Diarrhea-advice appreciated

aragorn

aragorn

The Living Force
FOTCM Member
Sorry for the ugly details, but I could use some help with this one...

I've been having diarrhea almost for a week now. Since our kids had some kind of stomach bug little over a week ago(that lasted a couple of days), I was sure that I got the same, and it wouldn't take me more than a day or two to get well. But, it seems that it just keeps going

The thing started last Tuesday with nausea and loss of appetite. Then, I got really watery diarrhea but no vomiting and now stomach pain. The diarrhea is strongest in the evening and early in the morning, sometimes I have to get up at night too. There seems to be a lot of fluid building up in the colon, which then comes out in small "portions", mainly just water. Otherwise I feel quite normal - my appetite is back and energy levels are okay (lower than normal of course), but this fluid just keeps building up and it doesn't seem to diminish.

I had a phone conversation with a doctor on Friday, and she said that it's possible that stomach bugs can cause diarrhea for over a week. I'm going to make an appointment today in order to get some tests done.

So, my question really is - is it normal to have diarrhea for this long (6 days) or should I be worried? I think this could be IBS, too. In case it's IBS, I'm wondering - since I of course not want to go with the recommended fiber-low-fat diet, what could be the best stuff to eat? Eating bacon doesn't seem to make things worse, but it's hard to tell since this thing comes and goes in intervals.
 
I think it is not normal to have diarrhea some many days. You should go to the doctor as soon you have the tests ready. Meanwhile you can take probiotics and keep very hydrated. Take also digestive enzymes with food. Chamomile teas do well. I hope you get better soon. Keep us informed.
 
Aragorn said:
I had a phone conversation with a doctor on Friday, and she said that it's possible that stomach bugs can cause diarrhea for over a week. I'm going to make an appointment today in order to get some tests done.
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Indeed, I once got a bug on a plane that gave me diarrhea for close to three weeks! After a few days, it was mainly water and about once every hour. Not pleasant at all. So I sympathize. I tried everything and nothing worked, it just had to run its course in my case. An appointment with the doctor is the safest option indeed. Take care.

*edit* fixed quotes
 
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/e/elmsli09.html
Slippery Elm Food is generally made by mixing a teaspoonful of the powder into a thin and perfectly smooth paste with cold water and then pouring on a pint of boiling water, steadily stirring meanwhile. It can, if desired, be flavoured with cinnamon, nutmeg or lemon rind.

This makes an excellent drink in cases of irritation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, and taken at night will induce sleep.

Another mode of preparation is to beat up an egg with a teaspoonful of the powdered bark, pouring boiling milk over it and sweetening it.

Taken unsweetened, three times a day, Elm Food gives excellent results in gastritis, gastric catarrh, mucous colitis and enteritis, being tolerated by the stomach when all other foods fail, and is of great value in bronchitis, bleeding from the lungs and consumption (being most healing to the lungs), soothing a cough and building up and preventing wasting.
Click to expand...

Slippery elm is what I take if I or the kids have diarrhea...usually 1 dose fixes it
 
What works very well is boiling 1 minute rice in water and drinking just the water. And not eating anything during 24 hours. Good luck.
 
The diarrhea is basically the body's way of detoxing (removing toxins from the system) and should probably be allowed to run it's course. In terms of stomach pain, activated charcoal, in my experience usually works quickly as it gathers the toxins and removes them from the body. I don't know if it'll stop the diarrhea, but it may significantly shorten the time you go through this. Hope you feel better soon, Aragorn.

Added: I do think that stomach bugs can last a week or so. It's also important that you continue to stay hydrated as diarrhea can lead to dehydration.
 
Hi Aragorn,

I agree that tests to rule out anything major is a good start. I did have something similar a few years ago, when my kids and hubby all came down with a nasty type of vomiting gastro bug. I did not have the vomiting, although I did get a very bad bout of Dysentery, although this only lasted a few days.

Apart from that, I was diagnosed with IBS many years ago, with diarrhea and abdominal pain being the usual symptoms (I'm no stranger to digestive complaints). The diarrhea became much worse late last year, until the point that I was getting it everyday, (the IBS recommended diet didn't help). This lasted for weeks, and like you, I felt relatively normal except for the diarrhea. As it turns out it was actually an intolerance to gluten that was causing the symptoms, and a change in eating habits has helped immensely (high fat, low carbs, no gluten).

If your test results are clear and no parasites are found, and the diarrhea does not clear up, I can only suggest it may be diet related. If it is a parasite, Goldenseal, Wormwood or Cloves are natural remedies for ridding the body of parasites.

I hope this helps.

Get well soon. :flowers:
 
Regarding what you can eat I recommend not to force you if you are not hungry and if you are, then prepare some kind of baked or grilled meat.

You can also prepare some serum composed of a liter of clean and boiled water, the juice of a lemon, a teaspoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of salt, it helps recover electrolytes and prevent dehydration.

I hope you get better soon :hug2:
 
Truth Seeker said:
In terms of stomach pain, activated charcoal, in my experience usually works quickly as it gathers the toxins and removes them from the body.
Click to expand...

Activated charcoal can make things worse, in my case for example. I for one cannot take any without the diarrhea getting worse. Or maybe it's the charcoal being super effective and speeding up the process? In any case, it makes things even more unpleasant. :)
 
Mrs.Tigersoap said:
Truth Seeker said:
In terms of stomach pain, activated charcoal, in my experience usually works quickly as it gathers the toxins and removes them from the body.
Click to expand...

Activated charcoal can make things worse, in my case for example. I for one cannot take any without the diarrhea getting worse. Or maybe it's the charcoal being super effective and speeding up the process? In any case, it makes things even more unpleasant. :)
Click to expand...
I'd say it's the above. It collects the toxins and drags them out of the body. That said, I've only ever used it for stomach pain and sometimes bloating. With diarrhea, I tend to let nature take it's course. :P However, if one feels the need to speed it up, it may work.

I also tend not to eat at those times (except for maybe broth) but it's up to how the individual feels. The basic premise is nothing in, nothing out...
 
So, my question really is - is it normal to have diarrhea for this long (6 days) or should I be worried? I think this could be IBS, too. In case it's IBS, I'm wondering - since I of course not want to go with the recommended fiber-low-fat diet, what could be the best stuff to eat? Eating bacon doesn't seem to make things worse, but it's hard to tell since this thing comes and goes in intervals.
Click to expand...

I have this quite a bit, triggered by IBS and a sluggish liver. (Though not as catastrophic as it used to be on certain meds.) Just went through a bout of it over the weekend, so I do sympathize!

No, its not normal to have diarrhea for a week, unless you do have a bug involved or an allergy etc.

This is what I take and find helpful in soothing irritated intestines:

DGL chewables, unsweetened. They taste terrible, but it helps if you're having stomach pain of any kind. Link here for a description, I use the unsweetened, unflavored version. ( http://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-Chewable-Tablets-Enzymatic-Therapy/dp/B00014E1GY/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1339409067&sr=1-1)


Saccaromyces Boulardii (sp?) "Saccharomyces boulardii, a beneficial yeast related to S. cerevisiae, has been documented to maintain and restore the natural flora in the large and small intestine. MOS are oligosaccharides consisting of multiple mannose units. MOS directly block the attachment of undesirable bacteria to the epithelial cells of the intestine and reduce their proliferation.The combination of Saccharomyces boulardii and MOS provides enhanced support to the intestinal tract, promotes gut immune response and reduces undesirable bacteria." Link to pick it up fairly cheap here (http://www.amazon.com/Jarrow-Formulas-Sacharomyces-Boulardii-Capsules/dp/B0013OVW0E ) I take this every day as directed on the bottle for prevention. When I run out or miss it? Ka boom.

When I know its a bug, I generally let things take the normal course....its cleaning out the system for a reason. To keep hydrated, drink a mixture of lemon juice, filtered water, a teaspoon or two of sea salt, and a half teaspoon of organic honey, to the gallon. (Lemon juice is at least a 1/4 cup.) I don't always include the honey, as it can make things worse. Water can be too harsh if you're very dehydrated, and this is has stood the test of time.

Most of the time, this is from faulty fat metabolism (in my case). Check into the Sluggish Liver thread for ideas on preventing bouts of this...though everyone is individual. :flowers:

When this crops up from something I've eaten, too much fat, or what have you....the fall back food is baked sweet potato, mashed with sea salt. No fat added. It works overnight in the worst case, make sure its a medium to large potato. In the past, I've added white rice to this, but quit doing so in the last few months. Adding grilled or baked chicken can also help with tiredness, just chop it up well. You don't have to totally remove fat, just don't drown the combination in it. You're trying to sooth the gut.

(This strikes once a month at least for me. Everything above has been tested, and works, in my case.)

Rest is also important. Your body is getting rid of nastiness. Sleep or go to bed early if you can. Avoid driving if you're very dizzy etc.


Hang in there! :hug: :hug:
 
Thanks guys for the suggestions. The case stories some of you provided brings also a strange sort of comfort. :)

They took the lab tests today, I should get results on Thursday. The doctor (this was another one) said she's seen cases were the diarrhea has lasted 10 days and longer, and that the symptoms did sound like a bug of some sort. What comes to my diet, I haven't lately changed anything - following the diet that we have a consensus on here. I'm actually very strict with the diet, so I can't see that this would be related with that.

I've taken the charcoal a couple of times, but like Mrs. Tigersoap, it seems to speed things up. I'm also supplementing with pro-biotics and enzymes and drinking water (not filtered or boiled) with salt. Maybe I should try to boil the water first. Another thing that I haven't tried is to stay completely without any food for the whole day. I have this stubborn mindset, that one should eat at least something to have energy - but I'm starting to think that I'm wrong. It's just that the kids are getting a bit scared and restless with "dad being sick all the time", so I tend to eat something just to have the energy to socialize with them a bit.

Otherwise things are the same, going to the bathroom ca once in an hour...

I do wonder, the last months I've been pretty consistent with doing two cold showers a day...could this have something to do with it? I read somewhere that cold therapy can stimulate the thyroid, and that an overactive thyroid can actually cause diarrhea in some cases. As it is, I'm going to have another lab test tomorrow (not related to my diarrhea) to check my thyroid and cholesterol levels.

It's funny how when the body is sick the mind tends to be overactive. I have all these "great plans" and music composing going round in my mind, while my stomach is battling for it's survival. I come to think of Gurdjieff description of how he came up with the concept of self remembering while he was physically injured and recuperating.
 
I hope this problem clears up for you Aragorn.

I had a long, drawn out bout of diarrhea after going to Egypt a few years back. I put up with it for about 2-3 weeks. The over the counter stuff I took for it did nothing and I was never tested to see what the actual bug was. I came across some research on turmeric and tried a few tablespoons over the course of a day and the diarrhea left.

When I first started with the cold water therapy I had some diarrhea. Nothing as bad as going once an hour though. I don't think that is normal in any case.
 
You can try to drink a teaspoon of green or white clay in a water glass, it does wonders in case of diarrhea. And just for the tip, it can be used in animals too (at least for cats I know for sure), just mix it with the food.
 
I'm happy to tell you that things are back to normal. :)

Things started gradually getting better yesterday, and now the problem is completely gone. I didn't take any new remedies besides those I mentioned, so I guess the body just needed time to get rid of the invaders. I also got the lab results, but they were negative; they only tested for the usual bugs like salmonella etc. So, this bug was some unknown nasty friend.

I also got my test results for my cholesterol and thyroid hormone levels. Both were completely normal - at least for one who is on the low carb diet. In the previous test ca 6 months ago, my cholesterol levels were skyhigh. So it was nice to see that the LDL had come down quite dramatically. Not that I pay much attention to cholesterol levels, knowing all the things from the recent diet books and discussions. But it's an interesting process, how the body adjusts these levels - I guess according to it's needs. Because during these 6 months I haven't changed anything in my diet. The only new thing I've introduced are the cold showers...

Just for reference, here are my latest cholesterol levels with the previous ones in brackets:

Total chol: 228mg/dl [418mg/dl]
HDL: 48mg/dl [76mg/dl]
LDL: 162mg/dl [321mg/dl]
Triglycerides: 90mg/dl [94mg/dl]
Glucose: 70mg/dl [67mg/dl]

I noticed that the HDL has come down quite a bit, but maybe it could be because of my stomach bug - I hadn't eaten properly i several days. Or...

Thanks for all the support, upwards and onwards! :)
 
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