Tired of Being Sick

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bocdrt
New User
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu May 19, 2016 1:20 am

Tired of Being Sick

Postby bocdrt » Mon Mar 26, 2018 9:40 pm

I need to vent. The pain is getting to me. I'm seeing my doctor again tomorrow but I could use some words of encouragement.

In Feb 2015, after months of working insane hours I gave myself a panic attack which landed me in the ER. From there I've been sick on and off pretty much since. The laundry list, besides bad anxiety on and off and a couple random panic attacks every year:

2015
Pelvic pain issues
Dental issues
Multiple UTIs

2016
Penumonia round I (with pleurisy)
Cracked a rib
CDiff (which I beat after 1 round of Flagyl)
Bad silent reflux / stomach inflammation

2017
Penumonia round II (with pleurisy, again)
Recurring yeast infections / BV

My husband is tired of being with someone that is sick all the time, especially since he thinks it's all caused by work stress. I somewhat agree with him, but obviously some of the stuff that happened was just consequences of the medications (the cdiff and yeast infections!). So this year I was determined to not get pneumonia again. And I didn't. I took these wonderful immune support supplements and I surfed though flu season like nothing. AND THEN, just as I'm given a clean bill of health for my ladypart problems, I go and buy this expensive hipster vegan cream cheese because my usual cheaper one was out, and it was contaminated with SALMONELLA, which also gave me CDIFF.

This was going to be the first winter in 4 years I was NOT going to be sick, and here I am, sick again, 26 days of abdominal pain and counting. It's incredibly depressing to think I was breaking the stress induced-illness cycle and then I get slapped in the face with this.

I finished Flagyl a week ago and Cipro 10 days ago. I feel worse than when it all began. I didn't have D then and I don't now (and after reading the information here I wonder if I was overprescribed), but the cramping and the pain and the inability to eat anything but a small bowl of food with no flavor is driving me crazy. I start thinking extreme things like: "oh my liver os probably shot, or my kidneys, or my intestines, or my appendix, etc".

Like I said, I'm going back to my doctor tomorrow. She's my PCP and will probably send me to see a GI because there's only so much she can do. But I'm already stressed out because I've had bad luck with a few GIs in my area:
- the first one I stopped seeing years ago, after I visited him with extreme burping and heartburn and he sent me home without examining me saying: "it's just reflux, go home".
- the second one moved. He's the one that diagnosed me with cdiff in 2016. He was fine overall but when he told me that there was no difference between taking Culturelle (1 billion) and VSL (~200+ billion) I got a little skeptical. Either way he's not an option anymore.
- the third one sent me for an urgent CAT scan in late 2016 when I had my stomach inflammation / pain issues. The whole point of the urgency was that he wanted to check if everything was OK or not for my international vacation. I got it done, waited for him to go through the results while I was at the imaging center, they made me wait extra because he said over the phone he was restarting his computer, and then they let me go and told me he would call me. When he didn't call after two hours, I called and they told me he was gone for the weekend (it was Thu morning and and I was supposed to go leave the next day). Why send me for an urgent CAT scan if you're going to leave me hanging? They finally agreed to have another GI read me the results over the phone and he was incredibly rude so he is not an option either (that would be GI #4).

Anyway, that's my rant. I'm tired of being sick. My husband is really great but is tired of coming home to a wife that is sick all the time, and I'm tired of being me!

I really appreciate if you made it this far! :-)

beth22
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 10852
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 2:23 pm

Re: Tired of Being Sick

Postby beth22 » Tue Mar 27, 2018 1:48 am

I hear you. I feel the same way. Ever since I had my first bout of c diff 10 years ago, I've had one thing after another. Hopefully, you won't get it back, but if you do, there is Dificid now, which was not available years ago. Good luck with your appointment and try to take it one day at a time.

bocdrt
New User
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu May 19, 2016 1:20 am

Re: Tired of Being Sick

Postby bocdrt » Tue Mar 27, 2018 10:38 am

Thank you beth22! I feel for you. Hope you can break the cycle soon too.

I've read about Dificid in the forum but not much. Do people use it instead of Vanco or after Vanco doesn't work?

Bobbie
Administrator
Posts: 12688
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2005 8:00 pm

Re: Tired of Being Sick

Postby Bobbie » Tue Mar 27, 2018 4:35 pm

boctre,
Your story is very similar to mine - pneumonia, Uti's , reflux) etc. I had c diff 3 times plus bouts of IBS. My husband is sick of sickness, too - unless it is his. I was on Vanco for years ( Dificid was not yet available, ) which enabled me to lead an almost normal life - work, travel,exercise. C diff also affected my bones altho osteoporosis runs in my family.

Why were you on Cipro?

I would return to the GI you dislike the least and try to make sone positive decisions. Dificid might be your answer. It has helped many on the site altho some have side effects. Every medication has some.

Try to stop the negative thoughts - altho it is difficult.

Read the first forum for the history and rules of the site. Welcome and let us know how you are doing. We are here to support you.

beth22
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 10852
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 2:23 pm

Re: Tired of Being Sick

Postby beth22 » Wed Mar 28, 2018 1:33 am

Dificid is best when it is used first, but yes, others have taken it after vanco and it worked for them when vanco had not.

bocdrt
New User
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu May 19, 2016 1:20 am

Re: Tired of Being Sick

Postby bocdrt » Wed Mar 28, 2018 11:43 am

Bobbie,
Sorry to hear that. It's a vicious circle. I hope you are OK now.
I was put on Cipro for salmonella.

Thanks beth22 for the info!


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