ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => AN Issues => Topic started by: Crazycat on December 13, 2007, 02:30:15 am
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A couple of weeks ago I got hit with the first head-cold I've had since 1999! Even during and after my surgeries and in spite of having contracted M.R.S.A. while in the hospital I had remained flu and cold virus free.
Prefacing this head-cold was "conjunctivitis", a horrible affliction and irritation of the eyes. I got over the cold fast enough but the conjunctivitis has returned with a vengeance. I'm now applying erythromycin ointment to my eyes; the same stuff I had been given for "dry-eye" upon release from the hospital two years ago, along with artificial tears.
This is a really nice companion illness complimenting my AN-related lightheadedness and double vision: incessant itching, burning, puffing, bloodshot watering and discharging of mucous. I'm having a grand old time. This is torture!
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Been there, done that :-\ ... my heart goes out to you
Read these
http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=5307.0
http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=5211.0
Know that it does get better... as long as you use the antibiotic drops...
Hugs :)
4
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Hi, Cat:
I'm so sorry to read about your eye infection (conjunctivitis) and head cold. It does sound awful. I pray that you are over it as soon as possible. You have enough to deal with, as we all do to some extent.
Jim
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yeah I keep getting conjunctivitis too! I am just getting over the flu during finals week...ugh. Its been a hell of a time. My condolences brother.
Chris
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Chris,
More conjunctivitis episodes AND the flu?!? … oy ya ya. ::) You poor college kid. Ok ok- you are not a kid anymore… Nevertheless big mothering hugs sent your way. Hang in there -as soon it will be the winter break and you can party… or rest. (The latter might be most recommended ;) )
Cheers,
4 :)
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EEEEEEEWWWWWWWW Pink Eye! Yucky- Poo!
Poor Baby, Crazy Cat!
It's going around--both my grandscallywags have it.
Rest up--drink lots of OJ and take your Flintstones. Sending lots of healing hugs and thoughts your way. Being sick sucks. Folks like us like to play too much!
Get Well!
Capt Deb(http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee60/Captdeb_photos/pirate2.gif)
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" Flintstones "
Deb you just crack me up! :D ;D ;)
I think your posts make great facial therapy for those of us with Bells Palsy – as you ARE making my laugh wrinkles come back… one mm at a time. Even around the eyes!
I am so glad you and your wildly funny humor is part of our forum!
Cheers,
4
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I'm a "Flintstones Kid" !!!
Thanks for all the responses! This pink-eye crap is stubborn! I think it's starting to ease up though. Erythromycin ointment since Wednesday.
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Hi Crazy Cat,
Excuse me for jumping in on this thread, but you mentioned you contracted MRSA while in the hospital. When I had my surgery they tested me the following day for MRSA. Two days later in a private room the head nurse jumped all over my daughter for not having on a gown while visiting me. That's when we were told I tested positive for MRSA. When I left the hospital nothing was mentioned about any forms of treatment or precautions for the MRSA. Knowing now what a powerful bug it can be, it makes me wonder if I really had it. I have not had any symptoms or episodes of sores that would not heal or infections, or anything that relates to MRSA. I was just wondering if they had to treat you for it or if they gave you any advice or information. I know we were given antibiotics due to our surgery and maybe that took care of it. Does it just go away? I have a very good immune system, so I believe if I did contract MRSA while in the hospital, then my body was able to fight it off and heal properly with no other side effects. I even visited a MRSA website forum similiar to this one, and I was shocked at how the people on that forum were suffering and trying to cope with this dreadful disease.
Thanks for letting me ask about something that has bugged me since the diagnosis.
Mtn Gal
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Mtn Gal,
To tell you the truth, I don't think that this poses any real problem for anyone providing that they have a functioning immune system. I remember when it was first detected while lying in my hospital bed recovering from surgery. My roommate at the time was an eighteen year-old kid that had been totally paralyzed in a car accident. I never set eyes on him or heard his voice the entire time â€â€all of three daysâ€â€I was in the room with him. As soon as they found out that I had MRSA, I was moved to my own private room with an astounding panoramic view of the Charles River in Boston that I could not enjoy because I was so miserable. When I was transported to the Rehab hospital I was again put in a private room. It is to a person in his condition (my roommate's) I suppose that the MRSA poses a threat. As weak as I was after 15.5 hours of surgery, two days in ICU, being completely intubated and "awash" in drugs, it still wasn't enough to make me vulnerable to the MRSAâ€â€it may have cultured in me but it couldn't make me sick. In fact, my girlfriend who had been with me every day while I was in the hospital, spending every free moment she had with me went and had herself tested after it had been reported that I had contracted it. She tested negative. This made me wonder, "If she hasn't picked it up from me, then who possibly could?" I suppose only those in severely weakened states like my poor roommate.
The conjunctivitis that I recently contracted was the beginning of a nasty head cold that I also came down with. I blew it out in 4 days. It tried to spread to my lungs but couldn't get a hold on them because, after 30 years of bench pressing and ten solid years of jogging my lungs are too strong. That head cold is also the first one I've had since 1999! I'm now 50 years old but look like I'm in my 30s', half-deaf and still working in a rock band.
As an example, over the past week or so with all the snowstorms we've been getting here in New England, my day and night will typically run like this: weight training, jog in snow and ice for 4 miles at night (on residential streets), come back, change out of clothing soaked from sweat, bundle up, go out and shovel for three hours and do 80 pull ups to stretch out and unwind. In fact, it's snowing right now and I'm going to have to do it all over again! I ran two nights ago in 13° temps!
After my release from the hospital, I was naturally very concerned about MRSA and asked my PCP a lot of questions about it including whether or not it stays with us or how long. I never really got a definitive answer other than him saying to me, "I don't think you have to worry about it".
I hope this helps!
Paul
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Thanks Paul. It truly does help to know that others are living a normal life with a diagnosis for MRSA, but which has not really affected us or our families. You are right about the folks that have a weakened or poor immune system being the ones that are so devastatingly affected by such diseases. I had decided just to keep on living with it (if I even had it). Kinda like being SSD; you learn to deal with it the best you can and keep on going. Thanks again for sharing your experiences. Hope your head cold and conjunctivitis is all cleared up and that you remain in good health for the New Year.
Merry Christmas
Mtn Gal
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Just for the record, the conjunctivitis is still bothering me. It initially appeared Dec 1st, making it about three weeks that I've had it. The antibiotic cream seems to work and then the symptoms just relapse. This may be an indication that the condition is more viral than bacterial and will just have to run its course. Other than that, I'm fine.
Hey Mtn Gal, Did you know that the "Mountain Girl" of the Merry Pranksters fame back in the 60s' married Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead?
Snowcat
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Hey Paul: I was just thinking, I hope someone in the doc's office explained how contagious this is, that you have to use a new towel eveytime you wash your face - paper towels are best to use during infection - use it once then throw away. Pillow cases should be changed daily. If you forget & touch your face, you must wash your hands immediatlely. I had it once - I used paper towels to even turn a door knob, then throw it away. This can stay with you for a long time unless you really are extremely vigilant with the handwashing, changing towels or use paper towels, do not touch your eyes, face.
Always good thoughts, Nancy
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Thanks Nancy!
The doctor I saw had nothing more to say than agree with my suggestion that I had conjunctivitis and wrote me a script for erythromycin ointment. Some of the facts that you mentioned such as the pillowcases and towels were told to me by other people that have had it at one time or another. I've starting to employ those methods only recently. I think it's easing up. I feel pretty good right now.
Thanks for the feedback!
Paul
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Paul,
I don't mean to alarm you but i've had recurring conjunctivitis. It was because of a corneal ulcer from my eye drying out. I went to a Ophthalmologist and I was told that my eye was not closing all the way. I had an eyeweight put in my upper lid a year and a half ago,which solved most of my eye problems, but just recently my lower eyelid has begun to droop just enuff for the eye to be exposed a little bit. Conjunctivitis is very common, esp with AN patients, but if you are still having problems I recommend seeing an ophthalmologist ASAP. I had my eyelid slightly stitched today (hardly noticeable or painful) and I have to have a minor surgery in about a week and a half grafting fatty tissue to help build my lower eye.
Hope all is well.
Chris
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Sorry to be dumb...what IS MRSA?
Blessings, Yvette
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Yvette it is Methicillin-resistant Staplococcus aureus infection. It is a staph infection that is resistant to broad band antibiotics. It is also very rampant in hospital, nursing homes and sometimes schools. It can also be fatal. MRSA is found in the nose and on the skin of about a 1/3 of the population. You can be a carrier without ever being infected with MRSA, but you can give it to others. Those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for developing full blown MRSA. This would include the chronically ill, young children, older adults and even surgical patients. I hope this helps. 16
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I'm doing okay Chris; the conjunctivitis has been long gone. Now it's back to the customary double vision, lightheadedness and roaring tinnitus. I haven't had much of a problem with dry-eye or tearing. I never lost control of my facial nerve.
Paul
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ah yes...glad to hear man. take er easy.
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Hmm... my own personal treatment for conjunctivitis is warm compresses. Not too warm-you don't need burns too but they are soooooo soothing and the warmth does kill germs.
Years ago I had a MRSA on my right middle finger-14 months of a nasty purple first joint-fingernail. It looked like I had a concord grape on my finger. I think the concern with MRSA in a hospital setting is for the roommates with their immuno compromised conditions, not "normal folk" like your girlfriend.
Is it possible the conjunctivitis is a variation of dry eyes and not an infection? So many things which are not infections can cause eyes to itch, turn red and produce discharges - things like a fiber from carpeting, an eyelash...the list is endless. Since you have an AN, your eye might be less sensitive to foreign bodies. After my surgery, that was one of the warnings I got, that my eye was less sensitive to pain
Donna
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Well, the conjunctivitis is back again and this time with a vengeance. I got hit with another nasty head-cold and this one is worse than the one in early December. I can't seem to shake it. The guy I got it from (the drummer in the band) has walking pneumonia. I thought he had been acting weird, walking around like a vapid zombie, mumbling and talking to himself out loud. It turns out the he had been so sick he was actually delirious. I'm not at that the point yet as I don't really even have a cough or and chest pain but I know that while I have MRSA, a head cold that lingers can become a serious health hazard. The Erythromycin ointment I have on hand for the conjunctivitis does not seem to be working for me any longer.
I've noticed that the redness, swelling of the lids and stringy, gooey, yellow discharge is much, much worse than when I had it in December.
Compounding this situation is a toothache and sickening, hellish weather conditions. I also have to work like an animal tonight and tomorrow night, playing loud, obnoxious music to roomfuls of obnoxious, inebriated, stupid people. This is not something one can simply call in sick to avoid doing. Sunday I am scheduled to fly down to Florida for a week and a half to spend time with my girlfriend and visit Cocoa Beach and the Kennedy Space Centerâ€â€if I'm still well enough or even alive by then to get on the plane.
I'm sitting here waiting for my sister to arrive to take me to the emergency room in an effort to get some stronger drugs â€â€because I can't see well-enough to drive myselfâ€â€
and be better prepared for my little trip away from home. Yet, tonight I have to drive a loaded cargo van on a sheet of ice into the bowels of an urban hell in order to serenade all the tattooed, body-pierced, beer-guzzling, crack-smoking, pool-shooting beasties.
"I could just scream"..... (Capt. Binghamton in McHale's Navy)
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Paul,
I hope you can get the assistance for your eye.
An understatement would be that you do not sound like a happy cat…
Perhaps you may want to make a vocational change to something that is not so hard on your hearing… time clock and body. The night club scene may not be the best environment for you given your medical situation. You also want to protect your one fully functional ear.
You will need to make changes that provide you for a better lifestyle to maintaining good health.
Hopefully between your sister, your girlfriend and my little post here you will be mothered… ;)
Hug... and for goodness sake take care of yourself!
Keep moving forward,
4
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Paul,
Address the toothache before, it gets worse! Sinus problems may cause maxillary teeth to be more sensitive.
With your "double vision," conjunctivitis, head cold and a possible tooth problem---please take care in bad weather.
I hope your drummer feels better, too.
I've had conjunctivitis and I know how awful it is. Please discuss this with your AN and eye doctors.
Right now, I'm on day twelve with my cold, although I had the bad cough with it.
To be honest, I have a small bump at the middle of my nose and I'm tired of doctors and surgeries. The little lump must be somewhere high up on the inside. I'm putting off going to the doctor about that and I'm asking CrazyCat to see a dentist during all of his problems, too. Maybe I broke my nose when I opened a cupboard into it.
I hope all the meds you get at the hospital work for you and quickly.
Hug to you,
Palace
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Just picked up a couple of prescriptions. I'll let you know how they work out.
Paul
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Hey Paul: Remember: change your pillow case every day, don't touch your eyes with your hands (& if you do, wash your hands immediately), use paper towels to dry your face, etc., etc., etc.
Nancy (the nag).
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Just got back from Florida vacation. I went to the hospital on the 8th and obtained two scripts: Tobramycin eyedrops and Cephalexin pills. The conjuctivitis was practically gone in one day. That stuff worked wonders! The Erythromycin ointment proved useless in my case.
By the time I got on the plane to Florida on Sunday the 10th, the conjunctivitis was gone entirely, although I continued through the prescribed course of antibiotics.
The head cold lingered though. While descending into Tampa, the hearing in my good ear shut-off almost entirely; a combined effect from the sinus infection and the changing air pressure. For close to two hours I was practically 100% deaf. This was quite an experience. I needed a hearing-ear dog as I wandered off the plane and through the airport like a dazed survivor from a chemical weapons attack. When I met up with my girlfriend all I could do was mutter, " I'm completely deaf now".
It wasn't until we were having dinner at an Applebee's in Tampa that my hearing gradually came back. There was no sudden popping or anything like that. I'd blow my nose and there would be this ripping sound in my head. Gradually, the high-end came back and I could tell I was back to normal.
What a nasty cold virus! Even down in Florida it was raging like wildfire. People were regularly going to the ER for treatment. I'm pretty much over it, although I'm still getting mild sinus headaches like aftershocks from a major earthquake.
Having MRSA made me especially worried about developing pneumonia although it never became bronchial at all.
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I changed my avatar. After all, my middle name is "Vincent". So what the heck.......
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Crazy Cat,
RE
“I changed my avatar�
I love it…
Being that Ludwig Van Beethoven and Vincent Van Gogh both suffered from hearing loss and tinnitus, not to mention the historical speculation in both cases was lead poisoning, I have often wondered if perhaps they might have had AN tumors…
I have often questioned if their insanity, at the end of their careers, might have been because they were so isolated and alone with their condition with no empathetic buddies to chat with – (as we can here on the ANA forum… ;) :D ;D) or from the tumor pressing so much on the brainstem that their sleep deprivation eventually drove them absolutely nuts.
Because one of the subjects I once taught was painting- I have always questioned my exposure to art media and how that affected my health. I clearly remember when Van Gogh paintings were cleaned and the paint he used was carefully examined. The theory of his lead poisoning was later emphasized with documented paint/lead samples from the canvas’s… many stories published in various magazines.
Here are some brief synopses on both artists …if you are interested
Beethoven
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_Quartet_No._15_%28Beethoven%29
Vincent Van Gogh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_van_Gogh
One day, maybe in our lifetime, we may know “the cause� of Acoustic neuroma and if in fact toxic environmental exposure has any relationship to the AN tumor’s growth and development – or not.
Great for you to put a famous self portrait in there… Did you- yourself ever paint?
Cheers,
4
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4,
I dabbled with it but I was more of an illustrator. That is, until the AN sabotaged my left-side. Now it's strain to even write clearly. I used to have excellent penmanship.
I'm more of a musician though. As if hearing loss weren't enough, the dexterity I had on my left-side had to be sabotaged as well. I can still write but the ease and fluidity are gone. It's not the same anymore. I got screwed. What a world!!
Paul
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Paul,
I like the new avatar, very appropriate to use Vincent's self portrait. Althought he got a little carried away with the world's first Translab ;)
Rob
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RE
"Althought he got a little carried away with the world's first Translab"
:D :D :D THAT is hilarious
4
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Thanks Rob!
I found a couple of other portraits of him with a bandage over his "resectioned" ear but they weren't as distinct as the one I'm using. He is universally recognizable in the portrait that I selected.