Aa
is this normal or caused by antibiotics
my mum recently(3weeks) ago had a bowel bybass for a fistula and tumour caused by OVCA. She was then placed on augmentin and developed stomach gripes and diahorreah. She has stopped the antibiotics and she still was getting the same symptoms although these were not present before the augmentin. The GP has told her that this is common after bowel surgery and she will have to live with it is this right?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Diarrhea can be due to many things such as medications, trouble absorbing food ("malabsorption"), infection, or structural changes in the bowel. You are absolutely right to wonder if augmentin caused your Mum's diarrhea. Augmentin is an antibiotic that commonly will reduce the normal bacteria that lives in the bowel. (There is normal bacteria that functions to help digest food and bacteria that can cause infections in the bowel.) Diarrhea is a common side effect.
Augmentin and other antibiotics can also be responsible for changing the environment of the intestine and allowing a pathogenic ("bad') bacteria to grow up. The most common problem bacteria is called Clostridium Difficile (or "C. Diff" for short.) C. Diff releases a toxin that can cause irritation and damage to the bowel. The symptoms can be cramping and smelly, watery diarrhea. Untreated, people can get very ill and develop fevers, dehydration, and rarely swelling of the bowel (called "toxic megacolon" which is an emergency.)It is very easy to make a diagnosis. A stool sample is sent and tested for the C.Diff toxin. The conditon is treated with either metronidazole or clindamycin - both are oral antibiotics that kill C. Diff.
Finally, it is possible that the bowel bypass is the cause of your Mum's diarrhea. This occurs because the food has less bowel in which to be digested. Until the shorter bowel learns how to be more efficient at digestion, people will experience diarrhea. In this case, the treatment is supportive. It is important to make sure your Mum is drinking enough fluids so that she does not get dehydrated. Sometimes adding an agent to slow down bowel transit time (such as tincture of opium) is helpful . I would not recommend that initially because of your mother's history of bowel obstruction.
Augmentin and other antibiotics can also be responsible for changing the environment of the intestine and allowing a pathogenic ("bad') bacteria to grow up. The most common problem bacteria is called Clostridium Difficile (or "C. Diff" for short.) C. Diff releases a toxin that can cause irritation and damage to the bowel. The symptoms can be cramping and smelly, watery diarrhea. Untreated, people can get very ill and develop fevers, dehydration, and rarely swelling of the bowel (called "toxic megacolon" which is an emergency.)It is very easy to make a diagnosis. A stool sample is sent and tested for the C.Diff toxin. The conditon is treated with either metronidazole or clindamycin - both are oral antibiotics that kill C. Diff.
Finally, it is possible that the bowel bypass is the cause of your Mum's diarrhea. This occurs because the food has less bowel in which to be digested. Until the shorter bowel learns how to be more efficient at digestion, people will experience diarrhea. In this case, the treatment is supportive. It is important to make sure your Mum is drinking enough fluids so that she does not get dehydrated. Sometimes adding an agent to slow down bowel transit time (such as tincture of opium) is helpful . I would not recommend that initially because of your mother's history of bowel obstruction.
Welcome Doc! and we, on the Ovarian Suppport site appreciate your detailed answer! Looks like they are lining up for your info! MV
Learn how to spot the warning signs of this “silent killer.”
Diet and digestion have more to do with cancer prevention than you may realize
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
