Having some issues down there. Need help/advice (caution: graphic)

[DianaCox]

You may need a course of Flagyl (metronidazole) and probiotics to get your guts back in order. ABX mess up the balance of gut bacteria.

 

[Jacks39]

Not sure my PCP would prescribe that for just symptoms but without a test result indicating the need. She’s very conservative. Maybe Dr. Rabkin would? I’ll email him and see what he says.

 

[Jacks39]

By the way I am taking 2 different Probiotics. Garden of Life Whole food probiotics with my morning vitamins and Florastar with my evening ones. I felt the combo was working well but I’m wondering if a different strain or type might be in order. Do our bodies get used to Probiotics?

 

[DianaCox]

Rabkin won’t write the script, but may write a note explaining to your PCP that DSers often need a course of Flagyl when gut issues get out of hand and diet doesn’t fix it.

 

[Jacks39]

Rabkin won’t write the script, but may write a note explaining to your PCP that DSers often need a course of Flagyl when gut issues get out of hand and diet doesn’t fix it.

Okay thanks, I’ll ask him about that.

 

[Marquis Mark]

Hey Marquis,
Checking in to see if you got a resolution with your tummy issues? I had cosmetic surgery about 4 weeks ago and took 10 days of Keflex antibiotic. The diarrhea has stopped but the gas from hell hasn’t . I’m 1.5 years out from my DS surgery and this is the first time I haven’t been able to control my tummy issues with proper low carb diet and probiotics. It’s so bad I may need a new mattress!! Warning to anyone thinking about a foam mattress, the hold fart odors!

Hi there,

Yes, it went as mysteriously as it came. My hunch is (and it's just a hunch) that my DS biosystem eventually recouped/repopulated from the antibiotics on it's own, but it was never a parasite or anything, it just threw my intestinal homeostasis off track -- but I really have no idea.

Since getting the DS my BMs have always gone through cycles even though my diet is fairly consistent. There are periods when I just have one giant BM a day (awesome, but rare), others when I'm going 5-6 times a day, but most days it's a big, fairly solid one, followed by two or three more 10 minutes apart getting looser and looser as they go. The gas also cycles in terms of volume and odor. I've been lucky so far -- 3.5 years and no accidents and I've managed to stay pretty incognito viv a vis farting.

Good Probiotics definitely seem to help with the odor, but sometimes I'll just have one of those days when it's horrendous.

My hunch is that you should increase your probiotics (like 100 billion a day) for about a week and see what happens. I tried that VSL #3 which is very expensive, but it did seem to help quickly. I think it has like 450 billion per packet.

Good luck!