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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 12/21/2005 4:57 PM (GMT -8)
Uh oh guys.  I think I have a sinus infection (ive got the classic sinus headache all over my face, my nose and cheeks are sore to the touch, feels hot, really tired, etc...) and i dont wanna take antibiotics because they mess me up SOOO bad!!! ahh! are there any antibiotics that are like, the least harmful to your intestines? I already eat lots of yogurt and take probiotics...should I just up my probiotic intake and hope for the best? im sooo not looking forward to the antibiotics... sad
Posted 12/21/2005 6:30 PM (GMT -8)
Oh blondie, that sucks... I'm sorry. I would take some decongestant and pain reliever and hope for the best. If possible I would stay away from antibiotics (unless the doc says to take them).
That's a tough one, hon, good luck!
Posted 12/22/2005 6:59 AM (GMT -8)
Several years ago I got a sinus infection in the springtime and I just did not want to go see a doctor and I suffered with it for three weeks before it finally cleared up on its own. But man, I was blowing some disgusting stuff out of my nose. Couldn't smell anything, couldn't taste my food. I take that back, I could smell the infection at one point--it stunk!--and all of my food tasted bad because of it. I did hope, though, that having actually let it run its course I might have built up my own immunity and that maybe subsequent sinus infections won't be that bad again. I don't know if that's a sound theory, but I haven't had a bad one since. Of course that may be due to the fact that I've gotten very proactive and when I start getting the allergy sniffles I start taking medicine to dry me up so that it can't set up in my sinuses long enough to develop an infection. If nothing else, suffering an infection for three weeks made me smarter, lol.
Posted 12/22/2005 8:22 PM (GMT -8)
I would definitely see your doctor. I don't want to say whether you should or should not take antibiotics (thats for your doctor to decide) however infections can spread and get worse. You have heard about people who don't take care of a "little" cough develop pneumonia because they never got it checked out. I'm not saying that to scare you but you want to make sure its not serious. If you do get put on antibiotics, make sure to ask your doc about continuing to take your probiotics which should stop any harm to your intestines. :)
Posted 12/23/2005 2:34 PM (GMT -8)
Thanks guys for all the help..I think im gonna try to do what Keriamon did, because I just cant handle antibiotics and ive taken them SO many times in the past (before I had my tonsils out, I usually had strep throat 4-5 times a year and many many lung/sinus infections) so Im just dosin up on expectorants and tryin to ride it out..hopefully it wont spread...
Posted 12/23/2005 4:12 PM (GMT -8)
Don't our bodies become immune to antibiotics after taking them frequently?
Posted 12/23/2005 9:36 PM (GMT -8)
Yes they do Lil thats why good doctors will be very conservative with antibiotics. I have known many doctors who prescribe it like its nothing which is very scary.
Posted 12/27/2005 7:19 AM (GMT -8)
I'm still convinced the antibiotics I took for strep had something to do with me developing severe diarrhea a month later (in fact, I had antibiotic-associated diarrhea while taking them). Of course strep is strep and you have to have something to clear that up; there's no way you can just suffer through it. The next time I do have to have antibiotics, I'll know to eat probiotics like candy to make up for it and hopefully won't have any problems.

I certainly don't blame you for not wanting to take them for something as "minor" as a sinus infection. For those of us prone to get them, they're annoying but you can usually function at an almost normal level, unlike when you have an honest-to-goodness cold or the flu or something similiar. The medicine you have to take for one spaces you out more than the infection does.

But dbab is right about paying close attention to the rest of yoru body, not just your head. I have never had pnuemonia or any other type of lung ailment, so I am a bit safer in putting off my sinus infection. But for some people the sinus drainage can get down into their lungs and set up an infection in there which is much more dangerous. So if you have had lung problems in the past you may want to go ahead and get something for the infection. At the very least, keep careful watch on yourself and if you start coughing and rattling, or if you start feeling worse, especially in the rest of your body, go to a doctor.

The last time I had a minor cold I fought it off for a couple of days before I finally just laid out of work one day and took medicine at regular intervals and slept and did nothing else. That was all I needed; I was much better the next day and had it completely gone within two or three. Nothing beats rest.
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