstrual periods

If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

* skin rash
* swollen face, lower legs, or ankles
* vision problems
* cold or infection that lasts a long time
* muscle weakness
* black or tarry stool


I found this information here.

I think the problems in the first list would only happen if you are on it a while. Call your doctor and talk to the doctor on call. I would want to make sure that wasn't an allergic reaction, myself.

By Trina~moderator on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 11:11 am:

Did the Benadryl help? If so, I would also suspect an allergic reaction. Definitely seek medical attention if it appears to be getting worse. {{{HUGS}}}

By Tarable on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 01:44 pm:

I went in to my regular dr this morning (I am lucky enough to go to a dr that is open on Saturdays) and he doesn't think it is the steroid that I was having an allergic reaction to. I didn't even think of it but I had something I rarely eat last night that I have had problems with before. I had a sauce at Razoo's that has mustard in it and I can't eat mustard very often because it normally breaks my mouth out in little whelps. He told me to continue the steroid for now and if i have any hint of a reaction to immediately stop and take 50 mg of benadryl and call him or get in to a er/doc-in-a-box (urgent care)
He thinks since at this point with another benadryl this morning even the itching is gone it was probably just something I ate.
I guess I should pay more attention to what I am eating.. If it wasn't for him being a fan of Razoo's I wouldn't have ever come up with that. I told him what I ate for dinner and he had just read in my chart about the mustard so he put 2 and 2 together.

Thanks for all the info Dawn.. I will definately watch for those things too.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 08:26 pm:

I hope things start to improve, quickly... And It isn't uncommon to have tiny tear occur when you throw up.

By Dawnk777 on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 09:34 pm:

I'm glad you are feeling better. Sounds like you need to stay away from the mustard.