An Appointment with Dr. Yadav

I met up with Dr. Yadav on Saturday morning to update him and to ask him some questions concerning the medications which I could take during the surgery.

He was thoroughly amused with the 'placebo effect' term. He said it was his first time hearing this term being used where anaphylaxis is concerned. But he also said that there are two different 'types' of anaphylaxis. One is the 'true anaphylaxis' and the other 'anaphylaxis-like'. People who have medication allergy usually have swelling or edema and usually does not cause anaphylaxis. It's people with respiratory problems who will be in trouble when they have allergic reactions to medication as their respiratory system will have allergic reactions which can result in anaphylaxis. Thus, the 'anaphylaxis-like' is used in this situation.

People with food allergies or sensitivities react in the 'true-anaphylaxis ' manner. I need to read up more on this area to understand better.

Dr. Yadav said that my immune system had gotten stronger, thus my ability to be able to eat foods with salicylate. But he cautioned me to be careful as in to space out my intake of salicylates. My body is like a jar. And everytime I eat things which contain salicylates, the jar fills up. And if I'm not careful and keep on consuming salicylates, the jar will fill up and overflow and if my immune system is down, another anaphylaxis might implode! 

I did ask him about salicylate desensitization. He said that in my case it would not help much as I am also chemically sensitive. He also said that with salicylate desensitization, I would need to consume large amounts of aspirin everyday for the rest of my life. And also I would need to have stomach medication as aspirin is very bad for the stomach. Besides I have a recurring reflux problem which I've had since I was 20. And if I bleed, it would be an issue as aspirin is a blood thinner. So he feels that in my case that there are more cons than pros. I'm also happy with the improvement that I've had within these 5 years. So is he.

Dr. Yadav also said it does not mean that I am 'fine' and will not have an allergic reaction if I took the opiates again which were given to me during and after the surgery. If my immune system is weakened, he said that there is a possibility of me reacting. So what the surgeon said that me being able to take the 'host of medications' during surgery shows that I am FINE, is wrong. 

He reminded me again that this is a life-long medical condition. But I have found a way to live around it and live it well too. He was very happy that I've managed to become better and stronger. He said that there are many people like me here in Malaysia.  He said I managed to overcome my crisis because I researched a lot, read a lot, wrote and shared and learned a lot from people like me who live all over the world and joined support groups. 

So to Malaysians who are like me,

I'm still waiting to hear from you. 

And if you have allergies or sensitivities that no doctors believe in, you can always make an appointment to see Dr. Yadav at Pantai Hospital.