Warning: this post is kind of gross. Sorry.

LATeagno
LATeagno Posts: 620 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
OK, so I hope I don't regret writing this here. I figured better here than Facebook, though. I really don't need my extended family knowing about my recent... um... issues. They're kind of about poop, so if you're eating, you might want to visit the sunshine and butterflies thread. Consider yourself warned. :D

I'm a recovering ultra-low carber. I still watch carbs, but aim for about 150 healthy carbs per day versus my old go-to, which was about 25. I'm eating a ton of vegetables, fruits and high-fiber cereals (I've been in love with Fiber One's 80 calorie cereal, but I portion it out) in addition to dairy, meats and natural fats. I don't eat much in the way of super processed foods (aside from the cereal).

Anyway, about three weeks ago, I took antibiotics for a tooth infection. It's been awhile, but I think something... happened to me. I don't know if it's my new diet or what, but um... I cannot stop... going to the bathroom. There, I said it. I can't stop pooping. Or being gassy. Holy crap it's embarrassing. I seriously don't know how I'm maintaining my weight at this rate because I feel like I poop 10 times a day.

I've always eaten a lot of fiber-- even on low carb I averaged 35-40g per day. I'm now averaging 50 or so grams per day, but fiber has never really had this effect on me in the past. Seriously, guys-- especially at night, my stomach is super gurgly, super bloated and um... farty. And it hurts. Like... ouch.

Anyone else have this issue? Is this IBS or something? Do I just need to spend a day eating nothing but yogurt? Do you think it's something with my intestinal flora? My poor husband is dying over here. My butt is also dying over here. LOL.

Thoughts and pitiful jokes about the state of my bum are appreciated. :D




Sincerely,
Farty McPoop Pants
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Replies

  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
    Go onto a course of probiotics.
  • ModoVincere
    ModoVincere Posts: 530 Member
    Antibiotics can upset the intestinal flora....it might help you to eat some yogurt and or take some probiotics. Too much of the wrong bacteria in the intestines can lead to all the things you mentioned.
  • LATeagno
    LATeagno Posts: 620 Member
    Should I eat probiotic yogurt or those little pearls?
  • jenmsu83
    jenmsu83 Posts: 185 Member
    50 grams of fiber a day sounds like A LOT...I'm thinking that has something to do with it.
  • shannajojo
    shannajojo Posts: 192 Member
    Maybe you are getting too nuch fiber in your diet and it's causing you to go to the bathroom. I can't do the FiberOne stuff.. my stomach will gurgle and cramp up badly.
  • caitlyn30
    caitlyn30 Posts: 207 Member
    whats the medicine you took? some medicines could do that to you even after you are done taking them. go search the medicine and the side effects online.:laugh:
  • sefrank
    sefrank Posts: 26 Member
    I would also recommend taking probiotics but if this continues I would talk to you physician about possible doing a stool culture because being on antibiotics can make you prone to an infection called C-Diff, which needs to be treated.
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    I'm just here to say yup, antibiotics can wreak havoc on the digestive system. I've always found acidophilus to be the best solution. (not sure what other probiotics are effective, or if there is some mix, I've always gone with acidophilus)
  • lmelangley
    lmelangley Posts: 1,039 Member
    Go onto a course of probiotics.

    Agree. I recommend Culturelle. It's a little pricey - around $24 where I live - but I have a special needs daughter and it's the only thing that works for her.

    Plus, yogurt. Eat around 6 oz of good yogurt - just make sure the protein grams are higher than the sugar grams and the cultures are live - per day for 5 days. I recommend a plain greek yogurt (read the ingredients to make sure the ingredients are only milk and cultures - stuff like whey powder makes the yogurt a little nasty) and then sweeten it with a bit of honey or maple syrup, and throw in a handful of berries or granola.
  • janvcooper
    janvcooper Posts: 86 Member
    It is possible you have developed an infection in your stool called C-difficile as a secondary effect of the antibiotics you took. I'm a nurse in a nursing home and see it a lot. You need to contact your physician and have him culture your stool. Don't wait, you can develop dehydration from all that diarrhea, besides the obvious discomfort. Please see your doctor!
  • LATeagno
    LATeagno Posts: 620 Member
    The antibiotic I took was Biaxin. I've never taken it before and to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. What's weird is that this started weeks after the antibiotic course ended. Very odd. I'll definitely get some probiotics tomorrow because this is seriously uncomfortable.
  • leska1216
    leska1216 Posts: 260
    Sounds like your antibiotics messed with your good intestinal stuff. You probably need some probiotics. I use a product called Tu-Zen on the advice of my dr. It is not prescription (in BC, Canada) but you do have to ask for it behind the counter. More yougurt would also help, actually any product with probiotics. I take 3 per day, again on my dr's advice. Also, try a glass of ginger ale, that might help with the gurgly upset stomach. There are also products to cut back on gas, but seriously, I do not find them to work very well. Good luck.
  • LATeagno
    LATeagno Posts: 620 Member
    It is possible you have developed an infection in your stool called C-difficile as a secondary effect of the antibiotics you took. I'm a nurse in a nursing home and see it a lot. You need to contact your physician and have him culture your stool. Don't wait, you can develop dehydration from all that diarrhea, besides the obvious discomfort. Please see your doctor!

    I do not have diarrhea, which is why this is so odd to me. It's just regular stuff. It's just like... all the time. Awful.
  • jo3y20
    jo3y20 Posts: 89 Member
    I tried the Fiber One bars and they did a real thing on me. Bad gas and cramps.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    My husband has serious intestinal problems (had a foot of it removed) and this is his life. WAS actually. He has it under co trolnow

    Like people said - you need to replace your intestinal fauna You can go to the pharmacist and ask for over the counter probiotics. This is abnormal reaction to antibiotics. Plain real yoghurt (look for active culture on the label) will definitely help. I think kefir is even better. I have been culturing at home for years, but you can now buy it at many groceries, Trader Joes and almost all health food markets.

    I also highly recommend fiber. My husband eats all the normal stuff, but highly recommends Metamucil - again over the counter at any pharmacy and highly recommended by his doctors.


    he recently was on strong antibiotics for pneumonia and this put all right.

    You just need to get back in balance.
  • LATeagno
    LATeagno Posts: 620 Member
    PS: You all rock. Thanks so much for the replies. :)
  • monicalosesweight
    monicalosesweight Posts: 1,173 Member
    Contact the doc and verify that there aren't any weird side affects. There are some bad things that can happen with certain antibiotics. If you're going through some weird stuff, they can culture and make sure what's happening isn't something serious.
  • goldilocks509
    goldilocks509 Posts: 76 Member
    take probiotics!
  • sarahmckinley
    sarahmckinley Posts: 23 Member
    I'm not one for giving out medical advice around here, but....it could be an infection that was actually caused by the antibiotics (even if it's been several weeks since you took them). You know you have good bacteria in your intestines...basically it's to keep the bad bacteria in check. If the antibiotics wipe out the good bacteria, the bad bacteria can take over and the big D comes in. You should probably call your doc or friendly nurse practitioner :) because you may need a different antibiotic to get everything back into balance, along with the probiotics (my husband swears by them, I'm not a fan, but different strokes I guess). If you decide to try and ride it out, you really need to concentrate on hydration and potassium intake. D can cause low potassium and if it goes on for long enough, it can be dangerous for your heart.
  • mslili2002
    mslili2002 Posts: 3
    LOL...sometimes i can get a little gassy if i eat to much veggies, cheese and milk...but i think if you never had this problem before, its probably the antibiotics...you should detox for a couple of days and get whatever in you system out...try a cabbage soup and natual detox tea....and lots of water..in addition you will lose a couple of pounds..good luck..great story... : )
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
    Delete - as others said the same thing - I only read comments after.
  • newmein2013
    newmein2013 Posts: 674 Member
    First, if it's been going on for 3 weeks, you definitely need to see a doctor. They'll run some tests ( a stool sample, an upper and/or lower GI Series & probably a colonoscopy). It could be something serious such as collitis or chrohn's disease or IBS. If you see any blood, do not put this off any longer.

    Second, antibiotics can cause the symptoms you decribed but once discontinued, you should go back to your normal pattern.

    Third, Cut back on fiber. It is too much for you right now. Even if you stay at 50 grams once you're feeling better, you definitely need to cut back drastically now. You want to eat foods that will bind you such as rice, bananas, & dry toast. You need to get your body to heal before you put that much fiber into it again.

    Lastly, stay away from dairy, including yogurt. You may be lactose intolerant. This can happen suddenly in case you're wondering "why all of a sudden?"

    Best of luck to you.
  • jlewis2896
    jlewis2896 Posts: 763 Member
    I would also recommend taking probiotics but if this continues I would talk to you physician about possible doing a stool culture because being on antibiotics can make you prone to an infection called C-Diff, which needs to be treated.

    I'm going to go ahead an agree with this. I would call your doctor's office and explain the situation right away.
  • JodieChampoux
    JodieChampoux Posts: 17 Member
    Dear Farty McPoop Pants,
    The problem with antibiotics is that they don't discriminate, and you need healthy bacteria in your intestines to properly digest and process your food. Get a good acidopholis or pro-biotic supplement, and be sure to take it on an empty stomach. Whenever you take antibiotics it is wise to follow with a round of acidopholis to re-populate the healthy flora in your intestines. After all, you do want to do something beside look at the wallpaper in the bathroom.
  • tajmel
    tajmel Posts: 401 Member
    Yeah, this sounds like an intestinal bacteria issue. Without healthy flora, you can't fully process a lot of foods, plus without the beneficial bacteria to keep things in check other less awesome fungal and bacterial things can take over Also, that's a lot of fiber. Fiber one should be treated like a supplement, in my opinion.

    Read the labels of the yogurts at the store and find one with 5+ cultures (most have 2). Eat some local organic produce and local raw honey if you can find it. All have lots of good bacteria.
  • newmein2013
    newmein2013 Posts: 674 Member
    LOL...sometimes i can get a little gassy if i eat to much veggies, cheese and milk...but i think if you never had this problem before, its probably the antibiotics...you should detox for a couple of days and get whatever in you system out...try a cabbage soup and natual detox tea....and lots of water..in addition you will lose a couple of pounds..good luck..great story... : )

    NO cabbage! You'll be in serious pain & be living in the bathroom. But everything else here I agree with.
  • AABru
    AABru Posts: 610 Member
    Fiber one did this to me as well...try the fresh food without fiber one and see how you feel. I would have a bar at about 10 am and by 3 pm I couldn't stop farting and my stomach hurt.
  • redhousecat
    redhousecat Posts: 584 Member
    I concur with the probiotics, but PLEASE, get them at a health food store. You want to get something that is formulated properly and not from a company that has jumped on the bandwagon. The strain Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1 tends to be most beneficial. Also get one without synthetic ingredients. It doesn't have to be expensive, just pure.

    I got this info from Dr Ira Breite, Gastroenterologist, NYU Med Center.
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
    i love this post.
    ahahaha you are awesome.

    i hope your bum gets better!
  • andreaeose777
    andreaeose777 Posts: 24 Member
    Natures way probiotics are awesome. You need to take them for a month straight to rebuild the good bacteria in your stomach. Yogurt is not going to help u need something much stronger.

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