A 3 toilet roll day....

[Lesley]

One of THOSE! And an accident in Ralph's. Thank goodness I carry knickers, a pad and moist flushable wipes in my purse. It's been a long time since I had such a bad one.

I have been SO sick with this wretched pain and nausea every day. I feel like there is a burn in the back of my throat, and all the way down to my stomach. Everything I eat of drink hurts all the way down! When a bad attack comes the only thing that helps is sipping cold water, and then I am up all night peeing.

I emailed my doc - he says it sounds like "hypersensitive esophagitis" for which he prescribed
Sucralfate Suspension.
I fired off an email, which I HOPE he will answer, because this stuff is used for ulcers, and has a LOT of possible nasty side effects. I have worked so hard to get OFF as much as I can, and deal with such awful pain in my back as a result. I don't fancy having something else with more side effects to deal with.

OTOH, this has been SO painful I literally cry when I feel it coming on. Right now it doesn't seem to be caused by anything in particular. It's worse if I haven't eaten, but eating hurts, so it's a vicious cycle.
I feel I will have to take this stuff because this can't go on.

On top of this I have had a UTI for 3 weeks now. My doc gave me 3 days of Cipro. I told her I wasn't feeling right, so I went in to the clinic and was seen by another doc, who does NOT know me. The stick test seemed to be negative although I knew I still had an infection.
I bought a test kit at Walgreen's and found..of course..that I had an infection.
She put me back on a week of Cipro.
Yesterday I was feeling so rotten I did another test which was super positive.
Today I got an email saying the infection is resistant to Cipro (surprise! Give it for 3 days, off even though I tell you it's still there, and of course it will be resistant!), and she is giving me Macrobid.
Tex or Polly, or anyone who knows - is Macrobid an MC benign antibiotic?
I am so worried I will get massive D if/when I take it.

I am SO tired. Physically exhausted, and just tired of feeling like this for whole year now.
I don't see how I can do a big trip feeling like this.

[tex]

Tex or Polly, or anyone who knows - is Macrobid an MC benign antibiotic?
I am so worried I will get massive D if/when I take it.

Well, the truth is that virtually any antibiotic can cause D, but for some reason or other, we've found that Cipro and the other fluoroquinolones are exceptions to that rule. And often, we can take azithromycin (Z-Pak) without upsetting the applecart, also.

Macrobid (nitrofurantoin) is specifically prescribed to treat UTIs, so it should get the job done. Please note that it should be taken with food, and some antacids can make it harder for your body to absorb Macrobid, so if you are using any antacids, you may need to ask your doctor if they are acceptable or if you should change to a different type while using the antibiotic.

I hope it works. It's no wonder that you're exhausted — you're having a lot of punishing symptoms. Frankly, if I were in your shoes, I doubt that I would be able to persuade myself to even consider such ambitious travel plans.

Tex

[Lesley]

I am seriously considering cancelling, or postponing. I SO want to see Doris, my grandkids and the new baby. Right now is the only time I will have somewhere to stay both in England and in Israel. I have no idea when I would be able to go again. But I feel so rotten, and I am afraid of feeling this rotten while away.

I told my GI about the Macrobid. We'll see what he says.

Right now I am really depressed about this.

Just to add - the one time I had flu and it developed into bronchial pneumonia I was given Z-pac. It made me both throw up and have diarrhea non stop for the whole 5 days, and from which I didn't recover for a while. This was several years ago. It passed, though I did have attacks every now and again.
Obviously a precursor of MC.

[Gabes-Apg]

Oh Matey - sooo not fair

i would love to offer to absorb some of your pain, infection so that you can get better, but I dont have the spare energy at the moment
all i can offer is some hugs from Aus....




think of me drunk in a bar in PNG, negotiating my marriage terms.

[fatbuster205]

Oh Lesley,
Also sending a huge hug - I can't help with your pain but know I'm thinking of you and I really hope you get well soon!
Anne

[Deb]

Oh my dear Lesley. I am so sad to hear how poorly you're feeling and how hard it must be to make the decision about the trip. Hugs and my prayers that you will get this thing figured out. Love, Deb

[nancyl]

You are suffering so much and no one seems to be able to help you. It just doesn't seem fair.

Like the others all I can do is send you my best and hope this passes quickly so that you can take that trip.

Hugs,
Nancy

[Martha]

Oh, Lesley, I'm so sorry. I was just thinking about you this morning, wondering how you were and if you were going to be able to make the trip to England and Israel.

I know how much you want to see your family, and it's so hard that you are still so unwell.

Like the others, I can just send good wishes your way, and give you big hugs:

Love,
Martha

[Lesley]

Thank you one and all for your concern and hugs (made me tearful - this group saves me again!)

i would love to offer to absorb some of your pain, infection so that you can get better, but I dont have the spare energy at the moment

Gabes, knowing what you are going through makes this sentiment all the dearer to me!

I didn't sleep well last night, up UMPTEEN times to pee, both because of the sipped water during the inevitable attack, and the UTI. I woke up at 10 am, very unusual, and only when I really feel lousy. NO energy at all, though I have to get myself together to go to the pharmacy to get meds.

It's a gorgeous day here, which, paradoxically makes me feel worse because I don't have the energy to take Adam's dog for a walk, or go to the pool, or something.

Today I have definite rumbles and signs of another 3 toilet roll day

[tlras]

Leslie....bless your heart! I hope you feel better soon! And I'm hoping the meds work....it does sound like you need something for it for now. Is this a MC issue or do you have GERD as well? I'm assuming you've had an endoscopy done? I do suffer a little bit with the burning from my esophagus down to my stomach but it is mild for the most part and happens to me after eating something citric or tomato sauce or something else high acidic.

My sister gets those nasty UTI's all the time. I feel for ya. I do hope the antibiotic will clear up the infection. Sometimes we just have to take them.

Sending prayers your way!

Terri

[tlras]

I mean....Lesley. Oops!

[Gabes-Apg]

Lesley

right now i have 'given in' per say, waved the white flag

re the Kidney/BP things are out of my control, i dont have insight into the why, i just have to ride the wave to the shore.
I just do the best i can each day, each week.

the past 72 hours with the dental stuff, even more so i am just letting it happen, not letting the pain and discomfort take over my thoughts, not letting the lack of sleep unsettle me.
its out of my control, i cant take pain meds, the only thing i can do is rest and change how I think about it.

Mind over matter is not easy..... I have been blessed that a wonderful friend has sent me numerous books on this topic, (i got a new one for my bday)

sending you lots of healing, calming hugs. xoxoxo

[JFR]

Lesley

right now i have 'given in' per say, waved the white flag

re the Kidney/BP things are out of my control, i dont have insight into the why, i just have to ride the wave to the shore.
I just do the best i can each day, each week.

the past 72 hours with the dental stuff, even more so i am just letting it happen, not letting the pain and discomfort take over my thoughts, not letting the lack of sleep unsettle me.
its out of my control, i cant take pain meds, the only thing i can do is rest and change how I think about it.

Mind over matter is not easy..... I have been blessed that a wonderful friend has sent me numerous books on this topic, (i got a new one for my bday)

sending you lots of healing, calming hugs. xoxoxo

I figured out (also with the help of a friend) some time back that even if I can't control what happens to my body, I can work at controlling what happens in my mind, that is I can work at controlling how I think about it all. It has helped me immensely. That doesn't mean that I enjoy feeling bad physically or that I don't try to figure out what to do but I am able to come to some measure of acceptance whatever happens. It's hard but not nearly as hard as constantly fighting against what I can't control.

Lesley, I hope you find some answers soon.

Wishing for healing for us all, both body and mind.

Jean

[Gabes-Apg]

I figured out (also with the help of a friend) some time back that even if I can't control what happens to my body, I can work at controlling what happens in my mind, that is I can work at controlling how I think about it all. It has helped me immensely. That doesn't mean that I enjoy feeling bad physically or that I don't try to figure out what to do but I am able to come to some measure of acceptance whatever happens. It's hard but not nearly as hard as constantly fighting against what I can't control.

well put Jean

[Gabes-Apg]

Lesley
remind yourself that you are not being punished.

I also think that your body is telling you now is not the time for the trip, disapointing and upsetting yes, but maybe it is protecting you from a situation that you are not ready to handle. this doesnt mean you wont travel in the future, it is just now is not the right time.

Hoosier (rich) shared ages ago the steve jobs talk about 'dots' . this speech resonates with me big time. things, events, situations, decisions occur and at the time it confuses us, mystifies us. later on as we look back, those situations 'the dots' connect, we see why.

When we feel really low, people being positive can be irritating..... sometimes we need to wallow, vent, feel the low. this is good if we look at the why and work through that. look at what is making us feel like crap and figure out what elements we can change, and surrender to the ones we cant

An attitude of surrender is essential for true healing to occur. By surrendering I mean "fully experiencing the illness as it is right now and not pushing anything away or clinging to anything." Part of the difficulty for many of us when we have any chronic illness is that we deny we really have it. We're pushing it away without going through it.
Surrender does not mean giving up. It means accepting "what is." And only after one has truly accepted "what is" will the opportunity arise for something new to take its place... for healing to occur.

I am a bit of a fan of animation movies, as a get well treat i watched 'Brave' (i am also a huge fan of billy connolly)
this was the closing line

Some say fate is beyond our command, but I know better. Our destiny is within us. You just have to be brave enough to see it.