# Don't plan to give up



## refuse to live this way (Apr 25, 2012)

Just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience. This is my story:In 2007 I had a dental issue that looked like it might be an infection so my dentist put me on the antibiotic, clindamycin, and then made an appointment with an oral surgeon. After taking the antibiotics for a couple of days it started to make me sick to my stomach which I reported to my dentist. He told me to stop taking it and check with the oral surgeon as to what he might want to give me (my appointment was within a couple of days). When I went to my appointment, the oral surgeon suggested that I take clindamycin. I explained to him that it was making me sick and he told me that this antibiotic was the best thing to take for an oral infection and requested that I go back on it. He actually doubled the dosage I was previously taking. Taking his advice, I went back on it and it made me so sick, vomiting, diarrhea, that I had to go to the emergency room (suggested by my on-call primary care doctor). Once there, they put me on an i.v. for dehydration, took blood, urine and stool samples. I was then admitted to the hospital for a 5 day stay. My on-call primary doctor ended up telling me that I had gotten a secondary infection from the antibiotic. After being released from the hospital, and a couple of more days of rest, I was fine and back to normal.In May, 2011, I was given an antibiotic for a sinus infection (z-pac) by my regular primary doctor. After taking the medication, the sinus infection had still not gone away, so my doctor gave me a stronger antibiotic (levaquin). This antibiotic had the same effect on me as the clindamycin had and I ended up in the hospital for 6 days. I was given an i.v. for rehydration and put on a liquid diet. My primary doctor wanted to give me another i.v. antibiotic which I refused telling him I believed this is what caused the situation. Once released I continued to have both diarrhea and nausea as well as fatigue with many days of staying home from work because I could not function. This went on for several months and got progressively worse until I ended up back in the emergency room several more times until they finally admitted me again. I was back on a liquid diet along with i.v. antibiotics and rehydration. Another 5 day stay and released without any diagnosis. About 2 weeks later, back I was in the emergency room. This time they said my white blood count was sky high, my body was involuntarily vomiting with uncontrollable diarrhea. I felt like I was going to die. Another 6 day stay, in which they isolated me, gave me i.v. antibiotics (flagyl), liquid diet, and i.v. rehydration. They also did so many tests, I can't recall them all. I had done a routine colonoscopy in August which they said was fine, but they did another while I was in the hospital. Once again, after I could tolerate solid food, they sent me home without a diagnosis and told me to follow up with the G.I. doctor that had treated me in the hospital.Since then, I have had cronic diarrhea and nausea, along with my stomach being bloated and extended and sounding like a volcano wanting to explode. I have missed more days of work in the last year then I have in the history (35 or so years) of working. I have had so many tests it is pathetic and every one of them has come back negative. I have been treated for things that after testing show I don't even have and have pretty much spent my life for the last year in bed or on the couch feeling like ####.I finally made an appointment with a doctor in Chicago for a second opinion. I gave them all of my medical records since 2007. They did a $5,000 MRI test on me because a previous test showed I had pancreas divisum (a condition where the duct does not merge properly while in the womb). They also ran blood tests. The nurse calls me with the results and tells me I don't have cancer. I ask if it is a pancreas problem and she tells me yes. I ask what they plan on doing and she tells me I need to talk to the doctor. Finally, after a few more days, the doctor calls and says it is not a pancreas problem. The MRI showed no problems, so she wants to re-do a stool test (fecal fat test) I had previously done here because she was not satisfied with the previous results, they were unclear. I re-do the stool test, which takes another week. They send the results up to Chicago and after another week the nurse calls me and says the stool test came out fine but they want to start me on a new medication. The pharmacy calls me to let me know that they don't have enough of the medication in stock but they also want to let me know that it is going to cost me $365 for the prescription. I ask what the prescription is for and find out it is another antibiotic (xifaxan) which I had previously been given samples of by my G.I doctor here (which made me sick, although I did end of feeling better for about a week). I ended up getting two days worth (costing $52.00) and started taking it (guess what, it made me sick). I called the doctor in Chicago back and asked if they were giving me this script because the test showed something specific or if this was just an educated guess on their part. If this was just an educated guess, is there a test that can be done to give a difinitive diagnosis before I spend $365 on a prescription that they don't even know if I have bacterial overgrowth for sure. They said there was a test (hydrogen breath test) and finally got around to scheduling it through my doctor here after another week. I also got the impression that I ticked them off by asking questions and insisting on a diagnosis before treatment. I finally got the results of the test (which of course I had to call them for) and was told the test came back negative. Sure glad I hadn't forked out the full $365 for the script. Now the G.I. doctor here tells me he has no further recommendations and I need to wait to hear from the doctor in Chicago. My guess is, unless I call them, I probably won't even hear back from them. I'm at the end of my rope.I refuse to believe this is going to end up being diagnosed as IBS and I'm on my own. I do not want to live like this the rest of my life. From what I have read it seems like this problem should have started long before now (I'm 51) if it is IBS. Does anyone have any suggestions?


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## kmkimball88 (Feb 23, 2012)

refuse to live this way said:


> Just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience. This is my story:In 2007 I had a dental issue that looked like it might be an infection so my dentist put me on the antibiotic, clindamycin, and then made an appointment with an oral surgeon. After taking the antibiotics for a couple of days it started to make me sick to my stomach which I reported to my dentist. He told me to stop taking it and check with the oral surgeon as to what he might want to give me (my appointment was within a couple of days). When I went to my appointment, the oral surgeon suggested that I take clindamycin. I explained to him that it was making me sick and he told me that this antibiotic was the best thing to take for an oral infection and requested that I go back on it. He actually doubled the dosage I was previously taking. Taking his advice, I went back on it and it made me so sick, vomiting, diarrhea, that I had to go to the emergency room (suggested by my on-call primary care doctor). Once there, they put me on an i.v. for dehydration, took blood, urine and stool samples. I was then admitted to the hospital for a 5 day stay. My on-call primary doctor ended up telling me that I had gotten a secondary infection from the antibiotic. After being released from the hospital, and a couple of more days of rest, I was fine and back to normal.In May, 2011, I was given an antibiotic for a sinus infection (z-pac) by my regular primary doctor. After taking the medication, the sinus infection had still not gone away, so my doctor gave me a stronger antibiotic (levaquin). This antibiotic had the same effect on me as the clindamycin had and I ended up in the hospital for 6 days. I was given an i.v. for rehydration and put on a liquid diet. My primary doctor wanted to give me another i.v. antibiotic which I refused telling him I believed this is what caused the situation. Once released I continued to have both diarrhea and nausea as well as fatigue with many days of staying home from work because I could not function. This went on for several months and got progressively worse until I ended up back in the emergency room several more times until they finally admitted me again. I was back on a liquid diet along with i.v. antibiotics and rehydration. Another 5 day stay and released without any diagnosis. About 2 weeks later, back I was in the emergency room. This time they said my white blood count was sky high, my body was involuntarily vomiting with uncontrollable diarrhea. I felt like I was going to die. Another 6 day stay, in which they isolated me, gave me i.v. antibiotics (flagyl), liquid diet, and i.v. rehydration. They also did so many tests, I can't recall them all. I had done a routine colonoscopy in August which they said was fine, but they did another while I was in the hospital. Once again, after I could tolerate solid food, they sent me home without a diagnosis and told me to follow up with the G.I. doctor that had treated me in the hospital.Since then, I have had cronic diarrhea and nausea, along with my stomach being bloated and extended and sounding like a volcano wanting to explode. I have missed more days of work in the last year then I have in the history (35 or so years) of working. I have had so many tests it is pathetic and every one of them has come back negative. I have been treated for things that after testing show I don't even have and have pretty much spent my life for the last year in bed or on the couch feeling like ####.I finally made an appointment with a doctor in Chicago for a second opinion. I gave them all of my medical records since 2007. They did a $5,000 MRI test on me because a previous test showed I had pancreas divisum (a condition where the duct does not merge properly while in the womb). They also ran blood tests. The nurse calls me with the results and tells me I don't have cancer. I ask if it is a pancreas problem and she tells me yes. I ask what they plan on doing and she tells me I need to talk to the doctor. Finally, after a few more days, the doctor calls and says it is not a pancreas problem. The MRI showed no problems, so she wants to re-do a stool test (fecal fat test) I had previously done here because she was not satisfied with the previous results, they were unclear. I re-do the stool test, which takes another week. They send the results up to Chicago and after another week the nurse calls me and says the stool test came out fine but they want to start me on a new medication. The pharmacy calls me to let me know that they don't have enough of the medication in stock but they also want to let me know that it is going to cost me $365 for the prescription. I ask what the prescription is for and find out it is another antibiotic (xifaxan) which I had previously been given samples of by my G.I doctor here (which made me sick, although I did end of feeling better for about a week). I ended up getting two days worth (costing $52.00) and started taking it (guess what, it made me sick). I called the doctor in Chicago back and asked if they were giving me this script because the test showed something specific or if this was just an educated guess on their part. If this was just an educated guess, is there a test that can be done to give a difinitive diagnosis before I spend $365 on a prescription that they don't even know if I have bacterial overgrowth for sure. They said there was a test (hydrogen breath test) and finally got around to scheduling it through my doctor here after another week. I also got the impression that I ticked them off by asking questions and insisting on a diagnosis before treatment. I finally got the results of the test (which of course I had to call them for) and was told the test came back negative. Sure glad I hadn't forked out the full $365 for the script. Now the G.I. doctor here tells me he has no further recommendations and I need to wait to hear from the doctor in Chicago. My guess is, unless I call them, I probably won't even hear back from them. I'm at the end of my rope.I refuse to believe this is going to end up being diagnosed as IBS and I'm on my own. I do not want to live like this the rest of my life. From what I have read it seems like this problem should have started long before now (I'm 51) if it is IBS. Does anyone have any suggestions?


Hi, i read your story and i have a similar situation. just to give you my background...about 6 months ago i got food posioning from a bad salad i had in the city. i had incredible pain and diarrhea for 5 days before i was hospitalized for dehydration. they gave me 3 medications to stop the diarrhea, fluids and a prescription for 2 antibiotics. i was sent home and my symptoms got worse. i thought i was dying. i had diarrhea up to 20 times a day and my stomach sounded like a marching band. i couldn't work (i'm a personal trainer and fitness instructor) i stayed in bed and could barely take care of my 2 year old son. i went to 5 doctors!!! on & off medications and many tests. did a few stool samples and colonoscopy. all negative. i was told i had post infectious ibs-d. i couldn't believe it. i was back at the doctors for more fluids and another round of testing. i also had a dramatic increase in white blood cells that only 2 doctors seemed to notice (possibly a secondary infection). i was told there was not much to do. i struggled through teaching classes and training clients. dehydrated, fatigued and loosing weight left me perplexed!!i was so desperate, i went for acupuncture, went gluten & dairy free, took soluble fiber pills, probiotics, calcium w/d, alcohol/sugar/caffine free, aloe juice, apple cider vineger....you name it, i tried it!!! i spent a lot of money and time researching....i too refused to believe i have ibs. i am convinced that the initial infection and strong antibiotics damaged my gut system. i was fine before the salad and before my treatment at the hospital. doctors recommendations only seemed to aggravate symptoms. as i was able to some what manage symptoms over time...i would have about 4 to 8 bowel movements a day. always diarrhea with discomfort. i have good days and bad. i feel helpless too. you are not alone!!these past few days i have seen improvement with increasing my daily dose of omega 3 oils through fish oil, flax seed oil, coconut oil and hemp seed. i also try to have soluble fiber with every meal. my body seems to respond to barely the best, which adds some bulk to my stool. i drink coconut water with probiotics 2x's a day and take calcium with each meal. i try to eat slow and drink a lot of herbal tea. it is very frustrating, but i will find a way to get through this and you will too. hope my information was helpful.


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## refuse to live this way (Apr 25, 2012)

kmkimball88 said:


> Hi, i read your story and i have a similar situation. just to give you my background...about 6 months ago i got food posioning from a bad salad i had in the city. i had incredible pain and diarrhea for 5 days before i was hospitalized for dehydration. they gave me 3 medications to stop the diarrhea, fluids and a prescription for 2 antibiotics. i was sent home and my symptoms got worse. i thought i was dying. i had diarrhea up to 20 times a day and my stomach sounded like a marching band. i couldn't work (i'm a personal trainer and fitness instructor) i stayed in bed and could barely take care of my 2 year old son. i went to 5 doctors!!! on & off medications and many tests. did a few stool samples and colonoscopy. all negative. i was told i had post infectious ibs-d. i couldn't believe it. i was back at the doctors for more fluids and another round of testing. i also had a dramatic increase in white blood cells that only 2 doctors seemed to notice (possibly a secondary infection). i was told there was not much to do. i struggled through teaching classes and training clients. dehydrated, fatigued and loosing weight left me perplexed!!i was so desperate, i went for acupuncture, went gluten & dairy free, took soluble fiber pills, probiotics, calcium w/d, alcohol/sugar/caffine free, aloe juice, apple cider vineger....you name it, i tried it!!! i spent a lot of money and time researching....i too refused to believe i have ibs. i am convinced that the initial infection and strong antibiotics damaged my gut system. i was fine before the salad and before my treatment at the hospital. doctors recommendations only seemed to aggravate symptoms. as i was able to some what manage symptoms over time...i would have about 4 to 8 bowel movements a day. always diarrhea with discomfort. i have good days and bad. i feel helpless too. you are not alone!!these past few days i have seen improvement with increasing my daily dose of omega 3 oils through fish oil, flax seed oil, coconut oil and hemp seed. i also try to have soluble fiber with every meal. my body seems to respond to barely the best, which adds some bulk to my stool. i drink coconut water with probiotics 2x's a day and take calcium with each meal. i try to eat slow and drink a lot of herbal tea. it is very frustrating, but i will find a way to get through this and you will too. hope my information was helpful.


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## refuse to live this way (Apr 25, 2012)

Thanks so much for your reply. I figured I wasn't the only one out here. I have yet to hear from the Doctor in Chicago and considering the money they have charged me, I will find out what needs to be done to file a complaint. I'm heading to my primary doctor here shortly. I don't know what, if anything, he will do (he already said "that's why I sent you to a specialist" but I'm not letting it stand on that. Somewhere, somehow, there has to be help out there. I will let everyone know if I ever find such help, in the meantime this is becoming extremely frustrating and my life has gone to hell. Going to work and then crashing on the couch or in bed when not at work is no way to live. You have all been a lot of help and I thank you all. Good luck to all.


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