# Alternating diarrhoea and constipation IBS confirmed by doctors after tests



## 21925 (Jul 28, 2006)

HelloI am asking for help for my adult son who has been suffering from FMS and CFS for almost 6 years following 2 rough experiences of MRSA and Clostridium Difficile. They were hospital-acquired infections following an operation which was not looked after properly as he developed septic stitches. Meanwhile the doctors did not check him and although in agony, they refused to change his bandage and he ended up with life-threatening infection. Instead they told him to stop whingeing and have opiates to stop the pain. By the time someone took him seriously he was impacted with faeces to his diaphragm. A private consultant took him into a private hospital and saved his life by giving him enemas and then found the infections for which he was given Metronidazole. But still the septic stitch had not been diagnosed incredibly. After that he was still unwell and in desperation asked if he did indeed have a septic stitch when a nurse reckoned he did as there was a big lump.One would have thought that ANYONE would have considered that this must need checking - a lump is wrong and needs checking.He was still in agony.Then he asked if a swab could be taken and lo and behold he had MRSA.So he was given betadine. This did work.The longer term legacy has been that ever since he has had difficulties in eating. He always had food intolerances in the past, including milk, but now it meant he could only eat very few foods indeed.Over the next 3 years or so he became weaker - he lost 10 stones in weight and was finally admitted into hospital where again he was given metronidazole and cipro which were given together this time - THIS SAVED HIS LIFE.I cannot tell you how he has struggled to maintain his dignity and sense of humour.He is some boy and I am very proud of him.We are now trying to get him to see a professor of CFS - a neurologist, as he still has great difficulties - he spends ages in and out of the lavatory both urinating and defecating. Sometimes it is runny and other times the motion comes in small lumps. He has been told it is classic symptoms of IBS - he has had the colonoscopy and gastroscopy.He also had his heart monitored in 2004 when in hospital and his iron levels were dangerously low when he was hospitalised.Now they are going to take him off the nutritionist schedule in September but we are scared because he has still only put back on 3 stones, and has a BMI of just about 20.His diet is very restricted indeed as he had another infection a few weeks after getting out of hospital and had to have water, sugar and salt solution to stop losing all the weight he had put on. It left him unable to put much weight on. Then in the May he insisted on having more antibiotics - the metronidazole and cipro - and again it helped.So he got a diagnosis of small bowel overgrowth syndrome.I had heard of a probiotic solution prepared by Dundee University for IBD and ulcerative colitis patients but I do not know where to buy it commercially.I am desperate to get my son well. He has very little muscle tone and he is still far too slim.He deserves a chance to be happy.Thank you all very muchRosemary


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