Some of you may have noticed, but, maybe not, that I've been missing for about a week. And, while I've been around since Sunday, I've not been posting. This is my first post since last week...before I was hospitalized.
I've been struggling for a while with abdominal pain and back pain. And, truth be told, I have been feeling under the weather for much of the summer. Between having my wisdom teeth removed, having a dental abscess, and being sick with a difficult-to-treat UTI, I have been on antibiotics on and off since June. It's primarily been Amoxicillin or Cipro, but there were a few others thrown in the mix as well. But, despite everything, I still developed a severe kidney infection which was the primary factor in my being taken to the ER last Wednesday and then hospitalized until late Saturday evening.
I'm not going to go through all the details, but suffice it to say that I was very ill. I was given Dilaudid for pain and Phenergan for nausea along with the broad-spectrum antibiotic Zosyn to fight the infection. I was also given Pepsid and Pyridium for stomach acid relief and bladder spasms respectively. By and large, I have recovered. However, the medication the hospital gave me (including the medication (my regular medication) that they didn't give me) have me feeling anxious and under the weather. And, that's just where I'm at right now.
I went back to the ER yesterday since my stomach has not been the same since being in the hospital. After reading Nikki's thread about her dealing with C. diff, I was concerned that I, too, could be dealing with that kind of bacterial infection. Thankfully, after taking labs and my white cell count coming back normal, the doctors do not think I have C. diff. And, in fact, even though they did not test a fecal sample, they were certain that, while I was dealing with antibiotic associated diarrhea, it was not C. diff since I was not sick enough. Thank God. And, so far, though my GI tract is not recovered, I seem to have moved in the other direction. The doctors have given me some concrete things to do in order to get back on track and I am following them, but it is still difficult. And, on top of feeling anxious due to medication withdrawl, I am also anxious about the what if's concerning my GI system.
So, I'm basically at status quo. And, given the alternatives, that's okay by me. I went to work on Sunday, not even 24 hours after being discharged from the hospital, and am working again this evening. I am still regaining my strength, but am doing and feeling better every day. I'm no longer on antibiotics or pain medication and am only taking my regular meds at this time. I have been told that I can take Immodium should my stomach act up, but I have not had to do so as of yet and am hoping that my system will regulate itself in short order. The good news is that I am getting better and not worse, but I still need to be cautious. I sleep a lot as well, but that's to be expected. I am just relieved to be getting back to routine.
I've been struggling emotionally since being hospitalized. I feel like my body has betrayed me...yet again. And, I feel shame and guilt about that. I know there is no reason for me to feel that way, but I do. Thankfully, being back on my medication is helping, but I still have a ways to go. I know, due to my OCD, that I need to just stay away from looking symptoms up on the internet (ie. about C. diff) and just focus on being healthy and recovering. The doctors are as certain as they can be that I'm just fine and recouperating from being on so much medication, but it's hard for me not to obsess and to trust that. But, slowly but surely, I'm getting there as well. And, in time, I know my emotional strength will return -- just as my physical strength is already beginning to do.
Since things have been so chaotic, please forgive me if I've missed out on responding to any PM's. I am still snooping, but if you haven't heard from me, shoot me another PM and I'll get right on it. Some messages were accidentally deleted when I was feeling rather unwell and I apologize for the inconvenience. But, now that I'm back home and getting back to routine, I look forward to being as involved as ever in this year's secret santa!
So, that's where I've been and the basics about what has been going on. I'm grateful to be on this side of my health again and am thankful to be back here on TCS and participating in my life. Being sick is difficult, but it makes being healthy all the more gratifying...
I've been struggling for a while with abdominal pain and back pain. And, truth be told, I have been feeling under the weather for much of the summer. Between having my wisdom teeth removed, having a dental abscess, and being sick with a difficult-to-treat UTI, I have been on antibiotics on and off since June. It's primarily been Amoxicillin or Cipro, but there were a few others thrown in the mix as well. But, despite everything, I still developed a severe kidney infection which was the primary factor in my being taken to the ER last Wednesday and then hospitalized until late Saturday evening.
I'm not going to go through all the details, but suffice it to say that I was very ill. I was given Dilaudid for pain and Phenergan for nausea along with the broad-spectrum antibiotic Zosyn to fight the infection. I was also given Pepsid and Pyridium for stomach acid relief and bladder spasms respectively. By and large, I have recovered. However, the medication the hospital gave me (including the medication (my regular medication) that they didn't give me) have me feeling anxious and under the weather. And, that's just where I'm at right now.
I went back to the ER yesterday since my stomach has not been the same since being in the hospital. After reading Nikki's thread about her dealing with C. diff, I was concerned that I, too, could be dealing with that kind of bacterial infection. Thankfully, after taking labs and my white cell count coming back normal, the doctors do not think I have C. diff. And, in fact, even though they did not test a fecal sample, they were certain that, while I was dealing with antibiotic associated diarrhea, it was not C. diff since I was not sick enough. Thank God. And, so far, though my GI tract is not recovered, I seem to have moved in the other direction. The doctors have given me some concrete things to do in order to get back on track and I am following them, but it is still difficult. And, on top of feeling anxious due to medication withdrawl, I am also anxious about the what if's concerning my GI system.
So, I'm basically at status quo. And, given the alternatives, that's okay by me. I went to work on Sunday, not even 24 hours after being discharged from the hospital, and am working again this evening. I am still regaining my strength, but am doing and feeling better every day. I'm no longer on antibiotics or pain medication and am only taking my regular meds at this time. I have been told that I can take Immodium should my stomach act up, but I have not had to do so as of yet and am hoping that my system will regulate itself in short order. The good news is that I am getting better and not worse, but I still need to be cautious. I sleep a lot as well, but that's to be expected. I am just relieved to be getting back to routine.
I've been struggling emotionally since being hospitalized. I feel like my body has betrayed me...yet again. And, I feel shame and guilt about that. I know there is no reason for me to feel that way, but I do. Thankfully, being back on my medication is helping, but I still have a ways to go. I know, due to my OCD, that I need to just stay away from looking symptoms up on the internet (ie. about C. diff) and just focus on being healthy and recovering. The doctors are as certain as they can be that I'm just fine and recouperating from being on so much medication, but it's hard for me not to obsess and to trust that. But, slowly but surely, I'm getting there as well. And, in time, I know my emotional strength will return -- just as my physical strength is already beginning to do.
Since things have been so chaotic, please forgive me if I've missed out on responding to any PM's. I am still snooping, but if you haven't heard from me, shoot me another PM and I'll get right on it. Some messages were accidentally deleted when I was feeling rather unwell and I apologize for the inconvenience. But, now that I'm back home and getting back to routine, I look forward to being as involved as ever in this year's secret santa!
So, that's where I've been and the basics about what has been going on. I'm grateful to be on this side of my health again and am thankful to be back here on TCS and participating in my life. Being sick is difficult, but it makes being healthy all the more gratifying...
