Steph might be going home from hospital tomorrow. No kidding! I mean home to stay, to sleep in my own bed. The osteomyelitis is in retreat and I’m on the fast road out of here.
The surgical team paid a visit early this morning to review my blood tests and discuss the plan to change from intra-venous to oral antibiotics. Within an hour, my head had been examined endoscopically and the surgeon reported back that good progress had been made. The raw bone inside my head is covered with granulation tissue, a sign that normal healing is taking place.
By lunchtime, microbiology had approved a change onto oral antibiotics and my current treatment for colitis had been reviewed by the gastroenterology team. Matilda now sits forlorn beside my bed, no longer required. Instead, I’ve a feast of antibiotics to swallow at regular periods throughout the day. A 24-hour test run is underway to see if the colitis can withstand the new regime. If I maintain a stable path overnight, the central line to my chest will be removed and I will be allowed home by tomorrow evening to continue treatment from the comfort of my own home.
I just thought you might like to know. Fingers (and legs) crossed.
UPDATE: (Wednesday 11 am) It’s for definite! The central line is now out of my chest and I’m on my way home today. Yabba, dabba do! Next post from home.
I’m back! Well, sort of… if you know what I mean. I got home from hospital on July 10th on oral antibiotics but unfortunately, it turned out to be a shortlived escape. Six days later, I was back in A&E with all the old symptoms again. The osteomyelitis has returned in the bones of my skull and the colitis has flared up again too.
There will be no white flag above my bed. I won’t put my hands up and surrender. I’ll let it pass (more anon).
I turned on the news this evening to hear that 909 patients around the country are waiting to have a colonoscopy and some of those people have been waiting for more than two years. In December, our Minister for Health told the HSE to comply with a target of access to a colonoscopy within four weeks of being referred by a doctor. I had a private consultation with a gastroenterologist this afternoon and have been booked for an urgent colonoscopy next Monday morning. This sadly, is the difference between public and private health care.
Unfortunately, the antibiotic I’ve been on for the past 8 days (Vancomycin), has failed to bring a nasty colitis under control. After almost six weeks of worsening symptoms, I’m in real need of help. While this means having to go through a dreaded colonoscopy again, right now that seems like a doddle compared to my present circumstances. The diagnosis is most likely to be an antibiotic-associated colitis caused by the ongoing treatment for the chronic infection in my head. However, biopsies are required to confirm this and also to rule-out other possible causes, such as Crohn’s Disease.
While queueing to see the doctor today, I received a call from another doctor’s office. The surgeon in the UK has requested a CT scan of my skull before I travel to Nottingham for a review consultation. My surgeon in Ireland has organised the scan for tomorrow and I will travel to the UK in a couple of week’s time to receive the verdict. It’s certainly been all go today.
The reason I’m able to access prompt medical care for my health problems, is simply because I hold private health insurance. The policy is a huge burden on our family budget each year but I cannot afford to be without it. The delay in accessing investigations in our public health service, is costing lives. It seems that little has changed since the untimely death of Susie Long who succeeded in highlighting the inequities in the system. The Irish Cancer Society has described the waiting times as unacceptable. I’d describe the situation as scandalous and it’s time the HSE was held accountable.
I had an infection in my head recently which recurred repeatedly despite treatment with antibiotics. An antibiotic called Suprax finally knocked the infection into submission. Unfortunately, it also knocked the lining of my large intestine into submission. Since finishing the antibiotic just over three weeks ago, I have suffered from intermittent colitis. For those who don’t know what the symptoms of colitis are, I’ll spare you the details. Suffice to say, I’ve spent a lot of time in the bathroom in the last few weeks.
Diarrhoea is a common side-effect of antibiotic treatment. When I consulted my GP with worsening symptoms a week after stopping the Suprax, he suspected that I may have developed an infection known as Clostridium difficile. Thishighly contagious bacterial infection of the bowel can occur following antibiotic treatment but laboratory tests last week ruled it out. Or so we thought.
I was given medication to quell the increasing nausea but over the Easter weekend, the pain in my intestines worsened and I was forced to seek medical help again. This time the hospital came back saying that the antibiotic-associated colitis must be urgently treated. There are two antibiotics used to treat C. Diff and associated infections, called Flagyl and Vancomycin. I had a severe reaction to Flagyl many years ago and as I am considered high-risk because of a previous history of pseudomembranous colitis, I have been prescribed the drug of “last resort”, Vancomycin.
Vancomycin is normally given intravenously for the treatment of serious, life-threatening infections such as MRSA but it can also be used to treat colitis. When taken orally, the drug does not cross through the intestinal lining and remains in the intestines. As this is exactly where it’s needed at the moment, it is the drug of choice. Fingers crossed please!
In the meantime, tests results have suggested that chronic osteomyelitis is recurring in the bone around my eye. I am presently awaiting an appointment to return to the specialist unit in the UK, for assessment. The bugs go marchingon.
Some people go off food when they’re unwell, others take to their beds. I think I’ve discovered a new phenomenon which has yet to be documented in any medical journal. Whenever I succumb to an infection in my head, I lose all appetite for blogging. To understand this, you have to realise that the blogsphere represents the outside world, a world which crumples at my feet each time illness strikes. The battle of the bugs continues…
St. Valentine’s Day marked the beginning of this particular episode. I woke with a severe headache and as the day wore on, pain and pressure started to build behind my right eye. My GP prescribed a tetracycline antibiotic, Doxycycline which has been the stalwart of my treatment in recent years. My symptoms subsided but a week later, my right eye began to close over with swelling and the pain and pressure returned in my head. On account of my previous history, I was seen urgently by a specialist. A swab ruled out MRSA but this new resistance to Doxycycline, was a definite cause for concern. I was started on a cephalosporin antibiotic, Keftid which seemed to work well so after two weeks the dose was reduced with the plan that I would continue on it long term to break the cycle of chronic infection. That plan fell apart when another bacterial superinfection took hold last week. The headaches gradually returned and my life ground to a halt once more. This time my GP prescribed a different cephalosporin antibiotic, Suprax which I’m happy to report, appears to be taking hold. The headaches have eased and so has the sense of despondency which accompanied them. Where to from here? Who knows but for today anyhow, I’m happy to have had my world open up again. On I march.
While on the subject of nasty bugs, one of my regular readers kindly sent me details of a worrying outbreak of the Norovirus (Winter Vominting Bug) in Limerick. This highly infectious virus is usually found in our hospitals and can be potentially dangerous in the very young or old. The outbreak occurred on a college campus which has been temporarily closed while infection control measures are implemented by the HSE. See press release.
It seems that healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) are no longer confined to hospitals. The bugs are marching on.
It’s been a strange week after all the excitement of the blog awards. I’ve got a swollen head but for all the wrong reasons. My right eye started to swell on Sunday evening shortly after my arrival home from Cork. I wasn’t unduly worried as this has happened before following a flight and anyway, I was covered by an antibiotic following a recent infection in my head. By Monday the swelling hadn’t subsided and the pressure behind my eye was growing worse. I also felt rotten and had pus oozing down the back of my throat. On Tuesday morning, I sought urgent help and was lucky to get an appointment to see my surgeon at the hospital. He took a swab of the pus and did his best to reassure me but we both knew that with my previous history, there was real cause for concern. My biggest fear was a return of the superbug, MRSA but it would take another 48 hours before my destiny was known.
This afternoon I had some good news. I have an MSSA (methicillin sensitive Staph aureus) infection, not it’s resistant relative, MRSA. This is really welcome news as it extends my treatment options. Had it been MRSA again, I might well have been faced with many weeks of IV treatment in hospital due to antibiotic resistance. I was started on a new antibiotic last Tuesday but worryingly, it hasn’t kicked-in as yet. My eye remains swollen and my head still hurts but I’m feeling good.
You see, in the midst of all my woes, I received a lovely surprise from Absolute Vanilla and it’s really boosted my spirits. AV is a highly creative writer, a hugely talented photographer and a very popular blogger so I’m honoured to receive this award from her.
BEST BLOG THINKER AWARD
To Steph of The Biopsy Report who has written tirelessly and courageously about illness and the Irish health system.
“This award acknowledges the values that every Blogger displays in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values with each message they write. Awards like this have been created with the intention of promoting community among Bloggers. It`s a way to show appreciation and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web.”
This beautifully timed award has worked far better than any antibiotic. I wear it with pride. Dankie! AV.
Ireland is one of only three countries in Europe where antibiotic prescribing outside of hospitals, is on the rise. Antibiotics are frequently taken for viral colds and flu, when in fact they are only effective against bacterial infections. The more frequently antibiotics are used, the more resistant forms of bacteria become to them. The HSE recently launched a national education programme to change prescribing patterns in a bid to curb the use of antibiotics. The level of superbugs like MRSA and C. difficile in our hospitals would fall if antibiotic use was reduced. However, there’s another side to the superbug problem in our hospitals which I believe, has been overlooked.
When I developed serious symptoms of infection some years ago, it took threedays for a nasal swab report to come through from the laboratory. In the meantime, I was treated in a ward shared with four other patients, two of whom were recovering from surgery. When my positive MRSA status emerged, I was quickly moved out of the ward and into isolation. You have to wonder at how many patients were cross-infected as a result of this delay in diagnosis. Multiply this by the huge number of MRSA cases passing through our hospitals each year and you get some idea of the scale of cross-infection.
The sad fact is that there is a Rapid MRSA test available which gives same-day results but it appears that the HSE restriction on budgets has ruled out it’s use in Irish hospitals. This decision is short-sighted as rapid MRSA identification can help hospitals make cost savings.
“The 3M BacLite Rapid MRSA test allows fast, affordable screening of patients for MRSA. It also has the potential to improve patient outcomes and decrease treatment costs. Rapidly identifying MRSA colonised patients provides hospitals with another tool to assist in pro-actively managing health care associated infections (HCAI).”
If I’d been rapidly screened, the result would have been available in hours, not days thereby enabling infection control teams to act quickly. My MRSA infection was hospital acquired (HCAI) following surgery and resulted in six weeks of expensive in-patient treatment. The infection recurred a year later and since then I have frequently been screened for MRSA as an out-patient. I always have to wait 2-3 days for a result and as far as I know, a similar delay still applies for in-patient screening. I’d be very interested to hear if anyone knows different?
Everyone has a role to play in stopping hospital infection, patients and their families included. However, if the HSE seriously wants to reduce MRSA figures and make reductions in their budgets, then it should address the problem of delayed identification. The rapid MRSA test would ultimately lead to huge cost savings for hospitals and more importantly, save lives.
The HSE has recently launched a three week awareness campaign Get better without antibiotics to highlight the importance of using antibiotics properly. Ireland is one of only three EU countries showing an increasing use of antibiotics. Recent Irish research shows that medical card holders (30% of the population) account for over 50% of antibiotic use. Antibiotics are not the solution for common colds, coughs or flu; they are effective only against bacterial infections.
Dr. Robert Cunney, Consultant Microbiologist at the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), says “Taking antibiotics when they aren’t needed may mean that they won’t work when you really need them for a serious infection. The more antibiotics we use, the more bacteria (germs) can change so that the antibiotics don’t work any more. These bacteria are said to be “antibiotic resistant” and are much harder to treat and can spread to other people. We are using more and more antibiotics each year in Ireland and are seeing more infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria as a result. We must take steps to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use. Otherwise we risk squandering one of the most important medical advances of the past 100 years.”
Key things to remember:
Most common infections don’t need antibiotics.
Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections – they cannot help against common colds, coughs or flu.
Taking antibiotics when they are not needed puts your health and your family’s health at risk.
If your doctor decides that you need an antibiotic make sure you take it exactly as prescribed
Misuse of antibiotics only causes bacteria to become resistant to antibiotic treatments and when antibiotics are needed in the future they may not work.
Antibiotics often give side effects such as diarrhoea, nausea and skin rashes.
Always seek a doctor’s advice before taking antibiotics.
Further information can be found on the HSE website.
It was the radio advertisement for this awareness campaign that caught my attention. I’d be interested to hear your comments on it.
Let me introduce you to the next generation of pills. Electronics maker Philips has announced the development of an intelligent pill, the iPill, that has the potential to release drugs exactly where they are needed in the gut. The iPill is a capsule, the same size as a camera pill, that has been designed to be swallowed and to pass through the digestive track naturally. The purpose of the pill is to release medication closer to the source of the problem, in a specific area of the body, resulting in more effective treatment. This development has great future potential.
Digestive tract disorders such as Crohn’s disease, colitis and colon cancer are becoming increasingly common, particularly in the western world. Crohn’s disease and colitis can be treated with drugs, notably steroids, but many of these drugs have adverse and unpleasant side-effects for patients when administered systemically. While capsules containing miniature cameras are already used as diagnostic tools, they lack the ability to deliver drugs.The iPill uses a tiny microprocessor, battery and wireless radio to control a built-in medication reservoir. It has a sensor that gauges acidity in the stomach to determine it’s exact location and can be electronically programmed to control the delivery of medication. By delivering the required drugs directly to the site of disease, dose levels may be lowered and many of the side effects reduced.
Philips, which is one of the world’s biggest hospital equipment providers, will officially present it’s intelligent pill capsule later this month at a scientific meeting in Atlanta. According to the company, the iPill is ready for serial manufacturing despite still being demonstrated as a prototype.
This fascinating new development brings great hope for the future. For years, I’ve been struggling with recurrent sinus infections and abscess formation (chronic osteomyelitis) in the frontal bone of my skull. When an infection erupts, high dose systemic antibiotics are required to deliver treatment to a tiny area of my head. Doctors have often commented that one day hopefully, there will be a breakthrough in medical research which will allow for direct drug treatment in specific target areas of the body. This new iPill is the beginning of such technology and while it’s still a long way off solving my problem, it’s a step in the right direction.
My heart sank when we arrived at Rome airport in the lashing rain but within a few hours, the skies had turned blue and that’s the way it stayed for our 10 glorious days in Tuscany. We’d been lent a little house in a tiny hillside village in southern Tuscany where nobody spoke a word of English. It was like a dream come true.
Our house was part of a terrace of houses where the few neighbours were all elderly Italians who I imagine, had lived in this little community all their lives. It was located down a narrow alleyway, only a few steps away from the village square. We were within easy reach of the bakery, the grocer and more importantly, the local pizzeria where we spent many a happy hour. The house was perfect for all our needs. It was owned by an elderly artist and every available inch of wall space was covered by her beautiful paintings. The house had it’s own private little garden at the back and beyond that, there was nothing but rolling hills. We woke each morning to the sound of the local cock-a-doodle-do!
The olives groves are harvested in October. Our little back garden contained one olive tree as well as a beautiful fig tree, a lemon and an orange tree, all of which bore fruit. We ate breakfast in the garden every morning in the company of numerous lizards and on one occasion, a grass snake.
Surrounding countryside.
The warm mineral-rich water of the volcanic sulphur springs was only a few kilometres from the town. And yes, I did try it but once was enough as the smell of rotten eggs was overpowering.
Our lunches invariably consisted of a variety of salami’s, cheeses, fresh plums and nectarines and lots of the local grape.
The local vines were ready for harvesting. When my hubby returned to this spot a few days later to take some more pictures, these grapes had all been picked. September is a busy time in Tuscany.
The elaborate façade of the Gothic Duomo at the Piazza del Campo in Siena. We spent a lovely day roaming the medieval streets of the city but sadly, our visit did not coincide with the Palio, the famous horse race through the streets of Siena.
Our day trip to Rome included…
The Colosseum…
The beautiful roof of the Basilica in the Vatican City…
And a passing tourist kindly took this shot of us in St. Peter’s Square. Somehow she managed to make it look as if we had the place to ourselves but in reality, it was absolutely milling with tourists.
So that’s it! Hope you enjoyed the pics (courtesy of my hubby, Jaimie). All in all, we had an absolutely brilliant time except for one little set-back. A day or two before the end of the holiday, I developed an infection in my forehead. I flew home on strong painkillers, foolishly believing that the infection would clear of it’s own accord. It didn’t and I’ve been struggling with severe headaches ever since I got home. I finally got sense on Friday and started a powerful antibiotic and today Hey Presto! the headache has lifted. Now I really am a happy bunny!
Posted by Steph 
Posted by Steph 
Posted by Steph 
While on the subject of nasty bugs, one of my regular readers kindly sent me details of a worrying outbreak of the Norovirus (Winter Vominting Bug) in Limerick. This highly infectious virus is usually found in our hospitals and can be potentially dangerous in the very young or old. The outbreak occurred on a college campus which has been temporarily closed while infection control measures are implemented by the HSE. See
“The 
