HELP?? Does this diagnosis and treatment sound correct??

[Josey12076]

I am a 32 year old 6'-2, 210 lb healthy male who lives in a small town.  Last Tuesday I got a fever and started having body aches and diarrhea around noon.  That night the diarrhea got worse I was on the toilet atleast every hour if not more along with stomach cramps and stomach rolling, body aches, headache and chills.  There was no vomitting just diarrhea.  Wednesday morning I went to a clinic in my town and saw a nurse practictioner.  I had a temp. of 99 and they did blood work and said it looked like a bacteria infection.  Since I have been bitten by several ticks over the summer they also sent off some blood to test for lyme disease but said it would take 4-5 days for the results.  Any way she gave me diphenoxy/atrop 2.5 mg for diarrhea and promethazine 25 mg for nausea, which i really hadn't experienced.  That night I was taking two of the limodyl's at a time and the diarrhea was no better.  I was in the bathroom basically all night and morning again with the diarrhea, stomach cramps, rolling, fever, body aches, headaches and chills.  The diarrhea would ease up a little bit during the day.  So Thursday I went back to the NP around 2:00 pm and my temp was 100.2 and I was dehydrated so they gave me a bag of fluids while I was there and she then prescribed me some flagyl.  I started taking it Thursday afternoon and still taking the limodyl and that night was a little better I only had to get up get up 2-3 times during the night and a few times times during the morning and a few times during the day.  However, it is Saturday morning and my condition hasn't changed much.  I had to get up a few times last night and this morning and still have a headache though the fever and the body aches have seemed to stop for the most part.  But I still have very watery diarrhea and the stomach cramps.
My question is does this seem like the proper treatment and how long should I expect before the flagyl helps?  She prescribed 3- 500 mg(metronidazole) a day for 7 days.  I am just wondering if maybe I should go to a specialist or maybe it just takes more time.  Also, the lyme disease test won't be back until monday or tuesday but could this be a possibility?
I don't think I can keep this up much longer
Desperatley,
Joe

[Josey12076]

Thanks, alot of very helpful information.  I'm actually feeling a little better this afternoon and haven't had a bowel movement since this morning so maybe the antibiotics are starting to work.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[ggreg]

Yes, lyme could be it, and should be investigated, which the docs did, so your results are important.  If you have an infection in your gut, from whatever cause, though, different antibiotics are sometimes given for some situations, which I think the flagyl is that, and in others the infection has to run its course, and in that case, anti-diarhhea type medications can help you through, which I think that's the other stuff you were given.

If you want a little better treatment, you can go on to the ER.  Of course, a private family doctor would be best, but costly, especially for a first visit.  Or you can go back to the clinic and ask to see a physician instead of the nurse.

I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, had diarrhea half-dozen times a day, every day, for six months, until I figured out what was causing it.  Somewhere towards the end, I finally given a drug that helped me, hyocyamine, for those intense and scary gut problems, I believe I've spelled that correctly.  You could ask for that next time you see a health care professional.  

In addition to that indigestion medicine, I also ate some Activia Yogurt, at the grocery store, and it helped a lot, too.  I also drank Mylanta, from the drug store, very good stuff.  For dehydration, water is the best thing to drink, just have a little extra throughout the day.  For fever, you have got to stay warm, I have a heating pad that I got at the drugstore, it cost about $30, put it on your tummy.  I also found eating a sandwich of 100 percent whole wheat bread with lettuce daily helped solidify the waste.

Watch your fever.  If you don't have a thermometer, get one at the store, they don't cost very much.  If your fever gets too high, like 103 or 104, you must go to the ER.  That means the infection is getting worse.  However, if you stay at a lower temperature, one way to oppose the bad sick feeling you get from fever is to take aspirin, and drink milk with it, which will coat the stomach and give you back any electrolytes you might lose from dehydration.

Gosh, I know how you feel.  I myself was desperate from my IBS situation, thought I was going to die, very scary.  I think your digestion has either a viral infection or bacterial infection, or maybe lyme, and if I were you, next time I went to that clinic, I'd ask to speak to an MD.  Or if you get panicky or fever goes up or you feel wierd or out of control, then don't hesitate to go to the ER.  I shall figuratively hold your hand while you are feeling so pitiful, so keep us posted, everyone here cares.