Warning: If you're squeamish about bodily functions then this post is not for you.
Well I finally folded & started an antibiotic on my 8th day of sore throat. I waited because I never spiked a fever (>100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) & know that 60% of sore throats (pharyngitis) have a viral cause. However, ongoing tender cervical lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes), exudate (white pockets of pus) on my tonsillar buds, and an absence of cough or nasal congestive symptoms left room for a bacterial pharyngitis diagnosis. So when I developed airway narrowing & chest pain on the 8th night I took the antibiotic my doctor had urged me to take only if my symptoms worsened.
I'm not a fan of frivolous antibiotic usage. In addition to promoting bacterial resistance to antibiotics, they have side effects that range from unpleasant to serious (FDA black box warning on fluoroquinolones & tendon rupture, anyone?). Many (most?) women who take antibiotics develop some degree of vaginal yeast infection when antibiotics disrupt normal flora by killing lots of normally benign (or even helpful) bacteria along with bacteria that cause disease.
Another unpleasant potential side effect is diarrhea. It's a taboo enough topic that I rarely hear it discussed in an office setting. However, I've commonly seen people admitted to the hospital for Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea, which can lead to pseudomembranous colitis. It can be life-threatening, especially in the elderly. When it's not associated with C. difficile, a bacterium that commonly colonizes the colon (& is ubiquitous in the environment), antibiotic-associated diarrhea is usually benign provided the patient stops the offending antibiotic. Adding a probiotic may help to prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea or reduce its duration & severity.
But benign doesn't mean it's a walk in the park. I mean, on one hand I'm glad it's not life-threatening. On the other hand, there are moments I wish it were. I'm talking about the PAIN. My insides feel like they're on fire. Spending the day curled up in the fetal position with disabling abdominal cramps is something I wish to never again experience.
In related news, if you turn me sideways I nearly disappear because there's nothing left in my gut. I'd love to re-inflate my midriff but am afraid to eat lest it exacerbate my symptoms. So pardon me if I think the term "diarrhea," doesn't do justice to the experience. Believe me, the next time a patient complains of diarrhea I will overflow with empathy above & beyond my already high baseline level.
Update - 2 days later:
My desperate use of an Ayurvedic home remedy (water plus healthy portions of fresh lemon juice, ginger juice, black pepper, & salt) completely(!) cleared up the problem in less than an hour. It may sound disgusting, but at the time it tasted like heaven in a glass. I drank two glasses right off the bat and then another two glasses later that evening. I was able to take hospital call a few hours later & work a full post-call morning without any further sequelae.
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5 comments:
Dang! And here I thought because I was going to be a doctor (if I pass) that I would never get sick. Thanks buzz-kill.
You're welcome. That's what I'm here for.
Actually, I've been sick just once during med school. And the sore throat was super-mild 'til the whole chest pain/narrowed airway episode.
All in all it would have been pretty low-key if not for my antibiotic usage.
That said, most of my classmates have been sick several times over the past 2.2 years. Time to stock up on garlic & astragalus, or whatever you like to use to tell yourself you're preventing illness.
P.S. You'll pass (at the very least)! Keep up the great work.
I actually rarely get sick, but when I do, it's bad. The last time was about three years ago when I got a sore throat, pink eye, bilateral ear infection and two ruptured ear drums. I scared the nurse when I went to the health clinic.
hey there,
hope your illness is wrapping up.
that home remedy sounds like the fasting formula some use....
I like limes better. They go in my coronas and g+t's
7
Literally no problems since drinking the first couple glasses of tasty mix! Thank GOD.
Hmm, I didn't even consider a corona or g&t solution! Given my infinitesimally low EtOH tolerance, that would likely have induced vomiting, which would have "corrected" my metabolic acidosis by inducing alkalosis.
Next time, perhaps.
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