For stories, articles, questions about chronic illness such as Lyme Disease, multiple sclerosis, SLE, fibro and more.
Chronic Illness and Extra Infections
I've been getting more and more ill as time goes by and aside from a Fibromyalgia diagnosis my doctor and I are as of yet not 100% sure what the hell is wrong with this meat-sack I call a body.
I've had so many freaking bacterial infections in the past two years that it blows my mind. It seems like I am extra susceptible to viral infections now as well. Generally speaking I have been pretty healthy my whole life. With the exception of the weird joint pain that seems to have blossomed into something dreadful over time (but it isn't RA... Yeah... Thanks Doc, we knew that because the x-rays didn't indicate erosion, but thanks for playing!).
I was wondering if some of my spoonies go through the same kind of thing? Do you tend to get more infections? Have wounds that are harder to heal? And so on and so forth.




I've had a lifelong chronic illness that didn't get diagnosed until I was 14 (28 now), as a child I wasn't really susceptible to more illnesses until my doctors started trying every different med regime they could think of because I kept having bad reactions to all of them. (Hey NSAIDS my liver will never forgive you, and other arthritis meds that are also chemo meds, fuck you for making me pick up ever cold known to man kind)
I've always had issues with healing, and have several large and wicked scars that should be practically invisible. Instead, there's visible scar tissue and scars that are 5mm wide with countable stitch marks some 16 years later.
As an adult, though, since I've got a secondary issue I've been getting infections every few months. I had a recurring skin infection that was a side effect of the secondary illness which ended up with a hospital trip and me needing a homecare nurse for 6 weeks to manage the wound. (which now itself has a big ugly scar)
The secondary issue is finally being treated by a specialist since the hospital trip, and I have meds that work for it and aren't making me sick, but actually helping me feel better.
So glad you're getting the secondary issue worked out. That sounds exhausting!
<3
My son's wounds take forever to heal. He's got a heart problem. But he isn't particularly prone to any infections. Have you had your circulation checked?
My youngest and I (the two with EDS) will catch any illness that is in the neighborhood. And middle child is a carrier for strep. They'll have it and be completely asymptomatic then youngest and I will get sick and then we need to give the middle one the antibiotics too.
I'm assuming they've checked for lupus.
My ANA is positive but the titer was "low" I am pushing for further testing on the Lupus front because I swear up and down that is what the root of this is. I have had multiple doctors speculate that is what is going on since I was about 17 but no one really explored it as deeply as they should have.
Rheumatologist said a medication I was taking for an unrelated condition might have caused the ANA result so I have stopped taking it. Current GP wants to retest in the next couple months and also continue checking Thyroid and other possible issues, which is great. But hurry up and wait right? Agh.
Also: Awww you taught them to share.... the germs.... Crap.
<3
I knew a girlie who was a carrier for that horrific resistant strep infection. That. Was. Awful.
I have fibro and possibly SLE and i'm recovering from flu and a nasty chest infection that would land anyone else in hospital! I am prone to recurring acne, painful lumps on my face and back and shoulders that are easily infected and i have to take antibiotics and use EpiDuo to get rid of and every winter (southern hemisphere) I get a chest infection bang on the last few days of August. I have frequent sinus problems as well.
Aww ick. Rest up. <3