Don't need antibiotics!

[HettyMeg]

I'm someone who has struggled with health anxiety in the past and still occasionally, but with a pre school aged child I've become used to being ill more regularly than I was a few years ago.

I have what I think is a chest infection currently, been coughing stuff up overnight and feel run down but no temperature, not dizzy, not wheezy, able to move around albeit been at home for days, cancelled plans & resting as much as possible.

I'm sick of people telling me I need antibiotics! I've had 2 relatives say to me more than once I need to get them. I'm only on about day five of this - I feel the body needs to be given a chance to recover first with rest, liquids, sleep etc without rushing to give antibiotics for what is most likely to be a virus!!

As someone who was ill with a major systemic infection a couple of years back that really required the antibiotics to get better, I don't take them lightly and think antibiotic resistance is something we should all be more worried about.

Unless you've seen a doctor, how do you know you don't need antibiotics?

you are fine and you probably don't need antibiotics. ignore your relatives.

I definitely wouldn't do anything differently to what you're doing, no need for the dr with those symptoms.

Well you’re obviously whinging about feeling rough to said relatives

so 🤐

Do you not have conversations with people in your life about how you're doing? I'm not whinging!

I sure do

but these two relatives have repeatedly told you to get antibiotics, which annoys you

but you have continued to raise with them, and they’ve continued to suggest

so stop talking about it. Again. With them

Are the relatives very close to you? Ie
partner and mother? Have you managed to work?

I'm going put this out here

I ignored a chest infection as I felt the same
Ended up in high dependency unit with sepsis, I have never felt so bad

I've just this morning finished a 3-day course of antibiotics for cystitis. Felt much better very quickly. They are amazing things. I NEVER get anything up with my water-works, ever, so I was concerned this could be a nasty variant if I didn't get on it quickly.
It's probably 8-9 years since I last took them, and that was for a sinus infection. That was another example of feeling 80% better within 12 hours.

If you feel like you don't need them, then don't take them. But there's also no need to be a martyr about it either. I can imagine you wafting around like a Victorian waif to your relatives. They're just either a) concerned about you, or b) bored of hearing you complain about it.

If you’ve had systemic infection your more likely to get it again.

Have you seen a doctor? If not how do you know you don't need antibiotics?