h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

yep. yet more drugs err... medication... - I must remember to call them medication... but that makes them sound so so boring.... as apparently whenever I actually speak/say the word 'drugs' it always sound like I'm taking about the fun sort of drugs, not medications

Saw GP.

GP prodded my armpit, lymph nodes are up, but look like its due to an infection as I've a couple of tiny spots/boils there, the sort of thing one would have just ignored until now when I'm on all the immunosuppression of the steroids; the Dr looked a bit shocked when I told her how I used to deal with boils, steralising, needles, pure alcohol, hot compresses etc... well, it always worked, but I get the idea I'm not ment to do that sort of thing now anymore

She looked at the cluster spots on my s too, and muttered something about them, but I guess they're not overly significent.... so I got me on antibiotics again

stool sample results not back yet.

heart ECG was fine; no signs of any actual arythmia, but a small amount of heart enlargement; being refered to cardiology for a err... scan thing on the heart with ultrasound. err... whatever that is called (oo not had one of them there before!; had ultrasound on my armpit, and abdomin previously...)

Told her about the amazing differnce switching levo brand/make has made, and she'd checked out with me the nurses at the GP sugery, who are happy to give me my testosterone injections (will switch injections to the GP surgery if I switch to a differnt hospital for endocrinology, as it'll save rediculus travel every 8 weeks just for the injection)

Told me to push endocrinology again for the bone denisty scan as she doesn't know why they've refused me that, and she thinks I should be having one, and to push endocrinology again on the oedema, if I don't get anywhere GP will write to them; though she's more than up for me to just ditch Addinbrookes, and move to a differnt hospital - but gona give the new consultant there a go first, before doing that which GP seems happy with, understanding travelling to London hospital is gona be a hastle...

GP also felt my neck and no signs of lymph nodes up there Said she'd phone if anything comes back on the stool sample from last week as its not back in yet err... the results arn't I mean

Went to pharmacy, and got the antibiotics....

the viscious pharmacist leapt out to want to speak to me; she was genuinely supprised when I told her the differnce changing the brand of levo had made, and she's clearly really interested in it, and actively seems really on the ball; she also gave me a new pack of 50 McG levo, but these are a differnt brand to the new 25 McG Mercuary pharma, that I've done so well on; so I'll be trialing the 50 McG tomorrow, on their own, to compaire... (have a feeling the new 50 McG is the same as one of the previous brands I didn't get on with, but under a differnt name...; pharma companys seem to do that, and a single make/brand is often out under several differnt trade names/brand/make ) very confusing and so unhelpful IMO big pharma eh?

Hope that pharmacist stays at our pharmacy she's so on the ball

Have started on antibiotics, every 12 hours, so I'll get a full day in today, and its only a seven day course I've had these before.... clethromycine I think they is...

GP just phoned me... she'd forgot to mention or thought she should mention, if I have an infection, and on antibiotics that I oughta double my steorid dose.... which I have to do when I'm with a seirous infection, or it'll put me into adrenal crissis... I'd kinda forgoted TBH, as I'm not actulaly feeling unwell.... so we discussed that, and agreed I'd not double up for now, unless I actually start feeling 'ill', which is broadly the endocrine advice for such things... nice she suddenly had the thought, then actually bothered to phone

May go nap now bit tired and froggy needs a cuddle I think (one of bee's friends)

Sounds like you're finally getting the medication you've been missing all this time...


Communication!

That does sound positive indeed.

Good idea to see how you are on the antibiotics first without doubling the steroids - will be an interesting experiment

It'll be an interesting experiment if it doesn't put me in emergency admisions again with adrenal colapse - I feel fine so not I think so bad an infection to warrent increasing the steroid dose just yet horrible things that they are (afterall the reason for being prone to infections is the steroids )

blasted antibiotics ahh, so looks like the brief restbite from diarrhea is over.... 0 I'm kinda hoping its just teh antibiotics causing it now, not a return of that caused by the levothyroxin Hmm.... a little unexpected as my unpreparedness demonstrated... I need to go wash a pair of leggings My life is so fun

Good to hear you're feeling OK in yourself so the infection isn't affecting you too much.

Yeah - I had to have antibiotics a couple of months ago, and was surprised by the reaction on my intestines. Not quite as much of a surprise as it was for you, though, by the sounds of it

I had thought it was a reaction to the other ingredients in the medicine, but my mum got diarrhoea too when she needed antibiotics, so it is indeed a thing (not helped in my mum's case by the fact that she was accidentally dispensed a double dose that would have been enough to treat a horse, but she got it sorted quite quickly)...

I hate antibiotics. I suspect that a round of antibiotics a decade or more ago permanently wiped out a broad spectrum of my intestinal microbiome leaving me with something like ulcerative colitis ever since.

I know they do good when needed, but they do a lot of harm as well.

I wish we had focused more on bacteriophage virus technology instead in recent decades. One injection, the phages seek and destroy until all the invading bacteria are eradicated, then they starve and get flushed out of your system.

And for every bacteria that exists, there's a virus that will eat it. It's just a matter of isolating the correct bacteria and finding its match. (Easier said than done, of course.)

I think asides the digestive upsetting recently through the meds/hormones, I've still got a totally whiped out bacterial and other microbial fauna gut, due to all the antibiotics i was on last year during chemo... - if anything my digestive system is just no where near as indistructible as it was before last year, antibiotics etc, never used to affect me like that* partly my fault.... I ... put off running to the loo, not necessarily realising how urgent the need was and instead carried on doing wahtever I was doing

Some antibiotics (certainly amoxycillin) give me diarrhoea so bad it's practically water, and raging thrush. I find taking acidophilis supplements along with the antibiotics combats this completely. With my very limited understanding of such things I think the antibiotics destroy most of your bacteria, good and bad, so by adding in some extra good bacteria you're improving the chances of there being some good left.

Or something I just know it works for me, and even if it's psychosomatic the result is the same.


Deb

Antibiotics give me bad dreams. That's a symptom 2legs hasn't mentioned yet.

All my dreams are bad dreams ... so bad they're good - my dream life is luckily a life free from disease, illness and disability and pain wlel... free from bad pain anyhow

Gosh. golly.

This next bit will be well way too much information for many. (It appeared on twiter earlier)

today I did the most normal bowel movement I've done since 2014! I.E., before all the chemotherapy induced gastric/digestive abnormalities, and before I was on steroids and levothyroxin, and testosteorne etc

which is odd, as I'm still on the antibiotics

(TMI section over)

I did go a second time.... which I fully expected to be .... antibiotic induced diarrhea but which... wasn't

Re good bacteria, I do tend to have an activia yogart every day, no idea how much good bacteria they've got in them, I should probably go raid holland and barret, once the antibiotics are over, and get some of the more high strength suppliments for the gut

Still no bone pain, joint pain aor muscle weakness/pain,

Did feel terrible this mroning after morning meds (felt fine when I woke), and I slept most the day (the 50 McG tablets dont' seem to be approved by my body in the same way as the Mercary pharma brand 25 McG, so may need to see pharmacist again re changing the 50 McG levothyroxin to either 50 McG mecuary, pharma brand, or just getting 3 X mercary pharama 25 McG boxes a month)

Did make it out for a short walk this afternoon, with W, to the pharmacy, just to pick up some meds; eye drops and prednisolone.



OK, what I got wasn't waht was ordered

a months supply of prednisilone whcih I ordered, is 167 tablets, which is 6 X boxes of 28.

got 12 X boxes of 28 tablets - the fridg eis buldging with drugs

also got a random box of 25 McG levothyroxin, I'd not ordered; they're the wrong brand, so they'll end p being dumped

got the eye drops as I ordered though whic hwas good, and I've a decent supply of steroids; enough of course in case I need to double my dose which is useful gona carry on with the 50 McG I dont' think agree with me, at least until a while after the antibiotics finish, just to make sure I'm looking at levo side effects or antibiotic side effects and will up my levothyroxin dose back to 75 McG soon, and given I've extra boxes in I might increase that to 100 McG and see how that goes - still not heard anythign from endocrine at hospital, re my abnormal testosterone results last time, or indeed taking another thyroid bloods to see if I'm up enough yet to start the growth hormone injections - their admin is apauling, they just forget stuff, and don't seem to have a protocol for treatment, which is... baffling.... (hence I'm not geting the bone density scans I should be having to see how rapidly my bones are goign into necrosis and oesteoporosis ) I'd like to prevent that If I can; but the hospital won't do anything preventative. - and then they moan when I take stuff into my own hands, based on peer reviewed evidence based medacine. they are, basically, clueless. just hoping the next endo consultant is slightly human and knows what they are doing

feeling a bit better now as the day has gone on, but had huge brain fog, fatigue, lack of audiary processing, err, auditary processing, low concentration, mood swings etc, earlier, before I vanished into bed with my frog (teddy bear)

Talking of teddy bears; anyone kmow how you remove lipstick marks from a teddy bear?

may try get out to the pub tonight, for some real medacine not been out in ages

I love how you inform us the TMI section is now over, then continue the subject for another sentence

But...congratulations A well-working bowel is a thing of joy

Deb

I thought the next sentence was relatively safe - My standards and level of TMI seems to differn from most people's I've ever met... - I especially like the way even my Drs and nurses find me way too blunt... - I guess they're just used to dealing with people who arn't honest and open... - wheras I on the other hand expect to divulge everything to them, in order that they're not prevented from knowing what is going on, how well treatment etc is working not that it helps me any mind - I've been telling Drs, consultants, nurses about chronic diarrhea for a year and a half with no one doing anything, cept my GP who took the sample a few weeks back... which reminds me, never heard anythign yet about that, so I guess it was OK, and it was just the drugs upsetting things Which I now seem to have sorted more or less - I have to be cautious though, as I've a family history of diverticulosis, and the meds I'm on are counterindicated for anyone with such an history... - but, withotu the drugs I risk dieing at quite a rapid rate and dropping from adrenal crisis into coma and possibly heart failure from BP and fluid changes as a result But I'm on a relatively low dose of steroids now, whcih may lower at some point, more, so hopefully I can avoid risk as much as possible of long term consequnces and side effects like intentestinal per perforation, diverticulosis, peptic ulcers, gastric bleeding, bone necrosis, bone fractures, steroid induced dementure, diabetes melituts, etc... luckily I don't need to worry too much about their ability to cause glycoma just hoping now this heart enlargement thign isn't serious or, if anything might persuade someone to treat the oedema as that affects the heart I think as well as my legs, ankles, feet, arms, hands wrists etc... I hate the puffyness it causes - and I guess about 10 Lb water retention isn't doing much for my weight

How to Remove Lipstick from Clothing Using Hairspray
Spray the hairspray onto the lipstick stain.
Allow the hairspray to sit on the lipstick stain for up to 15 minutes.
Take a clean cloth and dip in warm water.
Wipe the hairspray off the stain with the cloth.
Wash the fabric as usual.

There speaks an experienced adulterer

A life skill I clearly haven't yet learnt.... err... th elip stick removing bit, not the adultary obviously actually.... I'm unable to comitt adultary..... that's the problem with poly relationships

OK... the new box of 50 McG levothyroxin are going back to the pharmacy Monday.... and I'll stick to the 25 McG tablets for now... feel aweful again. and diarrhea has returned so I'll have to insist both strengths I get, the 25 McG and the 50 McG are the mercary brand/make, or, if they don't do 50 McG of them, I'll just have to try get 3 X boxes of the 25 McG Per month, to make it the 75 per day dose I'm ment to be on ATM BoB I feel ill going back to bed (napped all morning too)