4th September 2003
i realize that this is kinda long so if you want the quick version, here it is:
i'm getting way too many infections. my sinus passages *appear* to be okay judging from the CAT scans, my tonsils aren't really that severe of a problem judging from what i've read about some other tonsillitis cases, *but* anti-biotics aren't working, and i'm getting infections way too often. help!?
i've been getting infections a lot lately.. like once a month since february. originally i thought it had to do with my panic disorder which kicked up earlier this year, but it persisted even after i had been panic-free for a while. i also have a restricted diet due to IBS (i avoid most fatty foods... butter, oils, fried stuff, dairy) i thought maybe that my immune system was down from a combination between anxiety and poor diet.
however, my diet is pretty diverse nowadays and i take multivitamins regularly. like i said, i've been panic-free for a while too. but i kept getting sick, and the next theory that i developed was some sort of chronic infection via sinusitis.
i have CAT scan proof that i did have a sinus infection in march, though i suspect it was the culprit several times before.
lately my infections have been becoming more severe and more frequent. in the beginning of august, i thought i was doing okay (no infection since mid-june), but after kissing a girl i think i cought some sort of infection from her. i got a TERRIBLE sore throat.. the worst i've ever felt in my life, that made it almost impossible for me to swallow. (on a side note, i actually dehydrated at one point when i had a fever and was hospitalized.)
during that infection, my primary doctor had prescribed zithromax which seemed to "hold it down," but a couple days after the treatment period ended i got an infection again. also, at that point (post-zithromax) i noticed that my right tonsil was sore and inflamed. my primary doctor then refered me to an ears/nose/throat specialist who in turn prescribed levaquin and claimed that it was not tonsillitis even though he noticed the swelling and redness of the right tonsil.
during this course of levaquin, my sore throat went completely away, but my right tonsil still seemed to be swollen and sore (not as much), even towards the end of the 10-day treatment period. two days ago i got off this course of levaquin, and already my right tonsil is swollen and sore. i can also feel a sore throat coming back.
so today, i went back to the ears/nose/throat doctor and this time he called it tonsillitis (even though the tonsil looks exactly the same as it did when he first looked at it). then he prescribed some super anti-biotic called cleocin but after reading the info sheet (the first line of it was a warning that a reaction to it can be fatal) i couldn't bring myself to take it. in the past i've had lots of problems with drugs, namely penicillins and cephalosporins... and with my IBS.. it was just too much.. i couldn't take it.
the ears/nose/throat doctor is currently waiting for the slides of a CAT scan that i took a day after the levaquin treatment. although he doesn't have the slides, he does have the medical report which indicates an improvement in the sinus cavities.
as i write this post, my right tonsil is swollen and red, i feel kind of fatigued, i'm also a bit nauseous, and i'm hocking up a lot of yellowish-green phlegm.
bottom line: my sinus passages *appear* to be okay judging from the CAT scans, my tonsils aren't really that severe of a problem judging from what i've read about some other tonsillitis cases...
...but: anti-biotics aren't working, and i'm getting infections way too often.
do you think it's just a matter of finding the right anti-biotic? do you think i need surgery even though (prima facie) my sinus & tonsil problems aren't that severe? do you think there could be an underlying allergy cause?
help! please! :(
[This message has been edited by sap (edited 09-05-2003).]
[This message has been edited by sap (edited 09-05-2003).]
i'm getting way too many infections. my sinus passages *appear* to be okay judging from the CAT scans, my tonsils aren't really that severe of a problem judging from what i've read about some other tonsillitis cases, *but* anti-biotics aren't working, and i'm getting infections way too often. help!?
i've been getting infections a lot lately.. like once a month since february. originally i thought it had to do with my panic disorder which kicked up earlier this year, but it persisted even after i had been panic-free for a while. i also have a restricted diet due to IBS (i avoid most fatty foods... butter, oils, fried stuff, dairy) i thought maybe that my immune system was down from a combination between anxiety and poor diet.
however, my diet is pretty diverse nowadays and i take multivitamins regularly. like i said, i've been panic-free for a while too. but i kept getting sick, and the next theory that i developed was some sort of chronic infection via sinusitis.
i have CAT scan proof that i did have a sinus infection in march, though i suspect it was the culprit several times before.
lately my infections have been becoming more severe and more frequent. in the beginning of august, i thought i was doing okay (no infection since mid-june), but after kissing a girl i think i cought some sort of infection from her. i got a TERRIBLE sore throat.. the worst i've ever felt in my life, that made it almost impossible for me to swallow. (on a side note, i actually dehydrated at one point when i had a fever and was hospitalized.)
during that infection, my primary doctor had prescribed zithromax which seemed to "hold it down," but a couple days after the treatment period ended i got an infection again. also, at that point (post-zithromax) i noticed that my right tonsil was sore and inflamed. my primary doctor then refered me to an ears/nose/throat specialist who in turn prescribed levaquin and claimed that it was not tonsillitis even though he noticed the swelling and redness of the right tonsil.
during this course of levaquin, my sore throat went completely away, but my right tonsil still seemed to be swollen and sore (not as much), even towards the end of the 10-day treatment period. two days ago i got off this course of levaquin, and already my right tonsil is swollen and sore. i can also feel a sore throat coming back.
so today, i went back to the ears/nose/throat doctor and this time he called it tonsillitis (even though the tonsil looks exactly the same as it did when he first looked at it). then he prescribed some super anti-biotic called cleocin but after reading the info sheet (the first line of it was a warning that a reaction to it can be fatal) i couldn't bring myself to take it. in the past i've had lots of problems with drugs, namely penicillins and cephalosporins... and with my IBS.. it was just too much.. i couldn't take it.
the ears/nose/throat doctor is currently waiting for the slides of a CAT scan that i took a day after the levaquin treatment. although he doesn't have the slides, he does have the medical report which indicates an improvement in the sinus cavities.
as i write this post, my right tonsil is swollen and red, i feel kind of fatigued, i'm also a bit nauseous, and i'm hocking up a lot of yellowish-green phlegm.
bottom line: my sinus passages *appear* to be okay judging from the CAT scans, my tonsils aren't really that severe of a problem judging from what i've read about some other tonsillitis cases...
...but: anti-biotics aren't working, and i'm getting infections way too often.
do you think it's just a matter of finding the right anti-biotic? do you think i need surgery even though (prima facie) my sinus & tonsil problems aren't that severe? do you think there could be an underlying allergy cause?
help! please! :(
[This message has been edited by sap (edited 09-05-2003).]
[This message has been edited by sap (edited 09-05-2003).]