Would strong antibiotics relieve CFS or M.E symptoms?

[htrj]

I'm a 33 year old male and the symptoms of the UTI that the Cipro was prescribed for were inflamed and swollen wedding vegetables and I was p'in custard. Don't know what caused it but I had had surgery to dilate my urethra about 12 months prior to the first episode.

I seem to have made quite a lot of progress since making the first post to this thread. Having spent several weeks experiencing symptoms similar to ME my fatigue all but ended yesterday afternoon and this morning I feel much better. That said, yesterday and this morning I have had a significant ache in my lower back either side of my spine. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I ate plain porridge for breakfast, steamed vegetables for lunch and dinner and drank only water. In a moment of madness I did take 2 Ciprofloxacin, one on Wednesday and another on Thursday. Saturday morning I drank a probiotic yogurt and went back to my usual diet. Since Tuesday I have also been taking large quantity of vitamins and mineral supplements, including B,C and D Vitamins, Flax Seed Oil, Siberian Ginseng and Q10.

Does that give any of you experienced folks any clues as to whats going on?

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

I just wonder whether you have ureteric reflux from chronic obstruction or some small renal stones as a result of chronic obstruction. A renal ultrasound does seem sensible, although clearly I am not in a position to give specific medical advice.

 

[htrj]

You have all been more than helpful. I'm looking forward to my appointment tomorrow morning and will update you when I return.

 

[dan062]

In a moment of madness I did take 2 Ciprofloxacin, one on Wednesday and another on Thursday.

For the reason I mentioned at the start of the thread, this is a bad idea (I've been guilty of same in the past!)

Must say, it does sound a lot like prostatitis (especially the lumbar pain). Just my non medical opinion, of course.

Good luck with your appointment tomorrow.

 

[htrj]

Just got back from my appointment and the diagnosis is that there's nothing wrong with me. The Doctor put the fatigue down to a post viral reaction and probably not helped by working too hard and not getting enough rest. Possibly lacking vitamin D as I suffered something similar this time last year just as winter began to draw in.

She added that I may suffer these bouts of fatigue from time to time and they will probably just disappear given time.

I don't know what to think..................... I just hope she's right.

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

She may be. I just wonder if you have ever had a rash, or brown marks on your hands or feet, or patches of nail turning the colour of an oil drop or lifting?

 

[htrj]

Nope, I've never had anything like that.

I've been back to a normal days work today so will keep that up for as long as I can. I'll be back in touch if I start suffering again.

Once again, thanks all of you for sharing your knowledge.

 

[LHG]

My husband just had a tooth pulled and was given antibiotics due to infection (his cheek swelled up like a chipmunk's). Anyway, he has felt completely normal (the old healthy normal) the last 2 days. I've read a little about the fact that some ME docs prescribe antibiotics for very long periods of time (2 years). We're American as many of you know from earlier posts, but are living in Scotland. Of course the NHS would never treat ME with antibiotics. What would you guys do? Will we need to leave the country to get help? Still strongly considering Dr. KDM.

 

[Valentijn]

@LHG - You might be able to find a Lyme Literate doctor (LLMD) who would be likely more willing to treat according to symptoms and lab results. Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) from reputable universities can be a good choice, though it's necessary to filter out the homeopaths and those who refuse to use conventional pharmaceutical drugs even when it's indicated.

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

My husband just had a tooth pulled and was given antibiotics due to infection (his cheek swelled up like a chipmunk's). Anyway, he has felt completely normal (the old healthy normal) the last 2 days. I've read a little about the fact that some ME docs prescribe antibiotics for very long periods of time (2 years). We're American as many of you know from earlier posts, but are living in Scotland. Of course the NHS would never treat ME with antibiotics. What would you guys do? Will we need to leave the country to get help? Still strongly considering Dr. KDM.

I would suggest trying to get some more of the same antibiotic from the dentist or GP, maybe on the basis that the face has not quite settled down. Then if the ME symptoms relapse try the antibiotic again and see if there is an obvious difference. It might not have been the antibiotic that caused the improvement. It might have been cytokines or cortisol released because of the infection perhaps.

 

[cigana]

My husband just had a tooth pulled and was given antibiotics due to infection (his cheek swelled up like a chipmunk's). Anyway, he has felt completely normal (the old healthy normal) the last 2 days. I've read a little about the fact that some ME docs prescribe antibiotics for very long periods of time (2 years). We're American as many of you know from earlier posts, but are living in Scotland. Of course the NHS would never treat ME with antibiotics. What would you guys do? Will we need to leave the country to get help? Still strongly considering Dr. KDM.

I recovered miraculously within 8 hourse after a preventative high-dose of amoxicillin from my dentist. A few weeks later he agreed to give me another shot, which also worked.

I asked many times since then for doctors to prescribe me amoxicillin but no one was willing to do so. A couple of years later, when I finally found a doctor that agreed, the amoxicillin no longer worked. So, my advice for your husband is to act quickly, in case there is only a small window of opportunity.

 

[htrj]

Original poster digging up an old 'ish thread.

Despite having several months of almost normal life today I have come to accept that the antibiotics no longer offer me any relief. Since starting this thread I was prescribed Doxycycline which did have an effect for about 6 weeks but my exhaustion returned while I was still taking it. I then went back on to the Ciprofloxacin which improved my condition for the last week but yesterday and today, although still taking them, I am really struggling to summon any energy.

I have now had two GPs and a rheumatologist tell me I have post viral M.E/C.F.S as I have no other symptoms that explain my exhaustion, aches and pains. Although up to now I have disagreed with them I think today I am coming to accept their diagnosis.

So begins the road to recovery................

 

[msf]

Hi Htrj,

Post-viral fatigue is an odd diagnosis considering that you initially responded to antibiotics...I would second what others said - you need to find out if you have an infection, and if you do, what kind of infection it is. The problem with this is that some of these infections are difficult to prove, and therefore the methods used to find them are often controversial. For this reason, a lot of doctors seem to ignore the possibility of chronic infection completely. My advice would be to find a doctor who is willing to look into this, and then, if they find a possible infection, you can decide, based on the evidence and your own situation, whether you think the possible benefits of treating it outweigh the potential risks/cost.

 

[htrj]

Do you know where I would begin looking for Doctor for who would be willing to look into this? I'm in the UK near to Birmingham.

 

[msf]

I'm also living in the UK - unfortunately, for some of the reasons I mentioned above, I couldn't find a doctor who was willing to look into this in the UK. I had to go to see KDM in Belgium to get a diagnosis. I then took this diagnosis to two ID doctors in the UK, and they did not agree with it, so as I said, you have to decide for yourself who to believe. The decision was made easier for me by the fact that the ID doctors clearly didn't know anything about the infection that KDM diagnosed me with, to the extent that I had to tell that the test they were using was insensitive and outdated.

 

[msf]

had to tell them, rather

 

[htrj]

May I ask what they did to investigate the symptoms you were suffering from?

Also were you able to treat your problem effectively afterwards?

 

[msf]

KDM basically tests for the infections he usually finds in his patients, assuming their symptoms are like those of most of his patients.

I am currently in the process of treating it, the problem with infections like this is that some of them (such as q fever, according to the CDC) need long courses of antibiotics to get rid of the infection, which is another reason why many doctors shy away from this area.

 

[msf]

You might be able to find a good ID disease doctor in the UK, but I think many of them just toe the NHS's line when it comes to such infections, so you would probably need to go private (or see an NHS doc privately) in any case - I went for KDM because he has a lot of experience in treating patients like myself.

 

[msf]

oops, ID doctor, the disease is superfluous.