Diarrhea

[Domesticated_Primate]

It's been about a week of 6-10 watery events daily. I am on Humira with my last dose being 3 days ago.

I need effective ways to get through a flare up and diarrhea without starting back up on high dose prednisone. I typically end up in the hospital for ~1-2 weeks during bad flare ups, but that obviously isn't the ideal scenario.

What can I do to keep from getting sicker? I've been resting / sleeping a ton, eating very little (bland stuff whatever I do eat), and trying to keep up on hydration with the D.

Open to any ideas - OTC meds, natural remedies that work for you, etc.

 

[Scipio]

Have you tried OTC loperamide?

 

[Layla]

What about psyllium? It can be a very effective stool thickener provided you don't suffer from strictures. Take it before meals and about 2 hours either side of meds.

 

[Domesticated_Primate]

Immodium seemed to have worked ok, but I had to stop taking it due to testing positive for C Diff via stool sample. Just started a 2wk regimen of antibiotic yesterday.

Luckily my wife and kids aren't showing signs of C Diff. I don't know much about it but what I've read on google doesn't sound too good.

Blood test results from the other day are the worst I've ever had regarding inflammation panels and white & red blood cell counts.

 

[Domesticated_Primate]

Worth mentioning that I have not been on any antibiotics or been hospitalized since last November. No idea how I got c-diff.

Also, Dr. started me on another Prednisone regimen after my bloodwork came back, but I was told to stop after the stool test came back. I only took 2 days worth of 40mg prednisone this time.

 

[Anna's Bandit]

I have Bile Acid Malabsorption which causes watery diarrhea. You could have that ? Do you still have your gallbladder ?
Take Care. Hope you feel better soon.

 

[Domesticated_Primate]

I have Bile Acid Malabsorption which causes watery diarrhea. You could have that ? Do you still have your gallbladder ?
Take Care. Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks. Yes, I still have my gallbladder. At this point I'm just hoping all the pain I'm in is a combo of the c-diff and the vancomycin. Gonna be screwed when I run out of percocet.

 

[Vfc28]

It's been about a week of 6-10 watery events daily. I am on Humira with my last dose being 3 days ago.

I need effective ways to get through a flare up and diarrhea without starting back up on high dose prednisone. I typically end up in the hospital for ~1-2 weeks during bad flare ups, but that obviously isn't the ideal scenario.

What can I do to keep from getting sicker? I've been resting / sleeping a ton, eating very little (bland stuff whatever I do eat), and trying to keep up on hydration with the D.

Open to any ideas - OTC meds, natural remedies that work for you, etc.[/QUOTE
Hi.
I really sympathise with what you are going through. I've had diarrhea up to 25 times a day since February. I tried prednisone but it did nothing and now I've been on budesonide now for almost 3 weeks and a long with sticking to plain bread, wraps or baked potato with cheese, tuna or ham and yogurts my symptoms have slowed down to about 3 to 7 times a day and I'm not feeling quite as dreadful as I did. I've seen CBD oil in my local health food shop and am considering trying that. I believe it helps crohns and colitis. I have colitis.

 

[Anna's Bandit]

Vfc28 : I have only been able to tolerate liquids for the past 3 months. No solid food. Although I ate some pudding this week. I was just diagnosed with Crohn's in April. And started taking the 6mp pill and Humira recently. I am going to try to make my smoothies once a day this week to see if my body can tolerate that.
Hoping you feel better soon.

 

[Vfc28]

Vfc28 : I have only been able to tolerate liquids for the past 3 months. No solid food. Although I ate some pudding this week. I was just diagnosed with Crohn's in April. And started taking the 6mp pill and Humira recently. I am going to try to make my smoothies once a day this week to see if my body can tolerate that.
Hoping you feel better soon.

Lynda Lynda it's awful isn't it. Do you feel really unwell too? It's bad enough having IBD symptoms but to feel this ill as well. I feel weak,disoriented and my body hurts.

 

[shamrock15]

A couple ideas mentioned above work for me. i did use loperamide for a while and it did seem to do some work.

My go to is potato. Two forms work best for me - mashed, and mostly, pan fried. If I skip those I head to watery movements.

Banana and apple sauce are also known to thicken.

Regarding sources, this comes from the Mayo Clinic website:
C. difficile bacteria are found throughout the environment — in soil, air, water, human and animal feces, and food products, such as processed meats. A small number of healthy people naturally carry the bacteria in their large intestine and don't have ill effects from the infection.

So unfortunately you could have acquired it virtually anywhere.

Hope it settles out quickly for you.

 

[frifri1]

It's been about a week of 6-10 watery events daily. I am on Humira with my last dose being 3 days ago.

I need effective ways to get through a flare up and diarrhea without starting back up on high dose prednisone. I typically end up in the hospital for ~1-2 weeks during bad flare ups, but that obviously isn't the ideal scenario.

What can I do to keep from getting sicker? I've been resting / sleeping a ton, eating very little (bland stuff whatever I do eat), and trying to keep up on hydration with the D.

Open to any ideas - OTC meds, natural remedies that work for you, etc.

Have You Tried Activated Charcoal With Water?

It Helps Me.

peace!:sign0144:

 

[Anna's Bandit]

Thanks. Yes, I still have my gallbladder. At this point I'm just hoping all the pain I'm in is a combo of the c-diff and the vancomycin. Gonna be screwed when I run out of percocet.

Are you feeling any better ?
I had c-diff in 2015.
Had my two weeks of vancomycin pills I was fine afterwards.
Sending you my support.

 

[Domesticated_Primate]

Yes, I am feeling much better than a few weeks ago. Ended up missing over 2 weeks of work with 6 trips to the ER for uncontrollable bouts of vomiting / dehydration. My appetite is back and I'm able to eat again, but I probably lost about 25lbs in the last month.

Done with the vancomycin and trying to load up on probiotics from Kefir. Hoping to load up on good gut flora to help prevent reinfection. Gut pain isn't too bad now and BMs are back to my normal I guess but I still feel really weak and fatigued most of the time.

 

[cmack]

You have my support. I took VSL#3 after my many treatments with antibiotics and it really helped. I started having some normalcy to my life with better digestion. I was lacking proper gut flora for about eight years and didn't have a proper doctor, only a GP. My new doc told me about it, he takes it too. I took two months worth at first, every day for 60 days. I now take it once in a while to help out. You could ask at the pharmacy, the pharmacist should be able to order it in for you. It's not cheap but it works. It should always be refrigerated or the probiotics in it die quickly, my drug store gets it shipped on ice from the big pharma.

 

[Anna's Bandit]

I just called my insurance company. VSL#3 not covered because it is considered an OTC.
What form of VSL#3 do you order?
There is a tablet form and sachet packets.
I just called my CVS pharmacy and they have a bottle of capsules in their fridge there, 60 capsules.
Costs over 60 bucks.

I heard Culturelle is basically "dead on the shelf."
My sister bought me a box of 80 Culturelle capsules in March.

I know this is not a "VSL#3" thread, but just curious.
Thike takes a couple of good probiotics I think, but everything is so expensive.

Thank You.

 

[Anna's Bandit]

I am going to buy the VSL#3 at CVS tomorrow.

Should I call my GI first ?

 

[cmack]

I am going to buy the VSL#3 at CVS tomorrow.

Should I call my GI first ?

I would. I went with the unflavored sachets. Capsules may be more convenient. Also, avoid the lemon flavor, apparently it tastes gross. Best wishes.

 

[Anna's Bandit]

Domesticated Primate
How r u feeling ?
25 pounds is a lot to lose in such a short period of time.