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Gastroenterology (Expert Forum)
Chronic Bloody Diarrhea without Weight Loss
This forum is for questions regarding Gastroenterology issues such as Acid Reflux (GERD), Barretts Esophagus, Colitis, Colon/Bowel Disorders, Crohn's Disease, Diverticulitis/ Diverticulosis, Digestive Disorders, IBS, Stomach Pain.
Chronic Bloody Diarrhea without Weight Loss
by Sassy Kat, Sep 01, 2002 12:00AM
Help !! My sister (age 34) is in the hospital with severe diarrhea and cramps. Her stool is blood mixed with liquid. However, all the different things I've looked up with this description include weight loss. She has actually gained weight being 5'7" at 250 lbs. This condition has been going on for the last 6 months with doctors attempting to correct it with drugs alone. Obviously they have failed. They have run many tests here scope is scheduled in a couple days. One test suggested high levels of bacteria in her stool. Could you please point me in the right direction to help me understand what is happening??
JCI
The bleeding and watery diarhea was not stopping. I was seeing blood in February and March and was getting weeker and weeker. Little did I know that my nightmare was starting to begin.
He wanted to increase my sulfasalzine to 8-12 pills a day and keep using the enemas but I couldn't tolerate the 6 pills a day because of nausea even when taken with a meal. So he stopped the sulfasalazine and put me on asacol which has mesalamine in it and continue the enemas. Now at this point I was taking mesalamine orally and rectally. I started the asacol orally on a Monday and by Thursday I was running to the bathroom every half hour to 45 minutes and THAT'S NO EXAGGERATION!! Then I started seeing not only blood but blood clots in my stool. My doctor did an emergency sigmoidoscopy which he said there wasn't much irritation. So he kept increasing my asacol pills from 4 to 6 then eventually 9 pills a day. THe diarhea was not stopping nor the bleeding. THen he put me on prednisone. I had a couple of days of that in me on top of the asacol orally and Rowasa enema rectally - I was still getting weaker and weaker. So then he put me in the hospital to get IV steroids, etc. and also had another sigmoidoscopy which they said did not show significant signs of colitis inflammation. After a couple of days in the hospital and having to fast for the sigmoidoscopy, I didn't take asacol because I wasn't eating and was afraid of nausea taking it on an empty stomach. When I was discharged, my diagnoses was colitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I was to continue asacol, stop the enemas, and take two new drugs for irritable bowel syndrome, also I was told I might have had a virus. The next day after getting out of the hospital, it started up again, bloody watery diarhea. I didn't think I was ever gonna get better. I kept thinking how could I be getting worse when I'm on all of these medications. I made an appointment with my family doctor and told him I wanted to be checked for giardiasis, C'dif, and any other type of intestinal infection. My results came back and it turned out my problem the entire time was a severe bowel infection ->COLISTRIDIUM DIFFICULE. My doctor asked if I had taken any antibiotics because use of antibiotics cause this infection - I haven't taken an antibiotic in years. Now at this point I was taking 9 asacols and 2 other drugs for the Irritable Bowel Syndrom. My family doctor told me to stop taking everything(the asacol, rowasa enema, and the 2 drugs for IBS). My doctor prescribed Flagyl. The first series of it didn't work. But after a second series of Flagyl I saw the light an the end of the tunnel. My family doctor does not want me taking any medications for colitis at all. Ever since I stopped taking all that medication, I have been having formed stools - NO BLOOD OR CLOTS. It is now September 14, 2002. I stopped everything the end of March 2002. My doctor told me he saved my life. He said I would have been dead in 2 years. My specialist doctor never ordered stool samples the entire time. So now I am stuck with a damaged colon which I am told will heal in time but it will take months. I have learned you have to be your own advocate. YOU know your body. I've learned that overuse of enemas disrupt the normal flora in the colon which can promote C'Dif infection. All those drugs wiped out all the good and bad bacteria in my colon and I became toxic. For how long??? who knows. My family doctor want me on no medications. Only acidophilus and a multivitamin and only tylenol when needed. Acidophilus pills contain active cultures that are found in yogurt which put back the right bacteria in the colon. I am still not 100&. I am still weak but no diarhea. Also I am on a low residue diet - but am not pureeing and of my foods. Not to appetizing. It turns out I did not have irritable bowel syndrome. That was a misdiagnoses. I had a bowel infection. You don't have blood in the stool with irritable bowel syndrome which I didn't know at the time.
I am sharing my story because maybe my experience could help someone else. Be your own advocate.