Ugh. I started having diarrhea Saturday morning. I went 6 times in an hour! Since it was the weekend, I couldn't reach the doc.
Long story short, I had diarrhea for 4 days, finally letting up this afternoon.
My doc said to stop ALL pharmaceutical meds. I just looked at the side effects for my new meds and ALL list diarrhea.
They are actigall, cefdinir and IM rocephin.
Ugh...this is finally clearing, but I'm scared. I don't know what my doc is going to have me take next.
I was doing well on bicillin, doxycycline and tinidazole, however insurance won't pay for bicillin so we switched things.
Blah....I wish there was a clear-cut treatment plan for Lyme.
Just disappointed and trying to keep my spirits up.
Any words of encouragement are welcome.
My birthday is later this week, so at least my stomach won't be going crazy on that day (I hope), but I did start my period today (ugh!).
Will this run of bad luck end???
[ 04-26-2014, 05:13 AM: Message edited by: Judie ]
Posted by Razzle (Member # 30398) on :
I wonder if C. Diff was the culprit... Are you taking probiotics?
Posted by Judie (Member # 38323) on :
Yep, tons of probiotics/Saccharomyces boulardii and supplement support. I've been taking them the whole time and my gut's been okay until this new protocol.
There's no pain, tenderness or burning, so I know it's not food poisoning.
I stopped the antibiotics over the weekend and just stopped the actigall today. I think taking 3 things that cause diarrhea as a common side effect was just too much for me.
My doc says if it doesn't clear up, we'll do a stool test.
I hate being off antibiotics. I don't want Lyme and co-infections to take over while I'm just sitting around.
I doubled the already high dose of probiotics that I usually take.
It's just so frustrating to do what's suppose to be the right thing, but my body says "nope, I don't like this."
Posted by GretaM (Member # 40917) on :
Oh no!
6 times in an hour...yikes! Ouch!
Judie-have you taken cefinidir before?
I seem to remember a bit of stomach upset with the actigal too when I first started it. It needs to be taken with a meal.
It went away after a bit.
IV rocephin doesn't give me the runs, and I haven't used cefinidir before.
Also mepron gives me upset tummy now.
I know what you mean about not wanting to stop taking them because of the worry that the TBDs will flare up.
Did you start them all on the same day?
What about retrying just say the actigal? Then if it doesn't bother your tum after a few days, add in the IM roceph.
Then if that goes OK after a week, add in the cefinidir?
Hopefully the culprit can be found.
Nothing worse than the runs! Argh! I feel for you.
Posted by Judie (Member # 38323) on :
Thanks Greta!
You always know the right words to make someone feel better.
Yes, 6 times in the first hour after being awoken to urgently run to the bathroom on Saturday. It continued through the rest of the day (but less frequent), and repeated the next few days.
I started the cefdinir on Friday, the day before the runs started. (I'm suppose to take cefdinir on the days off of rocephin.)
I only took the cefdinir on Friday and Saturday and the runs continued even after that.
I continued taking the actigall Sunday and Monday and still had the problem. I did do my rocephin injection yesterday.
It was slightly (and I mean slightly) better this morning, so at least one of the other meds (other than cefdinir), is contributing.
Ugh... so frustrating.
Posted by woodstock (Member # 43072) on :
Cefnedir really ran through me.
However, I figured out that I was overdoing the probiotics (I was really scarfing them) and once I took fewer and only AM and PM I did better... also, activated charcoal made a huge difference.
I would take two activated charcoal tabs around 10-11 AM and that was all I needed.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I think it's the cefinidir too. Hope just leaving that one out when things settle down works.
Saccromyces always stops me up. Take more~! Posted by Judie (Member # 38323) on :
Thanks! I really think cefdinir is part of it, but something is still off.
Again, I woke up this morning and had to go 6 times in the first hour (then nothing at least).
Perhaps my body is still clearing the stuff out. I also broke out in a rash that's slowly clearing too.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
It's good to be clearing things out!!
Take some charcoal.
Posted by Judie (Member # 38323) on :
No running to the bathroom this past hour, but I'm about to eat for the first time today.
My period is also in full force today. Too many things going on in that area!
I've been taking 3 of these a day all through treatment. It's been helping my stomach, but not much is helping now.
Here are the ingredients. I don't know how this translates to typical charcoal.
Argh! The runs and a period! Yikes! My sympathies Judie! Posted by Judie (Member # 38323) on :
Thanks Greta for the sympathy!
Yep, I just want to put an out-of-order sign hanging from my hips.
I feel spent.
I was hoping the runs would be gone by now. They seemed to be limited to the morning at least, but now I have lady cramps. Ugh...
My birthday is later this week, this is NOT how I want to spend it. Ugh...
Posted by Judie (Member # 38323) on :
My stomach is doing better today. I only went 3 times, instead of 7 in an hour like yesterday. I'll try not to be too graphic, so let's just say it's getting more formed.
My doc has me taking 200 billion units of probiotics now and metamucil. I picked up something called Raw Probiotics since it was the only thing at the health food store that seemed strong enough.
It seems to be helping. I pray tomorrow is more normal.
I've been off antibiotics since Monday and feeling pretty spacey.
Posted by canbravelyme (Member # 9785) on :
Hi Judie,
We have been living parallel lives -- I have gastric dumping (disrrhea / vomiting / epigastric pain) as a symptom of Lyme disease having caused autonomic dysfunction, and after adding Cefdinir and Nystatin hell broke loose - woke up at 3:30, 4:30, 5:30am in excruciating pain and diarrhea / vomiting -- by the third time I was so exhausted I was contemplating the virtues of using a bedpan!
Then I got my period -- can you take some Ibuprofen when you have cramps? Without it, the whole mess is so uncomfortable I can barely stand it!
Stopped Cefdinir and Nystatin three days ago. Now going to try a campaign against Candida (naturally) and see whether I get any relief!
Posted by Judie (Member # 38323) on :
canbravelyme - Good lord! We are living parallel lives!
Yes, if hell has a bathroom I think I've visited it all week. There should be a special circle of hell for this.
I was just reminded of the SNL commercial for birth control that makes it so you only have your period once a year. Ack, felt like I've been "holding on to my hat" all week.
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