Slice of Chaotic Life

The daily life of a celibate middle-aged man.

Clindamycin day

Posted by Itlandm on April 22, 2012

Yesterday late in the afternoon was when I cracked my first capsule of Dalacin (clindamycin), a broad-spectrum antibiotic. The reason why I was prescribed this was that the infection had been inside the bone, and the bacteria that can lodge there are anaerobe (they do not need oxygen to live). Penicillin has little or no effect on these. On the other hand, clindamycin is a pretty extreme measure, as it kills pretty nearly every bacterium there is except hospital bacteria with resistence, and a few strange creatures like the infamous C. Difficile, destroyer of intestines.

So, a day and some hours later… nothing much has changed.  I still have a slight swelling. I wish I had taken pictures before the whole thing began so I could compare, but to me it looks like I have a small pouch on my right lower jaw as well, that is slightly larger than the left. But the difference is so small, I may need to ask a few coworkers whether they can see it or whether it is just a trick of my imagination. It certainly feels like there is a swelling, and it is periodically tender, but I have to wonder whether this is a sparrow I am hunting with a cannon.

My body temperature follows the usual curve, only a bit later in the days now that it is weekend. There are short periods of feeling cold and stiff and unwell, but no more than an hour or so. These seem to have no relation to when I take the antibiotic. Once the temperature reaches 37.5C, it stops and gradually slides back down over several hours.

My appetite is pretty much shot, but there is still no queasiness or diarrhea. I drink a probiotic milk drink with my clindamycin along with the requested amount of water, and a little yogurt. That is pretty much all I can get myself to eat. But that is the least of anyone’s worries, since I have enough fat to last me through weeks of undereating. While I am not technically overweight, I am much closer to that than to underweight. It feels strange to not spend a noticeable part of the weekend exercising, though. But one is not supposed to do that with an infection, I read once in my youth. Perhaps I should ask the universal wisdom of the Internet whether this still applies?

The Internet says yes, exercise diverts resources that your immune systems should have used, so take it easy. No need to stay in bed unless your body decides so on its own, but don’t challenge it in any way. Also: “I just had oral surgery for a bone graft about 7 weeks ago and found that the antibiotic, which was Clindamycin, made my muscle ache some” says one athlete. So, it might have limited itself.

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