Since I put out the call for home cures, and since some of you gave me great suggestions (both here and on the Facebook page), I thought I'd update you. It's not pretty. After days of trying just about everything - including steaming, neti potting, drinking apple cider vinegar (awesome), eating many cloves of raw garlic (more awesome still), pouring hydrogen peroxide in my ears, and drinking gallons of tea - I hit a wall. The pain in my ear and jaw was driving me batty. I called an urgent care place last night and practically begged them to a) tell me antibiotics wouldn't hurt my baby and b) prescribe them, right now, please.
The P.A. I saw was very nice and reassuring, and told me not to worry, that amoxcicilin is safe, especially in the second trimester. (Oh, my nurse/doctor/health care professional friends out there, I have lingering doubts. Was she right?) She also told me to take some Tylenol, which I did. Oh man. I'm not proud, but this morning I feel so much better.
It occurred to me last night that every post on Mothering discussion boards and other similar sources of hippie mama insight that I scoured in the early days of this infection told a similar story to this one: lists of all the fantastic natural home remedies various women tried ... before eventually heading to the doctor and taking antibiotics. It's a little discouraging. What are reasonable expectations for us to have of the healing powers of garlic, teas, essential oils...? Should we consider these things more preventive than curative? I suspect if I had been taking garlic the moment I felt a cold coming on, things might have turned out differently (garlic is the only thing that seemed to at least temporarily help with symptoms).
I'm so interested to hear your insights on this one. How do you think about health, prevention, and healing in your family, and the place of medicine in all of it?
7 comments:
well i may be slightly biased, being a doctor and all....but there are times that antibiotics are definitely OK. amoxicillin is fine, no worries. tylenol is, too. and while i think most of the time the natural remedies are well worth using as first-line, sometimes you need drugs! and it's not a failure! feel better, friend.
I would have done and tend to do a course of action very much the same as you....I'll try everything I can in our "home remedies" arsenal and see what changes come. But, when there is lingering illness and discomfort, I defer to the doctor and if needed- medication, and I feel gratitude, that just like the amazing wonders of garlic and applecider vinegar, that I have access to medication when we do indeed need it. Sounds like you listened to your intuition and your body, and that is probably the most important part! xo
happy healing!
Not a failure at all my dear! Thank goodness for antibiotics, and your baby will be just fine! Rest, rest and feel better!
Thanks all of you! I do feel grateful for the magic of antibiotics just now. I can't believe the difference I feel just two doses in.
I *also* feel grateful for knowledgeable and kind friends like you.
xo
I had to take antibiotics when I was pregnant with Tessa (Lyme disease bite) and it was fine. At that point I was more freaked out by the potential for Lyme disease than by the antibiotics though! :). So glad you are feeling better!!
You poor thing! I hate that late-night indecision about whether urgent care is warranted. So stressful. I'm glad you got the help you needed and you're feeling better.
xoxo
I had to take antibiotics in the fifth week of my pregnancy and my little chub is just fine! I've also taken them twice since she was born (for mastitis). I think the stress of feeling awful is worse for the babe than the antibiotics, for realz. It's good that you took them and are feeling better. Don't worry!
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