Sometimes, being sick means putting up with unfortunate side effects from medications.
I have tried to go without these medications and it leaves me far more debilitated... So these meds are necessary evils.
Overall, they keep me pretty stable, but some of the side effects can be tough to deal with.
One medication that I am on is Doxycycline. I have to be on an antibiotic 100% of the time, and I rotate between Doxy, Cipro, and Flagyl - each two weeks at a time. These help me fight off infections - contagious or skin infections - and help to keep my Chronic Pouchitis at bay.
The biggest issue with this antibiotic is that it can cause something called Esophagitis. I have had one severe case of this a few years ago.
The instructions to take this medication is not to lie down for half an hour after taking it, and you MUST take it with a full glass of water.
It turns out, Doxycycline can start to breakdown immediately, and the esophagus lining and upper stomach lining can begin to breakdown because of this. If not taken properly, it causes ulcers in the esophagus or stomach.
Now - I am always pretty careful. I make sure I drink as much as I can and I stay upright for as long as I can, and usually eat something afterwards as well, but sometimes it doesn't make much of a difference.
I woke up today with extreme high stomach pain, major nausea, tremors, and sharp stomach cramping. It's not hard to guess why. Tonight I will probably have to miss a dose... Which means that a bad skin abscess that is currently inflaming my lymph nodes will surely get a little worse, but I can't take the Doxy if there is any kind of ulceration already.
Talk about being 'stuck between a rock and a hard place'.
Luckily, this is all temporary. This almost always happens right at the end of a cycle of Doxy, and clears up entirely a day or two into one of the other antibiotic cycles.
Luckily I have no real plans this week, so I can sit and hang out at home and cuddle with my Deckmeister.
💜