It started out bad, now it looks much worse...

[ItsJustARide]

My timeline:

- 4 weeks ago I contracted impetigo off of my boyfriend (his was a tiny scab on his chin) mine spread over my whole face and took a fortnight of antibiotics (some antivirals thrown in just in case of herpes) and some cream...

- during the antibiotics I noticed my contact lenses started to give me grief, I had to stop wearing them.

- I came off of the antibiotics on the Monday, by the Thursday I had really bad D... Every time I went to the bathroom, throughout this whole incident I'd completely lost my appetite.

- Visited doc, despite me mentioning my mum's Crohn's she has only run tests for antibiotic related diarrhoea, and dismissed my eye issues.

- Optician confirmed at the weekend that I have allergic conjunctivitis (inside of eyelids bright red, slightly swollen) has told me to use antihistamine eyedrops.

- Now, two weeks later, I'm permanently bloated and stomach makes horrendous noises and I stil have D, it's maybe not proper D as its only twice a day but the tenesmus makes it feel much worse.

- This is a total sideswipe but all of this has been accompanied by my left arm feeling completely drained and sore, left leg slightly as well (these I understand could easily be down to my anxiety and stress and me just wing hypersensitive to my body at the moment).

I'm hoping to see the doctor this week and get the results of the stool sample, but I'd like to push for further tests, has anyone else experienced things like this? I know from reading the above that my crohns idea seems potentially far fetched, but I'm a smoker, I'm 24 and my mum means that I'm in a high risk group, can anyone offer some potential pre-diagnosis advice? I'm scared and crying a lot.

 

[KayleighMeek]

If you are really worried about it I would go back to the GP surgery even ask to see another dr if you want. Like you say it could be crohns or it could be something else entirely. It took me over a year of going back and forward to different Drs at my GP surgery until they finally refered me to a specialist GI at the hospital. Soon after that appointment I had my colonoscopy and was confirmed to have Crohn's disease.
Hope you get answers soon x

 

[ItsJustARide]

Thanks Kayleigh

As I said it could be just a ridiculous amount of bad luck at one time (did I mention an STI issue as well as tooth problems) or it could be crohns or worse.

The persistent D is unsettling, but combined with the eye problems and arm pain it just seems a little too odd I've also lost over 10lbs in the last month - not eating has probably contributed strongly to that. I'm stressed out about it which I'm sure isn't helping.

Do you think my best bet is to initially push for blood tests at least?

 

[KayleighMeek]

I would be surprised if you went back if they didn't get you to have some blood tests just to see if there is anything that may indicate what could be going on. Your bloods will probably show raised inflammatory markers (crp and esr) as you have an on going infections.
My first bloods I had where a coeliac screen, renal, bone, liver, full blood count, esr, crp and thyroid function tests.
Thyroid problems can make you more succeptable to infection and also cause stomach issues.
Try and phone as soon as you can like you say waiting causes stress which isn't going to be any help. X

 

[ItsJustARide]

Thanks Kayleigh, yeah I will ask, but I'm assuming due to other infections whether it is or isn't crohns I should expect inflammation markers?

I really hope it's not crohns, I'm just preparing myself.

And I've just noticed you're from Southampton, I just left there after over 5 years to come back to London and restart my life, could have timed this all better I must admit!

 

[KayleighMeek]

Yes if it was crohns your inflamation markers would be high so it might be with repeating those once you have got rid of the infection.
These things never happen at the right times lol. But hopefully you can get it sorted soon x

 

[dannysmom]

Hi and welcome,
Hopefully things will settle ... but agree that you should push the doctor for further tests if you are still not well. Better to catch things as early as possible.

 

[Maree.]

My son (undiagnosed) seems to have a significant issue with antibiotics, which are sadly sometimes a necessary evil. This does tend to mean that we see the sort of effect your describing where he starts with one issue, then the antibiotics tip the balance and lots of other things go wrong and he ends up really sick, and takes multiple weeks post antibiotics for things to settle down again.

Last time cut to foot, required antibiotics -- we got 1.5 kg weight loss, confused & disoriented, worsening skin rash, mouth ulcers and lowered white blood cell count.
Two and half weeks after discontinuing antibiotics his symptoms are improving, but still has a way to go to get back to where he was before the antibiotics.

We are currently looking to try find cause of why his health seems to be so fragile. He has colonoscopy and endoscopy this Thursday.

My main point of posting here was simply to say for some people antibiotics do seem to have a really brutal impact.

 

[ItsJustARide]

I really really hope it's not an IBD. I'm hoping so much for some irritation caused by antibiotics and non-stop hysteria. I'm really really hoping for that.