"anti-infective therapies" must be treatments for infections. You can have infections with bacteria - so antibiotics, or a virus - so anti-virals, or fungus - so anti-fungals etc. You have to know what's causing the infection and go from there. The most common treatment is antibiotics, because although viruses are thought to be behind many illnesses - we don't have very effective treatments for viruses. I wish we did. There's a lot more we have to learn.
Speaking of fibro, which I don't have (one of the few illnesses I don't have), it's very difficult to know for sure whether someone has it. And doctors don't have an easier time. The diagnosis is still mostly one of exclusion, meaning no other explanation can be found for your pain. If doing blood work, MRIs, spinal taps, x-rays, cultures, etc. nothing shows up that gives the doctor the criteria necessary for a known diagnosis, yet a patient has persistent pain in a predictable pattern and of a predictable type, then fibromyalgia is the diagnosis. It means pain in the muscle and/or connective fibers. People usually report that pain is worse with touch, and there is a great deal of the pain in the upper body - arms, neck, shoulders, and there usually isn't specific joint pain, swelling, redness, or heat in the area.
Of course there are exceptions, but those are some general statements about fibro. Doctors will often misdiagnose a number of autoimmune diseases as fibro before objective lab and imaging tests reveal the true diagnosis. One thing doctors can't do is know how we're feeling, and there are so many illnesses that don't have nice and neat diagnostic clues.
Hope you figure it out. Pain is always unpleasant. I have plenty of it and sympathize with you greatly. Jan
Hey you! Well I hope you are doing well...I of course haven't been here for a while but it's sooooo nice to know that there is always someone that I know to help out! Thank you!
Yes Mike, I have to agree..."anti-infective therapies"? What the heck is that?!!! As usual, a doctor is good enough to answer but we can't understand what he is trying to say! I looked back at some of his other answers to people...all his reponses contain a reference to "anti-infective therapies" with no further explanation.
Lisa...I haven't been having any spasm's anywhere else but the pain that I had was not like spasms at all. It was a slowly moving throbbing ache type pain that was slowly crawling throughout my body and it was not nice. I took some extra strength tylenol which eventually seemed to relieve it but then again, how do I know if it was the tylenol that helped? It slowly disappeared but I also spent the whole next day in my jammies sleeping on the couch. This is all so confusing! I will be sure to let you know if it happens again but in the meantime thank you for responding...both of you!
OMG Lisa...CA really isn't that far from Alberta is it?! hehe I would love nothing more than to come and have a try at em'!!!
Lots of Hugs,
Rena
Mike poses a good question re: "anti-infective therapies". None of what he mentions is easy to deal with. :(
It could be spasms,too. Maybe a trip to Dr. McDreamy, too? Hmm? Do you have spasms elsewhere? What do you take, if anything?
Gentle Hugs,
Lisa
P.S. I have some overwintering Steelhead in my local creek! :)
Hmmm..interesting. At the risk of sounding out to lunch...what exactly are anti-infective therapies?
I guess first you'd have to determine if you have a chronic infection of any type...or wait...maybe you should first look into fibro, then infections...or .. ohh..I'm getting confused. (no disrespect to Dr. Nicolson, who was kind enough to respond to your question)
Which brings me to my original thoughts to your post, a vist to your GP is in order, me thinks.
Mike
Hey Shell and Mike!
Well I put in a question to Dr. Garth Nicholson from the autoimmune forum and the following is what he answered:
Your pain sounds like fibromyalgia, and you should look into this. So, what possible linkage could there be between progressive MS, asthma, COPD and fibromyalgia?
One possible link is that all of these conditions show a very high prevalence of chronic infections. Let’s just consider one type of chronic infection (Since I know quite a bit about this infection, I will use it as an example, but it is only one example of the type of chronic infection(s) that could be at the bottom of your problems). For example, if we consider positive systemic Mycoplasma infections, fibromyalgia (~70%), progressive MS (~50%), asthma (~40%), and COPD (% not established, but significant)—all of these conditions show some evidence of chronic infection(s).
In our experience all of the infection-positive chronic illness patients benefited from anti-infective therapies. Thus this is something that you should look into.
Prof. Nicolson
What do you think my friends?
Rena
Rena Rena, I'm glad your feeling better!
If it was me, I'd get back in the shower and see if it happens again, I know, easy for me to say. If id does (I really hope not) I'd try to determine if it's the water pressure or the temperature.
I know a few people with fibro, but I just realised I really know very little about it. Sitting in a vehicle for a long time triggers pain in my sister in laws back and legs, which she atributes to her fibro.
I'm just babbling and not saying anything very useful, so I'll just close by saying I hope you figure this one out, and I hope it's not going to be an ongoing issue for you.
Take care,
Mike
Hey hun, I just don't know enough about fibro to speak to it, but it's definitely worth a re-check to see if that is the type of pain you are experiencing. A good thorough doc will be able to distinguish, like a pain doc willing to do a good physical? I just don't know.
I'm sorry you are hurting so badly. Can you sponge bath, and then the old head in the sink for hair? Just a thought. I dreaded the shower too during a drug allergic reaction, even the water lumped and swelled me up. So painful. Hey - on that thought, you haven't changed up any meds lately have you?
(((softer hugs)))
shell
Hey you two...I am really considering that this may be related to that horrible word "Fibromyalgia". The pain went throughout my body and today...a little sore but nothing like I had on Sunday night!
It wasn’t until about four o’clock on December 3rd that the pain began to subside and by about 8 p.m. the pain was pretty much gone.
I was tested for Fibromyalgia a few years back and I had 6 of the 18 tender spots that the doctor told me are indicative for Fibromyalgia. I had a throat biopsy done last year and the doctor that did the pre-op medical checked these spots again and he said I should be seen by a specialist because he said that I had a whole lot more than 6 tender spots. I just assumed he was in training but perhaps he was on to something??? I hope to he** that he was just a foolish doctor that didn't know what he was talking about! I do have a lot of the "18 areas" that the doctor's talk about...more than just the 6 I had in the past that's for sure!
All I know guys is that it hurt like he** and I don't know what brought it on and I am a little worried about getting in the shower again...but that's something that I can do nothing about I guess. I will let you know if I find out anything new...but what do you two think?
Hugs,
Rena
Rena
Hi Renna,
I really have no idea if this is MS related or not, but I agree with Shell, you need to ee your GP.
All the best
Mike
Hi Rena girl,
Is this in your joints of legs, hips, and limbs? Does it hurt to touch, or does it feel like it's on the inside? Asking because sure does sound non-MSish.
Makes me feel something else is going on with you ma lady.
It sounds horrible. If you feel no relief, i.e., if it's viral, etc. Get your fanny to your regular MD!
(((((((gentle hugs))))))
-shell