27F, 5'3'', 128 lbs before COVID. I got sick in Oct. 2023 with COVID and it was pretty rough for a day or two, but I recovered quickly with few side effects. This time around, it's been a 5 week ass kicking starting in early April of this year. It's been a slow recovery and I'm now fighting off a sinus infection. One thing I've noticed is that I've dropped nearly 7 lbs since I got sick. The first week or so, I didn't consume many calories, but as I've gotten better my appetite has returned and I don't feel as if my diet is too different from what it was pre-COVID. I also have not been exercising the way I did before getting sick. Of course, having the health anxiety that I do, I'm worried that it has nothing to do with COVID and might be related to something else? I've never lost weight this fast, even when dieting and exercising. Has anyone else experienced this? I am going in for my annual physical next week, so I'll be able to ask then, but for now I'd love to hear from anyone who has had a similar experience! Thanks!

34F, central NC area.
Hi! For about a month, I had this annoying, hacking cough and sinus congestion. Urgent care 1 said it was sinusitis: started amoxicillin and prednisone - this did nothing. Urgent care 2 a week later said it was acute cough and walking pneumonia: chest xray was clear, stopped amoxicillin, started doxycycline and tessalon - this did nothing either. A week after that, I finally got to my primary care dr: no idea what it is but did a nebulizer, prescribed Flonase 2x/day, Zyrtec, inhaler, and nebulizer at night.
None of these treatments worked either. My cough had become intermittent, and 5/12 (5 days after starting primary care’s Rx - today is 5/14), my sense of smell and taste left me. Dr told me to stop Flonase - 2 days later still no improvement. I have this weird phantom smell up in my nose that I can’t begin to describe but it’s gross. She offered no other advice or treatment - just to stop Flonase for a week.
Anyone else had this happen to them? I’ve never had allergies before and all these drugs were new to me besides the prednisone. I also restarted birth control while all of this was happening - but I’ve used that medication before without issue.
Send help because eating and life in general is depressing without smell and taste!
Edit to add: Covid tests were and have been negative.

Hi! For about a month, I had this annoying, hacking cough and sinus congestion. Urgent care 1 said it was sinusitis: started amoxicillin and prednisone - this did nothing. Urgent care 2 a week later said it was acute cough and walking pneumonia: chest xray was clear, stopped amoxicillin, started doxycycline and tessalon - this did nothing either. A week after that, I finally got to my primary care dr: no idea what it is but did a nebulizer, prescribed Flonase 2x/day, Zyrtec, inhaler, and nebulizer at night.
None of these treatments worked either. My cough had become intermittent, and 5/12 (5 days after starting primary care’s Rx - today is 5/14), my sense of smell and taste left me. Dr told me to stop Flonase - 2 days later still no improvement. I have this weird phantom smell up in my nose that I can’t begin to describe but it’s gross. She offered no other advice or treatment - just to stop Flonase.
Anyone else had this happen to them? I’ve never had allergies before and all these drugs were new to me besides the prednisone. I also restarted birth control while all of this was happening - but I’ve used that medication before without issue.
Send help because eating and life in general is depressing without smell and taste!
Edit to add: Covid tests were and have been negative.

Do I need to retest? Anxious
I had unprotected PIV (finishing inside) 6 months ago, I developed a sore throat 10 weeks after the encounter and went to urgent care where I got antibiotics and felt fine a few days after taking them. Then got a bf and we dated for 3 months and were unprotected PIV(finishing inside almost everytime) for that 3 months I was with him, I suffer from migraines already but 2 weeks after breaking up I developed everyday tension headaches and I was put on heavy headache medicine and we still haven’t got to the root cause of them. I did a full STD panel 72 days post any sexual contact which was also 202 days post the first unprotected encounter with the first guy as well. I did a 4th gen AG/AB blood draw from a vein through my hospital and it came back non reactive, my lab work is labeled “HIV antibody test” but once I click it, it is labeled all of that I stated earlier. It came back non reactive. Is this conclusive? Do I need to retest at all? I was negative for everything else as well, I feel my anxiety is just probably getting the best of me at this point cause drs ruled my sore throat as an ear infection draining and my tension headaches as most likely severe stress and sinusitis. If I would’ve gotten anything from the encounter 202 days ago, would it show by now? How about 72 days ago? My lab was quest diagnostics if that changes anything or if anyone knows anything, I was negative for everything else. I think I’m just really anxious cause some online forums say 90 days but others say 45.

I’ve been sick for 3 weeks on and off and it’s really starting to take a toll on my mental health. Any suggestions welcome.
Week 1 - high fever, 102 feeling overall crummy chills, super sore neck, ears popping etc
Week 2 - felt ok but ears still popping, very tired and stiff neck still
Week 3 - ears popping, 99 fever on and off, terrible sore throat, swollen grands, stiff neck, runny nose
What doctors have said Week 1 I didn’t see a doctor bc fever went away
End of week 2 doctor said maybe sinus infection but just take ibuprofen
Now at week 3 I am on my second day of a Z Pack but just still feel terrible, no energy
What could it be

I was diagnosed with C diff on Friday. I had been in the hospital a month before, in April, due to cellulitis that had developed into sepsis. I was there for three days. So I was in on super strong antibiotics for most of April. A couple weeks after I developed a bad sinus infection and took Augmentin. After the fourth day on it I noticed I began getting diarrhea and thought it was a side effect of the antibiotic or something I ate. It wasn’t until I started passing bloody mucus that I reached out to my GP and let him know about the diarrhea and bloody mucus. He ordered the two C Diff tests and the toxin came back undetermined but the PCR came back positive. He gave me vancomycin. Has anyone else experienced bloody mucus in their stool? I’m taking a probiotic but I’m going to add Florastor as well. I’m also getting bad night sweats but I’m not sure if that’s from the bacterial infection itself or the antibiotics. When I was on cefadroxil for the cellulitis it caused me to have a constant high body temperature, so I’m not sure if that’s what’s going on. I’m just scared of passing it to my family, we only have one bathroom and my mom is high risk since she has stage four pulmonary fibrosis. I put her and my husband on probiotics just to be safe. Neither have taken antibiotics recently. But most of all I’m scared to pass it to my toddler (21 months) but I got hope when I read on here that infants can’t get it due to their gut flora being different. I hope this applies to toddlers as well. It’s encouraging to read about people getting cured. It gives me hope.

I need the otolaryngology medical community’s help, as many physicians have been stumped by my situation. Admins, please read before deciding to delete. I am not a medical professional, but I possess a unique situation that cannot seem to be resolved by the medical professionals available to me. I am not sure how to phrase this without breaking the subreddit’s only rule, so I will try to express it in a manner oriented to my obsessive curiosity to understand my (undiagnosed) condition.
 
For starters, I have no credentials to confidently say anything I am about to; some of it may even be jargon or irrelevant, but I will try my best.
 
Eight years ago, I weighed around 285 lbs. I began an exercise routine that caused me to lose about 20 lbs within a short amount of time. During this period, I developed persistent discomfort in my left ear. I noticed the discomfort after visiting my aunt, where there was a 500’ elevation difference. When I came back home, my ear would not pop. Over the course of a week or so, the ear pressure eventually equalized, but everything sounded muffled.
 
This led me to my first ENT visit. The ENT didn’t really give me much time, and paired me with an audiologist who determined my hearing was perfect. After hearing the unfortunate news of no diagnosis, I asked why I have to pop my ears to hear consistently. I was brushed off and told to see a TMJ specialist. The TMJ specialist told me I’m fine.
 
This is where my independent research began. I determined that my “popping” was actually me forcibly equalizing the pressure in my Eustachian tube by repeatedly moving my jaw. I went to an in-network ENT. This ENT took offense to my self-diagnosis of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction (ETD) and told me my issues were allergy-related. I was referred to their allergy department and put on immunotherapy shots. After completing my treatment and reaching maintenance, my issue persisted.
 
Frustrated, I looked online for the highest-rated ENT in my state. This doctor did not accept my insurance, so I decided to pay out of pocket to get the issue resolved. This doctor’s niche was rhinoplasty, and he was the first (and so far last) to give me the time of day. He performed a nasal endoscopy and a CT scan of my sinuses. Both tests revealed nothing of use. He noted I have a slightly deviated septum, but not nearly enough to cause any of my symptoms. However, he did note the sinuses on the side where I’m experiencing discomfort were inflamed. His diagnosis was chronic sinusitis. I was prescribed Azelastine 0.1% (137 mcg) nasal spray (an antihistamine). I used this medication for about a year in conjunction with Flonase, but nothing changed.
 
Once again, I sought out a different ENT. This ENT also took offense to my description of symptoms because I used medical phrasing (ETD). After a brief consultation, I was told once again that my symptoms were allergy-related. I went back on allergy shots, reached maintenance, and once again the issue persisted.
 
At this point, I gave up and didn’t bother refilling my prescriptions or finishing my shot treatment. Over the course of a year or two, I developed a severe sinus infection that went several months untreated. It came to the point where I was unable to breathe out of my nose at all, affecting me to the point my family members became concerned, as now there were comorbidities (such as sleep apnea). I eventually saw a pulmonologist who made it clear I needed to see an ENT and get my sinus issues fixed.
 
Thinking that maybe if I stuck with the same ENT and followed the trial and error process, I went back to the last ENT I saw. I was diagnosed with a sinus infection and prescribed medication. For the first time in months, I was able to breathe again after excreting from my nose what looked like petrified mucus. With this small victory, I returned to the same ENT and expressed my frustrations. I passionately described the location of my discomfort and explained that I believe the Eustachian tube problems I’m having are not the issue but a symptom of something else. I explained that I feel a mass or some sort of inflammation in my throat and mentioned the inflammation found by the previous ENT who performed a nasal endoscopy.
 
That was a mistake. After expressing my frustrations, I was diagnosed with "globus hystericus." Initially excited to finally have an explanation and a treatment plan, I was disheartened when I was told he could no longer assist me and suggested involving different medical professionals. When I got home and googled my new diagnosis, I realized he was referring me to a psychologist. Needless to say, I didn’t return.
 
Unable to accept my new reality, I resorted to more independent research. Before I even say this, I want to strongly express how much this improved my symptoms. Mewing, changing my tongue posture, and stopping mouth breathing drastically improved my Eustachian tube pressure over the course of a year. Using a jaw exercisegum daily also significantly reduced my ear pressure issues. Although the discomfort was reduced, it was not fully resolved. Sometimes I’d use a massage gun on my jaw, chin, bridge of my nose, head, and neck, which helped with mucus and provided temporary relief, especially lower in my neck near my chests, this seems to what felt like drain mucus/fluid. I am 120% able to the breath better after, but the “mass” still felt present.
 
After a while, my circumstances relocated me to a different state, giving me a new opportunity to finally resolve this. I saw a new ENT, and I gave the full rundown of my symptoms and history. I mentioned every medical ailment, bad habit, and quirk I have ever experienced. I mentioned my frequent regurgitation from overeating, how sometimes ground beef or rice seems to get stuck somewhere in the back of my throat, how I sleep on the side where I’m having discomfort, and how I pick my nose in the morning. I also mentioned that I can feel when my ears are producing wax and can remove hot wax with a Q-tip in real-time. I mentioned having tubes as a kid (as I mentioned to every ENT). This ENT diagnosed my issue as being caused by the acid in my regurgitation irritating my sinuses. I was prescribed Omeprazole 40 mg. I took this for a while but realized it was a bandaid on a bigger issue. I needed to prioritize my weight and eating habits.
 
I eventually started measuring my portions and eating slowechewing my food better, which fully resolved the regurgitation issue. However, I still occasionally get food stuck somewhere in my throat and definitely stuck in my soft palate. I have had my tonsils and adenoids removed when I was a toddler, but I can’t help but wonder if something grew back and is trapping food (I assume this would show in a CT scan).
 
As of recently, my latest symptom is hairs coming from the back of my mouth. Initially, I thought they were beard hairs, but after the fifth or sixth time, I became fully certain that single strands of hair are coming from the side of my mouth where I’m experiencing discomfort. I can replicate this over a long period of repeatedly opening my jaw (like I have Tourette’s) in an effort to equalize the pressure in my ear. I did some research, and it sounds like it could be a million different things. So once again, I have an ENT appointment coming up.
 
Now we’re caught up. I started to about a year ago still use the nasal spray and Flonase daily, and I even have a tablespoon of raw local honey. I have ZERO allergies. My ear pressure has progressively gotten worse over the past month, with the frequency of hairs increasing due to my constant need to open and close my mouth for pressure relief. I am not sure what to even tell this new ENT. I need experts to help me navigate the landscape of this condition.

I had a sinus surgery (FESS) for allergic fungal sinusitis a few weeks ago.
I was told I had a severe amount of fungus removed and it deteriorated my bone in some areas. I do not want this to come back. Does anyone have any success stories with AFS being more mild after surgery, and what helps keep this fungus from coming back?
I have severe allergies and I live in AZ, which is why I am scared this infection will just reoccur. Right now I am doing sinus rinses with the Netipot, but I wanted other opinions. Thanks!

This is my first rodeo at 36 years old with no other known health problems. I have very bad hypochondriasis/health anxiety, and I’m not handling the diagnosis well. I was also going through a pretty bad mental health episode when it hit.
At first, I thought I was getting sick because I had a swollen lymph node and felt the pain on top of my head, around my ear, and behind my eye, like with a sinus infection. But the sensation in my scalp was the worst, which is unusual, and it was the left side only.
The doctor confirmed that the way the pain manifested is almost certainly shingles. Based on where the pain is the worst and where there might be little bumps creeping up, it looks like it’s going to be centered on my scalp. But the top of my forehead burns too.
I got on antivirals, and the doctor said it’s possible that this might even prevent the blisters from coming at all since we got it this early. But he said to watch out for it getting close to my eye or ear.
I’m honestly kind of petrified. If that happens, what can the ophthalmologist actually do? Are they just going to confirm that there are blisters on my cornea and say be careful?
Anything else is appreciated. I’m just panicking right now. From what I was reading, it sounds like above the neck is one of the worst places to get this.

Edit to add: No alcohol, no smoking. I do have hEDS and possibly MCAS in case that may be relevant.
Hello,
I had my furthest back upper molar pulled last week. It took two appointments because the root was touching my sinus cavity. It sounds like my sinus cavity is still intact but my dentist today (four days after final extraction appointment) told me I had dry socket after I came in suspecting an infection.
I could taste and feel a warm, nasty substance draining from my tooth starting Friday (10th) and started noticing a foul oder and taste in my mouth Saturday. Sunday I woke up with very severe flu-like symptoms (no fever but I was taking lots of OTC pain relievers that also combat fevers) and started getting concerned that this was an infection. My extraction site itself doesn’t hurt much. I have some ear and neck pain, and smiling or opening my mouth wide hurts but otherwise it’s just mildly achy, which is why I hadn’t suspected dry socket. I haven’t taken any pain relievers at all today (hoping to catch whether or not I have a fever) and there still hasn’t been much pain.
About an hour after they applied a dry socket “paste” I started to feel a little better, AND I’d been out of work for several days so I’m not sure how I could have gotten sick, so I’m wondering if it’s possible for dry socket to manifest like an illness rather than pain? Maybe my sickness is unrelated and I’m just lucky it doesn’t hurt as bad? I just wanted to get some other thoughts or experiences.

When I was younger, anti-biotics never did anything for me.
So I just roughed everything out. What’s the point of taking medicine that doesn’t work and might build a super bug?
The last time I remember taking antibiotics was at least 5-7 years ago, if not 7-10.
This year I finally had a sinus infection that walloped me. It wasn’t normally what I get. Huge blobs of yellow and darker yellow phlegm just kept coming. I’m talking about 8oz every 12 hours. It was unlike all the 100 other times I got sick and just waited it out.
Typically the phlegm changes color as I get better, less yellow and more white, but it just became darker and more yellow-green with time.
I went to the doctor and with the first dose of antibiotics I felt GREAT.
Ohhhhhhh, this is how amoxicillin is supposed to work. Finished my doses and am surprised that, shocked pika face, modern medicine does work.

34f US 5'4" 260lbs No health problems No medications
3 weeks ago I got sick with a sinus infection, it didn't go away, turned into an ear infection. Had 2 rounds of antibiotics, steroids, etc. Still have a lingering mucous cough. I asked my doctor for a chest xray- it was negative.
I found my pulse ox about 2 days ago & decided to check it. It's running 93-99. Most about 94/96 range. I feel better aside from the cough, I'd hate to see what it was when I actually was sick.
I checked it on my toe this evening & it stayed at 99. I just wonder if that's truly accurate.
I was negative for flu & covid as well. Is it normal to have a lower pulse ox after being sick?

I have been suffering chronic bacterial sinusitis for five months. Both maxillary sinuses are impacted. I have noticed that one cheek now looks and feels more swollen than the other. Is this consistent with chronic sinusitis or is it more likely to be something else? Is it possible that the infection is now expanding beyond the confines of the sinus cavity?

Sorry, big vent incoming. Just want to get it out somewhere.
Our house got the stomach bug last week. My daughter picked it up at a local mom get together (why do you go to those if you are/were just sick??? UGH) So it was 5 days of me, my husband and my toddler girl being sick with all the gross stuff. Luckily my husband and I got over the stomach things, but the diarrhea is lingering in my toddler (to my understanding this is relatively normal, but it still makes me anxious).
I hated those 5 days. I felt like crap, I felt bad for my sweet husband who felt like even worse crap and I still feel so bad for my little baby girl who is still dealing with stuff.
And just when my gut started feeling better I picked up a sore throat which luckily wasn’t strep, doc thought it was just something viral, but that quickly turned into laryngitis and now I’ve lost my voice and my nose is starting to get stuffed and I’m worried I have a sinus infection coming on. And oh yeah I’m 20 weeks pregnant 😭 (don’t worry I’ve been in touch with my medical provider this whole time and baby isn’t in any danger, it’s just a little icing on this cake of discomfort). And I’m only three days into this nose/throat thing, and it could easily last another week.
I just hate losing more sleep than I already am due to not being able to breathe + throat pain. I hate that I can’t communicate with my daughter or my husband. I hate not being able to swallow without pain. I hate that I feel like crap.
I realize I have a LOT to be thankful for, I just want to be back to my normal so I can be a happiebetter mom and wife.
So yeah, being sick with a sick toddler is definitely top 3 least favorite part about parenthood. It might take spot number one but I’m saving that for something worse that may come along 🙃

( I POSTED EARLIER BUT NOT SURE I DID IT RIGHT, TRYING Again) SOOOO let me start off with, the reason I'm confused is bc it doesn't make any sense. SO A Month ago I had a Retreat RC with a tooth on top ( endo did the retreat) then I had a tooth pulled that already had a root canal/crown just last week ( last Wednesday), it was also a back top tooth#2, I have been doing salt Walter rinses amd finished my Antibiotics on Saturday. ( it was my 3rd round of Abx my 1st round Amixocillin 7 days was 2 weeks before my Retreat bc my dentist said it may have been a sinus infection bc xrays showed NO INFECTION, went to Endo he started the Retreat with a drain and put Medicine in and sealed it up put me on my (2nd Round Antibiotics ) Keflex for 7 days, then 3 weeks later went back to finish up Retreat root canal, everything went awesome, but he let me know that my back top tooth #2 which had crown/rootcanal was loose and had a crack he could see on the x ray but I had already had a bad taste coming from it which I had already told my dentist, and he said it looked fine and it was probably from the one that was being retreated which he had said that it didn't have any infection ( it was infected based on what endo said, but My Dentist informed me that Endos can see more bc of their equipment, although my Dentist done a xRay that went all away around my head and he had stated he could see everything) so I had called my Dentist to make an appointment to have crown took off to look at it, but then with rge Money adding up so quickly I said let's pull it bc Endo said by what he saw it probably needed pulled and he was correct, it was decayed pretty bad, it's been less than a week it was pulled, but before they pulled it 4 days before I was put on a (3rd round of Abx Amoxicillin 9 days, [it was for 10 days but dropped my bottle and 3 of my pills got soaked] ) went had #2 extracted so far so good, THEN THIS MORNING HAPPENS!!!! Getting to my question, so sorry.
So I brushed my teeth and I have been noticing that bottom tooth # 30 which has also had a root canal with a crown just a couple years ago by my Dentist, has been sensitive and been told that is normal and since I have had the top extraction just 5 days ago I have noticed it is sore maybe from the pressure of biting on guaze trying to get bleeding to stop from the extraction ( I was bleeding for 8 Hrs pretty heavy)I'm not sure, ANYWAY then I noticed a hard Bump that was the color of my skin it was just a Hard bump with NO white on it like a pimple, but it was hard so I called my Dentist they said to come in at 12PM only 3 hrs away, so I was in the car before going in and I pulled the side of my mouth to look at it and pulled tight and then I tasted a salty taste,, ( the pressure from pulling the skin to look at it must have popped it) didn't see anything but BUMP GOT SMALLER, as I'm walking into my Dentist, x ray was done with a visual exam , ( no tapping of teeth or cold/hot sensitivity test just visual and xRay) was glaced at for maybe 10 seconds when I showed him where a very tiny bump remained (bc my dumb butt had to look at it and mess with it before he looked at it, so it popped amd went down quickly)and he gets up takes gloves off and said no sign of infection , so I asked what it was and the taste I explained to him once again, he said IDK I see nothing, he then says maybe a Mucosa Gland but not sure bc nothing is there, I asked if he could see where it was leaking, he said no signs of infection, I remind him I was told the same when I did have infection when he sentt me to the endo. So I felt embarrassed and so stupid and felt so small bc I felt he just didn't believe me bc his tone, didn't even explain anything to me, so abt 6 hrs later it's coming back slowly, amd I called my detist office again to let them know the bump is returning amd sometimes I taste a salty taste,the office staff called me back amd said he said he could put me on anorher round of antibiotics( 4th round) just in case it is an infection or gum boil, or it may just be a mucosa cyst ( i thought cyst didnt drain?)I reminded them I had just finished a 9 day ABX ( my 3rd round) not even 48 hrs ago, then I told her I wanted to ask him questions bc I never had a " Abcess/ Gum Boil/Mucosa Cyst, but he literally was in that room with me MAYBE 1.5 MINUTES, she asked me what would I need to know, I then changed the subject amd asked what should I do going foward, Their Amswer since I'm" denying" My 4th round of Antibiotics within a month and a half was to see if it keeps coming back, maybe wait a month or so, touch base if any significant change and go from there. I asked if maybe I should go to an oral surgeon for them to glance at it. I was told no , I couldn't get a referral let's just wait and see, I explained to them if IF it's an infection I would take my 4th round of Antibiotics but he said it wasn't an infection this morning , amd I asked twice as he was walking out if he was sure it wasn't t an infection, he stated NO It isn't, then while walking down the hall I asked him one more time if he was sure it wasn't an infection he said NO, if it was am abcess it would show up on xray. He then stated real loud NOTHING NOTHING Is there and IF something Appears call us, I felt so small. But I did call, and I still have NO ANSWERS after paying $110.00 today for NOTHING!!!! I also have Crohns so being on alot of Antibiotics cam really mess me up, amd ir it's truly not an infection you don't need an Antibiotic, or so I thought. So I said and explained all that, to ask, is it possible to have a "Gum boil" without any infection? The hard Bump is not right under tooth #30, it's more over we're #29 ( but #29 is gone just empty space) so it's way down on gums Like where your inside cheeks go down and meet ur gums, I hope I'm explaining that right, anyway again it's not right up under tooth #30 I would say if #29 was there it would be under that tooth all the way down past gums where gums meets ur cheeks. ( when I'm home I may be able to get a picture to explain better) but again #30 has been sore and hurting off and on since extraction again I thought it was from me bitting down on that guaze all those hrs, I had alot of pressure on them, but before that I had explained to them that it was sensitive to sweets, amd some colds was told it was normal, so again here are my questions!!
What could it be if it isn't infection?
Should I get a 2nd opinion?
If it's an abcess , are abcess hard to leak out, does it take alot to pop am abcess? ( again there was no white pimple looking bump or any blood or pus that leaked out it was just clear n salty, amd the color of bump was the color of my gums)?
How fast do abcess fill back up if it's an infection amd would it hurt and could u see where it leaked or popped fluid from? Would it look like a sore after it pops? ( mine hasn't filled all the way up as it was this morning but i can tell it's coming back, it's slow.
Should I take another 4th round of Antibiotics without knowing it's a true infection?
I have spent $2,800 in the past Month and half, and I'm so scared I'm gonna have to lose another tooth bc I can't afford another Retreat, and I'm scared my dentist doesn't really care or maybe just doesn't know, but being told to wait it out, if it's am abcess wouldn't that be dangerous? I hope I explained amd to anyone that cares to explain anything to me abt what you think my Dentist is thinking please explain to me bc I don't even know. All I l ow to do, is wait and see what happens. And was told to try to wait atleast a month. THANKS and GOD BLESS!!!!

Has anyone been put on doxycycline after retrieval? I was put on it for 5 days to prevent infection and now I’m dealing with horrible acid reflux from it. What can I do to make it go away? Do I just need to wait it out?

infection

27 y/o female with Lupus diagnosis I had a laparoscopy done on 5/2 for endometriosis. All was going pretty smoothly. On 5/7 I noticed the incision in my belly button wasn’t looking very pretty. 5/8 I woke up to blood all over my shirt and once that happened it went downhill very quickly. Went to the dermatologist (my surgeon was unavailable) and she did a culture and prescribed me Doxycycline 100mg 2x a day. 5/9 I went to the ER due to the severity of this infection’s progressive symptoms and the recommendation for IV antibiotics due to having Lupus. My HR while I was at the ER ranged from 102-160, never went under 100. I was prescribed Bactrim in addition to the Doxycycline and sent home. I took the antibiotics as told and it slowly seemed to be getting somewhat better other than feeling flu like symptoms and tachycardia on 5/10. I emailed my psychiatrist as he had made some changes to my medication recently and asked if that could cause these symptoms, the answer was no. On the night of 5/11 the tachycardia was very bad. I was finally able to fall asleep after several hours of my heart racing and chest pain. Yesterday, 5/12 I noticed the incision was oozing and began to feel sick again… flu like symptoms and tachycardia. The glue from the incision came off in the shower and it smelled terrible. This morning 5/13 I got my culture results back and the result was “Heavy growth of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa.” The surgeon is of no help, I will leave it at that. I called my PCP and he was able to see the culture report . He immediately got me on a new antibiotic, Cipro 2x a day for 10 days.
My question is, I had been recommended by 2 doctors to get IV antibiotics when this initially started. I am wondering if this is something I still might need to do? I did a little research on the bacteria but I don’t know what “heavy growth” means…does that mean the infection is more serious?
Any and all responses are very much appreciated.

27 y/o female with Lupus diagnosis I had a laparoscopy done on 5/2 for endometriosis. All was going pretty smoothly. On 5/7 I noticed the incision in my belly button wasn’t looking very pretty. 5/8 I woke up to blood all over my shirt and once that happened it went downhill very quickly. Went to the dermatologist (my surgeon was unavailable) and she did a culture and prescribed me Doxycycline 100mg 2x a day. 5/9 I went to the ER due to the severity of this infection’s progressive symptoms and the recommendation for IV antibiotics due to having Lupus. My HR while I was at the ER ranged from 102-160, never went under 100. I was prescribed Bactrim in addition to the Doxycycline and sent home. I took the antibiotics as told and it slowly seemed to be getting somewhat better other than feeling flu like symptoms and tachycardia on 5/10. I emailed my psychiatrist as he had made some changes to my medication recently and asked if that could cause these symptoms, the answer was no. On the night of 5/11 the tachycardia was very bad. I was finally able to fall asleep after several hours of my heart racing and chest pain. Yesterday, 5/12 I noticed the incision was oozing and began to feel sick again… flu like symptoms and tachycardia. The glue from the incision came off in the shower and it smelled terrible. This morning 5/13 I got my culture results back and the result was “Heavy growth of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa.” The surgeon is of no help, I will leave it at that. I called my PCP and he was able to see the culture report . He immediately got me on a new antibiotic, Cipro 2x a day for 10 days.
My question is, I had been recommended by 2 doctors to get IV antibiotics when this initially started. I am wondering if this is something I still might need to do? I did a little research on the bacteria but I don’t know what “heavy growth” means…does that mean the infection is more serious?
Any and all responses are very much appreciated.

Apologies for the long post but I'm pretty much over medical personnel at the moment and I'm frustrated. I've had a severe cough that began in December. I've had it at least once a month since then. By severe I mean I have random coughing fits that result in me either urinating on myself or vomiting on myself. Lately it's been both. Seems to be brought on by the slightest cold. I have a daughter in daycare so while illness is not uncommon, this is a bit extreme. It's normally coupled with a sinus infection.
I went to urgent care in December and was told to ride it out and given an updated inhaler script. I eventually got better.
It came back in February and to urgent care I went again. My primary has retired and I didn't have another lined up so Urgent Care seemed an ok choic. Left with a script for promethazine. Nearly finished the bottle before I got better.
It came back in March to which I called my doctor's office and got the first available doctor for a consult since I knew urgent care wasn't gonna do anything for me. We spoke over the phone and he said I likey had pertussis so he prescribed a steroid and antibiotic. Worked within a day. I was much better instantly so I finished the round and figured we were good to go.
April was a let down as the cough returned. I quickly emailed the doctor and requested the same treatment. I had refills for the steroid so I just refilled but I needed him to prescribe the antibiotic. He refused. He said he can't prescribe it when the symptoms haven't been present that long. Uhm, what do you mean?! You knew my history already? He repeatedly told me there was nothing we could do, that I could try the steroid alone but it probably wouldn't do anything. I told him I refused to believe that there was nothing we could do and there had to be something, especially considering the antibiotic worked so quickly last time. He REFUSED to assist further and suggested if my symptoms were that bad to go to the ER for a chest X-ray. Fine.
Went to the ER and got a chest X-ray. Was there for literally 1.5 hours and walked away with a $2500 bill, a clear X-ray and a script for Tessalon Perles, a recommendation for Mucinex D, and oh look, the SAME ANTIBIOTICS I ASKED THE PRIMARY FOR, WHO SAID HE COULDN'T GIVE THEM TO ME. They knew my script history and had zero problem giving me the antibiotic. The ER doctor even laughed when I told him the primary said I had pertussis. His diagnosis- bronchitis. Told me to follow up with said doctor. No thank you.
The cocktail of antibiotics, Mucinex D and Tessalon Perles seemed to do the trick. For a while.
It's now May and the cough is back full force and more violent than ever. But instead of multiple coughing fits throughout the day, I get a few really violent ones with both vomiting and peeing. So I got that going for me, which is nice.
I called a pulmonologist today to get an appointment. I figured I'd start there. When the medical assistant asked me why I'm seeing the doctor, I ran down a TLDR of the above and was so very delighted to hear her response of, “So a cough?” Yeah girl. Put down a cough. I corrected her- “A severe cough.” I doubt she added the adjective. The next available isn't for 2 months.
So here I sit, being asked to ride it out and ingesting a cocktail of Mucinex D and ibuprofen with a little snack of Tessalon Perles during bed time. I'm almost positive this is gonna cause some long term repercussions but I have a 1 year old, a husband and a job to think of today. I'm still blown away that when I brought this up to the primary, that he's telling me there nothing he can do when I'm telling him I get random coughing fits in the car while driving my toddler around, I get a “Sorry. Try the ER.”
As you can probably tell, I'm at a loss on what to do. When I think my cocktail is working, I'm reminded it's not. Any suggestions other than, see a pulmonologist, would be greatly appreciated. Any reassurance that the primary isn't a complete moron, also appreciated. I would hate to think that a doctor would be that careless for no reason.
TLDR: Intermittent (monthly) sever cough since December, accompanied by sinusitis, vomiting and incontinence. Antibiotics helps but Dr. won't prescribe more than one round. Currently taking Mucinex D, 400 ibuprofen and Tessalon Perles at night for sleep. Appt with pulmonologist in 2 months but what to do until then?
Thanks for reading.