Mason  🏃‍♂️ ✂️

Gripe moment: I've had unexplained full-body hives for the last 3 days, only partially managed with prednisone + 2x the max daily dose of antihistamine. Except for a few hours when the meds are at full efficacy, absolutely everything itches. Am miserable. Send kittens

Somewhat nervous that this might be an early sign of thyroid failure or thyroid-related autoimmune disease, which runs in my immediate family — although I know rationally it's way too early to put much weight on that

FWIW it's these experiences that make me feel that we've done a terrible thing in cutting off opioid access for chronic pain patients (vs just focusing on avoiding them for one-offs, e.g. post-surgical care, the on-ramp for much of the overdose problem)

When you're enduring something really really aversive there's a HUGE difference between "this never stops, there is no way to make this stop" and "I have to wait a while, but soon I will feel better for a few hours." It really makes so much more awful stuff tolerable

Vain AF, but I am not completely loving roaming around Venice Beach in July looking like a probable Patient Zero amongst all the professional hotties. Maybe I need to just lean in, terrorize some fellow Whole Foods shoppers, make a person or two reconsider their vaccine stance

The hives aren't resolving at all. I tried to hold off from medicating this morning (woke up itching around 3am, managed to successfully get back to sleep), but now I'm having difficulty not breaking the skin & bleeding from all the scratching. Time for Urgent Care, methinks