Feel absolutely miserable - ongoing nausea and diarrhoea for over 7 weeks

[CustardD123]

Hi, to keep this short:
Had nausea (low to mid level) and awful smelly diarrhoea starting just before the Easter bank holiday (no vomiting though)

Thought it was a bug and would naturally get better but it didn’t. After 2 weeks went to GP. They found slightly high calprotectin in stool sample (maybe normal due to ongoing diarrhoea) but bacterial culture came back clear for the germs they test for.

Bloods generally OK and negative for coeliac disease.

Yet it went on for another 2 weeks with no recovery. I also then noticed slight burning when urinating (and had slight flakes in my urine for quite some time) - I went to A&E and they did the urine dipstick test and found no infection (but it’s not the most accurate test and as I had cloudy urine, and was off on holiday soon they gave me a strong antibiotic for kidney (nitrofurotin - macroBD) to take twice a day.

After day 2 of this, my diarrhoea and nausea completely cleared up and I went on holiday that day abroad (In Europe though) and felt zero sickness or diarrhoea. I was completely fine for the whole 1 week (High appetite etc)

I was told I could stop the antibiotic 7 day course in 3 days if I felt better so I took it for 5.5 days.

Once I got back home, I was still tidally fine for 2 weeks and then had my period as usual but after that, on Monday, the nausea and awful diarrhoea is back :( after being fully OK for 3 weeks!

I don’t know what to do and it’s making me teary and losing the will to live :(

Could it still be something to do with kidney or even gallbladder or something at home or work which is continually giving me stomach bugs? The kidney specific antibiotic initially cleared it so assumed it was a kidney infection.

:( feel so helpless

& definitely NOT pregnant by the way

I would make an urgent appointment with your GP today.

You need to go back to GP.

As I had a mild UC incident a few years ago (never had it again), they seem rather focused on it being that but I never had even an ounce of nausea with that, and even back then, the endoscopy came back totally clear (so was diagnosed from a tiny biopsy sample) so they’re keen on re doing an endo but I feel too weak for that invasive test right now and especially because I know the symptoms are entirely different. I feel it’s more a kidney or gallbladder issue but if there’s not much pain, they seem less keen to believe that which is understandable but kidney issues and gallbladder issues do happen to people without any pain symptoms

Bump

Any blood in your poo? Did you have a colonoscopy? Push for more tests. Some gastric diseases are difficult to diagnose but you need to keep trying because treatment is easier if you catch it.

I'm not medical but I have a son with IBD. Your symptoms aren't like his were but I know how I had to push to get the doctor find a diagnosis.

Hi,
Thanks for the reply. No blood as far as I can tell and what I mention above regarding endo is a colonoscopy.

I’m thinking it might be kidney/gallbladder related as a kidney specific antibiotic cleared 5 weeks of nausea and diarrhoea within just 2 days! Yet 3 weeks later, it’s back :(

Or could it be h.pylori? Heard nausea is a symptom for this but not diarrhoea so not sure.

A friend had constant diarrhoea which slowly worsened and it turned out to be an e-coli infection, but they didn't pick that up until it was too late. Go back to your GP and ask for more tests.

Fact it cleared up on your holiday makes me wonder if it's something at home. Is your drinking water straight from the mains pipe or is it from a storage tank?

@mycatisblack ah sorry to hear that - what do you mean by "it was too late"..? They did do initial stool tests on me (one for faecal calprotectin and one for bacterial cultures). The bacterial cultures one tested my stool stample for a few different types of harmful bacteria (I think e.coli was one of them on the list and it came back negative) so I'm hoping it means I haven't got it but I don't how accurate the test is.

@1Raconteur Yeah I was thinking along the same lines as you but it's hard to correlate as when I went on holiday is the same time I started to take antibiotics so no idea if change of environment or the antibiotic itself "cured" it then, although even the day before flying off, I was already feeling recovered (I was on day 2 of antibiotics by then).... I am a bit paranoid it is something from either home or work though that triggers it but can't pinpoint what and this has never happened before. Usually I get a stomach bug the "normal" way i.e. diarrhea, nausea, vomitting etc. for a day or two and then it's over.. whereas this diarrhea and mild-mid level nausea (no vomitting) for several weeks is not something I've ever had.

Regarding the water, I'm actually not sure but I think from the mains..? I live with other people and everyone else seems OK and I mainly drink bottled water so not too sure really.