Fuck, my health is shot...

[Adora]

I've had acute sinusitis for about 6 months now. I got a really bad cold at the end of January which I didn't recover from properly and since then I've basically had a constant runny nose that makes me feel sick all the time (snot in the gut, ew) and a cold (or sometimes two) every month. I'm on my third course of roxithromycin and I'm starting to wonder if the infection is getting antibiotic resistant. I've tried a cortisol nasal spray but it wasn't that great and made my nose bleed really badly, so I stopped it.

The other week it was so bad my BP dropped so low I blacked out in the shower, hit my head & chin on the vanity and took a chunk out of my finger on fuck-knows-what. Ow. My immune system's so shot the wound got infected and the doctor's given me another prescription for cephalexin if it gets any worse. But I know the antibiotic's sometimes used for serious respiratory infections (like strep and pneumonia) so I'm wondering if I should just fill the prescription and take it to see if it can help with the other problems.

Any ideas, oh enlightened cronies?

[Clutch Munny]

Are you working or studying full-time? Any chance of taking a break from everything and laying low for a couple of weeks?

[viscousmemories]

Yeesh. No good advice, but good luck getting over it Adora.

[Qingdai]

I am an licensed acupuncturist and see people with problems like yours often. Sometimes alternative treatment can help when you've ruled out serious medical conditions that western medicine can treat well. You did see an MD after the low blood pressure incident, yes?

Probiotics (the stuff in yogurt) can help you tolerate the courses of antibiotics. Rest and cutting back on sugar and junk food in general is a good thing to do when faced with infections.
I'd eat yogurt and look for someone like a naturopathic doctor or licensed acupuncturist in your area. I can help you find a qualified acupuncturist in your area, if you are interested.

This winter sucked for having a slew of nasty viruses.

[Adora]

Right. I'm going to see an overpriced Chinese guy with needles for a bacterial nasal infection where I'm snorting up dark yellow snot for a month or so. Or, y'know, I could save my money and actually do something to make myself healthier. Yeah, there's a novel idea. Yes, I saw a doctor about the blacking out. I'm not an idiot who visits an acupuncturist for a serious medical condition, afterall.

Speaking of which, no, I've been laying off the dairy products for the last few months because I am mildly lactose intolerant and they would make the sinusitis worse, duh. Even when people aren't like me, doctors recommend doing so when they have sinus infections because of the fat content which can exacerbate such infections. Which you would know if your qualifications meant jack-shit. Speaking of which, naturopaths are quacks I wouldn't go near with a nailbat even if they turned into infectious zombies. The bastards would deserve being monstrously undead.

Anyway, Clutch, yes, I am working full time, and no, there's no chance, unfortunately. As well as work not allowing it, I need the money to pay for doctor's bills and a trip to Japan I'm doing at Christmas.

[fragment]

I had a series of lingering throat infections last year. About 5 different GPs and several tests didn't manage to do anything useful for it, and eventually I managed to see a specialist who told me the problem is partially regrown tonsils. Weird. Just knowing that made me feel a whole less stressed about my health.

He also gave my ears the best damn cleaning they've ever had.

Moral of the story, if you can get yourself to a specialist (ear, nose & throat in your case) they might be able to do a whole lot more for you than the GPs.

[Dingfod]

You need the Neti Nose Pot:

http://www.yogameditation.com/var/corporate/storage/images/media/images/19_neti1/6817-1-nor-NO/19_neti1_image_300_w.jpg

[JoeP]

I'd send you a virtual hug, but I don't think Adora does hugs.

I'm on my third course of roxithromycin and I'm starting to wonder if the infection is getting antibiotic resistant.
Resistant to roxithingycin, at least. What kind of quack are you going to? They should put you on different antibiotics if a course doesn't work. I had a situation the year before last where I has misread the dosage on my prescribed abs (instead of one golf-ball-size pill morning and night, it was two at a time, four a day), and I had to go through two others to clear it up. My GP said sternly "now you have a resistant organism".

Where the f is the spellcheck in Opera?

[Adora]

A nose douche? No thanks. I'd rather just snort salt water out of a bowl. It looks less stupid.

Well, Joe, the first course worked okay (combined with a reduced stress workload), but then we had crazy-fucking-ass weather here (like, real Winter weather we haven't had for 10 years where it actually dropped below 10C) and the infection came back, and then all this shit happened and I had no money so I couldn't see the doctor for a while, then I fainted but I had a doc's appointment lined up the next day which I moved forward to that day and he put me back on the stuff.

Anyway, I actually had a double-course this time around, because my boss (who I have known since I was born and is an amazing medical professional and who yes, I trust about this stuff more than any doctor because as much as I value doctor's over acupuncturists and naturopaths they're still generally all fucking idiots, especially when you work with them) mentioned that I should probably have a double course cos everyone in my family was sick at the time as well and I was probably going to catch something from them as well as the general infection (which I did, thanks mum) and/or possibly get something from work (hospitals = bacterial fun!). And they were free from the work stocks, and yes, that is totally illegal under Australia's drug laws. But when the director of the largest government pharmaceutical district in the state offers you drugs that ususally cost 20 dollars for free, and she's been a pharmacist for 50 years and is being headhunted for the director-general of pharmacy for the entire state, are you going to say no?

Point is, even after being out in the freezing cold til 1am last night, I still feel better now than I have in weeks and way better than when I made the original post. I've never really had tonsil problems thankfully, so I'm fairly sure it's not them, but if it does come back or linger I'm probably going to be asking for a referral from the doctor to a specialist like you mentioned Joe. I was thinking about it but I was wondering if I was being a hypercondriach or something and worrying too much or not investigating allergies properly (which I figure is stupid anyway because there's nothing big changed in my environment in the last 6 months).

[Clutch Munny]

Anyway, Clutch, yes, I am working full time, and no, there's no chance, unfortunately. As well as work not allowing it, I need the money to pay for doctor's bills and a trip to Japan I'm doing at Christmas.

Crap. Could you tell them it might be horribly infectious, and it'd be in everyone's best interests for you to get some paid sick leave?

[California Tanker]

Right. I'm going to see an overpriced Chinese guy with needles for a bacterial nasal infection where I'm snorting up dark yellow snot for a month or so. Or, y'know, I could save my money and actually do something to make myself healthier. Yeah, there's a novel idea. Yes, I saw a doctor about the blacking out. I'm not an idiot who visits an acupuncturist for a serious medical condition, afterall.


That was a little harsh, wasn't it? What makes you think Qingdai is overpriced?

If conventional medical treatment isn't doing the job, as appears to be the context of your posting at the time, why not try something which seems to have enough going for it that it's lasted as a treatment as long as it has? For all I know, the prodding of the needles stimulates the creation of antibodies or whatever the heck it is that your body needs to make to sort itself out.

If your new double-course of treatment is working out, then good for you, but the fact that you asked for opinions here obviously indicates that you had less faith in conventional doctoring at the time.

NTM

[Dingfod]

A nose douche? No thanks. I'd rather just snort salt water out of a bowl. It looks less stupid.Worried about what other people think, are ya? Seems out of character. What have you done with our Adora?

[Listener]

I'm interested in your problem!

My career was in pharmacy (I retired 12 years ago) so I don't want to write off conventional medicine completely - but during the last 12 years I've been prescribed, taken, suffered from and rejected a whole plethora of antihypertensive drugs and I'm now fit and healthy without them!

For you, I like the idea of getting away and resting. The abuse of antibiotics may have produced an antibiotic-resistant bug but it shouldn't stand a chance against a fully functional immune system.

You have no cause to despise Qindais advice. Alternative medicines work for millions in Eastern cultures. OK in our culture you can be ripped off by pseudopractitioners of ancient arts - but that doesn't mean that the real thing is nonsense!

I don't like the cortisol idea! Just what you don't need is to repress your own immune system.

I'll mention fats! I think they could be central to you immune-system problems.

We are told how bad for us fats are. May I recommend that you try to eat a considered diet - not the kind of diet that is recommended by people who forgot to change your antibiotic, but by people who noticed what our paleolithic (evolving into modern man) ancestors ate!

You can have too much fat (fat's high in calories and calories are either burned as energy or tucked away as body fat) - but you need more fat than most people think you need.

Most uncontroversial are monounsaturates (as in olive oil). They're not unhealthy unless you overdo the quantity.

Polyunsaturates are complicated. Both omega 6 (as in corn oil, sunflower oil or just "vegetable oil") and omega 3 (as in fish oils, flaxseed oil, walnut oil and to a lesser degree in other foodstuffs) are essential (in the sense that you need them and your body can't make them) but you need a balance of the two kinds and most people eat enough omega 6 to counteract much of the benefit of omega 3).

Saturated fat (said he ducking) is not the demon it's portrayed as and a moderate amount in the diet is definitely beneficial.

Hydrogenated vegetable oils (with associated trans-fats) are positively lethal! I think they account for the bad press that saturated fats get too!

Fats carry nutrients (vitamins - A,D and E -, antioxidents etc) that our immune systems depend on and a "low fat diet" is probably as bad for you as unchanged antibiotics and cortisol.

My advice?

Get that rest!

Avoid trans-fats (as in many margarines and vegetable oils "spoiled" by oxidation and being used for frying etc)

Avoid refined vegetable oils like you avoid (I hope) too much refined sugar.

Find a source of omega 3 polyunsaturates that suits you (fish, flax etc) and make a point of including adequate amounts of them in your repertoir.

Having cut down the trans-fats and vegetable oils, make up the deficit with a balance of monounsaturated and saturated fats.

If you're lactose intolerant, dont forget that cream, butter and yoghurt have the lactose removed!

Try to eat foods that haven't been "changed" by the food industry to impart a longer shelf-life. That's done in the interest of the industry not you! Fresh foods are the best raw materials for meals.

Don't forget that you're not trying to follow regulations but to build your own defences. Quite often, "A little of what you fancy does you good"!

[Qingdai]

So, that's a not interested.
You asked for ideas and didn't seem happy with your treatment.
I won't bother again.

[Adora]

Wow, Listener, you really didn't catch the "Take Your Alternative Medicines Shite and Pander It To Some Dumb Poor American, Not Me Because I Actually Have A Brain" part of my last post, did you?

I live in a country where medical treatment is affordable, most of the time. I have not exhausted all options within the medical field. Even if I have, changing my diet to what you said - which is, frankly, how I eat now fuckyouverymuch I am not some Fatass American - isn't going to fix my sinusitis. My liver, BSL, LD, HbaIC etc are fine and my immune system is in as perfect condition as it can be. I don't have a raised white count or any of the indicators that this is some immunodeficiency. If I have to choose between going back on the cortisol spray and having a bloody nose or popping garlic and fucking horseradish pills and farting like a dying horse all day, I'll take the bloody nose option kthnx.

And if you think those milk products don't have lactose in them, then I am glad you're not in pharmacy anymore because you're a fucking danger to patients.

[JoeP]

:zombieflomp:
It's so great to have Adora back!

[Clutch Munny]

My immune system's so shot...

Just what you don't need is to repress your own immune system. I'll mention fats! I think they could be central to you immune-system problems.

fuckyouverymuch ...my immune system is in as perfect condition as it can be.

For those who've joined FF since Adora was last around, I believe this is what's known as a "teachable moment".

[Javaman]

I had no idea she was such a contemptible, unpleasant, nasty, troll. Being mean for the sake of being mean is, well, extra mean. I'm highly skeptical of 'alternative medicines' and that is probably how I would put it in response to Qingdai should I find myself in a similar situation.

[Shelli]

My immune system's so shot...

Just what you don't need is to repress your own immune system. I'll mention fats! I think they could be central to you immune-system problems.

fuckyouverymuch ...my immune system is in as perfect condition as it can be.

For those who've joined FF since Adora was last around, I believe this is what's known as a "teachable moment".:lol: :goodjob:

[Listener]

Wow Adora - you are a grumpy one!

Ask a dozen experts on Lactose intolerence and you'll get thirteen different answers.

Butter?

Calories in Butter (http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/1001.html)

The lactose is in the 0% carbohydrates!

Yogurt?


YOGURT (http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T045700.asp)

. Yogurt can boost immunity. Researchers who studied 68 people who ate two cups of live-culture yogurt daily for three months found that these persons produced higher levels of immunity boosting interferon. The bacterial cultures in yogurt have also been shown to stimulate infection-fighting white cells in the bloodstream. Some studies have shown yogurt cultures to contain a factor that has anti-tumor effects in experimental animals.

Cream?

Lactose Intolerance Diet (http://uuhsc.utah.edu/pated/handouts/handout.cfm?id=866)

The piece says avoid cream in one breath and then that whole milk (i.e. with the cream!) is better tolerated than skim milk.

You only said you were mildly lactose intolerant!

If your immune system is in such fine shape why are you living on antibiotics?

It's a shame about all those people who have surgury under acupuncture instead of anaesthetic. They have all that pain but they Daren't tell anyone!

[BDS]

Have you tried bleeding? Don't go to the nun who bled Robin Hood, though. She's not trustworthy.

[wildernesse]

The "strange" thing is that whenever I have taken antibiotics, my completely Westernized doctors across the board recommend eating yogurt or buttermilk to prevent yeast infections and to promote healthy bacterial growth that may be killed off by the antibiotics. Combine that with the fact that yogurt is lower in lactose than other dairy products and that the yogurt I just ate had the special cootie seal and was 99% fat-free, and Adora is just whining.

Actually, of Qingdai's three pieces of advice (acupuncture, yogurt/diet, rest), two are not alternative therapies. And neither is Listener's advice either--rest and a healthy, balanced diet.

[viscousmemories]

Bah, only Americans (fat-assed and ignorant, all) need to worry about whether their diet is healthy and balanced.

[JoeP]

http://www.offthemarkcartoons.com/cartoons/1997-05-18.gif

[California Tanker]

How about a nice course of leeches?

NTM

[Uthgar the Brazen]

:popcorn:

[Adora]

For those who've joined FF since Adora was last around, I believe this is what's known as a "teachable moment".
It's also called "guess who got a blood test within those posts". You know, one of those marvels of Western medicine naturopathy, acupuncture or snorting endangered species can't compare to? You can't really get a comprehensive liver function workup from sticking a needle in the back, afterall. Yeah, shame that. You give me a call when they do, kay hun?

You only said you were mildly lactose intolerant!
Which means my nose only runs a little bit when I eat/drink all milk products, dimwit. It doesn't mean I'm stuck on the toilet for 6 hours the way my brother or mother are when they eat the stuff. But continue! With the exclamation! Marks! They make you sound so! Enthusiastic! About not knowing! Anything!

If your immune system is in such fine shape why are you living on antibiotics?
I'm not "living" on anything, which you would have noticed if you had read my post. I have not continuously been on them since January. I've had two courses of roxithromycin, which you of all the idiots in this thread should know is the usual 5-pills-5-days course for a potential upper respiratory infection. That's 10 (15) days out of 180-ish. Even healthy immune systems need antibiotics sometimes, or maybe you're right and my state government should take back all those antibiotics it hands out free to TB patients and tell them to eat more yoghurt and get some bed rest. Fuck rifampicin man, you're right, they're just not getting enough fats in their diets! Look! Exclamation points! I must be right! I'm enthusiastic!

It's a shame about all those people who have surgury under acupuncture instead of anaesthetic. They have all that pain but they Daren't tell anyone!
Eating candies while having acupuncture causes pain? I suppose it could give you cavities...

I had no idea she was such a contemptible, unpleasant, nasty, troll.
So we're supposed to care that you don't read the archives why, dear boy?

[Shelli]

So we're supposed to care that you don't read the archives why, dear boy?Who's "we"?

* Shelli sits back and waits for Adora's witty slamfest. :excited:

[Doctor X]

That was a little harsh, wasn't it? What makes you think Qingdai is overpriced?

Because it does not work.

If one wishes to spend money for nothing. . . .

Adora:

Medical advice on an internet is fraught with problems; however, you were probably "colonized" and require a long course of oral antibiotics to eradicate the bug. Though you may "feel better" it is a bit like the "commies."

Get the commies out of your cities, then can still hide in the hills. Only through eternal vigilance, Johnny, can we prevent the Red Scum from . . . right you et the idea. You have to go through a few weeks to eradicate. I, myself, had to undergo three months of an oral antibiotic for a colonization. Periodic antibiotics--like the 5 day course you had--would treat the infection . . . then it would come back in two or three weeks.

The antibiotic for your finger is for different organisms.

I would make sure the explanation for you passing out is what you think it is. It probably is, but make sure you primary care physician rules out other things. This will depend on your age and general health--if you are 20, for example, you are not likely to be suffering from things a 60 year old encounters.

I assume you have been seen by an Ears, Nose, and Throat specialist? If not, you should. Amazing what a good scoping can show.

Best of luck.

--J.D.

P.S. Oh, and if you do decide to try "alternative medicine," let me recommend Sex Therapy. You "feel better" and burn a lot of calories. Side effects are few, but include:

1. STDs
2. Pregnancy
3. Psychotic Ex
4. Use by Aliens as Host
5. Paris Hilton

[Miss Shelby]

I'm really sorry to hear about your health problems, Adora.

[Shelli]

:kickscan:

[mindbender]

Try Sinofresh - it's available over the counter.

http://www.sinofresh.com/

[mindbender]

P.S. Oh, and if you do decide to try "alternative medicine," let me recommend Sex Therapy. You "feel better" and burn a lot of calories. Side effects are few

*nudges JP forward* lalalala

[Adora]

Actually, there's some debate in the health community regarding the physical benefits of sex. That doesn't change the fact it's still great fun. Unless you're doing it wrong.

[JoeP]

Whatever the remedies, are you better yet?

[Shake]

Right. I'm going to see an overpriced Chinese guy with needles for a bacterial nasal infection where I'm snorting up dark yellow snot for a month or so. Or, y'know, I could save my money and actually do something to make myself healthier. Yeah, there's a novel idea. Yes, I saw a doctor about the blacking out. I'm not an idiot who visits an acupuncturist for a serious medical condition, afterall.


That was a little harsh, wasn't it? What makes you think Qingdai is overpriced?
Hey ... CT? Meet Adora. Adora ... well, I know you don't give a shit, but this is CT who thinks you're a bit harsh. But then you've already ignored that, haven't you?

Welcome back.

[Pendaric]

Personally, I think Adora is cute when she has a snarky fit.

[Crumb]

So you think she is always cute?

[JoeP]

Pretty much.

[Shelli]

Awww... ain't 'e cute?
:crochunt:

[Adora]

Whatever the remedies, are you better yet?
Slightly. I'm over the June monthly cold but I think there might be another one on the horizon soon (blowing gunky yellow snot out of my nose again instead of clear stuff) and I'm okay enough to be going to the gym in the mornings again.

I still feel like shit most of the time though. Mostly it's mental/emotional because I am sick of being sick but I can't get in to see the specialist til the fucking 20th September. Fucking fuck.

[BDS]

..... but I can't get in to see the specialist til the fucking 20th September. Fucking fuck.

Does Michael Moore know about this?

[Adora]

I live in Australia, and that's pretty good for my state health system. Believe me, if I was going public (I'm seeing them privately) I'd be waiting a year at least. The ENT Outpatients of my hospital has a waiting list about 4 years long.

[Novowels]

Just think, Adora. If only you lived in the US, you'd get to see a doctor a few weeks earlier, and only at the cost of a few poor, hopeless (probably brown too) people's lives.

Ahh, it's too bad you don't live in our wonderful capitalist utopia.

[Corona688]

That was a little harsh, wasn't it? What makes you think Qingdai is overpriced? That they'd charge for putting needles in someone in an attempt to make their nose better.

Acupuncture has a few suggested applications but they're all subtle ones, half-psychological things like relaxation, nothing on the order of curing a bacterial infection. That the antibiotics tried so far haven't worked out hardly means that acupuncture could possibly do better.