Dr.Diana, I’m sorry I missed seeing this until now. THANK YOU!
I like the idea of the scratch test. When I had my sulpha reaction it was unlike my usual med reactions (rashes except for doxycycline lip and tongue swelling)… it was TERRIBLE. I had a fever over 105 and I thought my brain was going to boil. I also felt terrifically anxious similar to when my metanephrines were 10 times normal. It was just this feeling of DOOM. My mother had the same reaction to a sulpha antibiotic so I will proceed with extreme caution and report back if I try it! I’ll ask both the neurologist and my retina specialist about it.
When I had my POTS “episodes” one of the symptoms I forgot about was the back of my head near my neck feeling slightly numb and the bones that protrude slightly at the base of the skull were tender to the touch. I noticed that happened lately when I was having an aggravation in my heart rate… headache behind my eyes and that numb/tender feeling at my lower skull. Your suggestion for the soft cervical collar is helping me a lot. My head feels lighter and I think more clearly before coffee when I wake up in the morning.
I need to examine my head and neck MRI’s from when they were looking for a carotid artery tumor the Pheo expert my doc consulted with over the phone thought I likely had. Which I didn’t. 🙂
Dr. Diana, thank you so much for all you do!
My best, SweetFeather