I am now half way through a course of antibiotics for the abscess inside my upper gum – nice – and I’m not enjoying it.

The abscess isn’t fun but then neither is the drug that was prescribed to get rid of it. The tablets are Metronidazole or Flagyl and, according to the leaflet, they are nitroimidazole antibiotics but that doesn’t mean much to me so I Googled it only to find that it is used for something disturbingly called anaerobic bacteria. Now, I’m no stranger to anaerobic exercise, the kind that leaves you sweating and panting after a lot of running around or jumping up and down, so I’m not sure how much I’m attracted to these energetic little bacteria treating my gums as their own private gym. Go away, OK.

This is my second course of antibiotics for this problem, the first a rather mild and much less invasive drug didn’t help and neither did the root canal filling at the dentist’s.

This time, with help from Metronidazole, I can tell that something is definitely happening to me. I feel dizzy, I have mouth ulcers and bad headaches, a revolting taste in my mouth, probably anaerobic bacteria sweat from the little creatures’ anaerobic classes, and a rash which luckily doesn’t show if I remember to wear clothes when going out. Oh yes, it hurts too.

It was encouraging to read that Metronidazole can also be used for certain infections in dogs and, presumably, wolves so it might just work this time.

It is also used to treat infected goldfish – I can understand that because I do feel a bit like a fish in a bowl – goggle-eyed and puffed cheeks.

It’s not all bad then and, if it doesn’t work, I will have the root canal filling removed and then I can start the whole process all over again.

Oh yes, I forgot to say, I’m not allowed to drink until twenty four hours after taking the last pill – now how stupid is that! You’d think if those clever scientists can put a man on the moon, they could invent a nitroimidazole antibiotic that has to be taken with gin and tonic.

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