Abdominal pain, severe diarrhea after cycling 300 miles in 3 days. Can't eat or drink without pain.
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hello, I am worried about my significant other and some issues he has had for over a month. I'm not sure if anything is related but here it goes:
About a month ago he had really bad poison ivy on his legs, abdomen, arms neck etc. The poison ivy on his leg turned into a bad infection about the size of a dollar bill. The doctor put him on clindamycin (antibiotic), hydroxyzine hydrochloride (super antihistamine), dexamethasone (steroid) and silvadene (topical cream to heal the wound). During this time he developed bad heartburn and constipation and abdominal pain. He pushes himself really hard and did not let this stop him from cycling in 98 degree weather causing dehydration and heat exhaustion before a big event where he biked 300 miles in 3 days. During this time he struggled but made it through. On the last day when it was all over, he developed severe diarrhea and abdominal pain. That was 2-3 weeks ago. Since then he has frequent urgent bathroom breaks throughout the day and night. His stomach hurts to touch and most of the time he has severe abdominal pain after eating anything or even drinking small amounts of water. Sometimes his pain is ok and thinks maybe it is getting better, then it hits him again. Pain so bad he can't think straight and can't move. I convinced him finally to contact a doctor yesterday, he still wouldn't go in to physically see a doctor but instead called in a phone/e-visit. The doctor prescribed him a one week round of Ciprofloxacin hcl(antibiotic) and dicyclomine/Bentyl (gut antispasmotic). I know antibiotics take a while to work but thought the Bentyl would've helped his pain by now. He is in so much pain still and I got him to drink maybe 1/2 cup of water total last night with a very small amount of white rice. Every sip of water hurts him. He was putting off taking his medication this morning because he knew it would hurt. He was going to the bathroom constantly this morning but hasn't eaten much so there wasn't much to do. He considerable amount of weight (the lightest he has been in 4 years), about 12 pounds in the past month. I'm not sure how to help him other than continue to nag him to see a doctor in person. He thinks the first round of antibiotics messed him up and that he just needs time for his system to fix itself. He can't handle any pressure on his abdomen. I've never reached out to a forum for help but I am at a loss for how to help.
Thank you
0 likes, 4 replies
MAHowe
Posted
correction He has lost a considerable amount of weight in the past month, about 12 pounds
lester90053 MAHowe
Posted
Suggest he take a CT scan of the abdomen to pinpoint the problem.
pippa58442 MAHowe
Posted
Sometimes antibiotics can really upset your stomach because they strip out the good gut bacteria as well as the bad. Taking yoghurt or other probiotc foods after a course of antibiotics can help to replace this good bacteria.The infection itself may not have gone away completely either so he should really see his doctor for tests since his symptoms are so severe.
MAHowe
Posted
Thank you all for your input. He finally went to an urgent care who took bloodwork and sent him to the ER. We found out today that it is c difficile infection likely brought on by the first antibiotics and then coming in contact with c diff during the cycling event.