…on our last episode.
I mentioned antibiotics… I underwent an extraordinarily intense, many weeks-long IV antibiotic regimen to address what was determined to be a Streptococcus anginosus infection.
What’s curious, I think, is that Strep-a is typically an ENT infection — it’s that “strep throat” thing. Same species of bacteria. And, yet, there it was having taken up residence in my liver. One might wonder, how in the world such a thing could get there. There aren’t many plausible vectors. But, there it was.
Nearing the end of the primary antibiotics — about two weeks worth — it dawned on me that I didn’t have migraines anymore.
The migraines had ceased.
The assorted and worsening symptoms of the prodrome with which I had endured for so many years. The classic “migraine” headache.
Gone.
Completely.
Now, about 18 months later, I haven’t had any recurrence of a migraine. I had also not been aware of until it was gone, that I had some abdominal discomfort — that I thought was just normal — for decades. Since as far back as 1988 or so.
Did the aggressive antibiotics put a stop to them? Scientifically, I’d say they didn’t. But looking back at all of the small, overlooked, issues that’d I’d become accustomed and desensitized to, I’m rather confident that there’s a solid link between them.
My experience is little more than a single data point — and a single data point does not a trend make.
But it’s interesting and something of a curiosity, to me, that the life-long recurrence of migraines completely ceased after the intense IV antibiotic put quite an abrupt halt to the unperceived Streptococcus anginosus infection.
Obviously, we can’t subject everyone with migraines to full-body CT scans in pursuit of zebras, treat the symptoms. But I think it would be interesting to investigate and observe the WBC trend is in those otherwise healthy patients who suffer from frequent migraines. But it wouldn’t be unreasonable to consider that an infection may be contributing.
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* A few days before posting this, I had shared this backstory tale with my physiologist. We both reviewed the abdominal CT scans from August 2018 and the scans captured on the date of the fall (December 2017). We’re in agreement that it’s simply inconclusive. The scans do not provide any visible indication of infection within any organs, liver or otherwise. Yes, the scans from 2018 absolutely make clear that there was a significant abscess. But from 2017, there wasn’t enough information to indicate “Yes, there is.” Nor “No, there isn’t”.
Further study is needed.
…🕸📜
the rest of me 