Antibiotics

[[email protected]]

Talk to me about antibiotics, specifically the "Z pack." I woke up
with what feels like bronchitis (woe is me!!!) and suddenly my whole,
"I'm not going to take anything because it'll hurt the baby..."
attitude has turned into "Show me the drugs!" I'm looking forward to a
cocktail of the Z pack, Robitussin DM, and Tylenol, as soon as my
husband gets home from the pharmacy. When I told the nurse that I was
coughing up technicolor things, she said, "Those are the magic words
around here..." and promised to call it in.

I'm 17 weeks gestation today. My baby's not going to be born with fins
or something, right? I figure, the baby's hosed if I can't breathe,
anyway, and I'm definitely breathing shallowly (because it hurts to
breathe deeply, and it makes me cough), so we probably ought to take
something and get rid of this thing. And it always gets worse (I get
it every year around this time) so it's better to take something sooner
than later. I've tried in the past to just let it run its course, and
I ended up in bed for a week, unable to do anything but cough and moan.

To complicate matters, I have asthma, and this bronchitis that I get
usually causes asthma attacks. What do I do if that happens? Do I
need to go to the ER? I have albuterol, but sometimes I have to take
more than the recommended amount to get any relief.

I plan to ask my doctor all of this when I see him tomorrow (he's out
today) but you guys are every bit as smart as he is, so I figured I'd
ask here, too, so I don't have to lay awake and worry... Besides,
talking to you guys is way more fun that watching Jerry Springer and
other daytime entertainment options...

Thanks, in advance!
Amy

[Sue]

I can't help you with the antibiotic question, but my doctor did say the
plain Robitussin is what they recommend while pregnant. I hope you feel
better soon.
--
Sue (mom to three girls)

> wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> Talk to me about antibiotics, specifically the "Z pack." I woke up
> with what feels like bronchitis (woe is me!!!) and suddenly my whole,
> "I'm not going to take anything because it'll hurt the baby..."
> attitude has turned into "Show me the drugs!" I'm looking forward to a
> cocktail of the Z pack, Robitussin DM, and Tylenol, as soon as my
> husband gets home from the pharmacy. When I told the nurse that I was
> coughing up technicolor things, she said, "Those are the magic words
> around here..." and promised to call it in.
>
> I'm 17 weeks gestation today. My baby's not going to be born with fins
> or something, right? I figure, the baby's hosed if I can't breathe,
> anyway, and I'm definitely breathing shallowly (because it hurts to
> breathe deeply, and it makes me cough), so we probably ought to take
> something and get rid of this thing. And it always gets worse (I get
> it every year around this time) so it's better to take something sooner
> than later. I've tried in the past to just let it run its course, and
> I ended up in bed for a week, unable to do anything but cough and moan.
>
> To complicate matters, I have asthma, and this bronchitis that I get
> usually causes asthma attacks. What do I do if that happens? Do I
> need to go to the ER? I have albuterol, but sometimes I have to take
> more than the recommended amount to get any relief.
>
> I plan to ask my doctor all of this when I see him tomorrow (he's out
> today) but you guys are every bit as smart as he is, so I figured I'd
> ask here, too, so I don't have to lay awake and worry... Besides,
> talking to you guys is way more fun that watching Jerry Springer and
> other daytime entertainment options...
>
> Thanks, in advance!
> Amy
>

[carla]

On 9 Mar 2005 05:58:30 -0800, "
> wrote:

>
>Talk to me about antibiotics, specifically the "Z pack." I woke up
>with what feels like bronchitis (woe is me!!!) and suddenly my whole,
>"I'm not going to take anything because it'll hurt the baby..."
>attitude has turned into "Show me the drugs!" I'm looking forward to a
>cocktail of the Z pack, Robitussin DM, and Tylenol, as soon as my
>husband gets home from the pharmacy. When I told the nurse that I was
>coughing up technicolor things, she said, "Those are the magic words
>around here..." and promised to call it in.
I got a *rotten* sinus infection when I was at about 20 weeks and was
prescribed a Z-pak (the 5 day not the 3). I requested that particular
AB because I stink at taking ABs for a 10 day cycle and she said that
it was fine.

>I'm 17 weeks gestation today. My baby's not going to be born with fins
>or something, right?
Not because of the Z-pak...<wink>

>I figure, the baby's hosed if I can't breathe,
>anyway, and I'm definitely breathing shallowly (because it hurts to
>breathe deeply, and it makes me cough), so we probably ought to take
>something and get rid of this thing. And it always gets worse (I get
>it every year around this time) so it's better to take something sooner
>than later. I've tried in the past to just let it run its course, and
>I ended up in bed for a week, unable to do anything but cough and moan.
Are you coughing anything up (or blowing into a tissue) that isn't
clear or white-ish? I was coughing so hard that it made me throw up
-- and that went on pretty much till the day after I finished the ABs.

I'm sure it may have been better for the baby for me to have been more
of a trooper and just ride it out (if we're just talking chemically)
but the sleep deprivation, pain and stress it was causing could have
made *other things* a lot worse than a 5 day cycle of ABs IMO and
experience.


carla

[Melania]

wrote:
> Talk to me about antibiotics, specifically the "Z pack." I woke up
> with what feels like bronchitis (woe is me!!!) and suddenly my whole,
> "I'm not going to take anything because it'll hurt the baby..."
> attitude has turned into "Show me the drugs!" I'm looking forward to
a
> cocktail of the Z pack, Robitussin DM, and Tylenol, as soon as my
> husband gets home from the pharmacy. When I told the nurse that I
was
> coughing up technicolor things, she said, "Those are the magic words
> around here..." and promised to call it in.

What's a Z pack? I've had a sinus infection for two weeks now, and it's
not getting any better (might be getting worse). I've been treating it
with lots of fluids, as much sleep as I can get, Tylenol for the pain,
hot face cloths, saline nasal douches, hot herbal teas (camomile,
peppermint, ginger), dristan spray when it's really bad, and the
nasonex steroid spray that I'm already using for my "pregnancy
hayfever."

I see my doctor next Friday (in 9 days) and if the sinus infection
isn't better by then I'm praying for a round of antibiotics. The last
bad sinus infection I had, a year and a half ago, was less obvious
(plus I was taking OTC meds for it, which helped the symptoms but not
the cause) and I had it for almost 3 months before going on
antibiotics.

I figure I'm not doing my family any favours by being a sick and
increasingly unwieldy wife and mommy (although the baby is totally
oblivious, of course).

Melania
Mom to Joffre (Jan 11, 2003)
and #2 (edd May 21, 2005)

[[email protected]]

Sue wrote:
> I can't help you with the antibiotic question, but my doctor did say
the
> plain Robitussin is what they recommend while pregnant. I hope you
feel
> better soon.

Thanks! I'm doing a lot better, after gallons of hot tea and soup...

And thanks to Carla!! I always like to read those "I did it and
everything's fine" posts. I read the package insert, and it didn't
even have the standard, "If you're pregnant, talk to your doctor..."
warning (the one that everything but milk seems to have), so I felt
pretty good taking it.

Sinus infections are the devil's work.

I'm coughing in technicolor. Yellow/green and brown seem to be the
most common. The real problem is that right now it hurts so much to
cough, that I'm not really getting anything up. It's the opposite of
fun. At least I don't have to feel guilty about staying in bed all day
reading magazines.

Thanks for the help!
Amy

[[email protected]]

Melania wrote:

> What's a Z pack?

It's Zithromax. They come packaged in a cardboard sheet instead of a
bottle, for some odd reason. Looks like this:

http://www.lung.ca/drugs/images/respiratory/img000266b.jpg

....although there are different sorts.

> I've had a sinus infection for two weeks now, and it's
> not getting any better (might be getting worse).

Oh, my goodness! I think you need to call your doctor! If it's been
two weeks, you've got a hell of an infection going. Your body would've
fought it off by now if it could. There's no need to suffer this long
- and nine more days? A three week + sinus infection would kill me (or
I'd wish it would!!).

> The last
> bad sinus infection I had, a year and a half ago, was less obvious
> (plus I was taking OTC meds for it, which helped the symptoms but not
> the cause) and I had it for almost 3 months before going on
> antibiotics.

My head would explode. Call your doctor. I didn't even have to go in
- they just called in the prescription (although I've noticed that
they're really free with the drugs. In this case, it was to my
benefit).

I've known people who have had to have surgery for recurrent sinus
infections (my mother in law, and the husband of one of my friends).
My MIL is fine, but the friend's husband had to have his removed, which
screwed up the whole structure of his face. He looks as though his
cheeks have caved in. My point is that you really need to take these
sorts of infections seriously!!

Two weeks, my mind boggles...

Amy

[Melania]

> > I've had a sinus infection for two weeks now, and it's
> > not getting any better (might be getting worse).
>
> Oh, my goodness! I think you need to call your doctor! If it's been
> two weeks, you've got a hell of an infection going. Your body
would've
> fought it off by now if it could. There's no need to suffer this
long
> - and nine more days? A three week + sinus infection would kill me
(or
> I'd wish it would!!).

Yeah, it's nasty. It's a classic "had a cold, got over the cold,
developed a sinus infection" scenario, too, so I already taxed my
immune system plenty just fighting the cold. Plus parenting a sick
toddler through his own cold, and being pregnant . . .
>
> > The last
> > bad sinus infection I had, a year and a half ago, was less obvious
> > (plus I was taking OTC meds for it, which helped the symptoms but
not
> > the cause) and I had it for almost 3 months before going on
> > antibiotics.
>
> My head would explode. Call your doctor. I didn't even have to go
in
> - they just called in the prescription (although I've noticed that
> they're really free with the drugs. In this case, it was to my
> benefit).

My doctor's really hesitant with the drugs, which I appreciate. But,
you're right, I should probably get in to see her sooner. I just take
this, "meh, I'm coping, what are they really going to do for it
anyway?" attitude. Especially because IIRC, sinus infections can be
very resistent to antibiotics.

But this business of lying on the couch or zombied out in front of the
computer for four hours a day should end. It's not doing ds any
favours, either (he's currently playing at a neighbour's, thank
heaven).

>
> I've known people who have had to have surgery for recurrent sinus
> infections (my mother in law, and the husband of one of my friends).
> My MIL is fine, but the friend's husband had to have his removed,
which
> screwed up the whole structure of his face. He looks as though his
> cheeks have caved in. My point is that you really need to take these
> sorts of infections seriously!!
>

Whoaaaah . . . 'kay, that's freaking me out a bit. I went through a
phase a year and a half ago where I was flying all the time and also
getting frequent colds, and I think something went sideways in my
sinuses. I'm now really prone to infection and where colds used to
predominantly effect my throat, now they target the sinuses every time.

Melania
Mom to Joffre (Jan 11, 2003)
and #2 (edd May 21, 2005)

[[email protected]]

Melania wrote:

> Yeah, it's nasty. It's a classic "had a cold, got over the cold,
> developed a sinus infection" scenario, too, so I already taxed my
> immune system plenty just fighting the cold. Plus parenting a sick
> toddler through his own cold, and being pregnant . . .

My colds always start out as colds, then turn into sinus infections,
then turn into bronchitis. I attribute it to being a smoker for 10
years. 'Course, I quit back in August, and here I am with bronchitis.
Bummer. It was weird, I skipped the cold and the sinus this time, and
it went straight to my lungs.

> My doctor's really hesitant with the drugs, which I appreciate. But,
> you're right, I should probably get in to see her sooner. I just take
> this, "meh, I'm coping, what are they really going to do for it
> anyway?" attitude. Especially because IIRC, sinus infections can be
> very resistent to antibiotics.

Yeah, they can, because they're nasty evil devil bugs...

> But this business of lying on the couch or zombied out in front of
the
> computer for four hours a day should end. It's not doing ds any
> favours, either (he's currently playing at a neighbour's, thank
> heaven).

I hear you. I'm really glad that my dog's still an only child for the
next 23 weeks - I'm not sure how I'd manage if I had a little one to
take care of while I felt this bad. It'll be interesting... I guess
I'll put my head down and do it, because I won't have a choice.

> Whoaaaah . . . 'kay, that's freaking me out a bit.

I should be specific - my MIL lives in Northwest Indiana, where there
is a lot of pollution from the steel mills. I think the pollution is
related to the number of people who get serious sinus problems. It's
probably not normal for other parts of the country. I know that if I
spend more than 2 or 3 days at home, I get one. Hers were extremely
chronic. I don't know much about the guy who had his removed, but I
suspect there were other underlying problems. I only wanted to freak
you out enough to get you to call the doctor!! :)

> I went through a
> phase a year and a half ago where I was flying all the time and also
> getting frequent colds, and I think something went sideways in my
> sinuses. I'm now really prone to infection and where colds used to
> predominantly effect my throat, now they target the sinuses every
time.

That's weird. My MIL swears by this stuff called Airborne.
http://www.drugstore.com/templates/brand/default.asp?brand=25867&aid=336064&aparam=xsp104172
She flies a lot too (as did the inventor) and was a teacher, and she
says that this stuff kept her from getting sick several times. It's
all herbal and stuff. I've not taken it, but my husband has. He says
it's pretty good. Just be really careful with the herbs while pregnant
- some of them have unintended side effects.

Back to bed for me...

Amy

[rangitotogirl]

> I plan to ask my doctor all of this when I see him tomorrow (he's out
> today) but you guys are every bit as smart as he is, so I figured I'd
> ask here, too, so I don't have to lay awake and worry... Besides,
> talking to you guys is way more fun that watching Jerry Springer and
> other daytime entertainment options...
>

I've just had bronchitis and the doctor prescribed axocillin. This is
supposed to be safe if you are pregnant. Unfortunately I had my first
reaction to an antibiotic and ended up covered in spots.

Robyn

EDD 15-11-2005

[Jenrose]

> wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> Talk to me about antibiotics, specifically the "Z pack." I woke up
> with what feels like bronchitis (woe is me!!!) and suddenly my whole,
> "I'm not going to take anything because it'll hurt the baby..."
> attitude has turned into "Show me the drugs!" I'm looking forward to a
> cocktail of the Z pack, Robitussin DM, and Tylenol, as soon as my
> husband gets home from the pharmacy. When I told the nurse that I was
> coughing up technicolor things, she said, "Those are the magic words
> around here..." and promised to call it in.
>
> I'm 17 weeks gestation today. My baby's not going to be born with fins
> or something, right?

I took a z-pack with the whooping cough at about 23-24 weeks. I've been
taking probiotics since, to help recolonize my gut. The prime concern with
antibiotics in pregnancy is that it increases the risk of allergies later
on...but probiotics tend to reduce it. I *had* to take the antibiotics...
and Robitussin DM for that matter--the other option would have been going to
the hospital for respiratory support I was so bad off.

You're past the first trimester, and Zithromycin is on the "okay" list for
pg anyway. I WOULD recommend that about two weeks from now, you start eating
yogurt with live cultures, and/or taking probiotics. Good advice even if you
didn't have antibiotics... and I've seen a LOT of mainstream docs
recommending probiotics (which are basically the same as the live active
cultures in yogurt) lately.

FWIW... you do need to make sure the yogurt has LIVE cultures. Frozen yogurt
usually doesn't, nor, I expect, does any yogurt which does not require
refrigeration, though as I can't eat dairy, I don't spend a lot of time
reading non-soy yogurt containers.

Jenrose

[Jenrose]

> I'm coughing in technicolor. Yellow/green and brown seem to be the
> most common. The real problem is that right now it hurts so much to
> cough, that I'm not really getting anything up. It's the opposite of
> fun. At least I don't have to feel guilty about staying in bed all day
> reading magazines.
>

BTW... I would STRONGLY recommend you try plain robitussin first... it
should make the cough easier and more productive, but you've GOT to get that
crud out of there. The only reason I took "DM" was because my cough was so
bad I couldn't stop coughing long enough to breathe, and later codeine
because I was trying to heal a broken rib.

Jenrose

[Jenrose]

"Melania" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> wrote:
>> Talk to me about antibiotics, specifically the "Z pack." I woke up
>> with what feels like bronchitis (woe is me!!!) and suddenly my whole,
>> "I'm not going to take anything because it'll hurt the baby..."
>> attitude has turned into "Show me the drugs!" I'm looking forward to
> a
>> cocktail of the Z pack, Robitussin DM, and Tylenol, as soon as my
>> husband gets home from the pharmacy. When I told the nurse that I
> was
>> coughing up technicolor things, she said, "Those are the magic words
>> around here..." and promised to call it in.
>
> What's a Z pack? I've had a sinus infection for two weeks now,

Here's the damned if you do, damned if you don't about infections in
pregnancy.

On the one hand, antibiotics can increase the risk of asthma and allergies
in the baby later...but I STRONGLY suspect it's for the same reason that
probiotics can possibly *decrease* the risk... thus, hopefully, taking
probiotics after the antibiotics should help offset that risk.

OTOH.... infections...any infections, even gingivitis and sinus infections,
can make the body more vulnerable to preterm labor. They suspect that a
sizeable percentage of "otherwise unexplained" preterm labor is caused by
infections elsewhere in the body.

If you've been sick for two weeks and are clearly not getting better on your
own, time to seriously consider getting antibiotics sooner than later.
Personally, I am glad that if I had to take abx, it was in the 2nd
trimester--gave me time to reestablish gut flora with probiotics and wasn't
so early that I worried much about teratogenic effects.

Jenrose

[Jenrose]

> My doctor's really hesitant with the drugs, which I appreciate. But,
> you're right, I should probably get in to see her sooner. I just take
> this, "meh, I'm coping, what are they really going to do for it
> anyway?" attitude. Especially because IIRC, sinus infections can be
> very resistent to antibiotics.
>

Mine were... until I refused to take amoxicillin, ceflex, or anything but a
Z-pac as my first attempt at getting rid of anything. I stopped having to
take multiple abx to deal with infections when I quit letting them fob off
the, "We think you're just viral, so we're going to give you the drugs all
the bugs are already resistant to" drugs on me. It took three separate
illnesses going through 3 drugs before z-pac turned me around in 12 hours or
less for me to persuade them that it was actually better to give me
something that worked, quickly, to kill off *everything*, rather than futz
around with the "wussier" drugs. I don't *like* taking a z-pac--it makes my
tummy hurt for the first dose. I don't do it very often. But by god, if I
have to take antibiotics, I do NOT want to take something that isn't going
to do the job quickly.

Jenrose

[[email protected]]

rangitotogirl wrote:

> I've just had bronchitis and the doctor prescribed axocillin. This
is
> supposed to be safe if you are pregnant. Unfortunately I had my
first
> reaction to an antibiotic and ended up covered in spots.

Oh no, you poor thing!! It's just the time of year to have colds and
sinus and bronchitis, isn't it? A few years ago my husband and I were
both sick over spring break - he had pneumonia and I had bronchitis.
Just like him to one-up me!!

Can you use Calamine lotion or something?

Speaking of side effects, I must have had a fever earlier... When I
got off the phone with the doctor's office, I thought, "Nuts, taking
antibiotics is going to give me a yeast infection and screw up my birth
control..." :) I'm not sure if I thought I could get MORE pregnant or
what!

Amy

[[email protected]]

Jenrose wrote:
> > I'm coughing in technicolor. Yellow/green and brown seem to be the
> > most common. The real problem is that right now it hurts so much
to
> > cough, that I'm not really getting anything up. It's the opposite
of
> > fun. At least I don't have to feel guilty about staying in bed all
day
> > reading magazines.
>
> BTW... I would STRONGLY recommend you try plain robitussin first...
it
> should make the cough easier and more productive, but you've GOT to
get that
> crud out of there. The only reason I took "DM" was because my cough
was so
> bad I couldn't stop coughing long enough to breathe, and later
codeine
> because I was trying to heal a broken rib.

I have both, so I will. I'm not sure what the difference is between
the plain and the DM... I haven't taken any, yet, because the coughing
has all but stopped. I still feel like crud, and I have a fever of
100.6. I'm stuffier in my head, too. Bleh...

Thanks for the advice, and the thing about yogurt. I was really good
about eating it early in the pregnancy, then I got lazy. I need to
start taking it again. It's hard, though, because I ***Hate*** it. I
can only eat it if I throw tons and tons of fresh fruit in it (a fruit
to yogurt ratio of 4 to 1 usually works). I guess that's not
necessarily a bad thing...

Amy

[Jenrose]

> Thanks for the advice, and the thing about yogurt. I was really good
> about eating it early in the pregnancy, then I got lazy. I need to
> start taking it again. It's hard, though, because I ***Hate*** it. I
> can only eat it if I throw tons and tons of fresh fruit in it (a fruit
> to yogurt ratio of 4 to 1 usually works). I guess that's not
> necessarily a bad thing...


In a bowl, I pour a bunch of Trader Joe's "Just the Clusters" Maple Pecan
granola... cut up a banana into it.. (now there's at least a cup and a half
of stuff in the bowl, if not closer to 2 cups)

Then I mix in a yogurt cup of Silk Apricot Mango soy yogurt and stir it up
well. It's actually pretty good.

You can also mix plain or vanilla yogurt 50/50 with milk and add Quik powder
to it... should cover up the taste nicely.

Jenrose

[carla]

On 9 Mar 2005 10:19:39 -0800, "
> wrote:

>I'm coughing in technicolor. Yellow/green and brown seem to be the
>most common.
Whoa...better be careful of the brown! After a few days of 'brown
spotted' (and very painful) ahem...phleghm, I finally figured out that
it was blood from coughing so hard! It's so weird -- that was the
worst sinus infection of my life and last time I have been sick at
all. My husband and son each have had 2 colds in the past 6 months
and not a sniffle or cough out of me. Which is rare for me since
pre-pregnancy I always got at least one bad SI per year. Now it's
like I'm super immune and my husband is suspicious as to why I'm the
only one not sick.

>At least I don't have to feel guilty about staying in bed all day
>reading magazines.
Oh I never felt too guilty about that :-o plus, you better do it as
much as you can before you know who arrives. I so miss being able to
sleep and wake at my own leisure and then closer to the end I loved
laying there and playing 'tag' or 'guess what body part I'm poking you
with' with the baby...sniff sniff, wipes tear.


Carla
Mom to Victor born 5.16.04
www.victorpictures.com <--See him here!

[[email protected]]

Jenrose wrote:

> In a bowl, I pour a bunch of Trader Joe's "Just the Clusters" Maple
Pecan
> granola... cut up a banana into it.. (now there's at least a cup and
a half
> of stuff in the bowl, if not closer to 2 cups)
>
> Then I mix in a yogurt cup of Silk Apricot Mango soy yogurt and stir
it up
> well. It's actually pretty good.
>
> You can also mix plain or vanilla yogurt 50/50 with milk and add Quik
powder
> to it... should cover up the taste nicely.

Those almost sound edible!!

I started a rumor that we were getting a Trader Joe's in my town. The
nearest one is about an hour away. They were revamping a strip mall,
and I said to someone, "Wouldn't it be cool if they put in a Trader
Joe's?" A few weeks later, it got back to me that they were putting in
a TJ's! I thought, "Wait a minute... I know this rumor!" I tracked
it down and it turns out that, indeed, the person I made the original
comment to speaks English as a second language, and it had gotten
mistranslated. Half of town was disappointed when they put in a
Goodwill instead. There were even nasty letters-to-the-editor in the
paper. Heee...

I really, really wish we had one here. I only get to the other one 4
times a year or so...

Thanks for the recipes!
Amy

[[email protected]]

carla wrote:
> On 9 Mar 2005 10:19:39 -0800, "
> > wrote:
>
> >I'm coughing in technicolor. Yellow/green and brown seem to be the
> >most common.

> Whoa...better be careful of the brown!

I know... When my husband had pneumonia, he had taken me to the doctor
for my bronchitis. I told the doctor that my phlegm was green, and he
said, "Well, at least it's not brown..." My husband pipes up, "Why do
you say that?" and the doctor says, "Well, brown usually means
pneumonia..."

My husband, who had formerly been all "I don't need to see the doctor,
I'm fine," and "It's just a cold," turned out to have walking
pneumonia. Good thing he waited in the examining room with me, or we
might not have found out!!

I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow, so hopefully he'll have a listen to my
chest. I don't feel wheezy (amazingly) so I'm hoping all is well.

> >At least I don't have to feel guilty about staying in bed all day
> >reading magazines.

> Oh I never felt too guilty about that :-o plus, you better do it as
> much as you can before you know who arrives. I so miss being able to
> sleep and wake at my own leisure and then closer to the end I loved
> laying there and playing 'tag' or 'guess what body part I'm poking
you
> with' with the baby...sniff sniff, wipes tear.

Sounds like you're ready for baby #2!! :)

Amy

[rangitotogirl]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> rangitotogirl wrote:
>
>> I've just had bronchitis and the doctor prescribed axocillin. This
> is
>> supposed to be safe if you are pregnant. Unfortunately I had my
> first
>> reaction to an antibiotic and ended up covered in spots.
>
> Oh no, you poor thing!! It's just the time of year to have colds and
> sinus and bronchitis, isn't it? A few years ago my husband and I were
> both sick over spring break - he had pneumonia and I had bronchitis.
> Just like him to one-up me!!
>
> Can you use Calamine lotion or something?
>

The spots pretty much disappeared by themselves after a couple of days and
they weren't that itchy so there was no real need for any treatment.

[[email protected]]

I have a sinus infection and because we are ttc my doctor perscribed
amoxicillan which she said is not as strong as what is usually used for
sinus and lung infections but it is safe for use during pregnancy.

Carolyn

[Jamie Clark]

Jen's recipe sounds yummy! I wanted to add that I'm a big fan of vanilla
yogurt, it tastes much better to me that regular or the fruit flavors.
Irelaly like to take a good crisp Fuji apple, cut it into chunks, and pour
the yogurt on top. Hmmm.
--

Jamie
Earth Angels:
Taylor Marlys, 1/3/03 -- Little Miss Manners, who says, "No skank you" and
"Tank you very much, momma."
Addison Grace, 9/30/04 -- The Prodigy, who can now roll over, and pull
herself to standing while holding onto someone's fingers!

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"Jenrose" > wrote in message
news:1110413463.db598b251b4f605340eb5b8af976d209@t eranews...
>
>
>> Thanks for the advice, and the thing about yogurt. I was really good
>> about eating it early in the pregnancy, then I got lazy. I need to
>> start taking it again. It's hard, though, because I ***Hate*** it. I
>> can only eat it if I throw tons and tons of fresh fruit in it (a fruit
>> to yogurt ratio of 4 to 1 usually works). I guess that's not
>> necessarily a bad thing...
>
>
> In a bowl, I pour a bunch of Trader Joe's "Just the Clusters" Maple Pecan
> granola... cut up a banana into it.. (now there's at least a cup and a
> half of stuff in the bowl, if not closer to 2 cups)
>
> Then I mix in a yogurt cup of Silk Apricot Mango soy yogurt and stir it up
> well. It's actually pretty good.
>
> You can also mix plain or vanilla yogurt 50/50 with milk and add Quik
> powder to it... should cover up the taste nicely.
>
> Jenrose
>

[Alice]

>
> If you've been sick for two weeks and are clearly not getting better on your
> own, time to seriously consider getting antibiotics sooner than later.
> Personally, I am glad that if I had to take abx, it was in the 2nd
> trimester--gave me time to reestablish gut flora with probiotics and wasn't
> so early that I worried much about teratogenic effects.
>
> Jenrose

Just an "short" notice:

I have previously posted a message regarding teratogenic effects, and
it looks like the embryo/fetus is more susceptible to teratogenic
exposure after the first trimester.

Here's exactly what I posted:

"Here's some info regarding the "technical" aspects of the placental
circulation. I discovered this info after a research I made because I
was concerned about my alcohol consumption during the 3rd week after
conception.
These findings (note: I'm not a doctor or an MD, I am not related by
any means to the medical profession)may imply that during the first
trimester the embryo is relatively protected, though this is by no
means a suggestion that alcohol may not be harmful to a fetus, this
message is just some "food for thought".

1."All of this activity, remodelling the maternal host's arterial
supply to the placenta, means that just a trickle of maternal blood
gets to the feto-maternal interface in the intervillous space for the
first three months of pregnancy. If everything is developing normally,
a transvaginal ultrasound will demonstrate an absence of flow through
the placenta in a healthy pregnancy. (Remember,you read it here. It's
the reason you can biopsy the placenta during chorionic villus
sampling, or CVS, without causing bleeding."

source: http://www.jansen.com.au/silver/ch_txt04.htm ]

2. "Histiotrophic nutrition may be advantageous to the fetus during
the first trimester as it provides nutrients under a low oxygen
concentration, so reducing the risk of free radical mediated damage
during the sensitive period of organogenesis. Once this is complete,
and fetal oxygen requirements rise, there is a transition to
haemotrophic nutrition at the start of the second trimester, when the
maternal placental circulation is fully established"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11312634&dopt=Abstract

Any opinions welcome."

Well, any opinions welcome

[Melania]

"Jenrose" > wrote in message news:<1110403207.56b62f2a3f252836da70766f4a061820@terane ws>...
> "Melania" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> >
> > wrote:
> >> Talk to me about antibiotics, specifically the "Z pack." I woke up
> >> with what feels like bronchitis (woe is me!!!) and suddenly my whole,
> >> "I'm not going to take anything because it'll hurt the baby..."
> >> attitude has turned into "Show me the drugs!" I'm looking forward to
> > a
> >> cocktail of the Z pack, Robitussin DM, and Tylenol, as soon as my
> >> husband gets home from the pharmacy. When I told the nurse that I
> > was
> >> coughing up technicolor things, she said, "Those are the magic words
> >> around here..." and promised to call it in.
> >
> > What's a Z pack? I've had a sinus infection for two weeks now,
>
> Here's the damned if you do, damned if you don't about infections in
> pregnancy.
>
> On the one hand, antibiotics can increase the risk of asthma and allergies
> in the baby later...but I STRONGLY suspect it's for the same reason that
> probiotics can possibly *decrease* the risk... thus, hopefully, taking
> probiotics after the antibiotics should help offset that risk.
>
> OTOH.... infections...any infections, even gingivitis and sinus infections,
> can make the body more vulnerable to preterm labor. They suspect that a
> sizeable percentage of "otherwise unexplained" preterm labor is caused by
> infections elsewhere in the body.
>
> If you've been sick for two weeks and are clearly not getting better on your
> own, time to seriously consider getting antibiotics sooner than later.
> Personally, I am glad that if I had to take abx, it was in the 2nd
> trimester--gave me time to reestablish gut flora with probiotics and wasn't
> so early that I worried much about teratogenic effects.
>
> Jenrose

Thanks, Jenrose. I should call the doctor today and see if they can
squeeze me in tomorrow. I know she won't just phone in a prescription,
but I need to do something. I've been taking active bacterial culture
whenever I suspect a yeast infection encroaching, and so far so good -
so I'll happily do that along with the antibiotics, when I get them!

Melania
Mom to Joffre (Jan 11, 2003)
and #2 (edd May 21, 2005)

[[email protected]]

Alice wrote:

> Just an "short" notice:
>
> I have previously posted a message regarding teratogenic effects, and
> it looks like the embryo/fetus is more susceptible to teratogenic
> exposure after the first trimester.

You're kind of half right and half wrong. There are different critical
periods, many of which are poorly defined, for different teratogens.
Some stuff is going to be a Very Big Deal during the first trimester
when everything's being formed. Other stuff is going to be a Very Big
Deal closer to birth. The two that come to mind are folic acid (not a
teratogen of course, but essential for neural tube development in the
first trimester, not as much of a big deal once the neural tube is done
forming), and chicken pox (not so big a deal in trimesters one and two,
but can be really bad for the baby if it happens close to birth. Same
with herpes, from what I understand).

You don't want to take something that's going to screw up the ears
during the week that the ears are developing, but that same something
might be no big deal during the week that the toes are forming. Does
that make sense? But since very few pregnant women are willing to line
up and be exposed to various badness, thereby putting their babies at
risk (in the name of science), most of the research is sketchy, or was
done on rats or bunnies, or is otherwise difficult to
interpret/transfer to human pregnancies.

So, the prevailing wisdom is to stay away from anything that could be
harmful at any time, unless it has been studied to death and proven
safe.

It's all about getting the best odds for yourself and your kid, and if
staying away from the litterbox and avoiding Retin-A like the plague
give me better odds, well, it's not so big a deal to do that for 9.5
months, right?

I wish I could cite any of this, but it's all sketchy info I retained
from my psychology of child development class at Purdue that I took a
few years ago.

Amy