took antibiotics now feel horrible

[ebag]

About four months ago i took a ten day dose of penicillin for strep throat. On my tenth day I went to my doctor and he right away put me on zithromax zpak . Ever since then I've been having really bad digestive problems. (weight loss, use to be 192 lbs now 176 lbs, nausea, extream gas, some indigestion, and spicy foods i cant handle anymore.) Now Im going to the doctor for this and they cant figure it out. He's quick to tell me i have IBS and I don't belive it ! I had a bout with constipation once and diarrhea a couple of times but not bad. loose stools almost all the time. The main thing that kills me is the gas! If anyone can let me knowif this sounds like c. diff that would be great!

thanks , Gabe

[Nancy1]

Gabe,
Did your doc do a stool test? That is the way to tell if you have cdiff or not. From your description it is hard to say. Most of us have a lot of diarrhea and yours does not sound too bad. If they have not done a stool test, I'd ask for one ASAP. Be sure that you have been off of all antibiotics for 10 - 14 days before taking the sample.

FYI, I see that you posted this same question in both the Questions and General Discussion sections, so I deleted the other one. Be sure to read All Users Read This First, where you will see that you are only supposed to post one question a day about your own issues.

[Christina]

Hi and welcome to the site. Take your time to read around especially, FAQ's and the expert articles. Most people who have C-diff would not have survived 4 months without treatment. Normally with C-diff you have extreme diarrhea some times as much as 30+ times a day, severe abdominal pain/cramping, and bloody in your stool. There have been some on here who have not had the usual full blown symptoms but still tested positive for C-diff.
The best way to know for sure if you actually have C-diff is to ask your Dr. to allow you to bring in a stool sample to be tested. Read FAQ's -testing. Do beware that with C-diff it is possible to get a false negative so if your Dr. agrees you may need repeat testing.

Good luck and hopefully, all is OK. Keep us posted.

[jenpriv]

Hello and welcome to the site. I sure hope you do not have C Diff. I would definitely ask for a stool test to make sure. Sounds like the antibiotics could have done a number on your system. Are you taking any probiotics? I know when my daughter had C Diff - Culturelle helped a lot. Even after, it helped to soothe her system.

Please let us know how you are doing. Sending lots of positive energy that you don't have it and you'll feel much better soon!

Jen