Question:
I had scratch/prick tests yesterday morning
for dozens of allergens (hoping to find out what is contributing to my
chronic sinusitis). Everything was negative. Yesterday afternoon I
felt like I hit a brick wall -- serious fatigue. I could barely drag
myself into the bedroom to go to sleep. I slept almost nine hours
last night, and this morning the fatigue continues. It's all I could
do to run a couple of errands and drop off my son at camp before
coming home and sitting down. I haven't had fatigue like this for
months. AND I've been on vacation the last few weeks (lots of good
food, sun, rest, naps, sinus problems under control for months, etc.)
and have been feeling really great. I'm so discouraged by this, I
just started bawling (and I'm not one prone to crying or dramatics).
I pulled myself together (crying just makes my sinuses swell, and
that's something I want to deal with just now), but I'm pretty sure
I'm going to be spending the day in bed. I called the doctor's
office, and the nurse/receptionist says there's no way skin testing
causes a systemic reaction like fatigue.
Answer:
I believe that most everyone who gives allergy shots has seen many
people who have fatigue following their shot. Some will plan to be able
to nap after their shot, some will arrange that the shot is followed by
a day during which the demands on them are less, and some just find
themselves so affected that they are unable to continue. I have not had
people tell me of similar reactions after skin testing, but see no
reason why such should not occur. I know that doctors are not told of
all undesirable rections to treatment, particularly if the symptoms are
not feared to be dangerous to life. Many people expect uncomfortable
side-effects to all medical procedures, not knowing that they might not
be anticipated by the medical personnel in a specific circumstance, and
for this reason do not always mention them. It may simply be that such
have occurred, but have not been severe enough that they have been
reported to me.
Lori, usual practice in websites is that answers are given to the
group as a whole, as they may interest more than just the original
poster and may prompt further valuable discussion. I would point out that the skin tests were negative thus
reducing the likelihood of it being a reaction to the test. I think
one could reasonably expect a skin reaction if there were a systemic
reaction (not mandatory but I think a reasonable first assumption
based on the information at hand). I note that she just returned
from vacation had the testing then fatigue. That sounds very much
like the typical case of someone being out of an exposure area then
returning. A couple of questions come to mind. How long after returning from
vacation was the testing done? Any over the counter or prescription
drugs taken after the tests (asprin, benedryl, decongestants)?
Everything was negative - does that mean the histamine control was
negative also?
And, yes fatigue is a normal side effect of immunotherapy that can
occur without much indication of problems at the injection site. I
get mine just after work on the way home and plan on crashing for the
evening. my answers: I returned from vacation Sunday around 4 p.m. Had a
good night's sleep. Felt fine. Went in for allergy testing Monday morning
around 10. I'd been off Claritan D since last Wednesday so it wouldn't
screw up the test results. Still taking Singulair and Nasonex and the
occasional Sudafed (also on Zoloft for an unrelated condition -- no problems
with it in several months). Took no medications immediately after the
testing. Took Singulair and Zoloft at dinner, after the fatigue had already
set in. The cat didn't come home from the vet until late this morning, and she was
out of the house a day before we left (time enough to wash and change all
linens and clean the house really well -- I hate coming home to a dusty,
messy house). And I was actually in the car yesterday when the fatigue
first hit, about 4 p.m. (and hadn't been in the house since 8:30 that
morning). You're right -- the histamine control was positive. :-)
The only other little blip was the breathing test the nurse did before the
rest of the stuff -- I never did blow out all the little candles on the
computer 'cake' during it. And I had a lot of coughing after. The doctor
commented on the amount of it, and said I was probably a 'shallow breather'
(?), but I don't have any experience with breathing tests, so don't know
what the significance is. FYI, I am mildly asthmatic -- maybe one or two
attacks a year that last an hour or less with use of an albuterol inhaler.
I truly do not believe this is trip fatigue. With me, that is usually
present immediately after I arrive home and goes away after a night's sleep.
The last couple of days of our vacation were pretty low-key, so I actually
felt pretty good when we returned home. This evening I'm still fatigued --
not as badly as yesterday afternoon or this morning, but still basically
sitting alot and looking forward to bedtime. It was discouraging to have
this amount of fatigue. I've been doing pretty well the last couple of
months (currently dealing with getting help for chronic sinusitis, the
allergy testing being a part of that) and taking care of myself. Vacation
was the icing on the cake -- all that resting I got to do was great. And
now just two days back, I feel like I've negated all the good that's been
done in the last several weeks. Haven't felt this tired in about six
months.
Based on the other symptomology, not necessarily. I have had an
anaphylactic reaction to a patch test with absolutely no redness or
swelling at the site. What Lori had could very well be a systemic
reaction of less severity. My allergy symptoms often include lethargy and depression, which it
sounds like Lori has. It's bad enough that OTC antihistamiines almost
always perk me up. While I cannot say for sure that it was the shots
causing the reaction (and there is absolutely no way to know which
ones did), it sounds suspicious to me.
