I've taken a day off work.

[Scottietottie]

Hi
Had a really bad night's sleep last night because I woke up itching like crazy - lots of bits me. I'd scratch one itch and another would start somewhere else. I finally saw a GP from the practice today. Not my GP - but this one was tolerable. She was honest, at least and I appreciate that.

After 14 days worth of Flucloxicillin, first 250mg x 4 per day and then 500mg x 4 per day - my leg still looks infected. It is better than it was but the redness is spread over a greater area with little itchy spotty bits extending beyond that. My face is red, dry and puffy and one eye looks as though I've been in a boxing ring. She said, as she doesn't remember meeting me before, that it's hard for her to know whether my eyes are really puffy or not. I told her she's just have to trust me.. Usually they both look the same, have actual eyelids and the bags under them don't actually stand out on their own.

She said she's have to assume that the face was a reaction to Flucloxicillin so she wants to give me Erithromycin. Now I'm pretty sure that it gives me stomach cramps and makes me throw up - but I haven't had it for a very long time. She said one way or another i need more anti-bs because she is not happy with the leg. She wants to consult a microbiologist after surgery to see what antibiotic she can prescribe that will not interfere with Plaquenil or amitriptyline.

So I'm home - waiting for a phone call. I could have given her my cell phone number and gone to work but for the first time since I've worked at this present Centre - I've decided to opt for a stress free day. Feeling a little guilty but my face is a mess! January hasn't been the best!! I have to admit that dealing with an infected leg, thrush and a puffy face has actually taken my mind off burning feet and joint pain. Maybe everything has a plus side somewhere!


Take care - Scottie

[Patze]

Dog gone Scottie, I'm sorry that you've had such a miserable night, and I wish I could snap my fingers and make it all go away.

I'm glad to see that the doctor will at least try something else and I hope that goes bye-bye soon.

Sending you lots of hugs my friend an I sure hope that they can give you an answer soon.

Take care and stay warm and safe -

Patze

[Bucky]

Scottie -

What a month you've had!     I hope the doctor can find the right combination to knock this leg infection, itching, thrush, and red puffy face out of your system.  It's bad enough when one area is bothering you, but when it's a combination of things - can drive you nuts.

I'm glad you took the day off work.  Just relax today. 

Keeping my fingers crossed this new medicine will help things heal for you and you'll feel better quickly.

Hang in there Scottie.

Bucky

[JannaLee]

Scottie!

I hate that itching soooo much and it keeps my husband awake when I have a night like that. 

Probably this is wrong, but I imagine it's caused by some sort of neurological overstimulation because I go through it every night, to some extent, when I first get in bed.   It takes a while for me to settle down and then the itching does too. 

I didn't say that well, but I'll leave it anyway.

Sending you wishes to heal and feel refreshed very soon, my dear!

Janna

[Crymeariver]

Having an allergy to all things penicillin related (as well as -mycins and Cipro), I gotta say it sounds like an allergic reaction.  Have you tried benadryl or an OTC antihistamine?  It always gets me with itching, eyes swell shut, and it tears my stomach up with horrendous reflux. 

Sorry you're going through this!  I hope you get some relief!

[Scottietottie]

Hi 

I was given antihistamine to take when I got the second lot of antibiotics. I'm still taking them. I think my stomach is not going to be very happy tomorrow - I can sort of feel it. I'm going to convince myself that it's an unpleasant side effect rather than an allergy because I really want the erythromycin to work and for my leg to go back to normal!!

I'm planning on going to work tomorrow but my face is not back to normal. My eyelids are still swollen. Lucky I wear glasses I guess as they don't show up so much with them on.

Thanks for the support folks.  

Take care - Scottie 

[sage]

Scottietottie:  I have had some very bad pharmaceutical drug reactions.  I hope you will be ok with the
Erythromycin - you may be just fine but I thought you might find this website of interest describing the high percentage of GI reactions to Erythromycin.

quote:

.."Erythromycin often (in 5 to 30% of the cases) causes gastrointestinal pain (nausea, vomiting, gastric pain, abdominal cramps)....."


http://www.infomed.org/100drugs/erytadre.html

Sending you pine and cedar tree cool breezes from Oregon 

[irish]

Scottie, I just thought of something that you might find interesting. This will be a longer story---but you know me.lol

About 20 years ago hubby and I and 2 other couples went out(rarity for us) and we didn't have anything to drink, but somehow early in the evening we started laughing and joking. We were sort of restaurant hopping and went to Bridgemans Ice Cream Parlors and that is where the rubber hit the road. We were goofing around (people in 40's and 60's) and laughing. We laughed so much that we were bent over and gasping. Everyone was watching us cause we were acting like a bunch of drunks. We had a ball.

The next couple of days hubby developed a rash plus he had a stomach ache. He did have some reflux off and on for years so the stomach wasn't anything new. A few more days and he had rash all over his body and saw the doc and had to start on benedryl. As time progressed his reflux got so bad and his stomach was paining so much he was miserable.

I was reading and researching, etc and trying to figure out what was going on. He ended up going to His GI and he came home and told me that benedryl causes relaxation of the sphincter at the top of the stomach which causes the reflux to get worse. Now, that is a valuable peice of information that we would not have known otherwise.

What precipitated this was the fact that my hubby has such an awesome sense of humor and he laughed so hard we think that he did a little damage to an already stretched out sphincter and then add the benedryl and he had himself a stomach ache that took months to heal up.

So, I just mentioned this to let you know that you just could have some issues with your GERD. Also, there are newer erythromycin tabs now that arne't as hard on the stomach. The old EES 400 can be really hard on the stomach. If they give you the Clarithromycin or Biaxin you should not have as much trouble with your stomach. Not set in stone, but don't see big problems much with this med. It is a broad spectrum antibiotic and just may do a better job with your leg.

So glad that you got the rash so you got more attention for that leg. My thoughts are with you and I am very glad that you took the day off. Irish

[Scottietottie]

Hi 

I don't know what kind of erythromycin i've been given specifically but it does say on the box that they are 'gastro resistant'.

I'm back at work today and thankfully have not had the gastro issues that I'd anticipated. Have a slightly uneasy feeling and am also feeling somewhat spaced out but that could be from dealing with a stupid infection for over 3 weeks. I'm just so lucky that it's not actually painful. (could that be due to neuropathy I ask myself?) Maybe a degree of neuropathy has a plus side!!

The antihistamines I've been given are chlorphenamine. They might be making me feel spaced out. The redness on my face is down but I think that is due to hydrocortisone cream. Uising load of aquaous cream inbetween times as my skin is unbelievably dry to the touch.  I know lots of people in here suffer from dry skin but I am finding this really weird because my skin has always been greasy - well right up to last week!!

ALWAYS read the instructions inside your meds. My GP asked me to stop taking Plaquenil and amitriptyline while taking these meds (though I don't actually see them listed in the 'do not take' instructions but it does say not to take with zinc - which is a supplement I usually take because my hairdresser told me to.

Take care - Scottie 

[Katybarstool]

Scottie

You've eally been through the mill. I hope you are feeling better today.

Kathyx

[flutterfly]

hi scottie~i just popped in ta say u are luved & i'm sendin' EXTRA special luv ta ur eyelids ta squish 'em back ta normal!!!  

i hope this anitbiotic works sweets!!! it's terri~ble when 1 ailment makes ya 4get 'bout the other ailments ya have...
but i think we've all been THERE!!! (i think we all will take the relief any way we can get it!!!) sad...but true!!!

~*flutterfly...okay...stand stilll...while i smack the luv right inta ur eye llids!!!*~