It's Just Facial Flushing

Side effects from medicines may be expected, but they are not always pleasant, especially when they affect your appearances. Sometimes they can be avoided; other times you learn to deal with them. Either way, you want to monitor for them, especially if you are on other medicines that may increase your risk for these side effects or the condition you are treating already may worsen with the new medicine.

I have high blood pressure treated with hydrochlorothiazide. As much as I love basking in the sun with a book, I can't for prolonged periods. The diuretic increases skin photosensitivity (sunburn easily). Of course, I was recently diagnosed with rosacea a little less than a year ago. Another reason to slather on sunblock.

Last Friday, I got a cortisone injection into the shoulder bursa. Before I agreed to it, I asked the doctor if he's seen worsening blood pressure with the shot. (I just finished a month of Mobic, melixicam, a once-a-day Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drug that can increase blood pressure, but I checked frequently and had been fine.) While high blood pressure patients are going to be fine, diabetes patients need to be careful, because it could worsen the blood sugar levels and also increase the risk of infection with the breech of skin. (Don't ever look at the long needle.)

The most common side effect was the worsening pain within 24 hours. Since it was expected, I tolerated it. I even iced the site of injection. The worst was not that, though. It was the facial flushing 12 hours after I had received the injection. I had been out with my son's playgroup, but had worn sunblock. I figured it was a sunburn or acute rosacea anyway because I had not expected the facial flushing that occurs in 15% of patients, especially females. My face felt like it was emitting flames. Then I noticed a contact dermatitis reaction from the bag I wore while running. Eventually (after 24 hours), both areas began to cool down.

What have I learned? It doesn't hurt to ask about all the side effects from a cortisone (or any injection).

Going Under

My 6-year-old daughter just went in for surgery about 15 minutes ago. She had chosen me as the parent who gets to watch her fall asleep with the laughing gas. I was fine with that, because I did that with my son when he went in a couple of years ago. They had "Finding Nemo" playing so the mask did not phase him, and he quickly went out.

This time, there was no TV playing. She got up on the table and just lay still. There was something tugging at my heart, though, as I watched her stare into the operating table lights while taking breaths diligently into the mask. My heart dropped when I heard a beep. It was standard. Slowly, but too quickly for me, I watched her smile become a straight line. Her breathing became even. I had been worried about nothing.

She was done in less than 30 minutes. I thought for sure she'd be in recovery for an hour. Nope, she was awake 15-minutes after we were told it went well. The next 4.5 hours were spent trying to get her to eat popsicles or drink apple juice. We were lucky that we had to be transferred to the pediatric floor, because she was in and out of consciousness. One minute she would be chatting about something, the next she would be throwing a mini-tantrum about nothing, and then suddenly be snoring. In order to be discharged, she had to walk. Four hours after her surgery, she decided to sleep off the anesthesia. Nothing woke her. Finally, she took a stroll and was cleared. Wow, what a long day for us all.