I had a stomach bug 2.5 weeks or so ago, I'm not sure what it was but I had the runs and vomitted once. The diarrhoea seemed to hang around for ages and I was just starting to come good and bang today had more diarrhoea. I'm driving myself silly trying to figure out what it is, it's not lactose because I can eat it sometimes and nothing happens then other times I get diarrhoea. The same as if I eat or don't eat. There is literally no pattern to it. But I'll do a bunch of normal poos then diarrhoea, get back to normal then more diarrhoea. I have been to the dr and did a stool sample and it came back all good so I don't know if it's my body still getting back to healthy and I'm taking a probiotic to aid that. Just after others experiences with something similar please
6 Replies
Have you been to the doctors? There are some gastro type things that can go for weeks. A crypto infection can last for 6 weeks in some people.
Yeah I did and he did a stool sample and it came back normal. He told me to eat normally and wait for my stomach to heal. But it's the inconsistency that has got me confused I'll do normal bowel movements then watery ones.
I’d stop worrying it can take a long time for the body to get back to normal.
I think that is possibly true, I get so stressed about it and I know that wouldn't be helping the situation
Are you cleaning the toilet properly, even more so when you have diarrhoea? Aswell as your hands thoroughly? Diarrhoea spreads soooo easily.
Are you the same person who's written in about this already a few times?
My apologies if not, but if you are the first thing I'll say is that you need to stop stressing and fixating on it. Anxiety has a huge impact on your gut/digestive system and it can kind of be a vicious cycle - the longer it goes on the more you worry about it, the symptoms persist because of the stress, you continue to worry and so on and so on...
Secondly, probiotics from my experiences can take around a month for you to start feeling the effects. It's a slow and subtle process.
Thirdly, and this'll sound stupid but hear me out, is it possible you're constipated?
Sometimes when you've had a virus like this, you become dehydrated, as a result your stool hardens and you become compacted (ie, you get blocked up with a big lump of hard poop). Eventually, the fresh loose stool has nowhere to go so it leaks out past the blockage and is often misinterpreted as diarrhea when in fact you have the opposite problem. That could also explain why it's sporadic.
A simple xray will be able to confirm/rule this out.
So, in short. Relax and give your body time to heal. Drink loads of water and eat a balanced diet (and it really wouldn't hurt to continue avoiding dairy whilst your stomach is still sensitive). Ask your Dr for an xray referral to check for faecal compaction.
I'd give it a few more weeks and none of the above are relevant or made a difference, I'd ask your Dr to refer you to a gastroenterologist for a more specialised opinion.
Good luck!