Breathing Deeply: My Life With Cystic Fibrosis

Yesterday I called the doctor to ask if there was anything else I could try for the itching. They said to try Tagamet. I thought that was sort of weird, but I was desperate. I bought some of the stuff and gave it a whirl. During dinner last night (corn dogs...mmmmm) a feeling of relief completely washed over me. Brad said that my expression totally changed.

Since the itchiness had left, I had a wonderful night of sleep. I don't even remember falling asleep. I just remember how good it felt to be in bed and not dread the feeling of the sheets against my legs and arms.

I was looking up the ingredients of Tagamet to see what it was that makes it work that way. Turns out it's an H-blocker (the H stands for histamine.) Although it's marketed mainly because of the other properties that make it great for managing heartburn and stomach acid, it's great as a mild antihistamine. I even found an article that mentions that Tagamet is good for CF patients because it helps keep the stomach acid under control so that pancreatic enzyme supplements can work more effectively. I'm looking forward to that aspect of that.

As far as the other side effects of the meds go, those are actually minimal compared to what I've experienced before. Usually by now I'm loose as a goose. Now I suspect that maybe by having the high fat high protein diet in the hospital, I'm getting more fat than my body can handle. Strange food always does a number on me, so I think that by being at home and eating my usual foods, I'm doing a lot better than if I had been in the hospital.

My FEV1 has reached a bit of a plateau at 1.8L. That's definitely an improvement from a week ago. I don't have the same ache in my chest as I once did either. Things are looking up!