Serious bowel isues

[Hibbs419]

I have had issues with Diarrhea since 2003 and a tour of Combat in Iraq. Since it started I had spent most days visiting the bathroom at least 7 to sometimes 14 times a day. I went through a battery of tests and most came up clear till recently when a Dr. told me a culture came up with C Diff. Since all the other tests where negative for this in the earlier yrs I am sure it is not the cause. He started me on a seven day regiment of antibiotics but I never got passed day three it was causing severe stomach pains. Since then my diarrhea has become less frequent but I am frequented by mild to severe abdominal pain and most recently tan feces. There has been no blood in my stools and a colonoscopy came up unremarkable any ideas on what the doctors might be overlooking?

[Hibbs419]

I was given metronidazole at 500mg three times a day. But couldn't complete it due to severe abdominal pain.

[madmanatsea]

What kind of antibiotics?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clostridium_difficile  
Antibiotics, especially those with a broad spectrum of activity, cause disruption of normal intestinal flora, leading to an overgrowth of C. difficile, which flourishes under these conditions. This leads to pseudomembranous colitis.

C. difficile is resistant to most antibiotics. It is transmitted from person to person by the fecal-oral route. Because the organism forms heat-resistant spores, it can remain in the hospital or nursing home environment for long periods of time. It can be cultured from almost any surface in the hospital. Once spores are ingested, they pass through the stomach unscathed because of their acid-resistance. They change to their active form in the colon and multiply.

It has been observed that several disinfectants commonly used in hospitals may fail to kill the bacteria, and may actually promote spore formation. However, disinfectants containing bleach are effective in killing the organisms[4].

Pseudomembranous colitis caused by C. difficile is treated with specific antibiotics, for example, vancomycin, metronidazole, bacitracin or fusidic acid.

I hope he gave you one of the above antibiotics specific for C. difficile!    If not, then you need to get on one and kill the little guys that will harm you if not dealt with appropriately.