Need Antibiotics?

[Jed]

Hi All,
I have a question but i have to set it up a bit before i ask it. I had double valve replacement back in the sumer of 2004. All was good until April 2006. I got endocarditas on my CarboMedics aortic valve and also in my right elbow. A rough time but i made it through. Before i got sick tis last time i used to teach Karate but now since then i don't but i am still around the school and the kids there. As most of you know kids are germ magnets and one of the kids came in with pink eye. Her Dr. said she wasn't contagious anymore but who knows. My question is with my history should i have some type of antibiotic that i could take if i cone in contact with a person that is either sick or if i think i am at risk for getting sick myself? Man i don't want to go through what i did again. 5 weeks in the hospital and almost getting my arm amputated and days away from getting aortic valve replacement surgery. Trying to avoid trouble in the future. Thanks in advance for your help, Jed

 

[Bina]

Hi Jed,
No, you should not be taking antibiotics unless you have reason to believe that you have already contracted something serious. Sometimes they do more harm than good, they wipe out good bacteria also, and can leave you quite sick and wiped out.
Your best bet is probably to take vitamins, eat well, rest, wash your hands as often as you can, and keep a good distance from those germy kids

 

[Natanni]

Hi Jed

My husband also had bacterial endocarditis due to strep viridans, although it is felt that it was not aquired via dental procedures or from anything in his mouth.

He was told after having endocarditis once, he will be even more likely to get it again, more so than someone with a bicuspid valve never having had it. He carries info card on what he needs to take preventative antibiotics for--basically any deep venous procedure lasting longer than 45 minutes, as well as invasive procedures. There is new research out now that preventative antibiotics may do no good, but a person having had endocarditis is unique and the Mayo firmly believes that they need to treated---so that is the info we follow. We have kids that have been sick, and my husband has not required meds. He has also had several colds etc, and no meds. A cat scratch required immediate antibiotics. Did your doctor give you any instructions on post endcarditis care?

 

[Bina]

Hi Jed,
Just to clarify.....my comment to you not needing antibiotics was to answer your question about being in contact with sick kids.

You will need to check with your docs if you require antibiotics for other situations and procedures.

 

[Jed]

Hi Bina and Natnanni,
Thanks for your info and input. My doctors didn't give me any instructions post endocarditas. I do get pre medicated before any dental work but that is about it. Just a quick note, I have had Hodgkins disease (a type of cancer) and when i was 14 i had my spleen taken out because they thought my cancer had spread there. Thankfully it hadn't but they told me i would be on penecillan the rest of my life. Well they eventually said i didn't need to take the meds anymore. I just got a pnumococal (sp) once a year. Well not having my spleen, a blood filter, i wonder if that might change my situation and my need. I don't want to take any more meds than i have to but i fear endocarditas. I am not going overboard or anything like that about endocarditas but my concern is there. Anyway thanks again, Jed

 

[SumoRunner]

Before the negative effects of over-prescribing antibiotics were realized - back in the 50s this was - I was placed on penicillin prophylaxis. At first, beginning in about 1957 through 60 I would get a monthly booster shot, then from 1960 to somewhere around 70 I had to take penicillin tablets twice a day.

I used to tell my doctor every year that something odd was happening whenever I would stop taking the pills. Teenagers are not always dependable about regular regimens like that, so from time to time I'd run out of pills and it would be a few days before I would get more. Or at times I'd be off on vacation and forget the pills or something like that.

Whenever I stopped taking them for even two days, I would get sick, very sick, high fever, bed-ridden sick. Back onto them again and all was well in a couple more days. This happened without fail but the doctor didn't know what to make of it.

It took the medical profession a long time to realize what was going on, how the drug resistant bugs would barely survive in your system, not quite strong enough to get you down, but just waiting the opportunity to strike. Now of course they know the cause of this which is why you should not take antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. And it turns out now that the original wonder drug, penicillin itself, is largely ineffective for anything any longer. I guess I was one of the breeding grounds for today's superbugs.

 

[Bina]

Jed, you may find some answers searching the internet for spleen specific issues.
We had a dog with aggressive cancer. First heart surgery was to remove a tumour on her atrium, a success. Her second surgery was to remove her spleen with a tumour, successful again. She functioned well without her spleen and no meds needed.
I hope you find your answers

 

[hensylee]

my ex had a splenectomy and no needed meds. Granddaughter was in car accident, ruptured hers, it was removed and needs no meds. Neither have gotten sick more often than they ever did.

Nurse cousin takes antibiotic every day because of a kidney problem and has taken it for years to prevent recurrence. I wonder if she needs it.

 

[Bina]

Ann, I believe the kidney problems are more likely to require antibiotics.
Sorry to bring up dogs again; but I had another dog who had a couple of bladder/kidney infections over the years, they were treated with antib. Then at the age of 11 he got another one, we gave antib and metacam, he did well, until meds were stopped.....then very ill again....restart meds, then improvement. A nasty cycle. We kept up the meds as long as we could.

 

[sue943]

Jed. Having two mechanical valves myself due to having endocarditis I can undersand your concern. Once you have had endocarditis once it is probably quite natural to feel as we do.

I am slightly confused as to how you can have endocarditis in your arm though, presumably it was some other infection in your arm which then caused endocarditis (which by its name, is a heart disease).

So far I have just had antibiotics when having dental treatment.