It has been said that "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." In my case, I was burning both ends of the candle and it finally caught up with me. That is, often, "we" tend to accomplish too much, spread ourselves too thin and as a result, hurt ourselves, physically, emotionally and mentally. We get ourselves "run-down"... and with a chronic illness, this is bad medicine.
We may need to "make changes" in order to be more productive presently and in future tense. The past eighteen months has landed me in the hospital on two occasions and to the doctors office no less than six times with "other" assorted illness.

In one word this means: Decay! It is an infection, contamination by an organism that enters the blood stream, and thus contaminates the entire body. The range of dysfunction that occurs with an infection is broad to say the least. The development of an infection depends upon exposure to that organism, and the degree of susceptibility, which is determined by the "effectiveness of the immune system." However, numerous factors influence the interaction between the microorganism (germ, agent) and the host and determine whether infection will occur.

Some of these factors involve the characteristics of the pathogen itself, whereas others involve the number of organisms (dose), the mechanisms of their entry and spread through the body, and the "resistance produced by the immune system." As I look back to the onset of my "sepsis" I learned some interesting things. I had had my teeth cleaned a few days earlier?

I was run-down. I had never had a problem after getting my teeth cleaned in the past. The "dose," there are many bacteria in the mouth, gums, oral cavity, and with a cleaning there are ruptured membranes that would allow possible infection to enter the blood stream. My immune system was also run down, the organism I contracted is often found in the mouth, the gut, and urinary tract amongst other places.

My point here: It may not be a bad idea to confer with ones MD and Dentist prior to any dental work, especially when dealing with a chronic illness such as Lyme Borreliosis! I also was on a medication that caused G.I. upset for high cholesterol. This irritated my stomach and bowel, thus another possible entry for infection, sepsis?

Infection refers to those diseases that produce dysfunction because of the presence of a living organism in or on the human body. The various microorganisms that cause infectious disease generally fall into seven categories. Within each group of organisms are those that always produce disease, those that live in the body for mutual benefit, and those that would cause disease if they were not controlled by the immune system.

Bacteria are unicellular organisms with a double cell membrane that protects them against many of the bodies defense mechanisms. Although they do not have a nucleus as human cells do, bacteria contain all the mechanisms required for maintaining life and for rapidly replicating themselves. They are called aerobic if they require oxygen and anaerobic if they survive only in an oxygen free environment.

Bacteria damage tissue by directly interfering with essential cell function or by the release of toxins that cause cell damage. In order for people to develop infection, they must come in contact with an infecting pathogen. Some pathogens are endogenous, that is, part of the patients normal flora. Now....when these normally harmless organisms escape the immune systems control or are transferred to another site because of lets say, surgery or other invasive procedures, they are capable of producing infection.

Those with PICCS, hep-locks, mid lines, central lines and even ports need to use aseptic technique "ALWAYS"! When showering or bathing, keep that dressing dry and if it gets wet, have it changed immediately!

Escherichia coli bacteria, are a major source of infection elsewhere in the body. Hand washing prior to infusions, dressing changes, flushes are imperative. While on the subject of washing, its a good idea to wash thoroughly, any and all fruit, vegetables, etc., from the market place prior to eating them, think about it!

Exogenous organisms are those that come from the environment, contaminated food, water, soil, air and animals. Hand washing is important! Gastroenteritis (AKA travelers diarrhea) are examples of infections obtained from contaminated food or water.

Dose! The number of organisms required to produce a disease varies widely. The larger the dose, the greater the risk of infection. Simply touching the end of a flush syringe and then flushing a line can introduce millions of bacteria directly into the blood stream resulting in serious infection. If in doubt, throw it out and use a new one.

For an invading pathogen to produce an infectious disease within the body, it must be able to overcome or bypass the general protective mechanisms that are part of the immune system. A peripheral and or central line provides a convenient entry site. Once inside the body, the organisms begin to produce rapidly. Because of the varying pathophysiologic processes of each pathogen and the fluctuating strength of peoples immunologic defense mechanisms, an infectious disease may take a variety of courses.

Once the organism has entered the body (incubation stage) symptoms usually appear. It can be a matter of minutes, to hours, to days, to weeks etc. Fever! head ache, muscle aches, chills, loss of appetite, and general loss of energy. These symptoms are clinical manifestations of the immune system's battle to control the organism. For ex. The fever is the result of interleukin-1 release by what are called macrophages, which changes the temperature , "set point" in the hypothalamus gland.

For the patient with a decreased appetite and decreased activity tolerance, small, frequent feedings may be better tolerated. Sleep and rest are mandatory! Hydration: The body needs fluid. Stay away from fluids containing caffeine as this is a diuretic and will cause the loss of fluid necessary to keep the body balanced.

Alcohol, will decrease the immune systems ability to fight disease, it will also act as a diuretic, and the loss of necessary fluids and may indeed nullify, certain antibiotic therapies, and may also interfere with other prescribed medications. In a nut shell, alcohol is your enemy! Always check with your Physician, Pharmacist about drug interactions, side affects, and O.T.C. drugs, that is Over The Counter medications.

Burning the candle at both ends will in the end catch up with you! As a result, you are setting yourself up for possible "serious" consequences! In closing, I wish all of you better health. Communicate with your Pharmacist/Physician and if there is a topic you would like to see addressed, please contact me directly @ borrelias@aol.com.

My best to all of you...Stephen