Atypical TB: Antibiotic Side Effects
(During and After Termination)
(July 2012)
It has now been near Four Years (August 09- April 13 – )
since i came Completely Off Antibiotics and i am still here…
Some of the Side Effects vanished soon after the termination.
Some are still present and persistent as a result of the long term use
and Some have become Irreversible.
During the first Six months the Side Effects were very Severe on all levels
from the pure Physical, to the Mental and Emotional sides
as there was no area that normal body functions had not been affected
and thrown out of balance and dismal disarray.
After that came a rather abrupt body adjustment
and it all felt kind of Normal … within its new established … Abnormality!
Side Effects during first 6 months and onwards while on Antibiotics
* Extreme Lethargy, Fatigue, Frequent Confusion
* Diminished ability to perform daily Normal Co-ordination tasks,
let alone anything requiring any Thinking or Planning process.
* Almost non Existent Reflexes
I could hardly keep my eyes open, my limbs were always Lead heavy
and keeping track of time and other spatial awareness was often
in disturbing disarray.
I could not trust myself to go out alone and after i was nearly hit by a car twice,
once in front of my terrified daughter who reported the incident to my man
and once while accompanied by my husband himself,
we had decided that i should never go out alone
until i had adjusted to the effects of the medications.
*Extreme and abrupt Hot and Cold Sessions
Several times a day there would be a sudden heating up of my body
as if my temperature was rising to fever heights and near suffocation levels
and then it would start reversing going down… down… down…
as if entering Siberia unaccustomed territory or as if ‘shelved’ inside a Freezer.
No amount of clothes put on or taking off or outside temperature variations
made any difference to that process that usually lasted approximately 5-10 minutes
and then subsided until the next cycle- repeated several times each day.
* Constant Sick feeling in the Stomach spreading throughout the body
* General Lack of Hunger, Appetite and Sense of Taste
* Development of Severe Food Intolerances
My Stomach felt constantly full and more often than not nauseated too.
This apparently i have read was the effect of Clarithromycin
I had to force myself to eat and i did it by the Clock as there was never
natural sense of hunger, nor appetite or craving for anything
and neither anything tasted the way i remembered it used to
but Nutrition was one of the Best Defences of my Body
against the Illness and despite the tremendous effort at each meal
i was not prepared to compromise the benefit.
I knew well that my body was not only fighting a Killer illness
but also highly Toxic Medications that had to be monitored carefully
month by month, to ascertain containment of toxic effects on Liver and Kidneys.
So… Three Highly Nutritious Meals a Day
was the Medicine i Provided to my Body for its Fighting Battle
and which i valued highly and without the fear of long term side effects
as i had for the antibiotics .
Another side effect that started to develop pretty soon was severe Food Intolerances.
Many Foods that belonged to the category of causing Lung allergies or irritation
i voluntarily gave away though with great regret, but there were many more
that were -as far as i knew- beneficial to the Lung and yet i would get
unpleasant symptoms after consumption, some even if in the smallest quantity.
Most important of them all was
*Lung Bleeding
Other symptoms were
* Feeling of Dull Pain and Fullness in the Liver area
* Nail like Pains in the Kidneys, and as a result
* Severe Fluid Retention and
* Strong, Nauseating Migraines,
Only rarely ever occurring prior to commencement of Antibiotics
and usually during the Naughty period of Christmas
when succumbing to the temptation of tasting some foods
still in the category of ‘healthy’ but much lesser grade.
(More details in a Diet Entry soon to follow)
* Overgrowth of Malassezia Yeast Fungus
One of the most Torturing problems which started within days
of the commencement of Antibiotics and remained present throughout,
causing Uncomfortable Burning sensations on different parts of my body
as if burned by trillions of hot pins which resulted in highly painful Lesions
in sensitive skin areas and especially in my private areas.
It has taken Over a Decade to Finally identify the Problem and deal with it
as will be described in my specifically dedicated Blogs:
http://malasseziablog.wordpress.com
Side Effects Accumulation Before Terminating Medication
During a Nine Month period before the final decision to terminate medication
there were side effects that were indicating increasing cumulative effects
that were leading fast to a downward spiral with possible consequences
i was not prepared to sit passively and let happen.
These were:
* Increasing Daily Bleeding with frequently scary large volumes
* Frequent -to almost daily- feeling of Fullness and Pain in the Liver area
* Frequently strong Waxy / Orangey Colour on Face
(not including the white of the eyes)
* General Feeling of Toxic Overload which i felt my body was progressively
unable to process and cope with.
* Kidney Dysfunction as in Diminished Urine Output to just 1 teaspoon
in a 24 hour period, despite the quantities of liquids consumed.
* Losing weight rapidly, from 52 – 53 Kg down to 43 – 45 Kg
and progressively unable and severely restricted in consuming
many nutritious foods and /or supplements.
My Personal Judgement was that my general condition was Deteriorating Fast
and i was not prepared to wait until either Liver or Kidneys gave up
and had to go for Kidney Dialysis or whatever was i heading to – fast
so i made the Scary Decision to Stop and give my body a chance
to recover from the Medication and see if it could handle the A-TB
on its Own – and if not… then at least it would be up to Destiny and
Natural course of Progression of the Illness.
Side Effects Disappearing After Termination of Antibiotics
Even though my illness was steadily killing me
– or so i was told and have no doubt it was quite true –
i felt much worse upon commencement and throughout the duration
of being on medication.
A great feeling returned after the Termination, even though
i was secretly worried about the difference of appearance versus reality
i.e. ‘ feeling good did not mean i was better’
and ‘ feeling bad did not mean i was getting worse ‘…
but which WAS TRUE???… if any…
Was it more likely that my body had a breather from daily bombardment
of toxicity and relieved with steady clearing it off?…
Because in the end during the course of antibiotics
* I was Neither Feeling Good
* Nor was i Getting Better,
and in fact the signs as described above, were that I WAS getting Worse!….
(Losing Blood, Losing Weight, My Body was not working properly etc.)
Once I stopped medication i experienced
* Extreme Lightness
* Elation and Euphoria
* Increased Energy
* Clearing Effect
* Heat and Freezing changes Decreased in Frequency and Intensity by 95%
* Bleeding stopped for much Longer Periods often for Many Weeks apart
(and only certain conditions gradually identified and avoided caused it to start)
* Became able to gradually add back Nutritious Foods and Vitamins
that i had not been able to consume for a long time
* Liver Pains disappeared
* Kidney functions Improved dramatically
* My weight was brought back Up to 48 – 49kg
(hard to get it back to 52-53 as the loss of blood had caused loss of Calcium
and other minerals affecting Bone mass)
(Note: having some leftover medications after i stopped,
i tried to use for some bladder infections, one of them in particular,
as more suited to the problem and noticed that within a day
lung bleeding returned and continued for the duration of the five day course
and stopped immediately upon completion
– this repeated twice more… i did consider more than coincidental
but rather a confirmation of a long time suspicion, knowing that
this particular antibiotic is reputed – medical files info – to affect blood viscosity.
Side Effects Present and Persistent after Termination of Antibiotics
Generally speaking, due to the continuing presence of the Lung illness
and the passing of nearly a full Decade, it would be honest and right to say
that Nothing has really gone back to what was known as ‘Normal’ before.
Just a General feeling of Improvement in Many areas
and many Drug caused Side effects are Certainly Gone
but this is counterbalanced by the natural progression and deterioration
of the A-TB and the Malicious effects of the stress and all ills caused
by the Malassezia Yeast Fungus -especially during the past 3 1/2 years.
The Malassezia Beast
I am now mainly still Battling and is the Direct Cause and Result of the Long Course
on Antibiotics and X-Rays, and may have to battle it on for as long as i live
hopefully only on the reduced levels i have finally managed to bring it down to
and control it – and which at this stage indicate constant meticulous maintenance needed.
Still hope for a Decisive Miracle but have learned it may arrive with other unpleasant
strings attached…
Side Effects Permanent and Irreversible after Termination of Antibiotics
* Malassezia Yeast
* High Sensitivity and Lack of Adjustment to Temperature Changes
Especially when in Immediate Contact with any Part of my body*
I have now established through repeated occasions that there has been
a Permanent Alteration to the ‘Thermostatic Adjustment’ mechanism
in my Body -confirmed by medical info and repeated observations-
caused by at least One of the Antibiotics i know.
I do not intend to end up thought as an advocate against antibiotic use
as each individual is different and have their own responsibility of choices
to make along the course of their illness.
Therefore readers are urged to research on their own the medical validity
i mention above regarding the part of ‘confirmed by medical info’
and wherever else i mention ‘medical information or conformation’.
* This Sensitivity, unless Special Temperature Measures taken,
causes Spontaneous Short Lung Bleeds –within minutes to hour
or belated Long and Heavier ones at a dreaded time during sleep.
*
Atypical TB - My Story 