Bacterial Endocarditis fear

[sue943]

Having had it once I am worried that I might get it again. With me I was ill for about ten days or so, no appetite, had shakes, exhaustion etc, then my appetite returned and I just felt off-colour for more than two months, then the vegetation broke off giving me the stroke, then I was unwell again with loss of appetite, shakes etc again. I guess that I am luckier than some of you, I am diabetic. What did happen is my blood sugar going skyhigh for the whole of that time, if that happens again I will be knocking on the hospital door!

 

[OldManEmu]

Endocarditis

Endocarditis

Kate I had sub acute endocarditis for 9 months before it was discovered. I was on and off antibiotics in this time. My first blood tests were 5 months after I first become ill and all they showed was an elevated white blood cell count and an increased CRP. I had more blood tests including a culture 3 months later and this showed the strep infection. By the time the results were back on the second test I had been on oral antibiotics for 4 days and the hospital I was admitted to, were never able to get a positive culture. The infectious diseases doctors advised me they like to do 2 blood tests a couple of days apart with no antibiotics in the intervening period, to be sure if it is endocarditis and not just a tainted culture as this is apparently not uncommon. I never had any vegetations show up on echo?s or TEE's however when my heart was operated on it had the worse complication of endocarditis the remains of 2 abscesses inside that had to be repaired. I am some what paranoid about a repeat of the whole endocarditis experience. Like you this southern Winter I have had a sore throat, sinus trouble and muscle aches with some sweating that wouldn't clear up after a month of antibiotics, so I went to the hospital and had blood tests and an echo. I came back OK however I think I may have had a bad reaction from one of the antibiotics as soon as I finished it I started to improve. I am now just stuck with the usual Spring pollen allergies.