Question
Might want to grab a coffee first...
Before I even get into my question, I want to first extend my deepest and most sincere gratitude to all of you for being there for me when I needed support. This means more to me than anything and is probably one of the few reasons I'm still sane after all of this. I also want to aplogize for not replying or following up on some of the responses I received to earlier posts. I guess I've been so busy freaking out over my problems and going to the clinic and ER just about every other day that I sometimes lose sight of things and forget to do follow-ups on my posts. Again, I'm sorry and hope none of you were offended. Anyway, here's a brief summary of the past month and 1/2 followed by a question or two. I'm at my wit's end with this whole thing so maybe someone here can shed some light on why I'm having these problems.
It all began with a tooth infection (molar) that occured at about the same time I had a lipoma start growing in my groin. I took Penicillan VK for 10 days as a "preventative" antibiotic and then had the tooth pulled. About 3 days later I had some swelling and a peice of bone fragment around the area where the tooth had been extracted and so I went back on the Penicillin VK for another 10 days.
After I finished the Penicillan VK and was fairly well healed up, I went in and got diagnosed with a UTI (which is rare for me!) and was prescribed Sufa-meth/Trimeth which I took for a period of 5 days until the doctor switched me over to Cipro (which I then took for 20 days). After the 20-day course of Cipro ran out, I decided I had stopped taking it too soon and wanting to make SURE the infection was completely eliminated, went back a few days later and had my doctor write another 20-day prescription for it. I took the Cipro for another 5 days before deciding that maybe I was overdoing it a little bit with all the antibiotics and also, I felt like I was beginning to experience more side effects from it than the last time around. Anyway, no problem, I called my doc up and asked him to switch me to another antibiotic. He refused so I actually drove down there and asked him again. This time he relented and wrote me a 10-day prescription for Doxycycline.
While I was taking the Doxycycline, I was still having problems with my UTI/groin and so I was admitted overnight to the ER where I was given Fentynal and a few other drugs by IV (sedative, painkiller, etc). They also injected me with contrast dye and other things when they did my CT scan. The next day, I was released and went back home and continued taking the Doxycycline. A day or so later, my throat became extremely sore and swollen. The lymph nodes in my throat and behind my left ear also became swollen. It felt like I had cotton balls lodged in my throat because the swelling in my throat was pretty severe.
I suspected either lowered resistance from my prolonged use of antibiotics and thought that perhaps I had contracted something at the clinic or ER. the other thought I had was that maybe I was starting to have an allergic reaction to the Doxycycline which I had now been on for 4 days. I went to the local clinic and was told to stay on the Doxycycline and was told that it was probably a viral or bacterial infection but that it most likely was'nt strep throat. I was also given another antibiotic (Azithromycin - "Z-Pak") and told to take it for the next 5 days. I was also given Prednisone (a steroid) for the swelling and pain in my throat) as well as a bunch of other meds (painkillers, etc).
About an hour ago I called the doctor's nurse and begged to be taken off of the Doxycycline "just in case" it was causing my sore throat. She agreed and told me I could discontinue it but that if my throat swelled up too much I should come in again and be seen or go to the ER.
In conclusion, I have no idea what is going on here with me. I find it rather strange that my roommate is around me all the time and yet he has none of the symptoms that I have and appears to feel just fine even though I've had this "thing" for about 4 days now. Another interesting note is that I called the local clinic here yesterday and whoever I spoke with (nurse?, receptionist?) told me that everyone had "it" and that her co-worker had had it for two days and finally had to call in sick. She also told me that she was coming down with it herself so I was thinking "ok, it's just a cold". However, when I went in today, noone seemed to know anything about this "thing" that was going around so it was all a bit confusing to me.
Well, these are the best "clues" I can provide. The information is complete and accurate. The only question is, what do you folks make of it all?. What does it sound like is happening to me?. Does any of this sound even remotely familiar?. Have I gotten myself on an antibiotic "merry-go-round" and can't get off or something?. Could it be the Doxycycline?. Does this sound like a superinfection?. Is there any way to break the cycle of taking antibiotics and then getting sick so that I have to take even more of them infinitum?. Any help on figuring this thing out would be greatly appreciated!.
Thanks - Stumped
[This message has been edited by jimbrown (edited 05-08-2003).]
Answer
I am not sure what all is going on but you definately have been on way to many antibiotics for way to long. A UTI does not take only about a week to clear up so the 2 courses of 20 day cipro was excess right there. When you have a UTI the doc orders a culture and sensitivity and once those results are back uses the appropriate antibiotic for what ever bacteria showed up in your urine for 5-10 days. The only time a longer dose is for UTI's is if the person has frequent UTI's which you said you don't have. I am uncertain as to why you made the doc switch you to another antibiotic after the cipro as the doxycycline would not do a thing for your UTI unless your specific bacteria was sensitive to this drug. Demanding the doc give you different antibiotic was senseless on your part. If felt your UTI was not totally gone you should have or the doc should have ordered a repeat Urinalysis, culture and sensitivity if the UA was positive for bacteria etc. Your next part about the virus that is going around .......you said you didn't know if it was the receptionist or nurse you were talking to that said it was going around. If you dialed only the clinic number and did not ask to speak to the doctors nurse then you talked to the receptionist. I would like to ask how the receptionist knew all your symptoms but I can guess the answer to that is that you told her. You should not have told her any more than the bare basics of why you needed to see the doc and left it at that. She also should not have been the one to tell you that "everyones got it". That if for the doc or the nurse to say and only after seeing or speaking with you. As for your roommate not catching what you have that could be because his immune system is healthier than yours. Does he take vitamins and antioxidant supplements? If you are not currently taking any vitamin/antioxidant supplements you might want to consider this to build up your immune system. You also need to stop looking at the doc to give you antibiotics all the time when proper testing hasn't been done IE: the case where you wanted more meds for the "UTI" and another urinalysis was never done to confirm that you still had a UTI. From most of your post it sounds like you asked for almost all the antibiotics you received. If my reply sounds on the harsh side it is because of the lack of testing involved for all of the antibiotics you were on. I am unsure if you were having a reaction to the doxycline when your other problems came up but it doesn't sound like a typical reaction although it is possible.
Answer
It is a merry go round. retro-infections and retro-viruses and UTI's /yeast infections happen in females on antibiotics a little to often it is a side effect the antibiotics for other things like strep or ear or dental infections--it kills all good bacteria as well as bad bacteria. You need to build back up your immune system with low doses of zinc. I hope your dentist is cleaning his tools carefully. Sorry about your almost deadly reaction to an antibiotic-could you breathe. God, Now I really don't want to go to a dentist.
Answer
Thank's to you and the other people on this forum for taking the time to reply to my post. Yes, as a matter of fact my room mate does take vitamines. He takes a multi-vitamine every day (Centrum) and he is generally pretty healthy for 60+ years of age. I'm only 40 and I feel like 90 sometimes but I do eat a balanced diet and plenty of fruit, yogurt, bran, veggies, etc. Incidentally, I just talked to him about this and he tells me that vitamines are not just a bunch of "hocus pokus" but that they really DO keep you healthy and that his doctor swears by them. He also told me that after being very healthy for years he ran out of vitamines for a few months and got sick again so he's a firm believer in them.
You know, I got on a drug "merry-go-round" once before and ran into all kinds of problems (like I'm having now) after I came down with a bout of bronchitus about 10 years ago. Initially, I was treated with an antibiotic which I "thought" I was allergic to so I stopped it too soon and continued to be sick. Then, I tried another antibiotic and started freaking out because I thought I was having side affects from it and again, I stopped it too soon. Meanwhile, I still had bronchitus and because it was'nt going away as I'd hoped (I wonder why?) I started thinking I had AIDS and that's when I spent over a month going to the ER every other day and was eventually put on 1/2 dozen different anti-depressant drugs by different doctors. Because of all the different drugs, side effects, symptoms, anxiety, stress, etc, I soon became a total basket case and in my mind, I just KNEW I had some horrible disease and was going to die. My white blood cell count was very low too (stress?). I never slept well, had horrible nightmares almost every night, cried a lot and was severely depressed all the time. Eventually, I was able to break the cycle by painstakingly eliminating the meds that seemed to be causing my side effects and continuing to take the ones that seemed to be helping me. Let's hope I can do that again with God's help (I did a LOT of praying too!).
Now this morning (after starting on Prednisone and discontinuing the Doxycycline yesterday afternoon), I woke up feeling better, the sore throat was about 70% better but my mind seemed to be in a thick fog (spacey-type feeling). This scared me but it's not as bad now as it was earlier when I'd first gotten up. The other thing is that I have always suffered from GAD, OCD and Hypochondria so I'm freaking out about rabies, mad cow disease, cancer and thinking the worst. Just curious...has anyone else ever taken Prednisone or know anything about it?. This is my first time on it and my biggest concern is that it can give you a false sense of well-being when there's something wrong with you (I've also heard it was a pretty amazing miracle drug, etc).
Ok, as far as the UTI is concerned, all I know is that I had a slightly swollen prostate with a few white cells in my urine but no bacteria. Suprizingly, the white blood cells only showed up in my urine after I'd been on antibiotics for a long period of time (I've had a lot of urine tests over the past month or so). There was never any buring during urination, etc although I did have a case of epididymitis and my testicles ached for awhile but the antibiotic (Cipro) took care of that. There were actually more tests done to "confirm" the existance of a second UTI but unfortunately, the clinic rarely gives me results or ends up getting the results and losing them, testing me 2-3 times for the same thing, etc. It's a very busy clinic and not very well-organized. It's basically a "medicaid mill". Go in, wait all day and Dr. Feelgood gives you a happy pill. That's socialized medicine for you.
To answer your question about the receptionist, I had called her up and just sort of causally mentioned that I had a very sore throat and asked her if there was something going around. She said something like "yes there is. Everyone's got it. In fact my co-worker has had it for a few days and finally had to call in sick and now I have it". I actually asked her about the symptoms rather than asking her leading or suggestive questions which might bias her answer(s). Then I asked to speak with the nurse. In retrospect, perhaps I should have just asked her if something was "going around" as this might have made her answer less biased but then again, if she tells me that she (and others) have a sore throat, I'm inclined to believe that it is because she does indeed have a sore throat rather than because she was in any way influenced by the form of my question.
Well, now I am left with one naging question. The doctor has fiven me a prescription for Azithromycin ("Z-Pak") to take for the next 5 days. this was supposed to be for my sire throat but since I've already been taking w-a-y too may antibiotics, should I really start taking another one?. I mean, for all I know, it was my overuse of antibiotics that caused 90% of my symptoms in the first place - including perhaps lowering my resistance and leaving me suseptible to a sore throat. Or maybe the Doxycycline actually caused the sore throat. Or maybe it's viral in which case an antibiotic won't do me any good.
I guess the B-I-G question is should I start taking this other antibiotic to cure my sore throat and in the process of doing so, possibly lower my resistance even further (from using yet another antibiotic) -or- should I just hold off for awhile now?. I did cough up some greenish-brown phlem just a little ahwile ago.
Anyway, I'd like to keep this conversation going. I feel that I'm learning a great deal from all of you and from this experience and it also helps me to know that I'm amongst other people who kindly offer their support.
- Peace
[This message has been edited by jimbrown (edited 05-09-2003).]
Answer
Did they say what kind of infection it was?
