Prayers, please 3

[beth22]

I will look for the tea. The liver enzymes could be elevated from the high lipase. Two weeks ago, it was 67 and <60 is normal, but now it is 105. However, I have had it elevated like that before and liver was never affected. I had an endoscopic ultrasound in November 2015 that showed probably autoimmune pancreatitis. No tumors, etc. Liver has hemangiomas that I have had for years - benign tumors I guess they are. Like big varicose veins. I feel very nauseated again since last night.

I'm wondering if I don't have a problem with my adrenal glands. There are some auto-immune diseases of that too and some of this stuff fits, but my doctor won't test it. I will ask the endocrinologist about it next week. The sinusitis is much better. My voice is practically normal. I think the virus hit the GI tract after the respiratory. I am still coughing a little, but not much.

Georgina, I can't imagine what you must have felt like on those TB meds. I did feel much more nauseated when I was getting the antibiotics, but I have had a few days without it now and then it came back last night. Before only one liver enzyme was high - AST. Now that one is a little lower, but the ALT is high. I don't know what any of it means. I'm supposed to start thyroid meds in a few weeks, but the doctor doesn't want me to do it now. I'm so tired, I can't even think straight. Maybe my B12 is low. I do have a lot of tingling in my legs and arms. That would be an easy fix at least.

Thank you for your support. My husband is sick of my being sick and does not want to talk about it or deal with it.

[georgina]

If the liver is suffering you can have nausea and fatigue.
If you suspect a problem with adrenal glands ask your endo. doctor to test your cortisol levels. Your doctor may order a saliva, blood or urine test to measure your cortisol. These days it is generally accepted that saliva cortisol testing, is the most accurate.
Glad your sinuses feel better , and that the cough reduced. My cough reduced a little too,but i still have nasty sputum in the morning although i feel like it's coming from the nose and not from lower resp tract.
Praying for you! {Hugs}

[beth22]

I have the same thing in the morning. I think it is coming down from the sinuses, like you said. They ran one cortisol blood test at the hospital - a.m. and it was normal. I will talk to the endo though. After reading the symptoms, I think it might be part of it. I hope you feel better soon too. There are sure some nasty viruses going around these days. Between those and the mosquito ones, it is pretty scary. I looked up the antibiotic I was taking, Ceftin, and it said transient elevation of both AST and ALT as one of the side effects. However, I already had the AST elevated when I first went to ER and that was before I started any meds. So, maybe the virus and then the meds made it worse.

[Bobbie]

For sinus drainage, try nasal irrigation. I do it in the morning and at night - more if I have an infection. Yes, it is "icky" but what is Ickier than c diff? viewtopic.php?f=4&t=673#p4788

[Ril]

Between the nurses on the site and unfortunate personal experiences, there is just too much medical knowledge floating around! The amount of support is amazing.
Anyway, I am positive you will feel tons better when you can start thyroid meds. I could barely walk across the parking lot to the dr's office when it was finally time. His comment- "You really know your own body".

[momof327]

So glad your feeling better some. You seem to have been hit with a lot all at the same time! Continuing to keep you and everyone else here in prayer. Hang in there! I know what it's like to be sick of being sick! "hugs"
Terri

[beth22]

The depression is getting the best of me. I still have no results of my lab tests from Friday, but I made an appointment to see my GI this afternoon. Maybe he can get the liver test results for hepatitis, etc. quicker from my internist's office than I could. I know some got sent to Quest labs and they take forever to process anything.

I need to go back to work and I still feel weak, but I may try and go tomorrow. It is either that or staying home and feeling miserable alone. I also don't have many sick days left. This last month has been the month out of hell. I read some info online that thyroid disease can cause liver abnormalities. I'm hoping that is it and perhaps when I start thyroid meds, it will help. Meanwhile, the nausea continues.

[Lisa33]

Being ill for a long period of time, preventing you from your daily routine can be very depressing. You are right that the best remedy is to try and get back into things as soon as you feel up to it. You don't want to overdo it either though. I have dealt with Graves Disease so I know that your thyroid being off can really screw everything up. So, maybe that's what's causing things to be all out of whack for you. I hope you get all of your results back soon. Good luck at your GI appt!

Let us know how things go.
Lisa

[beth22]

Good news is my white count is back to normal. Also, I don't have hepatitis, A, B, or C. But, my liver did get messed up from the virus. The two enzymes that were high a week ago, by Friday had gone to normal (AST, ALT). But, another one that was normal was high. The GI said that is the pattern. First the two then the other. Hopefully, it will come down soon too. The test for muscle inflammation was also high, but not that bad. Shows the virus attacked muscles too. It seems it just went through my whole body. The pancreatitis is still there, but the level was better too. I am going to work tomorrow. I only have about two and a half hours because my classes are one right after the other, so basically 10:00 to 12:30. Then I will go home for the rest of the day and try to rest a little. I am not contagious.

The GI told me he had another patient, a woman, who basically had what I did and it took about 2.5 months to resolve completely, but it did resolve. It will be one month in another day, so hopefully, I am at least halfway there. Muscles hurt, especially if I walk, but I have to try and use them some too. GI said that the virus triggers all the auto-immune diseases - so for me that is thyroid and pancreas. Never knew all of this could happen and I hope it never does again!

[amyc]

Beth, so sorry you have gone through all this, and glad to hear you can go back to work. I was hoping your school year was almost over so you could rest for the summer. I can't take Cipro ever again because I had a terrible reaction to it that caused my liver enzymes to go sky high. They tested me for hepatitis and I didn't have it. It's great you didn't relapse with the C diff. Does your GI think you are no more likely than anybody else to ever get C diff again because your FMT was successful?

[georgina]

Good news Beth , I'm so happy that your tests came back negative and your white count is normal . That virus was pretty aggressive!! Going back to work will lift your depression a little , it did for me. Again , glad you are better!

[beth22]

Hi Amy - It's nice to see you back posting. It wasn't the antibiotics that caused the elevated liver enzymes, because it already started when I got the virus and went to ER, although not as high. I'm sure it did not help. However, the enzyme that was not elevated then, was this past Friday and I had been off any antibiotics for a week. The virus is just very aggressive as Georgina said. It flared up all my auto-immune illnesses too.

The GI actually wanted me to take vanco along with the antibiotics, but I refused. I figured if I took the vanco it was a sure thing I would relapse because that med always killed too much of my good flora and gave me other nasty symptoms. It also made my bms have absolutely no smell, and that can't be good in terms of flora. So, I started with a day and a half of doxycycline, that is not supposed to give c diff easily, but it did not help. Then I took one Levaquin 250mg tablet and that did nothing. By the time I was admitted, they started me on IV antibiotics called Cefepime, I think it was, and I did not get any D, although a lot of nausea. When I came home, I took Ceftin, but stopped earlier than originally planned (with doctor's ok) because they made me so lightheaded, etc. I increased my doses of VSL#3. I usually only took part of a capsule twice a day and one capsule would last me a whole week almost. I started taking it about 4 times per day. So far so good, but I've only been off the antibiotics for about 10 days now. I am still taking the VSL#3 3 times per day. Hopefully, it will work.

I don't know much about the cephalosporin drugs and I suspect that the IV did not hit my digestive tract as much as taking the oral tablets, but it remains to be seen. I figured I could always go on vanco if I relapse, but I did not want to take it and probably relapse for sure. With the low white count, I could not even do FMT if I had to. I still won't be able to for a while until this virus gets out of my system completely. When I took antibiotics two years ago, I did follow it up with FMT enemas, but that was when I had whooping cough and not a virus that attacked my bone marrow, liver, muscles, etc. So, we will see what happens.

Georgina - I'm glad that you were able to go back to work too. I miss the students and if I am home all I do is look up information on the internet and get myself more upset. I wish I had not taken the Levaquin as today on the internet news there were all the horrible side effects with torn tendons, muscle problems, etc. Some people got it from just one dose, although I have taken it before, so hopefully it did not affect me. I hope I can sleep tonight, as I do feel stronger the next day when I do.

Thank you all for your support during this horrible ordeal. Hopefully, it will soon be a thing of the past!

[getwellsoon]

So glad to hear the good news. Getting back to work will do you good but don't overdo it. Prayers for you always.

[Ril]

Beth, the news is all good and you are truly on the way to recovery.
Just like we tell everyone not to use "Dr. Google" the same goes for you! Every single side effect ever reported for a medication is listed but that hardly mean you would likely experience it.
There are enough things to worry about without looking for more (says she who might be the worst offender!)
But you really are truly on the right path so keep busy and keep moving forward.
Rita

[Lisa33]

So glad to hear the good news, Beth. You are on the road to recovery for sure! Thank God! Sometimes getting good news like that from your doctor can really lift your spirits up and the sense of relief can make you feel even better. So happy that you are doing well again.

Lisa