March 4 2013: I woke up with a sinus infection and said to myself in a rather annoyed tone “how the hell does somebody who is taking seven antibiotics at a time get a sinus infection”? It turns out that less than ten percent of sinus infections are bacterial. There is no simple test that will easily and quickly determine whether a sinus infection is viral or bacterial, so many physicians prescribe antibiotics on the off chance that their patient may have a bacterial sinus infection that the antibiotics can fight. This post is not going to be about increased antibiotic resistance due to improper use. I just wanted to share this fascinating info about sinus infection which I was surprised to learn. In the past my sinus infections have always been treated with antibiotics which incorrectly led me to believe they were bacterial. And now back to our regular scheduled Lyme talk.
“I’ve never been healthier in my life… except for this damn Lyme disease” – Me.
I say this all of the time, and my words are usually met with laughter. Let me state my case: I started my Lyme treatment in November of 2011 and fifteen months later I caught my first viral infection. I have made it through two winters of being exposed to multiple viruses at the office on top of whatever I am exposed to while relying on public transportation to get to work, I do not incessantly use hand sanitizer and I have a weakened immune system. Over the past year and a half I have totally revamped my diet and I find myself paying attention to things nutrition-wise that I never thought about or even knew existed prior to my diagnosis. I have done countless hours of research regarding the power of food and how it can help aid in recovery from illness as well as feed illness and make it worse. When I cook I purposely use ingredients that naturally assist in inflammation reduction and detoxification. I have been getting all of my essential vitamins and minerals through food. There is no doubt in my mind that my 15 month “good health” streak while battling Lyme disease was diet related.
The most annoying thing about the sinus infection was the timing. I had been looking forward to the trip to Vegas since we had planned it in November, and five days before we were leaving I woke up with an extra added bonus; sinus pressure on top of all of the Lyme symptoms. I used a Neti Pot in an effort to relieve the pressure in my head. It was only a temporary fix. The next morning my co-worker Emerald took advantage of our low cubes that offer zero privacy and reached her hand over the divider and handed me a dose of Alka-Seltzer Plus Night Cold tablets. I laughed at her and said “Are you trying to kill me? I can’t take over the counter meds in addition to everything I am already on. Plus this is night time stuff, it will knock me out”.
“Nah. It won’t knock you out" she replied, "I took 8 tablets in one day a couple of weeks ago and I was fine”. I pushed them aside on my desk and got back to work. The pressure in my head continued to build and just before noon I decided I would use 8 ounces of water instead of the 4 ounces that the directions called for.
Plop-Plop-Fizz-Fizz, Oh What a Relief It Is…
“Oh, that’s my stomach telling to stop drinking the Alka-Seltzer” I said with a nervous giggle. She walked into my cube and asked “Did you drink all of it”, while staring wide-eyed at my stomach. The next two hours were a complete blur. At some point I remember looking down at my shirt and seeing a wet spot which I mistakenly took for a couple of spilled drops of my medicinal concoction I was drinking; in fact it was a wet spot caused by the non-stop drool that was pouring out of my mouth. Slurred speech and dilated pupils soon followed. I vaguely remember shuffling down the hallway leaning on the wall for support while following Emerald and another co-worker to the bathroom. My legs felt all tingly and I couldn’t stop giggling. At some point I insisted on getting a Pepsi. I am not sure why I asked for it when my doctor had emphatically told me to stay away from processed sugar, but I chugged the Pepsi like a champ. It took a good hour or so for my speech to get back to normal. My pupils eventually shrunk back down to their normal size and I was able to eat lunch. For the rest of the day I fought off the urge to put my head down on my desk and nap. Later that night despite increased body aches I slept like I had been drugged. I woke up the next day and scheduled an appointment with my acupuncturist so he could work on my sinuses. Why didn’t I think of that solution on the first day I woke up with the sinus infection? I will never know.
I did some research and came across a fun fact on the internet. People who are on low sodium diets should not consume Alka-Seltzer; it is a sodium rich antacid. Oops! Lesson learned. I am 100% positive that the sodium bicarbonate was not the only cause of the reaction that occurred, but I am sure it didn’t help.
By the time Friday night rolled around, I had a hint of sinus pressure but over all I was back to feeling my normal Lyme disease-ish self. I was ready for Vegas. Rachael and I were about to head through security at the airport when I said, “Hey does the top of my forearm and elbow look swollen”? She looked down and said “Yes. Does it hurt”? As I was poking my arm with my left pointer finger and seeing signs of fluid build-up I said, “Well, my elbow joint doesn’t hurt but the tendons and muscles around it feel all achy”. I shrugged and said “I’ll worry about that later, we’ve got a plane to catch”…
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