10 December, 2008

Mid-Week Rant

If you're not interested in reading a stream of consciousness selfish rant about things, then now would be a good time to go look at another website.

For those of you who are still reading, be warned. I'm grumpy for reasons that will soon be explained.

Now, as i have mentioned before, my TB meds are not screwing with my liver & my body is recovering. Also, after reading the loooooooooong list of side effects, i know that it's not messing with me in any other ways either.

However, there are a couple of HUGE minuses about taking this particular medication (Rifampin).

Firstly, you'd think that taking large amounts of antibiotics everyday would protect you from catching colds or otherwise getting sick.
Oh No. Nothing could be THAT simple. Apparently, my meds are anti-bacterial. Colds & flus and the like, are viral. Therefore, my antibiotics offer bugger all protection against anything else.
Not only that, my meds interfere with efficacy of a shit load of other medications - including a lot of pain killers & cold remedies.
So, not only can i catch a cold, i can't do anything about it. Am fighting a little one now - i refuse to let the bugger beat me... Just drinking buckets of green tea & trying to eat more fruit & veggies.

Secondly, my meds interfere with the efficacy of the pill.
I've been taking the pill for a few years now because don't want to spend 1 or 2 days every month curled up in a little ball of extreme agony.
When i started my TB meds, i stopped taking the pill. First month wasn't too bad at all & i was quietly optimistic that things wouldn't be too unbearable.
Ha!
A week and a half ago, i spent 4 hours throwing up & then 4 hours curled up in a ball of extreme pain.
Fun.
And there's more!!! My meds not only fuck with other meds, they screw with your menstrual cycle. And right now i am feeling severely PMSy; back ache, grumpiness, mood swings, nausea, hot flushes, food cravings - the whole whammy. It's been 11 days. Is my cycle going to be the shortest ever cycle known to woman? Can i at least get Guinness World Record for 'Woman with the Shortest Menstrual Cycle'?

And that is my rant.

If anyone has any suggestions about how to prevent colds or deal with them in a non-drug way, I'd be very grateful for any advice.
Also, any ways of regulating periods & PMS would also be much appreciated.
Please. Need all the help i can get.







9 days till Germany. Am getting so excited. Just wish everything could be in happier circumstances.

4 comments:

Kristen said...

For colds, chewable zinc helps if you take it when you feel symptoms coming on. Echinachea (tea or pills, but I like tea) can help boost your immune system as can various other herbs. A trip to the helth food store will help you find some that you like. If you are stuck with a cold, Pocari Sweat is nice and helps keep you hydrated.

For your PMS and period symptoms, I am sure you have tried exercise (hoop dance works wonders for cramps) and soothing warm baths. Journalling can help with the crankiness - just write it all out longhand until your hands cramp up and then burn it! Again there are some herbs that can help - look for teas called clever names like "wise woman." I find I sometimes get mid-cycle PMS symptoms, so maybe you are not going to have a two week cycle after all.

I hope you feel better and stay well!

Sandi said...

I was told I had to get off the pill at age 35, so I did, and I suffered for a bit through the 2 days per month of fetal-position and zombie-like attention to my duties as a housewife and mother. A few months ago, I had just about had it with that, so I got fitted with an IUD. It does mess with you a bit in the first 3 months, I've heard, and I have had a rather erratic schedule, but it's all been very light and, apart from a few initial days right after insertion, PAIN FREE. Look into it.

Colds? I've been fighting one for 2 weeks now. Hot toddies and tea, both with lots of honey. High vitamin C intake, toast with raw garlic and honey (it really is tasty, I swear), rinsing my sinuses with warm salt water. Hot showers. Rest when I can, under loads of blankets to try and sweat it out. The cold lingers, but it hasn't really taken me down.

Good luck.

j-ster said...

Speaking of IUDs, i have been organising getting a Mirena implanted. I dont know if its relevant really, but Mirena has a hormone that is released and only affects the local area. One of the side effects of this hormone is that blood doesnt form a layer, and you dont have periods.

Now im not mad on the idea of hormone control (i dont like how it makes me feel, I like my natural mild swings) im gonna be interested to see how this goes, but i cant help thinking, if you dont have periods then you wont get the pain and stress...

MissSin said...

Ladies - thank you for your helpful advice & recommendations.
The cold i was fighting exploded this week with a fever & blocked sinuses. But i sweated through it & have come through the other side (i think).
As for the menstrual things, think i am going to grin & bear it. will try & get myself to a good herbal shop whil i'm in england though. I've only got 2 more months of TB meds to go, so will go back on the PIll then. In the meantime, herbal is the way to go.

Again - thank you for sharing ;)