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1-Month Streak of Health Issues
Hey Bernadette,
I’m having a bad streak of random health issues & would appreciate your thoughts on what might be going on & how to best address.
1 month ago, I was bitten by my first tick ever and out of an abundance of caution against Lyme disease, I took a 2-day course of antibiotics – very low dose.
2 weeks later, I got a yeast infection and was prescribed fluconazole, which cleared it up with 1 dose.
1 week after that, I noticed a dime-sized ball on the back of my head (not like a pimple, it felt deep beneath the skin), almost at the nape of my neck. It felt tender and I developed a bad headache in the same area accompanied by neck pain. My doctor said I had an infection of the tissue in that area and prescribed a 7-day course of antibiotics (Cephalexin 500 mg – 3 per day).
I’m now on day 7 of that 7-day course and I’ve had migraines 3x this week. Yesterday I also had a slight sore throat & intense soreness on one side of my tongue, enough that I avoided using my tongue while eating. By last night, when I talked I felt discomfort on one side of my face, by my upper jaw, and overnight, I developed a lot of pain in that area when swallowing. I suspect an ear infection and/or oral thrush, both of which have happened before after a course of antibiotics. I have ear infections frequently enough (possibly due to q-tip use, I know I should stop) that I have acetic acid otic solution 2% on hand & will use that 3x/day in case it’s the usual ear infection, but this one feels different. Usually it doesn’t hurt in my jaw – just my ear – and it’s never been accompanied by throat / tongue pain before. I also used a chlorhexidine 0.2% mouthwash last night in case it’s oral thrush, as this helped me clear it up last time.
Could this all be related to the initial antibiotic course?
I was also put on lamotrigine 25 mg the same week the yeast infection began, and have slowly been tapering up to the full dosage week by week. Could it be related to that new medication?
And anything I can do at home to ease the ear pain / pain when swallowing? It’s truly misterable & keeping me from sleeping.
The last time I had such a bad streak of health issues was the last time I got the flu a few years back, and after a course of antibiotics, hence this question. That ultimately led to my most recent MCAS flare (or what I suspect is MCAS), so if this could all be building up to that again, I’d like to know what I can do to keep it from reaching that point. Also, how to generally support my body should I need antibiotics again in the future.
Thanks for your help as always.
Feeling like a complete mess,
Jennifer
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