help please - should I go to ER?

[Stacia99]

I am shaky, weak, sweaty off and on, hot with flushed face off and on, and easily tired.  My left cheek and neck are a little painful and swollen.  I keep thinking this is an infection but I just finished Augmentin and my thermometer hasn't risen above 99.0 tonight.

History: About 2 months ago I got a sinus infection which I thought would go away on its own, but it didn't, so  3 weeks ago I got a round of Zithromax.  Felt worse on the Zithromax and had a 2nd round, this time augmentin, which just ended yesterday.  The weakness, shakiness, aches, etc. started when I was on Zithromax as did the left cheek and neck swelling.  The doctor said it was my eustachian tubes, but the pain radiates into my shoulder and down my back a little.  At first I thought the augmentin helped all this.  I'm pretty sure it DID help the sinus infection/congestion, but for the last few days the shakiness, leg weakness, and occasional hot and sweaty feeling has been back.  My left cheek and neck are a little swollen and feel sore, too, which started again last night.

The hot and shaky and weak thing is really bad tonight.  I can hardly do anything without getting shaky and sick.  It feels like when you have the flu and you're so sick you can barely do anything.  But unless my thermometer is broken, my temp hasn't gotten above 99.0.

But it's Saturday night and there's no where to go but the ER, and I don't know if I should.  I could really use some help figuring out what to do.

[geminigirl1963]

I'm glad you got some Gatorade and I hope it helps!  If you're still feeling bad, I would still suggest either a trip to the ER or at the very least a call/trip to your doctor tomorrow.  He/she should probably run some blood work to not only check your blood sugar levels (if you do make an appt with them, be sure not to eat/drink anything before you go just in case they do do bloodwork - it could throw off the blood sugar results) - but they also should check ALL your electrolytes and also check for signs of infection.  With the pain and swelling in your cheek and neck, it's quite possible that there is still infection there.  You may even want to ask for a referral to an ENT doc.

I really hope you feel better soon.

[Stacia99]

Geminigirl, thank you so much for your comment.  Later tonight I realized that the antibiotics and increased metformin have given me diarrhea for 2 solid weeks now -- after reading your comment, I'm almost certain I'm dehydrated.  I just got Gatorade and I already took a vitamin (2.5% of the daily value of potassium).  

[geminigirl1963]

If hypoglycemia is the problem from the metformin, it may take a little bit for your blood sugar to raise sufficiently enough to really start feeling better.  Because of the possibility of an acid problem, you want to stay away from acidic drinks such as OJ (which is something that normally would be good to help raise blood sugar), but may try drinking something like gatorade or even tea (decaffeinated only) with some sugar in it.  I'm suggesting the gatorade not only because of the sugar, but also because of the electrolytes - low potassium can also cause shakiness and weakness.  

It is possible to have an infection even without a noticeable rise in temperature, so I wouldn't rule that out either.  I would say by all means, if you don't feel any better, especially with the swelling/tenderness in your cheek and neck - that a trip to the ER wouldn't be out of the question.

I hope you feel better soon!

[Stacia99]

Thank you, Doctornee.  I am on metformin for PCOS and last week the dose was raised from 500 mg 2x/day to 3x/day, so between that and the antibiotics, my stomach might really be in bad shape.  Eating something didn't change anything, but I will see what happens with the antacids.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
There are two possibilities. One is hypoglycemia and the other is severe acidity (due to antibiotics). Both the conditions can cause you to feel shaky, flushed and weak. Eat something, take an antacid gel and Omeprazole and see if this helps. If it does not help, consult a doctor. Take care!