I'm Going Nuts

[Gspot]

I got the results of my broth culture. They found low numbers on entercocous(I am not sure if that is the correct spelling and right now I don't care). I called my urologist who was a little unsure of the test and the results. I decided I was going to get to the bottom of my symptoms and was not going to stop until I found an answer. I called every big hospital in my area and spoke to the doctor that headed their research labs. I explained my symptoms, told them that I recently had the broth culture and the gave the them the results. I asked about their knowledge of the broth culture and it's accuracy. Almost every doctor/microbiologist/pathologist brushed me off with the "I can't give medical advice" crap. Then there was the one. The only one who stepped out of his little world and actually asked me questions about symptoms and all the test I have had. I told him that my obgyn practiced at the hospital he worked in. He knew the doctor and said that if I was willing to give another urine culture he would be willing to meet me at my obgyn's office, personally pick it up and try to figure out what was wrong with me. I was sooooooo excited. Here is this doctor at one the best medical university hospital in the country who is willing to personally evaluate my urine. So I called by gyno and explained what was about to happen and even she could not believe this guy was willing to do all this. The morning of test he showed with several other doctors handed my gyno cultures and said "I also need two urethra cultures". He took everything said he would be in touch and walked out.
Two weeks later I called him to see if he had any results. He said my urethra cultures all came back normal. He ran my urine thru several methods including the broth but nothing would grow. One test did grow a very low number of a gram positive bacteria( the number was 800) but they were unable to identify it. He said they thought at first it was normal flora and waited to see if it would grow into normal flora BUT IT DID NOT. He said that
the labs was totally unable to identify this bacteria and that he was not going to continue examining it. He told me about a new urologist in the hospital and suggested that I make an appointment with her. I made an appointment and I'm going to have her call the lab doctor because it is so puzzeling to me that there is a bacteria they can't identify and they would just leave it alone. I'm suffering here and this could be the answer and this guy say's no futher evaluation. He also said that he found no entercocous which my broth culture from the first lab came back positive. I trust his finding a lot more than the first lab. SO anyway I am more frusterated and confused than ever and I want to cry. I am 31 and my life has been consumed by all this. I don't enjoy life anymore and I feel bad because my husband also has to deal with this. I was reading some bloggs about lyme and someone mentioned night sweats. I have had night sweats and occational lower back pain. Two months ago I started having headaches everyday and a blurry spot in my eye. I had a cat-scan and a very detailed eye exam and everything was normal. Then one day the headaches and the eye thing went away. Six months ago I developed a skin rash called pitariasis rosacia and apparently no one knows what causes it but I was told it will go away with sunlight exposure and it did but sometimes I get a little spot or two. Can someone with lyme give me feed back on these symptoms. I dont' have bladder pain just urgency/frequency and urethral sensitivity. Aound the time my bladder issues started two years ago I remember a black and purple bruise on my leg. I can't remember if the bruise was there before or after my bladder symptoms but I'm sure it was around the same time. I also remember that summer spending a couple days outside working on landscaping projects around the house. When I noticed the bruise I called my doctor and asked about spider or tick bite and she said I had nothing to worry about because a tick bite is never black and purple. Now I wish I made her look at it. I'm going to stop. Thanks for reading this. I guess I'm having a bad day.

[ICNDonna]

I think what he was telling you is that the bacteria count was so low that it wasn't identifiable --- and everyone has some bacteria. The result from the broth test may have been due to contamination of the sample since the doctor did specifically look for enterococcus and didn't find it.

It sounds like your problem may be IC. It may take a while to find effective treatments, but most of us do.

Sending encouraging hugs,
Donna

[mich2604]

Hello,

Im 31 too. I sent you a private message about lyme, let me know if you got it.

you could have lyme, the tests are horrible for it, and if you are sick or had it a long time your body stops making antibodies to it. It also compromises our immune systems and makes us more suseptable to thinks like UTI's and vaginal infections.

One of my main symptoms right now is bladder, but it wasnt always like that, and i havent found all that many with IC that started the way mine did that is why I think mine is bacterial.

I think that is great that the lab person wanted to help you so much, be very thankful he tried. If it is lyme you are dealing with , you cant culture the lyme bacteria, they havent found a medium on which it will grow.

there is a another urine culture you could have done with quest. its 3201, and it will show all counts of bacteria. I just had this done and it found some in my urine.

Oh and i also had that pitorisis rosea (spelling) when i was about 12.....i dont think they know how we get that or what it even is.

feel free to PM me.

[PlainJane]

gspot,

you need to break up your posts into shorter paragraphs. it's too hard to read like that. i can't read it the way it is now - i think you'd get more feedback with shorter paragraphs. i know that sounds nitpicking but it's prob. true.