Increased spasms and very loose stools

[SCI-Nurse]

If your diarrhea does not resolve taking a probiotic/acidophilus you should seek medical care to rule out a bacterial infection like C Diff. You need a stool culture tested to determine C Diff which is quite serious and requires specific antibiotics like oral vancomycin or flagyl to treat.

pbr

[jbridges9]

Originally Posted by Sue Pendleton

Talk about a fun subject. Is the diahhrea very watery? Sometimes after a bout with constipation you think you're all cleaned out and you aren't. If the bowel gets blocked by hard stool the new stuff coming down will sooner or later cause a ginormous blow out or it will go around the blockage. The first tends to happen more with able bodied people and once blown they are back to normal. With us that blockage tends to stick around due to us not moving around as much and it turns into an impaction. An impacted bowel can be dangerous. Please remember I am NOT a medical professional. Think back to when you were constipated and took the stool softner. Have things been fairly normal until the problems the last week? IOWs, had what was going in also been coming out before the diahhrea started up? If not and especially if you've had very watery accidents with an occasional small rock maybe showing up then you may be impacted. If this sounds like your last 2 weeks you need to call your doctor and be very up front about how long this has been going on, any pain, the increasing spasms and take your temperature also. Many PCP have never seen or dealt with this since residency. Depending on your doctor and what has been coming out some suggest several doses of Miralax over a day. Others still like the old stand by of magnisium citrate to clear the impaction from above. With either method have plenty of reading material available and air freshner and make sure you drink as much water after either as your doctor suggests. If he does not say anything about liquids after taking either of these I think the mag citrate suggests at least 2 cups of water. A cup or two of hot coffee after that may help things along. And even when you are positive there cannot be anything else left in you a few hours later...put a chuck on your seat cushion and bed.
Hopefully a nurse will hope in here before you call.
Oh, I had mouth sores from a med soon after my injury and they hurt like hell. Couldn't eat, brush my teeth.. Turned out my pharmacist had a second degree in holistic medicine. He suggested taking L-Lysine as a supplement for any problems with mucous membranes and the sores were gone a week later. It's an amino acid supplement that helps with absorbing protein. It hasn't helped with my heartburn but I rarely need pain meds for IBS now that I take it daily. I think it's a 500mg tablet. Might help in the future as far as the lithium goes.

About bowel impactions, some docs want an xray to make sure that is what they are treating. Never a bad idea. Regular enemas will not help and let any doc that suggests one describe how you are supposed to insert and hold it and then get on the john.

Hi Sue,

It really isn't diarrhea so much as "peanut butter" like consistency . It's not watery or anything like that. The accidents usually happen when I'm leaning forward for a weight shift.

My spasms have decreased a lot since starting the new probiotic....here's hopeful!

Thanks Sue and SCI Nurse!

I will post updates

[Sue Pendleton]

I'd stick with the probiotic too for a bit. Sounds like you're getting there. I know you get blood tests when taking lithium. Ask your doctor before your next one if they can pay special attention to anything that might be helping this stick around after you finished the antibiotics and started the probiotics. It will help your doctor and you when needing other meds in the future figure out what doesn't mix well with the lithium. If you'll be on it long term I'd start a diary log that you can just add when you try or take different prescription meds or supplements and any changes during that time. My Mom was on it for a long time but her biggest problem was getting sunburns even under a blanket and with sunscreen at the beach. With her fair skin it made for some uncomfortable summers even off the water.

[jbridges9]

Probiotics seemed to have worked. I feel a lot better, not so weak.. and no more accidents. And stool consistency has returned mostly to normal.

Spasms have calmed down quite a bit but I'm still spazzy like when I had the UTI.. Baclofen doesn't seem to be doing anything. GP prescribed Tizanidine 4-8mg tid/qid and it is life changing, although I need to get the dose timing down pat.. Once it wears off I'm all spazzy again!

[lynnifer]

Originally Posted by Sue Pendleton

I take Align daily.

I'm looking to switch from my generic Jamieson's probiotic to Align (ever since you mentioned it) ... but it's $34.99 in Canada!!!

Tell me it's worth the cost!

[jbridges9]

Originally Posted by lynnifer

I'm looking to switch from my generic Jamieson's probiotic to Align (ever since you mentioned it) ... but it's $34.99 in Canada!!!

Tell me it's worth the cost!

I use Garden of Life probiotics.

So I still have this pesky UTI. On my 3rd antibiotic..levaquin now.

500mg every day for 10 days. On day 3 now and dip tests are negative but my pain and plasticity are still present. How long before those clear?

[jbridges9]

Originally Posted by lynnifer

I'm looking to switch from my generic Jamieson's probiotic to Align (ever since you mentioned it) ... but it's $34.99 in Canada!!!

Tell me it's worth the cost!

I use Garden of Life probiotics.

So I still have this pesky UTI. On my 3rd antibiotic..levaquin now.

500mg every day for 10 days. On day 3 now and dip tests are negative but my pain and plasticity are still present. How long before those clear?

[gjnl]

Are you getting a urinalysis (UA)/culture and sensitivity (C&S) 3-4 days after each course of antibiotics? It isn't enough to see the symptoms of the UTI go away. The lab tests on the urine specimen will confirm that the bacteria is gone, that another bacteria hasn't taken its place and that another antibiotic may be more effective if the bacteria has mutated to some degree.

If you continue to have these serial urinary tract infections, it might be time to see an infectious disease doctor.

All the best,
GJ

[jbridges9]

Originally Posted by gjnl

Are you getting a urinalysis (UA)/culture and sensitivity (C&S) 3-4 days after each course of antibiotics? It isn't enough to see the symptoms of the UTI go away. The lab tests on the urine specimen will confirm that the bacteria is gone, that another bacteria hasn't taken its place and that another antibiotic may be more effective if the bacteria has mutated to some degree.

If you continue to have these serial urinary tract infections, it might be time to see an infectious disease doctor.

All the best,
GJ

I haven't been. Although this bacteria is the same as the previous so they don't think it went away. I've been on the antibiotic for 3 days and today the urologist did a dip test and sent the sample for C&S. The initial UA/dip at the doctor's office returned a perfectly normal sample, but the C&S will tell.

I've only had 2 infections, this one just doesn't go away.. symptoms never go away. My previous infection was pretty nasty and a 7-day course of Bactrim cleared it right up.

The Dr. gave me some samples of Vesicare, a bladder relaxant medication.. but I don't have bladder spasms/leaking, so not sure why I would need this?

Thanks for the help!

[SCI-Nurse]

The vesicare will help to decrease the amount of urine that your bladder holds. That makes it less likely for an infection to develop.
You mention the drugs that you are taking but not whether or not you are drinking the right amount of fluids or the right type. You need to be drinking at least 2 qts of fluids, non caffeinated and not carbonated.
If there is anything else that you need, fell free to ask.
CKF