Undiagnosed cause of diarrhea and abdominal cramps?
Posted , 4 users are following.
I've had severe(yellow) diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting for two weeks.
I was prescribed Novaclav 625mg antibiotics, loperamide hydrochloride 2mg, and probiotics for three days. While taking this course, I felt somewhat better. But by day 4, I was very dehydrated and went to a local hospital.
They then gave me stat doses of IV DNS+MVL, Drotin IV, Emeset 4mg IV, and Pantop 40 IV. Following this, I was prescribed with 5 days of T. Ciplox TZ, T. Mehrogyl 200, C. Imodium, C Dorolac, and Oral Rehydration Salts.
During this second round of meds, I felt somewhat better. However I'm still vomitting after eating/drinking more than tiny bits. I am also feeling stomach cramping and having yellow diarrhea.
I've talked to my doctor and the hospital staff and they are convinced that I am just having upset stomach due to the local food or water. I believe those are not the causes- i only drink purified bottled water (which I've drank for two years with no problem) and since being sick, I've only eaten plain, simple food like rice or toast without spices.
What could be the cause of this?
I traveled to Mumbai days before getting sick and live in Delhi, India. Since getting sick, I've only eaten simple foods like plain rice and bread. Water has all been double filtered. That means that the infection first happened 2 weeks ago in Mumbai and two rounds of antibiotics haven't gotten rid of this problem.
0 likes, 15 replies
mary19068 heather32437
Posted
Hi heather32437
You may have a viral infection which antibiotics will not get rid of. You will either have to wait for it to go in it's own or see your doc for tests for viral infection and get anti viral medication....
heather32437 mary19068
Posted
Already asked my doc about a virus. He's discounting that as a possibility because viruses wouldn't last for over two weeks without a fever and additional symptoms.
Esther2016 heather32437
Posted
Heather:
Time to get another Doctor. Something is obviously wrong. You might have a severe virus or infection. Have you had vaccinations? I would go to another doctor and find out what is really going on. Because obviously, something is! Please let us know how you make out and I hope you feel better soon.
heather32437 Esther2016
Posted
Esther,
I'm vaccinated for everything currently recommended for travelers in India by the World Health Organization (WHO).
This illness probably isn't bacterial or viral, else the two weeks of treatment would have given me relief.
Esther2016 heather32437
Posted
Then get a stool test to find out if you are bleeding in your digestive tract. I would recommend an upper and lower gi series. That way, the Dr. will definitely know what is going on inside you!
pippa58442 heather32437
Posted
Ask for a stool sample to be tested for infections like h pylori and try a food diary to see if a food is the cause.Sometimes a change of diet can upset your stomach and cause diarrhoea.
heather32437 pippa58442
Posted
Change of diet hasn't occurred. I've had the same diet and drinking water for years.
pippa58442 heather32437
Posted
Maybe you have become intolerant to something in your diet that you weren't intolerant to before and are unaware of it. A change of diet doesn't always cause problems. You can suddenly develop reactions to foods that you were fine with in the past. Still try a food diary to see if what you are eating at present is the cause. For example, I didn't have an intolerance to certain fatty foods when I was a child, but when I reached my late teens, I developed problems digesting certain fatty foods. I still have this problem but not as bad as before. Avoidance of these trigger foods stops my bad reactions.
Try eliminating bread and other foods containing gluten. You may have trouble with gluten which can manifest as non celiac gluten intolerance where you can eat a little gluten, or celiac disease which means you can't eat any gluten. Symptoms of celiac can include abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Ask for celiac blood test and or an endoscopy to identify it. However, for these tests, you need to be eating gluten containing foods for the test to be accurate. Bread might be the culprit.
heather32437 pippa58442
Posted
Did you experience diarrhea and vomitting after roughly 48 hours without eating?
There have been three times in the past couple of weeks where I ate and drank absolutely nothing besides water and ORS for almost two days.
This makes me certain that it's not food related.
pippa58442 heather32437
Posted
I have never gone without food for as long as 48 hours. If I miss a meal, the only discomfort I feel is more intense heartburn than I usually get.
Esther2016 heather32437
Posted
How odd pippa? You would think that no heartburn with no eating?
pippa58442 Esther2016
Posted
If I eat at regular times for a while and suddenly change the pattern, my stomach doesn't like it and spews out acid. When I eat, it calms the acid down. My lower oesophageal sphincter is weak and opens when it shouldn't and kets the acid out quite regularly. It's all part of my reflux; nothing else showed up on my endoscopy.
heather32437
Posted
Update / Information for the unlucky people who have these symptoms in the future: it's a parasite called Giardia.
Chlorine doesn't kill them. That explains how they could have survived my double water filter.
Or contaminated food in Mumbai.
Lesson learned: parasites suck in more ways than one.
It will take a twice daily IV dose of Metronidazole for at least one week to get rid of these buggers. In the meantime, all of the unpleasant symptoms and a high risk of dehrydration continues. Bleh.
Esther2016 heather32437
Posted
Sorry and good to hear that you were able to define what it is and how to get rid of the suckers. Touche Heather.
pippa58442 heather32437
Posted
Glad you found out what your problem was.