becoming resistant to antibiotics

[kathygirl]

I went to my sclero doctor on Thursday. My sclero is getting worse and i am getting more complications as time goes on. I have watermelon stomach and go for treatment evey month and am getting checked out for bladder cancer from the cytoxan i took. I asked my sclero doc about Iv antibiotics and she wont be involved in that, but she will write me prescriptions for any antibiotics taken orally. Her only concern is resistance to antibiotics. I am already resistant to some antibiotics. I have a bladder infection and there is only one antiotic left  I can use at this point. She said waht happens if I get sick and because of AP I have developed more resistance to antibiotics how will she treat me.  Good question. I would like to hear your thoughts. I have been reading on the site about this and some of it is over my head. I amgoing to see Dr S in Ida Grove on Feb 15 for a consultation as long as the weather permits.

[Davit]

I'm sure doctor S will explain it all to you, but for now I can't see how you could become resistant to minocin or any of the tetracyclins as they don't work like the other ABX. But I'll leave that up to some one else. This is just my opinion.

Davit.

[Kim]

Kathygirl,

She honestly said to you, “WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU IF YOU GET SICK”???????????? ……….H * E * L * L * O ………..  What up til now you've just been toying with the idea of getting sick. :headbang: :headbang: :headbang:

Good luck with Dr. S., he WILL help you.

Take care….kim

p.s. Kathy, we are seeing more and more cases of SD being triggered by Lyme Disease, mine was.  You may want to consider Lyme testing with Igenex to know if that could be in your mixed bag of infections too. 😉

[SusanSD]

I agree with Kim! Good golly, you're dealing with sclero, watermelon stomach, caner, and they're concerned with what they'll treat you with IF you develop resistance to antibiotics? I'd say, it seems like what they've been treating you with has not been very effective.

I'd suggest reading up about biofilms and bacteria as well as the bacteria to scleroderma connection, like Henry Scammell's books (Scleroderma, The New Arthritis Breakthrough).

My health didn't turn around until I vowed to give AP a try for a year, and basically went to my old rheumatologists for follow-up but let them know I was taking Minocin. My new AP doc was very pleased with my progress and I was able to prevent internal organ involvement.

[mschmidt]

I'm almost speechless by your post.  Your doctor's biggest concern is that you may develop antibiotic resistence??????  Since your scleroderma is getting worse, and you now may have to worry about cancer because you took cytoxin, I think the last thing your doctor should be worried about is the slight possibility you may become antibiotic resistant.  I'm SO relieved to hear that you're making the trip to Dr. S because I think that is exactly what you need to do.  Like Susan said, obviously, the meds they've been “treating” your SD with haven't worked, and are causing more complications.  You need to address the SD, and you are a great candidate for the iv therapy.  Definitely take your doctor up on the Minocin because you should be taking that as well.  I was progressing with SD at a pace that was very unnerving.  I knew it was just a matter of time before my organs would be involved, and thankfully, I started taking Minocin within 2 months of diagnosis (after a year of symptom onset), and did my first round of iv's w/Dr. S a month later.  IT SAVED MY LIFE!!  I also vowed to give AP a solid year, to see if it worked.  Well, it's been a year, and I'm 90% better.  Everything is reversing–it wasn't an easy road for a while but, I got through it, and am here to talk about it!  If it wasn't for AP, I honestly don't think I would've made it, or I'd be stuck in some research study being a guinea pig for a bunch of toxic drugs. 

I second the Lyme/SD connection.  I am part of a non-profit Lyme Foundation, and it is SCAREY how many people with autoimmunity (especially RA and SD) also have Lyme Disease.  I read a statistic that SD is one of the fastest growing autoimmune diseases in the country.  And, Lyme infection rates are soaring.  Personally, I think there's a big connection there.  Please do consider doing the Igenex test because if you have it, you need to address that as well. 

Good luck to you, and keep us posted on your progress.

 

[kathygirl]

Your replies have made me feel much better.  I was thrown by what the doctor said. I have been taking mino for 2 years and have seen small improvements. At this point I feel like a big sac of infection and need a big boot to stomp it down.I just finished taking macrobid for a bladder infection and am now taking cephalex because I have round deep holes in my skin that are infected. Later this week I will be back on macrobid again because the bladder infection keeps coming back. I feel like I am on a merry-go-round. Today my body smells like yeast. What does this indicate?

[Davit]

Kathygirl

Cephalex is a common ABX for surface infection, but if it has gone internal, into a joint or bloodstream it won't work. It just isn't strong enough. Not sure about the yeast smell but Penicillin's make my sweat stink. I think it's just toxins leaching out. I hope you are taking a good probiotic. I have Staph infection and take Cloxacillin and it helps all the cuts and scrapes from my work to heal up. If you are covering these skin infections try to get Tagaderm bandages, sometimes called Op Site. They are clear and waterproof and cuts that won't heal, heal under these things in a few days. Nothing special about them other than they have no pad to become a breeding ground. Did your doctor mean one more class of ABX? There are so many ABX, I find it hard to believe you could be down to the last one. I think you need a second opinion or maybe a different doctor.

Davit.

[linda]

While I agree with what has been said, I think I also understand your doctor's concern. If you have cancer you may have to take chemo or have radiation therapy which would affect your immune system and your ability to fight off infections. If you developed an infection that needed to be treated by an antibiotic to which you have become resistant it could become a very serious situation. She's probably already concerned about that possibility, so she may not believe that the benefits of adding an antibiotic to your therapy will outweigh the risks. It's difficult to treat multiple conditions, especially when one therapy may make another condition worse. First do no harm, right?

Having said that, there does seem to be a double standard concerning antibiotics. Often we are pushed into taking meds that can cause some serious side effects, as with the possibility of bladder cancer from the cytoxen you took, but then we're told that there could be side effects from abx and so we shouldn't use them. As I've said before, we have to pick our poison and hope for the best.

I think it's very good that you're seeing Dr. S, he can help you and your doctor sort through this and find a therapy for you. I wish you all the best,

linda

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