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First, I should tell you my reaction to the local anesthetic (Novocaine) some years ago, so that you can have an idea of the event:
Infiltration of local anesthetic.
Place of injection: neck
Person who injects: Traumatologist
Reaction: some minutes after (less than 30 minutes later)
Starting as a chest discomfort and suddenly ending as an acute chest pain.
Tingling or sensation of warmth
Pain breathing.
Irregular and fast heartbeat
Confusion
Dizziness.
Rapidly falling blood pressure
Syncope
I ended up at the ER. It took a long time to recover, as when I woke up later, I was lying in a bed at the ER.
I have to add that I suffer from POTS. To summarize, my heart rate increases when standing while my blood pressure decreases. This was confirmed by the Tilt Table Test. My heart rate was increasing while standing and my blood pressure decreasing, though it was not at a sudden and gradually (which is also another type of POTS, but still POTS). Unfortunately the doctor had not much idea about POTS and did not wanted to wait the 45 minutes tilted. He decided to give me sublingual nitroglicerine in order to reproduce my symptoms.
As reaction to the nitro, 3 minutes later I had a rapid (and dangerous) falling blood pressure, bradicardia, dizziness, confusion and syncope.
My blood pressure at the recovery was 64/26 and my heart rate 50
Recovering was not easy, even put back in a horizontal position…
I would say that more than a positive and usual reaction to a Tilt Table Test, it was a reaction to the drug itself…
Now back to what I wanted to explain: my drug allergies testing.
After nearly 3 days without medicines (to prepare for the test) my heart rate increased again and was about 90-100 bpm. at rest (sitting) and my bp was low (I think it was about 90-70). As it uses to be when I am off drugs without the treatment…
I thought it was worth doing it because it was more important to determine my drug allergies.
What I never would have imagined is the way they were going to carry out these tests.
Of course, I had been surfing the net in order to become informed about the protocol to follow for these tests. I think that most of us like to know what is going to be done to our body and when there is a lack of information, Internet solves many doubts.
On the day of the test, my appointment was at 9 am. We had to get up very early because the Hospital is not close. When we finally got there, we were not the only ones. Nearly 10 other people had an appointment for the same allergist, all at the same time…
We were welcomed by the nurse, who after asking if we were there because of the testings, asked my husband to leave until about 2 pm and told me to wait in a different room.
About 30 minutes later, the allergist asked me to get into her Office. After saying good morning, she just said, “we are going to start the tests. Please, wait in the room outside until you are called”.
And that was it.
The 10 of us who were there for the tests were waiting alone (I mean without a doctor), sitting on the typical chairs of Hospitals. A few steps further, in a different room (though connected with ours), was the nurse. On her right, another room had 2 beds with all the necessary equipment (yes, you read it right, just for 2).
The allergist was in her Office, meeting and talking with other patients and sometimes… I do not know where she was…
Finally, the nurse called me. I walked to her room, sat down on a chair and got an injection (in the arm). She then asked me to leave again into the room with the others and to wait for her to call me again. I walked back and waited.
This happened to all of us, but some of the other patient´s tests were taking pills, and the nurse came into our room to give them to pill to swallow. Before giving them the pill, she asked them: “Are you feeling well?” and left for her room again…
About 1 hour after the first injection, I got another one (following the same system)… Until a total of 4 injections. The nurse never checked my heart rate, blood pressure and she never asked me if I was feeling right… I did not see the allergist during the rest of the morning (and the tests ended at 1.30 pm).
About 2 hours after the last injection, the nurse called me again and said: “Well. That´s it. We have ended the test. You can go back home”. I was surprised and was going to ask for the medical report, when she added: “The report will be sent to your home, but do not expect it to come soon, it can take quite a while”…
It was supposed to be a drug provocation testing (incremental challenge), increasing the dosis to confirm the amount not tolerated… But I can assure you that they first tried with placebo and that the drug was not increased… I do not even think that they tried the same amount of the infiltration… Of course, I will have to see the medical report of the tests to assure this, but I am looking forward to getting it.
By the way, I have to add that on our first meeting some 15 days ago, I mentioned the reaction to the Nitroglicerine to the Allergist and she answered that it was nothing to worry about, but just a hypotension provoked by the drug…
Can I say that I felt frustrated and hopeless?
When I remember the test I think it was a dream, a bad dream.
Having been there for so many hours, I talked with other patients and some explained to me that they had been through some severe reactions to drugs (anaphylactic) in their lives. And they were there to test these drugs again?
I would like to point out the following:
I wonder how they dare to carry these tests out without the presence of the allergist right there, close to the patient.
They just waited for us to say if we were feeling unwell! This is just unbelievable.
How would they know if our bodies were reacting to a specific drug if they did not check at least our heart rate and blood pressure to see changes?
Are they able to deny an allergy with a minimum dosis of the drug without increasing the amount? What if the amount injected was not enough to start a reaction? Not all bodies react to the same amount…
And what would they have done if more than 2 people had a dangerous reaction? They had equipment just for 2 of us!
Is this the way that the protocol establishes these tests? I cannot believe this. Something must be wrong. I definitely was sent to a Hospital where they have no idea of whate they are doing.
On the Internet, I found the following:
http://www.eaaci.net/media/PDF/D/1039.pdf
If you have had a severe, life-threatening reaction to a particular drug, your doctor will simply rule out that drug as a treatment option for you.
http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/al ... edications
Anaphylaxis is diagnosed based on its symptoms. People with a history of allergic reactions may be at greater risk for developing a severe reaction in the future.
On the other side, I found this:
The most common signs of drug allergies are skin reactions ranging from mild rashes to flaming red patches of hives. More severe reactions cause facial swelling, shortness of breath or dizziness. A drug may, rarely, cause anaphylaxis, an extremely severe allergic reaction in which blood pressure may fall rapidly and the throat may rapidly swell shut, cutting off the airway.
http://edition.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/HQ/00582.html
Symptoms of anaphylactic reactions
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/severe_a ... 20Symptoms
The most severe and life–threatening symptoms are difficulty breathing and loss of consciousness.
• Difficulty breathing is due to swelling and/or spasm in the airways (which can include swelling of the tongue or the airways). In very rare cases, breathing can stop altogether.
• Loss of consciousness is due to dangerously low blood pressure, which is called "shock."
• In the most serious cases, the heart can stop pumping altogether.
• These events can lead to death from anaphylaxis.
After all this information, I would say that I have not been tested right and that it does not rule out the allergy.
What would you suggest I should do know (besides waiting for the report)?
I think I should still say that I am allergic to Novocaine and take my precautions with some drugs. Don´t you think so?
Thanks for taking your time to read this long letter. I deeply appreciate your interest and support, my dear friends.
Love,
Tessa
And second, they really did not ask if I was feeling right or not. 
This is frustrating. Not only there is not another Hospital where these tests are carried out, but I cannot afford going to a private one.
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