are designed to kill most invaders that reach it. The few infectious ones that
are successful evolved ways to bypass the high acid content of the stomach.

However, when you artificially remove that acid, one is asking for trouble.
That is what is happening now. Consumption of acid lowering drugs is very high in this country, and often these are used when not needed.

Another issue is Cox-2. There was a study in 1999, which I posted at OBT and it is now lost in that crash, about the role of Cox-2 in the lining of the GI tract.
Cox-2 cytokines are important players in blocking hurtful substances from entering thru the GI mucosa. When blocked they cannot protect us from substances which are harmful. Cox-2 blockers are NSAIDs. I think the rapid rise in gluten intolerance has paralleled the use and OTC availability of this family of drugs. Steroids like Prednisone also block Cox-2.

I have not seen any studies showing that swallowing your mucous creates mimicry. However, using drugs in excess that block the body's natural healing could be a factor. 1) acid blocking drugs 2) NSAIDs, 3) steroids

I had some very bad sinus infections, at one time. It turned out they were from a dying tooth, the last upper molar on the left. The dentist had filled that tooth too deeply and the nerve was dying. The resulting infection never swelled the gum or tooth area, but drained into the sinus. The ENT I went to used to manually drain it (my son called it the snot sucker ) , and once he fixed the turbinate bones in the office so I could breathe better (my son had hit my face with his head when he was 3 accidently during his own outdoor injury and upset), and I had a few antibiotic courses. When I had the tooth root canaled all the infections stopped. Having a root perforate the sinus membrane is not common, but it does happen. I had a real nightmare with that issue, but at no time did my ENT propose more radical treatments. The dentist did comment that I had a very efficient immune system to handle all that.

There are a lot of things in your's and Glenn's post that tell me why I'm in this situation. My sinus's have been messed up for years due to chronic allergies. I've had surgery twice to drain them and as a result have huge pockets up there that collect the mucus. I have to take medicine constantly to get it to drain. But when this infection set in, it as it always does went instantly to my bronchial tubes. I seldom get anything but bronchial infections and the thick mucus caused by Sjogren's really gives me big problems with trying to get all of the cold, etc. broken up and coughed up. Sjogren's is a whole new world when trying to get mucus working right again.

Well, I'm headed for my cup of morning tea. oh, dlshaffer, thanks for the info on the socks.

Billye

literally! the poop outta me? Likens to the 'Wizard of Oz' 'Lions and tigers and bears...OH MY! Everything fungus, bacterial, viral...well -they are related, and probably more intimately than we want to know...but there are likely a whole stream of causes/effects chains thru the whole symptom dx. then further symtoms dx. aspects that only YOU Liza Jane can solve in the 'mystery of you'.
There are times when I feel we are a part of a neurological 'X-Files'. In that if the docs don't do the detective work....well, we have to. Thus resources such as the 'Lists'. The next step is to get lucky [VERY!] and have a doc or docs who are willing to explore the whole spectrum of variables. As things stand now, I suspect it is wholly contingent upon a patient's ability to convince any physician[s] to do the testing that should/could be done which could get answers promptly. As we all know, the neuro field has a distinct tendency to MOVE CAUTIOUSLY.. partly costs and partly well, mere caution. The variables are too diverse. Thus is the luck of the draw in getting a physician who is knowledgeable and willing to go to bat for a patient. Those with both geographic and the 'training' liabilities of those physicians available within their regional resources or insurance plans, makes this a really touchy issue at times.
I am getting the 'willies' as they say about the potential implications of sinus infections and issues to the overall picture. This whole aspect is scary, that it is totally overlooked in all diagnostic criteria scares me even more! I truly hope that YOU are getting somewhere on this. It could be new ground as they say? Or a 'GEE! I KNEW THAT!' sort of medical guru moment...? Interesting aspect. - j

It scares me too, and finding a doc who is curious about the cause of these problems, is not easy... LizaJane and Billye are both lucky, in that their doctors seem to be trying to stay on top of things...

I do think in Sjogren's though, that the thick mucus provides a breeding ground for no telling what. Look at what MrsD said they grew in their Microbiology lab and those students were healthy. This was not making the students sick, but the micro organisms were there. Probably what happens is that those of us with screwed up immune systems cannot handle the presence of stuff like this and we end up sick...

I don't know about the rest of you, but I think I am going to try and stay in much more this winter. I don't want to end up down with something nasty as a result of a sinus or bronchial infection. One of the major concerns is the fact I am on antibiotics so much...

Cathie

Sorry to pop in here after being gone for quite a while. Just have to mention again that stomach acid is soooo important, and it is very common for it to lessen as the decades pass (and rarely not too many decades), even if a person has not taken any acid reducers.

The more I have read, the more problems I believe are caused or exacerbated by low stomach acid. Consider betaine hcl and digestive enzymes?

rose

Just wanted to comment about Cipro.
Really strange stuff that can get your immunity to antibiotics on the hype.
My son (and a lot of other quadriplegics) has had to use it for UTI's, & the docs don't like to use it too much, because it'll make it kinda useless in the future, when/if it is needed again. Kinda overkill- strong stuff. Too much isn't good. Try to use alternatives, if possible- especially when using it IV.

Nide44 - totally agree on the Cipro - I was given it for surmised food poinsioning (turned out the tests were negative but they didnt want to wait for results) - it gave me C-difficile (man made infection which is basically bleeding colitis) - which took even more awful anti-b's to fight - Flagyl (which makes one feel completely awful and Vancomycin - taken orally - to try to kill the infection it caused (vanco is a "controlled anti-b" of last resort)... still took six months on and off of both drugs together to clobber the "man made" infection from the Cipro - lots of time in the hospital - and the loss of my sensory nerves... I will not touch anti-b's at this point unless I know there is definatey an infection......

If i could run i would run from that stuff,but I can't and it's given,to
far to many people .as are others,Anti..s I mean. Sue

mention and she did Vanco,my son's best friend is one of my Infec.Diease
Dr...We had a royal battle over that,he won it was pupped into me 3 hrs. .2
times a day...Well it did the job,on Marsa and my kidneys at time...They
are runnning around cleaning the very best hospitals...But what about
or nusing homes. I must take a break,it's warm but raining here in Mo.
Everything,rain,change of time throws me for a Sue

I've taken no action on the atypical mycobacteria, or acid fast bacilli which is in my sinuses. My doctor has recommended a quinolone nasal wash, as I can't and won't take Cipro. In addition he'd want augmentin, and one other I forgot. But things are still cooking at Mayo and Texas, and I'm not pushing this. I really don't want to.

On the other hand, I've posted that a month ago my cholesterol jumped to 350 with an LDL of 190. These are very high numbers. We thought it might be the Forteo I was on, but I'm off it a month, and my cholesterol is still very high.

My endocrinologist, yesterday, said I really should take Lipitor, and he understands about the neuropathy, and the neuropathy symptoms from Forteo. What he says is that at the first signal that my neuropathy is changing, I should stop. He says there's no way to know if it will hurt me without trying, and if I'm vigilant, I could stop right away. I haven't spoken to my neurologist or cardiologist about it yet, but my guess is they will agree.

Anyone have anything to offer on this? Mrs D?