How Life-Threatening Bacteria Leads to a Yummy Discovery
Three weeks ago, it all started off as an itch on my big toe. By the end of the evening, the tip of my foot was swollen. Then next morning, most of my foot was swollen. By the 3rd day, my foot felt just like I had sprained my ankle. And what's even weirder, the itchiness ran all the way up my leg. Just in case, I called our nurse hot-line where she asked me a series of questions:Nurse: "Is it red, swollen, tender, and warm?"
Me: "Yes."
Nurse: "Let me make sure - is it red, swollen, tender, and warm?"
Me: "Yes, that's describes my foot right now."
Nurse (seemingly alarmed): "You need to see a doctor within the next few hours, ok? You can't wait on this. Make sure you go right away."This isn't my foot, but it's about how it looked. Wearing shoes was a bit of a problem.
So it turns out I might have had a bout of cellulitis, which can apparently be life-threatening if untreated. Another doctor told me it resembles flesh-eating bacteria. It was never cultured and tested, so I'll never know. But whatever it was, I'm glad I got treated. A big antibiotic shot in my bum made me feel like I got kneed in the butt for the rest of that day. Plus, they put me on what felt like super potent antibiotics - 875 mg of amoxicillin and c___?__. Maybe some doctor (Dr. Chang, Dr. Chen??) can tell me what I was really taking. It was not kind on my bowels. I also felt nauseous and dizzy several times during the treatment.
Besides having my life rescued, the antibiotic also led to another fortunate event. I needed something to replenish the good bacteria (in my bowels). I thought of yogurt. Whenever I think of yogurt, I think of Australia's Ski yogurt. It's sooo yummy. To my dismay, I've never found anything like it here in the US. Well, Steph had just recently recommended Brown Cow's Cream Top whole milk yogurt for Taisei. I figured "Sure, why not get some for myself too." Hallelujah! The stuff is every bit as good as the Ski stuff! Wami and I went crazy because it happened to be on sale. If you like the Yoplait stuff, I recommend you try this. You might see what you've been missing. I don't think we can ever go back to the Yoplait and Dannon.
We cleaned out Wild Oats
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15 comment(s):
that was one nasty looking foot.
Do they have that Brown Cow stuff in CA? I don't like Yoplait (too sweet), but I like Adele's Yo-Baby yogurt.
By
Aaron and Emily, at
4/26/2007 10:05 PM
Augmentin = Amoxicillin + Clavulanic Acid
Usual side effect is diarrhea
How did you get cellulitis in the first place??
By
Anonymous, at
4/26/2007 10:23 PM
Am - yep, apparently it's nationwide. Here are some locations for you.
Thanks Dr. Chen - I didn't know you ever visited! Uh.. I'm not really sure. I have that nasty toe fungus and I also cut myself trimming toenails - maybe through one of those entryways?
Oh, I forgot to call for the attention of Dr. Chan as well, in addition to Dr. Chang and Dr. Chen. Seriously!
By
Jerin, at
4/26/2007 11:13 PM
Hm...sounds like a very fun week, first the swollen foot, then a shot in the bum, and then yogurt galore.. Gee don't get OD with the yogurt! you might have to get another DR visit for hyper-active syndrome. But you guys seem to be having eventful activities :)
By
ZhaoKids, at
5/01/2007 10:02 AM
try putting some unsweetened frozen berries in a good quality yogurt like that, like blueberries or raspberries or mixed (strawberries are too huge and frozen for this to work) and it tastes SOOOO good!
By
Michelle, at
5/02/2007 6:45 PM
btw while the changs were here, we read about your flesh-eaters, and we had to slightly guffaw/chuckle about the shot in the bum. not to get enjoyment out of your pain, but that was pretty funny...
By
Michelle, at
5/02/2007 6:47 PM
Nooo problem. I post here for your enjoyment and for my future posterity to know my pain. :)
By
Jerin, at
5/02/2007 11:08 PM
i'm with you, man, but not life-threatening bacteria...i have the vision-threatening kind. i've got bacterial conjunctivitis going on in, well, now both eyes, but much more apparent in one, the kaneyukis can attest that it looks like flesh-eating bacteria. big sore. yuck. i've had all kinds of antibiotics prescribed to me, starting with: erithromycin, vigamox, bacitracin, and now doxycycline and bactroban. yumyum
By
YourFriendMark, at
5/04/2007 5:00 PM
Just saw your toe (foot) problem. Hope you are fine now.
Dad
By
Anonymous, at
5/06/2007 6:35 AM
Geez Mark! You'd better eat some yogurt. You're system must be a big mess by now. Uh... so is this the same eye thing that you had ever since we saw you in March?
By
Jerin, at
5/07/2007 7:26 AM
wait...isn't this brown cow stuff terribly fattening? whole milk? tell me how many calories, fat grams, and carbs it has, and then maybe i'll try it. remember, i'm still a single gal, and in the words of my good friend Dane, "when you're selling the house, you gotta fix it up."
By
Twinkie, at
5/07/2007 11:29 AM
Hm... it might be fattening. In fact, that's how "brown cow" came up. Whole fat milk is best for babies and likewise for yogurt. So our friend recommended the fatty brown cow for Taisei. But for adults... that's another question I suppose. It sure tastes good though.
Oh, they have a non-cream top variety. Maybe that's less fatty?
By
Jerin, at
5/07/2007 12:05 PM
yep. same thing. just got worse. funny thing with the antibiotics they gave me...i can't take anything dairy within two hours of taking it. PLUS, just realized (eight days into taking the medicine) that i am allergic to what they prescribed me. i didn't have the anaphylactic shock that people usually describe as an "allergic reaction", but my body was itchy in random places and my face felt unusually fat (it usually feels fat typically after ice cream and pizza etc, that's different). so now i know how my allergic reaction feels.
kinda like the feelings of the Holy Ghost...different for everyone :) everything has a spiritual lesson!
By
YourFriendMark, at
5/10/2007 5:38 AM
wow, sounds pretty crazy. every now and then i wonder about stuff like that and whether i would get the same prescriptions/diagnosis out here. most of the doctors in hk are educated in australia (at least for the western folks) - i just found out though that it's an undergraduate degree??? =0
anyway hope you are better soon.
By
ricka, at
5/13/2007 7:39 AM
Yikes - undergrad degree? Is demand/training different b/c of the more socialist relationship medicine to government... or technically even communist in HK?
By
Jerin, at
5/14/2007 1:55 PM
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