Distended abdomen, constipation, lethargy, etc

[Nikole21]

i'm a 24 year old female and about 5-6 months ago i came down with a really bad kidney infection. i was hospitalized for 3 days and the dr. put me on cotrim (sulfa drug). i was on that for about a week and then developed hives all over my body. i went back to the hospital and they said i was allergic. so they switched me to ciproflaxin for a week..you guessed it, after a few days of taking that i broke out in hives again. i went back to the dr. and he put me on augmentin (sp?) for 3 days. that seemed to clear everything up. i was fine for a couple of weeks but then started feeling really bad..just generally ill..very tired, weak, no appetite, etc..so back to the dr..i had numerous tests done, ultrasounds, ekg, you name it, i had it done. no one could find anything. well in the meantime, my hair started falling out and my stomach became distended (looks like i'm about 3 months pregnant). i developed severe constipation (i am able to have a bowel movement every few days) with mucus in my stools as well. i've had tests done for bacteria and blood in my stools, all negative. i've also had a colonoscopy and they found certain parts of my colon inflamed, but did not find evidence of any type of colitis or crohn's disease or cancer. i'm going back to the gastro dr next week to see if he can finally find something. my appetite has come back and i am feeling better, but still losing alot of hair and i still have a swollen stomach. i have also started having sharp little pains in my neck and chest along with pains in some of my joints. any suggestions or help would be appreciated.

[Duchess47]

You need the correct diagnosis before you decide to self treat. I was diagnosed with IBS years ago and told to increase fiber intake.  Well, recently I have had bloating, constipation, feeling full after small meals.  My Gastroenterologist sent me for a gastric emptying test based on my history and it came back with what he thought, Gastroparesis.  Long stroy short, Fiber is the worst thing for Gastroparesis.  Gastroparesis means slow stomach emptying.  It can be casued from hypothyroid, diabetes, virus, medication, surgery. The treatment is to eat small meals, no sugar or fat and drink small amounts of liquids throughout the day. There is also a medication which stimulates the stomach causing the muscles to contract.  The underlying cause should be found also. So you see, correct diagnosis is everything.  Hang in there.

[Nikole21]

thanks for your response jean..i will certainly go stock up on yogurt!

[NURSELPN]

Yes it exists...Try eating yogart with active bacteria culture. At least 3 cartons a day. It will state active cultures somewhere on the labeling. Good Luck, Jean

[NURSELPN]

Also drink plenty of water with that fiber supplement, at least 16ozs.. It can actually cause constipation if you don't.

[Nikole21]

me again. i have heard of a condition called candida or something of the sort where yeast can grow out of control in your body..i know this is not widely recognized by 'conventional' doctors and i don't even know if it exists.. any comments?

[Nikole21]

another thing, since all this has been going on, my heart has started skipping beats a few times each day..it really worries me, but the dr. just calls it palpitations and says it's probably from the stress i have due to my health. from what i've read on the internet, it seems like the digestion problems i am having could be from over use of the antibiotics (them killing the good bacteria in my body?)..but since nothing showed up on the stool samples i'm guessing that's not the case. i have been taking probiotics for a couple of months and a fiber supplement to help with the constipation as well