The months of July and August pulled a fast one on me…the old bait-and-switch. Our family made it through the month of July relatively unscathed this year. Well, except for the Suburban. July has historically been our "bad luck" month, but the first of August hit me with several hard punches and hard they still are.
I have been diagnosed with diverticulitis, and if any of you have ever had this, you know it is far from fun. The restrictive diet, along with the antibiotics, in itself can be hard on a healthy body, and even more on one already weakened. If that was not enough, the CT scan to diagnose the diverticulitis found a suspicious “spot” on my left ovary, right near the diverticulitis. That of course, led to an ultrasound which confirmed a dermoid cyst, which is actually classified as a tumor (cystic teratoma). They are congenital, meaning I have had it my whole life. It most likely still is slow growing and benign. Of course, it will still have to come out, but there is no rush.
Now I know some of you are wondering if this is related to my Levaquin reaction. Well, the dermoid is definitely not, since it is congenital. The jury is still out about the diverticulitis. I do know it is often genetic, and it does run in my family. I also have a long history of digestive problems since my pre-teen years. However, after my adverse reaction, I feel everything about my digestion changed. It was not the same at all. Also, a previous colonoscopy pre-Levaquin showed nothing. There was no evidence of diverticulosis, the precursor to diverticulitis. So, I do feel I was more than likely “prone” to this based on my history and family history, but I also feel the changes caused by the Levaquin precipitated it.
For now I am on a very restrictive diet for the diverticulitis, and the antibiotics Bactrim and Flagyl. I fought hard against the Flagyl, since it is also known to cause severe side effects, and is contraindicated for those with Peripheral Neuropathy. However, I was not improving. So after many tears, I said a prayer and swallowed the pill down. So far, it has only mildly increased my PN symptoms. This has shown me that I can survive antibiotics post Levaquin. I am waiting to see my OB/GYN on how to proceed with the dermoid. I do not see him until late September. He more than likely would not be able to do anything about the growth anyway until I have healed from the diverticulitis, which usually takes 6-8 weeks.
On that note, I would like to put out a small request; I hope You are listening up there. Would September and October possibly be kind to me, because the July-August “bait-and switch” has just about done me in.
Thanks for reading.
