Hello all! Before my decompression, I had absolutely NO allergies. Shortly after recovering, I started to notice that things were bothering me. For instance, I had taken the drug Lyrica for about six years prior to surgery. When I restarted it I began to have extreme difficulty breathing. Of course I had to stop taking it. Thought it was a coincidence, so I attempted to take it again a few months later. Same thing...Then I began to have trouble with foods. Watermelon and canteloupe (mouth blisters/itchy tongue), ANY type of nuts (swelling/itchy mouth), chocolate (horrible neck rash). The worst part is my chest closed up on two different types of antibotics!!! ( i have taken these all my life, since childhood). The list goes on and on...Today I have broken out in a neck rash that is spreading up to my ear and my mouth is extremely itchy. I cannot figure out what is going on...It seems as though i may have to crawl under a rock lol. Has anyone had this problem? I have explored many avenues and cannot figure out why this has happened. I am thirty one years old, why all of the sudden starting directly after decompression? Did my body not have the energy or time to recognize these before, because it was too concerned about my brain being trapped?
I would check with a doctor. New allergies can spring up at anytime so I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or somehow related to the stress of the surgery. I suppose it's possible the added stress could have sent your immune system a bit haywire.
Obviously, yes, please go to the doctor. I am 31 as well and was decompressed last year. Compared to all my surrounding family it seems like I'm sensitive to everything! I don't know about the rash... a doctor should be able to tell you exactly what that is, and they can also test you for allergies. Just make sure to keep track of everything (like your reaction to the melons) and bring the list to the doctor. You may want to go to the ER for that rash actually. If not, keep a sharp eye on it. <3
Emily, I had the EXACT same thing happen! I was never allergic to anything until I had the decompression surgery and now I am allergic to all sorts of medication! Lyrica, Gabapentin, ALL PAIN MEDS - Codeine, Morphine, (so having a back fusion 6 months later with no pain meds was loads of fun!) and now I'm allergic to some antibiotics too and the good ones, the "Cadillac" ones that they give you if you have a bad infection and need to be hospitalized or the ones following surgery....Needless to say I am a bit freaked out and I would LOVE and explanation! When I had my back done after the decompression surgery the nurses had to keep a constant flow of benadryl in my I.V. just in case something made me break out and there was nothing they could give me after my back...even valium became an allergy. I just don't understand why. My neurosurgeon said it COULD have something to do with the receptors in the back of the brain and when you mess with them it screws up your body's sensory but I didn't think it would make me allergic to anything. I'm relieved that I'm not the only one, but I'm sorry you have to deal with it too....it's surely a pain in the rump! I would say keep an epi-pen handy, but you may be allergic to the epi-pen too! It's awful isn't it?! Best of luck to you!