I took antibiotics about two weeks ago to get rid of a sinus infection; it worked. It killed most of the bacteria in my body, then my husband got gastroenteritis (stomach flu). It didn't seem too bad, he was sick for about 10 hours and recovered for the most part in 24. Then I got the stomach flu and it kicked my butt. I was hold-up in the bathroom for 24 hours and writhing in pain. I was convinced that something more must be wrong since I was in so much pain. I tried to go to urgent care, but there was about 25 people in this dirty little room with plastic chairs and I decided I would rather go home and die then wait there. It started to get better that night and I was able to keep food down. It still took 2 days before I could stand without the black fuzzy dizziness that you get when you are super dehydrated.
So why was I hit so much harder than my husband? As you may have already guessed, antibiotics are the culprit. They can't distinguish between good bacteria and bad bacteria, so while traveling through my digestive tract they took out all of the good, healthy bacteria that keep things running smoothly. The hubs, unknowingly, passed the virus on to me and bahm! My system is without defense and tells my brain, we have no defenses here, just get rid of everything and brain does just that. The whole digestive system contracts and seizes until everything is out.
It takes the human body 18 months to regrow all of the good bacteria that are killed from taking one round of antibiotics. 18 months! Taking probiotics and eating foods with them, like yogurt, can help and I know I should have done that...too late now. Doctors should say that every time they write a script for antibiotics, "Take some probiotics with this and if you come in contact with the stomach flu you will feel like you are dying. Still want the antibiotics?" I officially declare antibiotics foe and I will try to take them only when necessary; no need to die from strep to prove a point.
