Hi erik, 2 months ago I too suffered for a over 40 days with "the runs". I tried so many things and went from Dr. To Dr. I found this stuff called "primal defense "hso probiotic formula. It is put out by the garden of life. I find mine on ebay because I can get it at a better price than direct or health food stores. There is a website you can go to and read up on this and other things to help you. I will never stop taking this stuff. I take 2-3 pills a day. I call it a miracle pill...........
I take the ultrazorbe caplets. I hope this helps you, if not, I can at least fell better about trying to!!!!!!!!!!!!I wish you all the luck in the world!

Thanks for the advice. I tried the primal defense for 2 months now, but it hasn't made any difference in my problem. I and my doctors are still trying to find a cause, then a cure.

Erik h.

Erick ,

have you been tested for c. Difficile? Let me know.

I don't think so. Tell me about it.
Thanks.
Erik

Ok well it is chronic diarrhea. Sometimes it has a bad oder to sometimes not. You might get a stomach ache so to speak, you can also be tired, or a fever . Or you just might have diarrhea. It can be caused from being on a antibiotic prior to getting the runs. It does not have to be right then. You can get it from a hospital too.. To figure it out you need a stool test. They will test your stool to see if you have the bacteria or not. Sometimes there are false negatives too where it does not show up positive right away. Tell me all of your symptoms and do you still have them?

Oh yea and usually you have to go right now and go more than 10-20 times a day.

When I was at my worst (i'm improved, as i'll get to ), I went 5-6 times an hour, 24 hours a day. I did not have stomach pain. I had little time to make it to the bathroom. One of the worst problems was the lack of sleep. Stool samples were taken, and tested, though I don't know for sure if I was tested for c. Difficile. I would have to ask my gastroenterologist. I never had bloody stools. Nothing was ever found to point to a cause. I was tested for gluten sensitivity, and lactose intolerance. I was on a gluten-free, and later, lactose free, diet. That wasn't it either. I was tested for all kinds of parasites and bacteria. Biopsies were taken. Nothing. I was put on prescription lomotil, taking a lot every day. That slowed it down minimally. I was put on flagil, an antibiotic. No change.

Finally, after 2 1/2 months, when my gastroenterologist was out of ideas, my family doctor prescribed nortriptiline, an "old style" antidepressant, to try and calm the nerves in my gut, if that was the cause. He was treating symptoms, not cause. That improved my live tremendously, in that I can now sleep through the night, and during the day, I only go 5-6 times on most days. I still have diarrhea, however. I have not had a solid stool in almost 9 months.

Erik

When I was at my worst (i'm improved, as i'll get to ), I went 5-6 times an hour, 24 hours a day. I did not have stomach pain. I had little time to make it to the bathroom. One of the worst problems was the lack of sleep. Stool samples were taken, and tested, though I don't know for sure if I was tested for c. Difficile. I would have to ask my gastroenterologist. I never had bloody stools. Nothing was ever found to point to a cause. I was tested for gluten sensitivity, and lactose intolerance. I was on a gluten-free, and later, lactose free, diet. That wasn't it either. I was tested for all kinds of parasites and bacteria. Biopsies were taken. Nothing. I was put on prescription lomotil, taking a lot every day. That slowed it down minimally. I was put on flagil, an antibiotic. No change.

Finally, after 2 1/2 months, when my gastroenterologist was out of ideas, my family doctor prescribed nortriptiline, an "old style" antidepressant, to try and calm the nerves in my gut, if that was the cause. He was treating symptoms, not cause. That improved my live tremendously, in that I can now sleep through the night, and during the day, I only go 5-6 times on most days. I still have diarrhea, however. I have not had a solid stool in almost 9 months.

Erik

Hi erik,

well flagyl is one of the antibiotics you can take for c diff. There are only 2 the other is called vancomycin. I'd be curious to see if they checked u for c diff and if they did I would ask to be tested again since you can have a false negative. Do your stools look normal?

Erik,
My mother 75yrs has the same symptoms you have for the last 4 months and it's slowly killing her. Nothing her doctor has reccomended has worked and she is stuck trying to control it with over the counter immodium ad.
She says that it started with an antibotic she was taking for a bladder infection and just hasn't gone away. I am ver worried about her and need to get help.
Please share any info that could help. Also, I may bring her to Atlanta for treatment if I knew a physician that specializies in this area.
Thanks
Mark

mfolks,

Antibiotics can often trigger digestive problems. I had diarrhea for years. Test after test came back negative.

This is what I finally found that worked...

Go to removed-advertising

I don't know much about this, But what is your diet like?

Hi, read your post and I understand what you are going through. Check into Habba Syndrome (bile salts diarrhea). It's a rather new diagnosis, so finding a gastro. who knows about it (or will look into it) may be tough.

I hope someone can come up with something here. I have the same problem. It started six months ago with a 24 bout of vomiting and diarrhea.

I had been to the doctor on Friday for a tendon tear and weighed in. I got sick Sunday around 10 and spent all day transferring from sitting on the toilet to leaning over it. I called in sick on Monday for the first time I can remember (I'm 46) and had lost 12 pounds when I weighed in at the doc. She said it was likely a flu, gave me something for the nausea and diarrhea and sent me on my way.

I stopped vomiting but the nausea didn't go away for over four months and I still have it 1-3 days a week (not quite as bad as it was before).

I still have the diarrhea. I may have 2 slightly more solid stools a week (still very soft) but usually followed by 6-7 watery stools (high pressure) in 2-4 hours. I have been tested for parasites, infections, you name it. I specifically asked for C-diff because sometimes it is very mucousy and... aromatic.

I work in a nursing home and have smelled c-diff.. I would have bet a weeks pay it would be positive but it wasn't.

The slightly more solid stools started when I started taking Metamucil. It seems to form a slight cork but that is all.

In a related note, I started a medically supervised, all liquid, diet two months ago. One of the side effects of the diet is constipation it had no change on my situation. I have lost nearly 50 pounds though so that is good.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Ken

I too have these symptoms and it has ruined my life for the past 6 yes 6 years!!!
Doctors are at a loss as to the cause of it, i'm 38 and find myself being regularly incontinent of faeces. I have discovered a treatment through a friend which is botox injections into the bowel which basically oaralyses the bowel, preventing that uncontrollable need to go immediately!! (You know what i mean.)
I have approached my GP about this and he is being v helpful in researching it and finding out if this procedure is done on the NHS. He knows about botox injections to the bladder and that they have a high success rate. It may be worth mentioning to your GP ??

Ok... I had almost immediate relief after trying a technique called EFT. You can find the website at emofree.com. I didn't think it would work.. even though I do believe in Chinese medicine theory. You can learn it for free and it takes very little time.

I had not had a solid bowel movement in over 6 months. Sometimes it was just water coming out. I read the manual and was just trying the points as I read. My tummy started gurgling so I ran to the bathroom and to my surprise it was solid. Soft but solid. I continued doing the technique a couple of times a day and have had maybe two loose stools in the last 5 weeks or so.

I am not promising it can help you but it is free and easy to do so give it a try.

Ken