My Antibiotic Story: Living With a Weak Immune System

-


 As I have mentioned in a previous post, I take biologics which weaken my immune system. I have recently realized just how careful I need to be when dealing with a weak immune system. Recently, I have gotten two infections back-to-back that lasted much longer than it should have. One of which got so bad I had to go an emergency clinic. 

My most recent infection that I got was a urinary tract infection (UTI). This was the one I had to go to the emergency clinic for. When I went to the clinic, they diagnosed me as having a UTI and sent me home with antibiotics. Now, when you have ulcerative colitis, you are supposed to avoid antibiotics if at all possible. I had been dealing with the symptoms of a UTI for about two weeks before this trying to treat it on my own because I knew I would be prescribed antibiotics. When I realized I was not getting any better, I gave in and took the antibiotics. 

Antibiotics can cause UC flares and are usually very hard on your gut. Everything I researched regarding antibiotics and UC said to always avoid this medicine because it can and usually will cause a flare. This made me very anxious and hesitant to start the antibiotic treatment, but I was in a lot of pain and did everything I could without it. So, I have been taking the antibiotics for a little over a week now. And, as of now, the treatment ends tomorrow, and I have felt completely fine. I am just thanking God that He did not allow me to have another flare thus far and used the antibiotics to help instead of hurt me. I feel completely well and healthy now. 

Circling back to living with a weakened immune system: I always do my best to stay very clean and avoid people who are sick if possible. If I catch something and get sick, I am usually sick for longer than an average person. I have had a cold last for weeks and it is not fun. So, if you have a weak immune system, avoid people who are sick with something contagious and keep yourself clean as much as possible! This will help you avoid getting sick or getting infections quite as much.  

Comments

  1. Mary CreechSeptember 12, 2024 at 8:04 PM

    I'm glad to hear that you are feeling better. I have a problem with most antibiotics, so I understand. I'm glad there were no ill effects from the antibiotics. I hope you continue on your journey. Even though I wish that you didn't have to suffer, it's interesting learning about your life and journey with UC.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Definitely Not Anxiety

-
Currently, I am diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and have known this for about two years coming up on three. However, I have had ongoing health issues since I was about 12 years old. I remember the day very clearly when I started having some problems physically. I woke up one morning and (I'll just say it, I'll be getting very personal on this blog) my period had started. Uncomfortable as usual. Painful as usual. This time though, I felt sick. So, I laid down on the couch. I felt okay, but then after a bit I started throwing up. Ever since that one day, I started feeling sick and throwing up every morning for months on end. I was homeschooled growing up for the most part, so I didn't need to worry about making it to school on time. It did affect my schooling though. I did have some online classes that I had to miss frequently because of this "morning sickness" that I had every day, but my teachers were understanding.  I became very underweight. I weighed between
Read more

Delving into My UC Disease and What I'm Doing Now

-
Image
  "She is clothed in strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future." Proverbs 31:25 In case you couldn't read what was on the cover of my notebook there in the picture, that's what it says. It's a great reminder to not fear the future and to trust in God's plan. This notebook was a gift that my mother-in-law gave me, and it is now my health notebook where I write all of my findings and research on my condition.  Recently I had gotten off of those antibiotics that was for my UTI. About three days later, the infection came back along with a yeast infection. So, for the past week I have been fighting a UTI and a yeast infection simultaneously and had to get back onto antibiotics. It is very frustrating to say the least. Today is my last day on the antibiotic treatment and, miraculously, I have not yet gotten a flare from two antibiotic treatments back-to-back.  I have still been doing my best to avoid things I am sensitive to, such as dairy, vege
Read more

GI Appointment and Energy Level Update

-
Image
  [Edit: Decided to put a different picture. It's similar, but it's a picture that I took of my favorite person during a walk. 💕] The GI Appointment A couple of days ago I went to the GI doctor for a wellness check-up. Thankfully, everything is looking good so far. I didn't have to do any tests for the first time in a while, and my medications are staying the same since it seems to be working well. I got the OK from my GI doctor to have veggies again since I'm in the clear from flares for the time being. My doctor did seem to be a bit concerned about my cholesterol though because of the medicine that I am taking. So, he told me to start eating more veggies and whole grains along with doing more exercise to naturally help my cholesterol levels.  I already do a little exercise, but not consistently. I enjoy biking and walking. However, in the area I live in, I don't necessarily feel safe going out for walks alone and I need to take my bike to a park to ride without h
Read more