Rick - I didn't know that about antibiotics and leftover bacterial toxins.

18 months ago, because of an infected cat bite on my hand, I ended up in the hospital for three days on continuous IV drip antibiotics followed up by 3 more weeks on high-spectrum oral antibiotics, and did not experience any side effects. By the time I was able to start treatment, my hand was swollen to the size of a softball and I had red streaks radiating up the entire length of my arm.

Is the danger when the infection has gone untreated for a length of time, the placement of the infection (closer to the gut), or if you don't get all of the infection?

Just so that I don't sound like a complacent doofus letting the infection get so bad before treatment, the injury occurred a few hours before I left my house on the West coast to fly to Washington DC. By the time I landed, only 12 hours after the bite, my hand was totally swollen; I went directly from the airport to the emergency room; after 6 hours in the emergency room I was finally admitted and treatment was begun. By that time the infection was so bad that I was attracting medical students sent into see the "fabulous example of agressive infection," and photographs were taken for teaching purposes!

This occurred at George Washington University Medical Center in DC, where I was really impressed by their staff - when I told the night nurse I had PD, she said, "well then it's important you get your meds on the right schedule!" and she let me keep my own until the next morning when I was given theirs.