I'm sick all the time! 10 courses of antibiotics in the last 15 months. Please help!

That’s the worst! We have a unlimited vacation policy just so people can not be at work when you’re sick. If you’re just about to feel sick but you don’t want to take a day off you need to work from home.

There’s another guy at work who has an immune system as bad as mine and we freak out when ever we hear someone with a gravely voice.

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With all due respect @Nate_Pearson, but think about what you’ve just said:

  1. You started a company from scratch;
  2. Had a child.

Both points would have possibly brought as much stress as a modern human would have ever endured. There is absolutely nothing restful about that.

Tim.

PS. You’re lucky, I am not your coach. :wink:

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I would highly recommend tapping into that execute health network and traveling to see an expert.

At 9 course of antibiotics in such a short period, you might be getting into the realm of being at risk of being resistant to their effects.

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“9 courses of antibiotics in 14 months”

You have effectively killed off your gut flora 9x in the past 14 months…

I’d seek out a medical professional who is well versed in gut biome, and also look into your diet and potential chronic inflammation caused from dairy and gluten.

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I have had gluten and dairy tests to see if I’m allergic and I am not. I agree with you about gut flora, that’s why I try to do lots of probiotics and kombucha.

Given the very well thought post, you obviously tried hard to solve the issue. I see 2 potential things playing here - this is solely based on my experience, but hey, it’s not like there is something obcvious that you missed.

I can think of 2 things that may play here:

  • stress - you started a company from scratch, and you’ve had a child. Well - that’s pretty stressfull events. I went through a period of stress related breathing issues - I consulted every doctor I could, every results were OK. It was only when somebody pointed out to me that the actual problem may be in my head that I started thinking about it more. And stressing less. And guess what ? I still have the breathing issue from time to time (and I do notice a clear correlation between stress in life and those periods) - I just don’t care anymore. And it goes away quickly

  • food - you mention your diet is mostly based on veggies and fruit - the question I would ask is this - are you (or your spouse) preparing your own meals from fresh veggies and fruits or you are eating prepared meals ? I’ve found this to be extremely important - this was a game changer to me. In my case the issue wasn’t illness - it was injuries. Once I started eating right, no prepared food - 0, suddenly most of the injuries I was getting on a regular basis, disappeared.

Sorry not to have more advice, but obviously, I can only tell what worked for me. Hope this helps !

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Thanks for taking the time to respond. I really do feel like I’m less stressed than the normal person, but I do go “full bore” at things. If I didn’t have a low IgG3 I would probably look at this area of my life. As far as I know reducing my stress would not increase IgG3 levels.

Mostly self-prepared with fresh fruit and vegetables. I did notice a huge improvement in my cycling performance when I switched my diet, but not an improvement in my regular infections.

So sorry to hear Nate. I had to do 3 rounds of antibiotics in 2017 to get rid of a staph infection I picked up in the hospital after my crash in 2016. It threw my gut for a loop and I was “off” for a good 6 months. Couldn’t keep food down, constant stomach cramps, no energy, loose stool. I found this…https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0053W995W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
After trying all kinds of probiotics and prebiotics, this is what got my system back on track. My wife also got a bad stomach bug earlier this year and it helped her gut as well.

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Nate, first of all I am sorry to hear of the continued sickness.
My life experiences led me to Dr. Greggor daily dozen. Which I have modified by a bit after reading Nigel Mitchell’s “Fueling the Cycling Revolution”.
So what you may ask? Many years ago I had to have a total colonectomy due to ulcerative colitis. If I could do it again, I now believe I could adjust my menu away from gluten and a lot of the pesticides residual on produce. I work in the grocery industry and there’s lots I sell that I will not ever eat.
I took a lot of Prednisone for treatment back in the day and it’s one nasty drug. I never want it again. Up to 80 mg/day for months.
I don’t know crap, but for me it’s all about the food and it’s origin. I’m soon to be 59 and have made many mistakes along the way. Starting with “Life Extensions” by Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw.
Enough said, you brother are in our prayers. John

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This is an excellent attitude. Particularly as we hear you guys in the USA don’t get anywhere near the amount of (paid) leave we are afforded here in Europe.

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Nate,

***Note, I am not a medical doctor. The steps mentioned below are what I would consider if I was still functioning as an Independent Duty Corpsman (think underpaid PA) on submarines. Further note, I’m retired and haven’t had a good case study in over six years, but here is what I would first consider and then do:

  1. Chronic sinusitis damages the mucous membranes which make you more susceptible to further infections.

  2. Allergies inflame the mucous membranes predisposing you to a sinus infection thus compounding the problem.

  3. Possible resistance to antibiotics because of the number of times they have been prescribed to you.

  4. Training Stress

  5. Stress from life

        **Adrenal Fatigue**
    
  6. The liver is a separate issue, but I would want the Internal Medicine Doctor, the Infectious Disease Doctor and the Allergist/Immunologist in on the consultation. Oh, and they need to bring the Pharmacist with them. Good doctors always have access to the Pharmacist when they make rounds.

  7. I know you went over your blood test, but I specifically want a mucus culture (different from a blood test) to determine virus versus bacteria versus fungus. Maybe even a breath analysis as well. I would also order a Liver Function Test and a Hepatitis panel.

  8. I would want a Herbalist and a Kineisiologist on the team for a discussion concerning the interactions of the supplements you are taking.

  9. The sleep issues are interesting, but it does make me think Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which is compounded by everything else going on with your body. Add in the CPAP and it brings the sinusitis back into the equation because the machine itself can harbor a ton bacteria.

Looking for answers, you need a team of doctors who can apply a holistic approach to diagnosing and treating your condition.

I would want answers to the following:

  1. What’s causing the sinusitis? Bacteria, Virus or Fungus

  2. How effective are the antibiotics? Are they the proper drug for the strain of bacteria present? Are they the proper drug at all?

  3. What’s up with your liver and what is causing the high bilirubin and low cholesterol? Both of these are functions of the liver and they are abnormal, thus it warrants further investigation.

  4. The sleep problems are interesting. I would look at adrenal fatigue which can be compounded by physical and psychological stress. Adrenal fatigue for athletes is caused by over reaching without proper recovery. We call it over training.

  5. Blood culture. I want to know if there is anything growing in there that shouldn’t be.

  6. Reevaluate your blood pressure. Your systolic is low. Why?

What I have mentioned is a short list of possibilities. There a ton of differential diagnosis for what you have described. In simple terms, there is a bunch of stuff to rule out in order to find the root cause of the problem.

In closing, you have been way more patient than me. I give myself one opportunity to figure out a medical condition and then I send it to a doctor. A doctor gets three strikes before I want the specialist. The specialists gets three strikes before I reach for the super stars . After that, it is a matter of continuing to be the squeaky wheel. Keep up the good fight and keep squeaking!

Be Well and Ride On!

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Good post!

I agree with you about liver problems, I’ve had a blood test (I’m not sure what it was a test for) but it said my liver was good.

My wife thinks I have kidney issues which would explain some of my issues. No doctor has looked into that.

I agree on adrenal fatigue too. I did less caffeine this spring but I should back off my daily use even more.

I’ll bring this list to my doctor.

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I did not read all the replies but does your CPAP have a humidifier?

Also have you tried
https://ubiome.com/
It may give you some more insight.

Hey @Nate_Pearson after skimming through everything above I definitely think you should look into some stool sampling to establish your current gut flora levels. Not only will they tell you about all the strains of bacteria you have but it will also identify toxins, and other parasites present.

I did this a little while ago and it makes a huge difference. A “Test don’t guess” mantra is always preferable and you can tailor make a solution for you.

It is a weird conversation to have but normalising poo talk would help so many people. It truly is a window into your health.

I am in Australia so can not recommend someone (in the USA) who is qualified to assist you in your quest. I see Steph Lowe https://thenaturalnutritionist.com.au/

I do all my appointments via Skype so it could work.

She may also be able to point you in the right direction of a local professional to help. If you get some bloods to focus on key markers such as HbA1c, Homocystine , MTHFR, C- Reactive Protein. They, combined with your stool sample results will give you a whole lot of information about where you are at.

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Have you thought of going to a Naturopath or another alternative health practioner? My wife had a very poor immune system that our NP helped her to rebuild. My wife was celiac and had a problem with low macrophages. There are so many possible issues. You need to get to the root cause. I think NPs are better at that than Drs.

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I’ve never sought out antibiotics for viral infections.

We did a test once to see if I could get over a sinus infection without antibiotics. I went three weeks with worsening systems and didn’t get out of bed. After that, I treated the infection with antibiotics and got better.

An immunologist and ENT have told me that I need them when I get an infection. I’ve had two tests that show I have a low immune system that is susceptible to upper respiratory infections.

I disagree that you that I’m an abuser.

I know, I just started these and I’m getting desperate :frowning:.

Yes it does. I’ll look into https://ubiome.com/ also. Thanks!

I’d like to exhaust traditional medicine before I go down that path.

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Thats an incredibly low AHI. I don’t know the numbers off the top of my head but I’m sure thats WELL within whats considered therapeutic. I’m sure you googled it but in case not central is where your brain basically forgets to tell you to breath while sleeping. I think that would likely manifest in your AHI though, but definitely still worth mentioning to your doc. Be sure to update us on the podcast I’d be really interested to hear how everything turns out.

Hope things work out for you. It sucks being sick all the time for sure and I know how frustrating/depressing it is when you cant figure out a path forward.

Certainly recurrent sinus infections often require antibiotics ( I dont think you are an abuser) but dont underestimate the effect antibiotics have on you gut flora (and potentially your overall health). My understanding is that it can take you gut bacteria 12 months to fully recover after a course of antibiotics.

Another left field suggestion is Lyme disease. I am not sure of the prevalence where you live, but here in the North East it is one of the first things most doctors would consider. Symptoms can be non specific and the current test in not particularly accurate unfortunately.

If none of this works, drink more Whiskey. I find that always helps :smile:
Craig

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