Thanks, but I’ll take the cough instead of dying

Posted 3 weeks ago by stillsdiseaseblog

And again I find out that having a very rare disease and taking common medicine doesn’t always work. I’ve had a cough that’s been going on for quite a few weeks and it seemed to be getting worse. I went to Urgent Care and the PA gave me a cough medicine.

The bottle was so tiny and only 1/4 full that the cashier handed me. I got to my car and I wondered is this one dose? Did they not fill it correctly? I took the bottle back in and the cashier quickly handed me a measure spoon and said “this is all we have. Bye” I probably should have e asked to speak to a pharmacist but he looked busy.

So last night I took the medicine. Almost immediately my cough was less, I was so happy. I was drowsy which was good because I have not slept well for days due to coughing. However, a few hours later, I was awakened with the most excruciating pain in my hips and thighs. It was as if they were seizing up and my hips hurt like fire inside. I had a fever and chills. I had to stand up because laying down was so extremely painful.
I stood and felt my thighs hurting so bad. I could barely bend over to put on sweat pants and a sweat shirt. I wrapped myself in a blanket and stood up in my living room. Every time I tried to sit on the couch or lay down my hips and thighs screamed with pain. I hurt so bad. I cried while standing. I had chills and was so cold.
I took my temperature. 102 degrees.

What I wondered was happening to me ? It was 1am and I was so tired from days of not sleeping due to this cough and now this severe pain.
I stood and stiff legged paced the house for an hour. I drank 3 glasses of water to see that would help.
About two hours later, I was able to lay down and the pain would decrease for a few minutes and then the searing pain would return.

I was in and out bed for several hours. Because I kept trying to lay down but the pain was severe. I felt anxious and my heart rate was fast as if I had been running. But I was so dizzy. I was thinking of driving to the ED but I was too dizzy and I could not sit in my car due to the excruciating hip joints and thigh pain.

Finally around 5am I went to my bed and fell asleep.
I woke up around 9:45am. I was surprised I slept, but very grateful.
It’s now 12:30 in afternoon. My left hip and thigh still feel sore, mostly my thigh. The fever is gone.
Im just exhausted. I’m wondering if anybody else has had this strange reaction to a cough medicine Promethazine DM. Sometimes I feel our immune system and our bodies having AOSD makes us more sensitive.
I am hoping this doesn’t trigger a flare. I’ve been doing so well for quite a while.

Update: I called the Urgent care twice to talk to the PA. I left my name two times. I never received a call back. I had told the receptionist twice that it was urgent that he knew I bad a bad reaction to the medication. I looked up the side effects. Apparently I had a very severe reaction that could have been life threatening. I could have died. And the PA didn’t even care.