Holy crap...what was that?

[Maltipom]

I developed a bacterial stomach infection several weeks ago that knocked me flat. I was given a week of antibiotics that I finished last Thursday. Yesterday was the first day I started feeling human again. Has anyone else experienced this kind of kick in the butt with illnesses? A very long recovery and the step backwards with PD symptoms?

[Nivrac77--]

I have just 2 days ago contracted Montezuma’s revenge from just brushing my teeth with apparently contaminated water after our neighborhood had a water main break. I’ve found that any peripheral sickness or malady that one acquires that is not Parkinsons related has a potential reversal of any progress against PK symptoms you were making before the disease. Even a simple cold can reverse your efforts to treat the symptoms of this disease.

[Maltipom in reply to Nivrac77--]

Thank you for your reply. Though have subsided some, the return my Parkinson's symptoms have been the most frustrating part of coping with this illness. This was the first time for me having to deal with any type of illness since being diagnosed in 2016. I hope you're feeling better soon. Take care of yourself.

[Donzim]

PDers commonly get a kick in the face whenever they get illnesses which would not bother normal people. it does with the territory. stay out of places where you can get sick, use immune boosters like ThymoPlex, C, Echinacea and Goldenseal several times a day. even if the symptoms stop, do NOT stop taking them for a few days and when you do feel you are in a safe zone, just cut down...don't eliminate entirely or it will come rushing back. Usually, docs think in terms of antibiotics, not immune boosters but i have found that to be counterproductive. sometimes they are necessary but even when they are, they mess with your gut eco-system and you need to take probiotics.

[Maltipom in reply to Donzim]

Thank you for your response. I will pick up the immune boosters you have suggested. I had always heard that

pwp take longer to recover from everyday illnesses but had no idea what that meant until now. I will certainly be extra careful now because I don't want it again if I can prevent it. Thanks again.

[Donzim in reply to Maltipom]

yeah, and start taking them right away....wake up in the middle of the night to take them. every four hours. the general rule of thumb is frontload with double dose every four hours, then after a few days, taper off to single dose every four hours, then after symptoms have diminished, continue on for a while.....believe me, if you stop too early, it will come back with a vengeance! I've been doing this for years and don't even have PD. when i had a restaurant where people working in close, hot and humid conditions started to get sick, i paid for the combo for them and kept it in the kitchen. result: it worked on everyone except the head of the kitchen who was married to a nurse and didn't believe in supplements....he got sick all the time. haha,

oh, yes....i forgot zinc lozengers.....a prime thing. how could i forget....i must need something for memory. if you take too much, your mouth will taste like dirt. still, i include it with my combo. now i use the zinc spray oral and nasal when I fly....planes have to be a hotbed for germs. i'm not really a germophobe even tho i sound like one...i just don't like to get sick.

[Maltipom in reply to Donzim]

Thank you for the dosage info. I will be out tomorrow a.m. looking for your suggestions. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I'm a believer.

[Hidden in reply to Maltipom]

I think in the case of PWPs, bacterial infections in the gut can be even harsher because with the already disturbed gut microbiome, the digestive system in general is never or rarely operating very efficiently and this in turn can significantly slow the recovery process while potentially worsening PD symptoms through increased total inflammatory load and oxidative stress adding fuel to the PD fire. This is good reason to try and treat gut issues as quickly as possible before bacterial or viral pathogens can get a foot hold.

Art

[Maltipom in reply to Hidden]

I had read much on the topic of PD and the disturbed gut from many of you on this site before I was sick and now it makes total sense. Thank you for your response.

[Donzim in reply to Maltipom]

i agree....one day i think it will be discovered that almost everything starts in the gut and that PD will be a bacteria or virus which alters it significantly.