What is going on with my GI system

[kjosh0416]

I spent 30 days on meds. for pneumonia and ever since then I have had GI problems. They first started with all my food flushing through my system with in 60 minutes of eating. I have lost 15 lbs in 6 weeks. I am now having intense left side abdominal cramping, with skinny, red, jelly like stool. Once the cramping begins and I try to go the bathroom, I can't. Then after numerous trips to the restroom I finally have a "blow out", ( for lack of a better description). The abdominal cramping comes and goes. At time I feel like I have a baby inside me and they have there foot stuck up under my ribs kicking me. I have had 6 abdominal surgeries since 2006 and I am wondering if it is all related. I am getting a little worried now because of the stool issue mainly. Any direction that someone can offer I would really appreciate. I also so note that I have also been hospitalized 2 times for diverticulitis since 2006. I am tried of this roller coaster and can't afford to keep losing weight at this rate. Help!

[michell221]

I would get a cdiff test asap to rule that out.  It often starts after antibiotics are used.  Usually a doc will do 3 tests on 3 different days to rule out false negatives that happen with this test.  Get the test to the doc as soon as you take it or refrigerate it until you get it to the doc.  If it is this symptoms usually resolve with 1-2 rounds of oral flagyl and if not they can try the oral vancocin. Usually probiotics such as culturelle or align with these meds can help your gi system get back to normal.   Red stools may indicate bleeding in your GI tract so get to a doc or ER today so they can rule this out.  Do not take immodium or drugs to stop the Diarrheah until you know what is wrong.  If you take medicines to slow you down  with Cdiff or infections it can hurt you.  Try to keep up your fluid so you do not get dehydrated .  Take care and hope this gets resolved soon.

[CalGal]

Kjosh, if the meds were antibiotics, have you considered trying to probiotics to try to normalize the bacteria in your GI tract that were probably skewed by the 30 days of treatment? Antibiotics can be great, but they can also have a severe impact and leave someone with serious bowel issues after their use.

But if you're having red jelly in your stool, you should also see your doc and have some stool tests done to try to pin down what the 'red' is. You can't afford to allow this to continue. The intense left side cramping could suggest the diverticular issues are kicking up again. Please call your doc.