Friday, August 24, 2012

Treat Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, more often called PID, is not a condition that should be ignored. The disease, which is usually contracted through sexual situations, calls for prompt medical attention. Sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea are responsible for the vast majority of PID cases diagnosed each year. However, these are not the only situations that may cause PID. Situations like childbirth or even abortion may also result in pelvic inflammatory disease. Left unchecked and untreated, pelvic inflammatory disease can be life-threatening.With treatment being of supreme import, one question remains: What type of treatment is likely to be prescribed? The answers are outlined in the steps below.


Instructions








Treat Pelvic Inflammatory Disease


1. Make note of your symptoms so that you can share them with your doctor during your initial appointment. If you are experiencing pelvic pain, you should see your gynecologist as quickly as possible.


2. Keep a record of your pain levels throughout a 24-hour-period (or less if you can get a quicker appointment). Rate your pain on a scale from one to 10, with one being minor and 10 being the worst pain you have ever felt. Chart any changes in pain level throughout the period of time recorded. Take this information, along with notes about any other symptoms, with you when you go to the doctor. This will help him or her to better understand what is going on in y our body.


3. Make an appointment with your gynecologist as soon as you suspect that you might be experiencing PID. Make a list of questions to ask him about your condition during the exam.


4. Submit to tests that can help diagnose PID. These will typically include a falloposcopy, a pelvic ultrasound, and/or an MRI. These days, most physicians will start with the falloposcopy because it gives them a good visual look at the condition of the fallopian tubes. Additional tests like a test of Venereal Disease and HIV may also be run. Additionally, it is possible that the physician will conduct a rapid plasma reagent test as well as blood work (for blood count purposes) and a urinalysis to rule out other possible problems like cystitis or pyelonephritis.One of more of these tests should help your physician make an accurate diagnosis concerning your condition.


5. Submit to hospitalization if the physician feels that it is required. In some instances, the doctor may hospitalize a patient for a full battery of tests. Women who are pregnant can expect to be hospitalized in order to protect the fetus during treatment. Other possible reasons for hospitalization include: an emergency situation; if the patient is not responding to oral antibiotics or cannot for some reason keep up with a routine oral regimen; if the patient is experiencing severe nausea, vomiting, and/or fever; or if the patient is diagnosed with a tubo-ovarian abscess.It is possible that out-patient care can also be arranged. However, it is important to listen to your physician with regard to which form of treatment might be best for you based on the seriousness of your condition. Fight with him or her on this issue could delay or derail your successful treatment.


6. Take the antibiotic regimen spelled out by the physician. There are several different types of antibiotics that have proven to be useful in curing PID. These include, but certainly aren't limited to: cephalosporins like cefoxitin or cefotetan; lincosamides such as clindamycin; pyridine carboxylic acid derivatives like ofloxacin; levofloxacin; and floxin.Cephalosporins help to manage infections caused by susceptible gram-positive cocci. Lincosamides are often used to treat tissue related staphylococcal infections. Ofloxacin is a with broad-spectrum antibiotic used to treat the bacteria of certain types of sexually transmitted diseases. Levofloxacin inhibits certain strains of bacterial DNA believed to contribute to PID. Floxin is one of the newest drugs to be approved by the FDA for direct treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease.


7. Submit to surgery if the PID found is sufficiently severe to warrant reconstruction of the fallopian tubes. This is particularly important for women of childbearing age who think they might want to have children in the future. Damaged fallopian tubes can make getting pregnant either very difficult or virtually impossible.


8. Once the pelvic inflammatory disease has been conquered, submit to routine tests at least once a year. These are necessary in order to make sure that the pelvic inflammatory disease has not gone dormant, waiting to strike again at the first possible opportunity or doing slow but steady damage to the body.


9. Follow all of the instructions outlined by your physician with regard to your continuing health.

Tags: pelvic inflammatory, fallopian tubes, pelvic inflammatory disease, your condition, your physician, inflammatory disease, inflammatory disease