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

[JackieOnLine]

my best guess is that there are multiple factors causing this - overuse of antibiotics, stronger antibiotics (because other bugs have become resistant to the older drugs), crappy American diet, who knows.

I think diet is a big part of it and another part, no idea how big, is everyone constantly using anti-bacterial soaps and cleaners and wipes and purell, etc. I mean, if you want to buy hand soap you have to go out of your way to find one that isn't antibacterial.

 

[Marquis Mark]

Good news. The last two days my poops have been DS normal. No Flagyl. Just took some extra PDF. Can C Diff clear up on its own?

 

[Larra]

So glad you are doing better! I've never heard of C diff clearing on its own. Did you get tested? Any results?
I think JackieOnLine makes a great point about the antibacterial products that are everywhere these days. They wipe out "good" bacteria and leave us vulnerable to the worst bugs. Especially C diff which isn't killed by many of these products, and which also has spores that can survive on virtually any surface for a long time.

 

[Marquis Mark]

So glad you are doing better! I've never heard of C diff clearing on its own. Did you get tested? Any results?
I think JackieOnLine makes a great point about the antibacterial products that are everywhere these days. They wipe out "good" bacteria and leave us vulnerable to the worst bugs. Especially C diff which isn't killed by many of these products, and which also has spores that can survive on virtually any surface for a long time.

Just got my C Diff result back --- negative. They also checked the following:

BUN
CBC
Creatinine
Electrolytes
Blood Lactic acid
Lipase
Liver function panel
White blood cell differential

Everything's in normal range or just barely over/under.

But I still have diarrhea. It's really surprising because normally I take 4 stool softeners a day to counteract the 2800 mg/day of calcium, but now I don't even need one.

I'm waiting for an ovum/parasite stool test to come back, but, if it's not that, I don't know what it would be? My diet hasn't changed. This is very unusual. Any ideas?

 

[DianaCox]

I had something similar. Lots of antibiotics (including Flagyl at the end), Imodium, Metamucil, probiotics and after several weeks it gradually went away. All the tests came up negative, except my white count was high.

 

[Marquis Mark]

My white count was higher than usual, but still in the normal range. I just did that one 5 day course of Zithromax a while back. So you're recommending Imodium, Metamucil and extra probiotics? I don't think they'll give me Flagyl at this point.

 

[DianaCox]

Why not? DSers frequently need a round of Flagyl to get gut bacteria under control - SIBO.

 

[Marquis Mark]

Why not? DSers frequently need a round of Flagyl to get gut bacteria under control - SIBO.

Oh, didn't know that. Maybe I should ask for a Sibo test? Do you think this might go away on it's own? Or do you think Flagyl is the only way?

 

[DianaCox]

I'm not sure there's a SIBO test - I've just self-diagnosed based on symptoms. My PCP (and in this case, GI doc, because the PCP referred me to him after the first round of ABX didn't resolve the issue) trusts my knowledge. The GI doc prescribed a bit more Flagyl than I usually take, and it didn't work completely right away, but it helped and gradually resolved (I think about 2 weeks after the last dose). Ask for 250 mg x 3/day, 10-14 days. And don't drink alcohol - Flagyl acts like Antabuse.

 

[Marquis Mark]

Apparently there's a SIBO breath test. I'll ask about that. Not a drinker, do no worries there!

 

[Larra]

You're doing all the right things. Keep in mind that tests for C diff aren't 100% accurate. It's difficult to test for, that's how it got its name. So, if you do all of the above and still don't get better, talk with your pcp about being tested for C diff again.

 

[Marquis Mark]

You're doing all the right things. Keep in mind that tests for C diff aren't 100% accurate. It's difficult to test for, that's how it got its name. So, if you do all of the above and still don't get better, talk with your pcp about being tested for C diff again.

Thanks for that. I'll keep you posted as this is thrilling for you, I'm sure. I've taken a couple of Imodium and much better today. Without diarrhea, the gas seems better, too. Wonder why that is...

 

[Larra]

I'm breathless with anticipation.

 

[Marquis Mark]

I'm breathless with anticipation.

Well, Ovum and parasite tests came up negative, too. I seem to be back to fairly normal with the odd exception that I haven't needed any stool softeners since this all started. Usually, without them, it's pretty scary. Also, my calcium urine dropped a lot. It's just barely in low normal range now. It used to be very high even when I was taking a lot less calcium. No clue what's going on with me.

 

[Jacks39]

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!