Diarrohoea on and off since the end of August HELP!

[PANCHEY]

I had a stomach upset at the end of August and since then have had diarrhoea on and off ever since. I have been to the doctor, provided a stool sample, which found nothing, and have also taken anti biotics. THese controlled it for a while and now it is back with bells on.

I have been back to the doctor and have now been referred to a gastroenterologist.

What ever could this be? I am miserable, have two chilren one at school half days and the other at home and I am not coping that well. Any ideas?

bump

do you have an appointment with the hospital? this needs to be checked out. Hope you'll be feeling better soon.

You'll need more tests done Panchey. I hope you don't end up suffering for years like I did/still am.

They may say it's IBS which a tummy upset unfortunately can trigger.

Best of luck x

could be change i gut bacteria that needs to be put back in balance but it needs to be investigate & you need to stay strong if people try to fob you off.

Could be a temporary lactose intolerance.

Hope the GE doctor can help.

get some movicol

why movicol? That is used for constipation.

Is that meant to be joke Ilovesprouts?

Hi Panchey,

Did you go abroad for your holidays this summer; I only ask that question as this started for you at the end of August. If you did go abroad you need to tell them where you travelled to. It may be that you have acquired a travel related stomach illness which may well take a lot to properly get rid of.

You should have further tests done as a matter of course. Have you any idea when you will be seen by the hospital specialist?.

my ds doc at cdu gave him some as he has probs will going to much to the loo eg poos wich hes had since may !!

could it be ibs.Not fun.need to check out wot would set it off.some times its an allergy to certain foods or too much fruit.x

hi ladys ignore my posts got hold of the wrong end of the stick sorry

Attilathehun, I did not go on holiday this year so its not that. I really hope that it is not IBS, mind you this is better than some of the e other things that it could be.

I am lucky enough to have access to private health care (DH just changed jobs and its one of the perks). I am hoping that this means that they will be very thorough. I am seeing someone on Thursday.

Its a nightmare though have to bung myself up with imodium to be able to sleep and to be able to do the school run. My DH is out 10 hours a day and its a bit desperate looking after the kids whilst managing this.

I am barely eating anything since am scared it will trigger more of the same. No lactose etc...Any other suggestions really welcome

What sort of antibiotics and why were you given them?

They were anti biotics that are normally given to people with persistent gastro-enteritis (sp). The argument was that the stomach upset I had was persisting and needed something to get rid of it.

Okay, well i'm coming at this without any extra info, ie I don't know what you were given - but I think you should go back and ask to be re tested.

It could be that the original cause was resolved and the symptoms you're getting now actually are caused by the anti biotics.

They should be testing you routinely if it's been going on for this long. it could be something like c-difficile which is extremely hard t get a positive test as the bacteria die within a couple hours at room temp. When you do your next sample, stick the bottle in a plastic bag, making sure it's hygienic of course and keep it in the fridge until you take it to the pathology department at your hospital. When you get there tell them to refrigerate it too.
Don't drop it off at the surgery to be collected from there, they won't have a fridge.

It might not be this but considering you were on antibiotics it does have to be ruled out.
Normal treatment would be metronidazole for 10 days. It can relapse, they';ll try something else if it does.

It's possible they already gave you metronidazole and that would have sorted it and this is a recurrence. iyswim.

Hopefully it isn't that as its quite nasty but anyway, DO go back as soon as you possibly can - tomorrow would be best.

Good luck.

It could also be post-infective IBS from the stomach upset you had initially - this is quite common, antibiotics are the LAST thing they should have given you without a specific bacterial result.

Doctors are bonkers sometimes.! You could also try some strong probiotics from a proper healthfood shop.

Hi it definitely was not metronidazole. I am rubbish not to remember which antibiotic it was.

I am going tomorrow to a gastro enterologist. I shall talk about the stool sample.

Just looked up antibiotics and it was ciprofloxacin

Could you recommend any strong probiotics Frrrightattendant?

Okay. on the probiotics front, an independant health food shop will be able to tell you the best. They might set you back around 10-15 quid but should actually help a bit.

The trouble is, this isn't going to work by itself. I had c-diff after taking cefalexin - very similar to cipro. These are 3rd generation cefalosporins and are on the higher risk list for giving people c diff. What happens is you take them for whatever infection, and they kill off everything in your gut - good and bad - apart from the really nasty ones called 'superbugs', and because there's no competition any more, these get nasty and start taking over.

You may not have c diff, it may just be extreme antibiotic related diarrhoea or something else entirely but the FOOL of a doctor who gave you the cipro, honestly knowledge on c diff among medics is appalling.
You need to be seen URGENTLY to rule this out. Get the blue bottle, get the sample in as quickly as possible after you've got it - straight to the path lab, as I said, not to the surgery - and they usually request 3 samples when it's suspected c diff, as it's so hard to get a positive.
Ring the surgery or go in for emergency appt this morning, ask for a stool sample bottle and form to go with it. Nobody should have diarrhoea for this long after antibiotics without it being tested for.
keep pestering them, because if it IS c diff it can actually get very serious indeed.
They should start you on metronidazole NOW as a precaution, for 10 days, get those samples in, and IF they come back as negative then you carry on with the appt with the gastroenterologist anyway. If it's positive, this person will be your friend - especially if it recurs, which is often does.

It's very hard to catch btw - bleach the loo after every use, keep the lid down to flush, and wash your hands REALLY well with soap for at least 30 seconds. Antibacterial stuff won't kill c diff so the only options are bleach or washing it off (don't bleach your hands)
When I had it no one else did. Just be thorough with hygiene.

I'm giving you all the info on c diff just in case, hopefully it isn't that but with a history of cipro you need to take it seriously and so do they.

Let us know how you get on - please go and get this sorted out today. my GP wasn't sure about it but as soon as results came back, he was on the phone to me panicking!

I'm OK now btw...it's not pleasant but the elderly are the ones most at risk.

Sorry, posting in a hurry! Glad you are seeing your consultant today. They will sort you out. They know about this stuff

Don't worry about probiotics yet but you can take them alongside the medication (if they give you any) and it will help your gut build up a good lot of bacteria again.

Frrrightattendant thank you. At my appointment I shall speak to the consultant about whether this is C Diff. I have started seeing another GP now rather than the one who prescribed the antibiotics. She did not repeat the antibiotics prescription and was obviously the one who referred me to a consultant. I shall update on this later. Obviously I just want this sorted out. My daughter's birthday in one week and her first half term holiday. If I can at least be on the mend. I expect am being too impatient.

If you are given something like metronidazole today, and start taking it, you will see a difference probably in the next 24-48 hours.

I was fine on it - it was when I stopped it, about 10 days later things went dodgy again (I wasn't even having diarrhoea - just a lot of discomfort and some bleeding, it can present in different ways). They put me on something else, then - this went on for a few months till it went away for good.

It was scary thinking it might never go away, that was the worst thing, but when Iw as on medication it was always better straight away.

Good luck - hope they can make you better very quickly.