Sick! Just plain sick!

[Gyno Rhino]

Yeah, I feel sick.

I got out of the hospital about a week and a half ago. I had been hospitalized a few times and had a few cistoscopic surgeries to try and fix a kidney stone I had blocking my left ureter. After dealing with severe hydronephrosis/pyelonephritis(possibly, never confirmed), and a week or two of being septic and INCREDIBLY sick (that was a month and a half ago), I'm HOPEFULLY on the mend.

But I feel sick. I'm nauseated constantly. I have absolutely ZERO capacity for work. I can't walk 100ft without getting a sickening feeling all through my guts and I have NO aerobic capacity whatsoever. You honestly cannot imagine the utter exhaustion/sickness that results from this.

The PROBLEM is that I don't know WHY I feel this way.

I had a stint in between my bladder and left kidney for about a month. I had a catheter in my bladder for about a week. I DO NOT know what is going on now that they are both removed along with the offending stone.

I'm wondering what the heck is wrong. I have three theories (and I'm open to ANYONE who has any idea what could be going on).

1) Vesicoureteral reflux. That stint was in for a month and a nickel. That can't have been great for my bladder at all, especially since I had alot of trouble with it (pain, nausea). Could this cause my never-ending sickness?

2) Infection. I guess it's possible that I could still have some infection somewhere within my urinary system.

3) Medicine. I am on my maintenance hydromorphone dosage again, I don't think that that is the problem. I'm also on my maintenance diphenoxylate/atropine dosage, don't think that that is the problem. BUT, I am still taking Cephalexin (500mg, 8hr intervals until this Friday [40 total pills]) and sodium bicarbonate tablets (1300mgs 3x a day).

I HOPE that it's just the medicine. Can Cephalexin make me this sick? I dunno. I just feel bad. HELP ME!!!

[Lizzie]

Adverse effects:
gastrointestinal: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps,
dyspepsia, anorexia, stomatitis

[ectx]

Gyno, I don't think it's the Keflex. I've never heard of a cephalosporin causing those kinds of symptoms (but then again I'm no MD). Maybe it's the analgesics. You've been taking those for a long time. Perhaps it's the hydromorphone or the diphenoxylate. I think they can cause respiratory distress. Talk to your doc. ASAP. I doubt it's a new infection since you've been on antibiotics for a while, although you probably have a very altered colonic flora. The urinary tract is relatively sterile. Anyhow, just my 2¢. I hope you feel better. Where's Delphi when you need him. LOL

[Delphi]

I PMed him.

[DcK]

Sorry to hear Gyno... :(

[ectx]

Originally posted by Delphi
I PMed him.

Gr8 to hear. You must be psychic. :)

I hope all goes well for you gyno. Keep us posted.

[Gyno Rhino]

Never got a PM. I think something has been screwy with my PM mailbox for a long time now.

Here's an email addy if you wanna send me some good info: glangsto@utk.edu

Thanks for all of the replies.

I really doubt though that it's the analgesics. I went for month after month after month on the same dose (or more) as I'm taking now with absolutely NO problems. Strange.

[Tryska]

you on any painkillers?

what's hyrdomorphone?

[Gyno Rhino]

Hydromorphone is the same as Dilaudid. It is a painkiller.

[Tryska]

that might be your problem.

i know when i was on vicodin nausea and full on puking were my constant companions. so i stopped taking it, and suked up the pain.

[Gyno Rhino]

Here's the problem with that approach:

The area that I have pain is where my rectum USED to be. That kind of pain CAUSES nausea, severely. The dosage of hydromorphone I'm on is very low, and I was on this dosage for month after month with absolutely NO adverse effects. I was A-OK, great activity level, I even got back into the gym. NOW is a different story. I very very very very much doubt that it is the very low dosage of hydromorphone that I am taking, especially since the symptoms are indifferent to when I take the medicine or how long it's been since I've taken the meds.

[Tryska]

damn. that is a quandary then isn't it?

maybe it's the sum total of everything? is the pain worse when you eat or anything?

[Gyno Rhino]

The pain isn't worse when I eat, but the overall "sick" feeling can be. It's mild nausea ALL DAY. And that is just misery. Sometimes it gets much worse, but it's always there. It really is a boggle. My doctors are gonna say, "I don't see anything wrong.. I don't know what your problem is." And they will say it in a very condescending, jerk-off way. BUT, the fact of the matter is that through all of my ordeals, I have not been wrong once. They ALL have, multiple times. I have one doctor now that trusts me like a divining rod. He knows that I'm quite in touch with my body. He knows I'm a tough mother when I need to be, too. I was home with that kidney stone for over a week before I finally went in to the hospital because I hadn't eaten anything (and couldn't really drink either) for nearly a week. He just looked at me and grinned, prescribed a pain pump and said "He's the toughest. He knows what he needs." That made me feel better, I remember. He is the best doctor ever to get the degree. Name is Gregory Midis, and I've touted his horn before on here, but I always love to throw it out there.

[PowerManDL]

I'd look at the cephalexin. Looks like it'd be your culprit.

[Gyno Rhino]

I have to wonder if that's the case. Before I got sick, I never had any problems with antibiotics. But since being sick, they seem to make me feel nasty. Cipro makes me sick, and Flagyl is the absolute worst. I have to wonder if Keflex is doin' the same thing. *shrug*

[Tryska]

actually it could be. I can handle cipro, bvut keflex doesn't sit well with me....i haven't thought abotu it in years because i don't take antibiotics, but now that i remember part of the reason for not taking them was a nausea bout with keflex when i wasn't feeling well to begin with.

[Gyno Rhino]

Well, I'm stopping the damned Keflex. I'll see if that makes a difference. It could be, though, that I still have some infection somewhere. If so, I'm just gonna have to wait until I can see a doctor.