Increased spasms and very loose stools

[jbridges9]

Hi
I was being treated for a bladDer infection and my spasms increased quite a bit when I had the infection. I was given Cipro and that took care of the infection but I started having bowel accidents. I thought it was the antibiotic but been off 3 days now and now having very bad spasms and loose stools and bowel accidents.

What could this be?

[gjnl]

Could still be the effects of the antibiotic. It is a good idea to take a probiotic supplement when you are taking antibiotics to maintain and restore a balance of intestinal flora. It wouldn't hurt to get on a probiotic supplement now.

All the best,
GJ

[jbridges9]

Originally Posted by gjnl

Could still be the effects of the antibiotic. It is a good idea to take a probiotic supplement when you are taking antibiotics to maintain and restore a balance of intestinal flora. It wouldn't hurt to get on a probiotic supplement now.

All the best,
GJ

Hi
I forgot to add that I am taking a probiotic and have been since before the antibiotic.

[gjnl]

If you have been taking a probiotic all along, you may need to take a look at what you are taking. When you are taking antibiotics you need to be taking a probiotic that contains 4 billion organisms with each dose of antibiotic or a total of 8 billion per day and strains from both L. acidophilus and B. bifidum.

All the best,
GJ

[xsfxsf]

Originally Posted by jbridges9

Hi
I was being treated for a bladDer infection and my spasms increased quite a bit when I had the infection. I was given Cipro and that took care of the infection but I started having bowel accidents. I thought it was the antibiotic but been off 3 days now and now having very bad spasms and loose stools and bowel accidents.

What could this be?

Don't know, but I have same symptoms (except no spasms), also after long antibiotic course. Been off antibiotic 6 weeks but bowel is getting worse and worse. Been taking probiotic for a while, the Nature's Way one, which worked at first but now doesn't. Trying Align now too, but no change.

For me I also had constipation so had to take Miralax 2x/day, maybe that is the cause, but when I lower Miralax dose, I get constipation.

Kind of at wit's end really.

I do not think it is Cdiff, as no other symptoms. I get gurgling in stomach a lot btw.

[SCI-Nurse]

agree with taking a probiotic or acidophilus during antibiotic treatment and since you are still having symptoms take it afterward also.

antibiotics can wipe out the GI flora which is the lining of your intestines --> hence causing the diarrhea.

pbr

pbr

[jbridges9]

Originally Posted by SCI-Nurse

agree with taking a probiotic or acidophilus during antibiotic treatment and since you are still having symptoms take it afterward also.

antibiotics can wipe out the GI flora which is the lining of your intestines --> hence causing the diarrhea.

pbr

pbr

Thanks for the replies. I started taking Garden of Life Men Probiotic tonight, it has 31 strains and 85 billion live cultures. I was simply taking Culturelle before.

could the gut upset be the cause of the spasms as well? it is primarily my right leg / right side that spasms.. the right foot will also get swollen.

[Sue Pendleton]

Originally Posted by jbridges9

Thanks for the replies. I started taking Garden of Life Men Probiotic tonight, it has 31 strains and 85 billion live cultures. I was simply taking Culturelle before.

could the gut upset be the cause of the spasms as well? it is primarily my right leg / right side that spasms.. the right foot will also get swollen.

Almost everyone I know has a uti leg. Meaning one leg will start kicking up a storm when a uti is starting. I get spasms in both when my stomach goes nuts. First, if I were you I'd start and stay on one good probiotic. If yours is a pill or capsule with a long shelf life once open it probably is mostly dead good bugs. If not sure try adding a good yogurt every day like Activia or Chobani that has several active cultures.

What level are you? And it looks like you're a fairly new injury. First rule for happy bowels is only change one thing at a time and give it a full week. I take Align daily. Whether on antibiotics or not due to IBS but it seems most people I know who have a good routine either take a probiotic every day and/or eat yogurt. I like Chobani and eat a few a week as a high protein snack.

Are you still doing outpatient rehab? Do you stand daily? Exercise and/or standing can help move things along. I'd say give your new probiotic a week. Then try to cut back to 1 dose of Miralax a day. Give that a week.

And if you have never had c. diff, hmm, think of the vilest smell on Earth. If your dog won't even stick around then get a sample to a lab. Do not take Immodium unless you get a sample in first. C. Difficile can make you very sick which is why your body will try and get rid of it as fast as possible. Definitly call your doctor if you start running a fever, vile smell or not.

[jbridges9]

Originally Posted by Sue Pendleton

Almost everyone I know has a uti leg. Meaning one leg will start kicking up a storm when a uti is starting. I get spasms in both when my stomach goes nuts. First, if I were you I'd start and stay on one good probiotic. If yours is a pill or capsule with a long shelf life once open it probably is mostly dead good bugs. If not sure try adding a good yogurt every day like Activia or Chobani that has several active cultures.

What level are you? And it looks like you're a fairly new injury. First rule for happy bowels is only change one thing at a time and give it a full week. I take Align daily. Whether on antibiotics or not due to IBS but it seems most people I know who have a good routine either take a probiotic every day and/or eat yogurt. I like Chobani and eat a few a week as a high protein snack.

Are you still doing outpatient rehab? Do you stand daily? Exercise and/or standing can help move things along. I'd say give your new probiotic a week. Then try to cut back to 1 dose of Miralax a day. Give that a week.

And if you have never had c. diff, hmm, think of the vilest smell on Earth. If your dog won't even stick around then get a sample to a lab. Do not take Immodium unless you get a sample in first. C. Difficile can make you very sick which is why your body will try and get rid of it as fast as possible. Definitly call your doctor if you start running a fever, vile smell or not.

Hi - I am a T3 , sensory incomplete. I don't take Miralax or anything else to make me go. I had a bout of constipation a week or two ago and took *1* stool softener capsule and that was enough to get me moving again. Since then I've been fine til a few days ago.

I do have a UTI leg, it's my left leg. I was on the antibiotic for the UTI - The UTI has cleared up and so has the spasms in the left leg. Now it's switched over to the right leg.. and it's pretty violent spasms, plantar flex, foot bouncing up and down and then a very strong abdominal spasm thats quite uncomfortable.

The bowel accidents started like a week ago, like every other day, now it's every day, today it's been twice. I am eating lots of fiber, drinking lots of water, taking a multivitamin, etc.

The only other thing that's changed is I take Lithium and I was taking (2) 150mg capsules (300mg) 2x/day and that recently got changed to a 300mg capsule 2x/day. Same dosage, just a different pill, different mfgr.. different colors, etc.

I've been on Lithium many many years ago and it gave me very bad GI upset (doubled over in pain and diarrhea), but I've been on this now for 5 weeks w/ no issues.

[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.