1. Community
  2. Gut, bowel and stomach
  3. Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Red sticks/really loose stools for a couple months after taking antibiotics

Posted , 3 users are following.

corey43406
corey43406

Hello all,

Lately I've been dealing with an assortment of digestive issues. I'm an 18 year old male, 5'3, 115lbs (gaining, not losing weight). Three weeks into my first semester of college, I was having some digestive issues in terms of it felt like I had to use the bathroom but anytime I'd try, nothing would come out or small amounts of feces(solid) would come out and some mucus. I went to the doctors and they did a liver blood test and took a stool sample, all checked out fine. A week or so later, I ended up being diagnosed with bronchitis and being put on a course of antibiotics to be taken twice a day.  A week or so after finishing the antibiotic, my stools were really loose and had red spots and red thin sticks in or near them. I told my doctor about this and they gave me a pancreas blood test and set me up with a GI doctor. I ended up getting a colonoscopy which detected some inflammation on my lower rectum that biopsies showed was not chronic(i don't remember what they told me it officially was other than to not worry about it). Now, lately, I've been still feeling pressure there, sometimes after peeing I need to wipe my butt as well and there will be some green liquid and there's still the red sticks when I poop. Also, my poop sometimes will come out different shades of brown on the same stool. Can anyone give me any information on what any of this could mean and how it's related? I'm seeing the GI doctor again on Thursday, but this has been seriously bothering me.

Note: I'm not diagnosed with IBS, they said it's a possibility.

Thank you.

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • pippa58442
    pippa58442 corey43406

    Posted

    Maybe you have undigested food in your stools.  Try a food diary to see if any food is causing it.  Do you have lower abdominal pain that moves about? Have you eaten anything unusual? 
    • corey43406
      corey43406 pippa58442

      Posted

      I have not eaten anything unusual but even if it is undigested food I dont see why it would happen this often with no significant weight loss.
    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 corey43406

      Posted

      If you are unwittingly eating a food regularly that is not digesting well, then it would appear often in your stools. Significant weight loss might not occur if it is only one food that is not absorbing but you are digesting the majority of your foods well.  A food diary would help to identify if this is the case.

      If you are not experiencing weight loss, I wouldn’t worry about it.  The other possibility is that the antibiotic upset your bowel since symptoms began shortly after finishing them. Check also about any current medications you are taking that could be green or red.

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 corey43406

      Posted

      Some people experience long term effects if the antibiotics were strong and were taken for a long time.  The gut flora can get disturbed by them and that is why eating yoghurt is important after finishing these medications. It helps to rebalance your good bacteria.  You could try a good quality probiotic or try kefir, or sourdough bread both of which are rich in probiotics.
    • martin31040
      martin31040 pippa58442

      Posted

      Hi, yes Kefir and sourdough bread, I make Kefir milk and water, but just water Kefir now it's great stuff, and sourdough bread you can't go back to ordinary bread once you've had sourdough tastes great, this how bread was made in the past.

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 martin31040

      Posted

      I sometimes get sourdough bread from my speciality bakery round the corner from my flat.   It is a treat.  The problem is that these days a lot of sliced bread is processed and the goodness is stripped out.
Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.