The good news is… I’m on the mend. The bad news is… I missed a weekend away with good friends. You can’t win ’em all, I suppose?
I was a bit “under the weather” last week. The back of my throat felt congested and my chest was a bit wheezy but as I’d no cough or cold, I concluded that the symptoms were probably viral in origin and not a cause for concern. I was wrong.
On Thursday evening, the congestion in my upper throat gradually turned sore… very sore… and I began to feel distinctly unwell. I tossed and turned all night in discomfort and while my throat had eased by the following morning, I’d developed severe pain in my head. I now had all the signs and symptoms of a bacterial infection which had homed in overnight on the vulnerable area of my head and I knew treatment was urgently required.
My GP took one look at me and sat down to write a letter to the admitting doctor at the hospital where I’ve been treated on many occasions for the severe infections in my head. However, luck was on my side on this occasion.
Being a Bank Holiday Friday, my GP agreed to let me go home to my own bed armed with oral antibiotics and a concoction of opioid pain relievers, with the promise that I would report to A&E if my condition worsened.
To be honest, the rest of the weekend is a bit of a blur… thanks to whatever was in that prescription. All I can tell you is that the pain in my head has now eased and the worst is over. While I missed out on the holiday with friends, I’m very happy to have avoided being admitted to hospital. Not only is the battle won, I feel like I’ve won my own lottery.
Biopsy Report 
Great news! I was worried earlier when I saw no sign of you online today. Stay well.
Grannymar
I set a new record at home with this illness. I went for 4 whole days without going near my computer. I wonder what was in those pills? 🙄
I’m happy for you that you didn’t have to go to hospital. Sorry you missed seeing your friends. You’ll just have to put up with your computer friends who all missed you. Just to fill you in, Grannymar had her usual parsnip and vinegar recipe up yesterday and it’s just as well you were under the weather; It had some kind of castor in it. I guess it was castor oil. Tasted like it anyway.
I hope she doesn’t come back and read this. I will be in trouble..
Will you have to go back to the doctor again or did the antibiotics he gave you do the trick?
Nancy,
Thanks. I expect Grannymar enjoyed the peace and quiet without me around to ‘double the trouble’ on recipe day.
I don’t have to go back to the Doc (just as well, as it costs €55 a go) as once I turn the corner, I never look back. Having said that, I still have to finish the course of antibiotics to make sure there are no bugs lurking and I will be reviewed in the hospital clinic in due course.
Hugs. So glad you’re feeling better and have avoided another hospital admission! Sorry to hear about missing out though, that is always hard. But great to be better 😀 BG Xx
Bendy
Thanks. I’ve had two breakthroughs with this latest infection.
Firstly, I was only able to sit out the infection at home because I was prescribed industrial strength pain relief on this occasion. It takes at least 48 hours for an antibiotic to hit home and release the abscess and then gradually the pain eases too. When given the means to manage the pain at home, I can safely defeat an acute infection without need for hospitalization.
Secondly, I fully expected the antibiotic to cause a flare-up of my colitis but on this occasion, I’ve been spared. I suspect huge doses of dihydrocodeine may have been beneficial for my gut as well as the pain. Whatever the reason, it’s good to know that I can take an antibiotic without it upsetting my gut.
My future’s just got a little rosier 🙂
Steph, sorry to hear what was to have been a short holiday turned out to be anything but
Delighted though for your victory in being able to self-manage the infection.
Lily,
Cheers! It does feel like a victory to have fought the battle at home, and won. And I don’t really feel that I’ve ‘missed out’ on a weekend away as at the time, all I wanted was to be left alone in the peace and quiet of my own home, to get better. To be honest, I was so preoccupied with trying to manage the pain, I don’t know where the days went to!
My husband was the real loser as he was stuck at home looking after me instead of enjoying the holiday weekend. Our friends, thankfully, managed to rope in others to fill in the gaps in our absence. I’m sure we’ll make up for it another time.
I figured there was something up when I got back and there was silence chez biopsy! Sorry to hear you were poorly but great to hear you battled it yourself at home – it’s an amazing feeling that – I remember the first ‘dose’ post transplant with Rory – I went through my usual hospital-bag-packing routine only to watch him kick it himself. I was a real turning point. So well done you – but keep the TLC going until you have completely knocked the stuffing out of that dose.
Ann
Welcome back! I hope your weekend was a great success?
I bet like me, you have a ‘hospital bag’ list ready for when it’s needed in a hurry? I find the list gives me great peace of mind as it means I don’t have to entertain the thought of going to hospital until/unless I’m left with no other choice.
I was euphoric on Monday evening when the pain dissipated and I realised I’d won the battle. Like you say, it does take a few days to find your feet again and I do have a tendency to rush around like a mad thing doing all the jobs that got put ‘on-hold’ while I was ill.
I’ve been very good this week, honest! 😀 (well, sort of good) 😉
I get to stay out of hospital due to slow release dihydrocodeine topped up with oramorph as required. Its better to be able to fight out the nasties at home and am pleased that you were able to do so. Not pleased at all that you were so poorly in the first place and missing out on friends though. Please don’t rush around yet, as my grandmother used to say why don’t people convalesce (sp) these days. I have jobs that need doing that are a couple of years old!
Achelois
Your grandmother was absolutely correct. Modern medicine and hospital superbugs have turned hospitals into conveyor belts and patients barely have time to wake up from surgery before they get sent home. Also, society today is so different to your grandmother’s time that convalescence is something you rarely even hear mentioned. There’s a lot to be said for allowing the body time to heal both physically and psychologically.
I’m all for people with long-term conditions being given the means to stay at home to try to get through a medical crisis. Many long-term patients know the ins and outs of their illness backwards and all they need is advice on how best to manage their symptoms. A good doctor-patient relationship is required, based on trust which should be 2-way.
As you well know, us EDS’ers are well-used to life not going according to plan so we tend to accept unforeseen cancellations etc as part and parcel of life. I get lots of TLC when I need it but because I’ve had so many stop/starts to life, I don’t hang around once I feel able to get going again. As I age, I’m learning to listen to my body more and to pace myself so that I don’t have to learn the hard way. It took me years to realise that the exhaustion I experience together with the pain I get in my joints if standing for any length of time, is not normal. I thought I just had to try harder!
Now that I know why I have these problems, I don’t fight it anymore. I also now realise that my connective tissue problems are only minor compared to yours and BendyGirl’s and so I thank my lucky stars that I can do what I can.
I’m off to visit you now!
Oh you poor thing. Sounds like a really nasty infection. I hope you stay well now. xx
magnumlady
Thanks. Update to follow shortly.
[…] 2 days of finishing the antibiotic after the recent acute infection, the congestion in my nasopharynx began to recur and a foul discharge seeped into the back of my […]