Intestinal Damage?

Four weeks ago, I came down with what I think is a stomach virus (stoll samples all came back negative for parasites and bacteria).  I am 6 months pregnant, and had no trouble eating almost anything before this sudden disease occured.  My symptoms at the time were only diarrhea, and almost always at night.  No fever above 99.  The diarrhea itself was yellow, flaky, and full of mucus and undigested food for two weeks (no blood at all).  I did become dehydrated, and was given an IV at my doctors office.  After that, I felt somewhat better.  I then went into a pattern of two days of constipation and then a very painful, sometimes normal, sometimes diarrhea at night again for one night. It is no longer yellow (brown now), however, it it sometimes flaky after starting out normal and has some trace of mucus. I have been on the BRAT diet for this entire month, consume only water or electrolyte solution for drinks, and any introduction of a few bites of pureed vegetables or plain cooked chicken have given me severe gas pains and the painful movements.
My nurse beleives that my intestinal villi have been damaged by a virus or by IBS and that is why any foods other than very mild ones cause the trouble.  My question is, Once the intestinal villi are damaged, how long does it normally take for them to heal?  Does it appear that I did indeed have a virus that caused all this?  Because I am pregnant, I cannot have a colonoscopy to diagnose IBS or another disorder, although I plan on it once the baby is born.  In the mean time, I need to know what to do to get adequate nutrition and would feel better mentally if I had a timeline for healing.

[lizziecee]

It is lamost heartbreaking to read your post.  Seems to me you have a gastro-intestinal problem, and if I were you would seek immediate attention from a gastro-enterologist, to make sure you unborn child is getting the nourishment it needs.

IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion, after all other tests have come out normal.  I don't think you should go by a nurse's diagnosis -  I think she is really talking nonsense. With coeliac disease  you need to learn appropriate dietary measures.  Once the vilii have become flattened, they will never return to normal. Coeliac disease is not caused by a virus, but an inherent problem , probably genetic.

If all dietary measures fail, try and get Fortijuice from your hospital - I lived on this perfect nutritional drink for 4 months when going through FEC chemo. I am currently in remission from bc and doing okay on mtx for Crohn's, although waiting for results of an MRI due to a stricture in my small intestine.

By the way, a colonoscopy will only diagnose diseases of the large colon;  cancer, Crohn's and ulcerative colitis;  It will NEVER diagnose ibs, because it is not diagnosable. Methinks your nurse needs some kind of training in IBD.

Please see a gastroenterologidt who has some experience with IBD problems. You need to get sufficient nutritrion in your body for your baby, and I don't know if the Fortijuice can do that.

Take care, - and see a gastroenterologist!
Liz.