Three weeks ago I visited Shands University Hospital infectious disease department for a follow up on an MRI done at the end of August, along with some other not fun tests.
The issue is I have hardware in my back, called an inter-body cage, and is the source (they think) of this infection that has in two years resisted 8 surgeries, 5 of which were to drain abscesses off of my spine. Eighteen months of antibiotics, most of which were IV, and a six month long c-diff infection (that’s an infection in your colon, extremely dangerous and painful.) Most times a person in this situation is given suppression antibiotics, is monitored and life goes on.
There is a surgery that opens both your abdomen, and back
to reveal both sides of your spine, scrapes the infections out , refuses the spine,
nope not going there.
Now a year later, the infection is still there and I cannot have suppression antibiotics, (needed so the osteomyalitis and diskitis infection does not flare back up) because of the c-diff.
I did however come down with a nasty case of strep throat and bronchitis, following the visit to Shands infectious disease dept.
Yes I did wear a mask, no it did not help.
So last week, I saw my local infectious disease doctor, who proscribed 5 days of levaquin antibiotic and shuddered.
He asked me if I still had any oral vancomycin left, and I just nodded.
Today, I still have a very sore throat and the c-diff is back.
And just for fun, TheMasterOfTheUniverse is in bed for the second day in a row, with some kinda flu.
Damned if you see the doc and damned if you don’t.
