What is the best way to rebuild the digestive track after taking antibiotics?
95262
This is one of the few medical questions I am fully qualified to answer. I expect you're referring to the c-diff (clostridium difficile) toxin and the resulting horrors when it takes over the colon and begins to destroy healthy gut flora (this is the healthy and necessary bacteria which resides in our digestive tracts and allows us to process and digest food). Antibiotics CAUSE this deadly condition and we still overuse and abuse them. Astonishing!\n\nI very nearly died of the resulting disease process (pseudomembranous enterocolitis) 15 years ago and was in and out of hospital for six months. It was the worst and most frightening experience of my life but I survived it and am a healthier and in many respects a better person for having endured that ordeal. Enough of that.\n\nWhat you need to know is this: Avoid antiobiotics like the plague unless your illness is life-threatening (I haven't touched them in 15 years and I've had plenty of bouts with bronchitis, et al). If you are obliged to take them, don't just focus on rebuilding your normal gut flora after the fact; try to keep it strong throughout the period you are actually taking the antibiotics. \n\nThe best method is to ingest probiotics like lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidus. You can find these naturally in yogurt, but make sure the label indicates the presence of "live and active cultures" in whatever brand you buy or it will be worthless. You can also find acidophilus milk at many grocery stores. Both lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidus, as well as some other beneficial probiotics, can be found as supplements in health food stores, usually in capsule or powder form which needs to be refrigerated. \n\nI hope this helps. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask by using the "Add Details" link on your original question page. Good luck!
1120892
Tea is something that will usually keep you from going.... \n\nchocolate, greens, fiber... even if in metamucil... helps
960555
It's OK, but not advised.  The more doses you miss, the more likely you are going to develop a resistant organism and you'll have to take a much stronger antibiotic.  Make sure you finish all the medicine you were prescribed.
340268
Eat healthy meals. EVERY DAY. And between digging trips, let your health grow back for a few days.
770258
Take vitamin C pills....that will make your immune system go back to where it is suppose to.
1037996
Get yourself of on a good pro-biotic. Get the kind they keep in the refrigerator at the health food store or vitamin store. You need active bacteria/acidopholus back in your digestive system.  Get a probiotic with a lot of live cultures in it. It will rebuild the lining on your stomach. Make sure you drink a lot of water and stay away from acidic foods and drinks.  I would avoid citrus for now.
784393
Run, don't walk somewhere that sells good probiotics.(any health food store will have them in their fridge, if you can't find them ask)\n  You have had two major rounds of antibiotics. ABX  nuke all the bacteria in your system, including the good ones.  The "bad" ones tend to reproduce more quickly than the ones that are beneficial to us. To rebuild those quicker than the ones that cause problems, you help them out by orally taking some. \nAcidolpholus and bifidus are two of them. There is lactobaccilus as well as a handful of others. If there are 3 or 4  kinds, that's not a bad thing.\n I take them on a semi regular basis, as well as any time I have taken ABX in the last 10 years. If I don't, I get sinus and yeast infections for weeks afterward.\nThe way to figure out if your probiotics are still alive is to break a capsule into a little cup of milk and leave it in the fridge over night. If it's thick like yogurt in the morning, they're good. If not, if it's thin like milk, then they aren't working any more.  A bottle at the health food store should run between $10-15. . \nYou'll need to go to a health food store or order online to get good probiotics. Get the kind that have to be refrigerated, not tablets that don't have to be kept cold.  The ones that have to be kept cold are better quality.\nIn addition to taking probiotics, eat less simple carbs. There is a "candida diet" out there that is supposed to help your body not support candida overgrowth, which is what multiple or recurring  infections sounds like to me, esp when more than one round of ABX is involved. I'm not a doc, I've just been there too many times before I found out about probiotics.\nThat diet I mentioned, cuts out simple carbs, and limits complex carbs at first. Then you find your own balance that your body can tolerate. \nhere are a couple of links to different varieties of that diet...\nhttp://altmedicine.about.com/od/popularhealthdiets/a/candidadiet.htm\nhttp://candidapage.com/candiet.txt\n  \nhth
861416
no, taking antibiotics should not make them worse, ensure soft and regular BM's, not too hard nor diarhea, sitz baths, preparation H, see a doctor if symptoms persist or worsen, good luck
935117
In painful diverticulosis the general recommended diet is to increase fiber (even though this remains unproven). In diverticulitis, during the acute stage, bowel rest and antibiotics are recommended. In very mild cases fat free fluids and antibiotics can be given. As the acute attack improves, low residue solid foods are recommended. \n\nTreatment of diverticulitis depends on the severity of your symptoms and whether this is your first attack. Mild cases can be treated with changes in diet, rest and antibiotics.\n\nDuring a mild attack of diverticulitis, your doctor may recommend a clear liquid diet or a low-fiber diet. This helps the area of infection to heal. Once your symptoms improve — often within a few days — you can gradually increase the amount of fiber in your diet. Start by adding about 5 to 15 grams of fiber a day to allow your digestive system to adjust to the higher fiber intake.\n\nTo prevent attacks of diverticulitis:\n\n    * Eat more fiber. High-fiber foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains, soften waste and help it pass more quickly through your colon. This reduces pressure within your digestive tract. Aim for 25 to 35 grams of fiber a day. If you have a difficult time consuming this much fiber every day, consider using a fiber supplement.\n    * Drink plenty of fluids. Fiber works by absorbing water and increasing the soft, bulky waste in your colon. But if you don't drink enough liquid to replace what is absorbed, fiber can be constipating.
312533
I had it for over 6 months and I'm 25 years old.  I got it from Ampicillin and Gentamycin during labor.  I USED to post on www.cdiffsupport.com - there is a lot of info there that you may find helpful.  Just dont post questions that have been answered - the mods are psycho.  So search first so they dont jump all over you "CHECK THE FAQ" bla bla bla type answers.\n\nAnyway, I had profuse watery yellow diarrhea, rapid pulse, didnt feel quite right, and I lost weight.  The front line treatment is Flagyl that has horrible side effects that just add to the symptoms of C.diff.  If Flagyl fails, then Vancocin is prescribed - highly expensive stuff.  \n\nI finally got 'cured' by seeing an Infectious disease doctor.. My GI was clueless.\n\nI have kids and they never picked it up from me - sanitation, hand washing, and keeping things clean will help with infection control.
535105
There are some low cost things you can do to get your health back.\n\n#1. I would try the water cure\nhttp://curezone.com/foods/watercure.asp\nDrink six glasses of water each day and add 1/4 teaspoon of unrefined sea salt to the water to start remineralizing and rehydrating your body\n\n#2. If you do not have Pancreatitis from drinking, it may be that gall stones are causing the problem. You can prepare for a gallbladder flush by drinking 1/3 teaspoon of raw unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar in 6 ounces of apple juice, upon rising, mid-morning, mid-afternoon and after dinnner, for one week. You can dilute the apple juice with distilled water, as I prefer. Dilution is especially recommended if you are hypoglycemic. The small stones and gravel will be removed and cleansed due to the solvent action of the malic acid, enzymes, pectins and potassium in the ACV. \n\nThen do a Gallblader Flush;\nThis method requires filling an 8 ounce glass with one part organic virgin olive oil and two parts organic apple juice. Add 1 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar and take this mixture 3 times a day for the first day and 2 times a day on the second day. You may only drink as much apple juice as you desire on these 2 days but NO other liquids. This is not recommended for diabetics because of th high sugar content of the apple juice. Go to sleep on your right side with your right knee drawn up to the chest. On the third day, about mid-morning, eat a raw salad with generous amounts of ACV and organic olive oil on top. You can also eat lightly steamed greens, if you like. When you have a bowel movement you will notice tiny greenish stones in the bowl. Amazing! You may notice feeling nauseated as toxins, bile and mucus dump into your stomach. Should this happen, drink 1-2 glasses of distilled water and regurgitate, if you can. This will help you feel immediately better.\nhttp://curezone.com/blogs/f.asp?f=179&p=1\n\n#3 Give yourself a coffee enema after the gallblader flush(critical)\nFill enema bag\nHook about 4 feet above floor (on towel rack)\nKnee-chest position with chest against floor and rectum higher than head\nInsert nozzle tip into rectum, using lubricant (olive oil) if needed\nEmpty water into rectum, and hold inside rectum as much as possible\nMassage abdomen in counter-clockwise direction\nWhen bag is empty or no more fluid can be held, remove tip\nLie on each side for 5 minutes, while massaging abdomen\nDiscard contents of rectum into toilet\nRepeat until bag is empty\nhttp://curezone.com/art/read.asp?ID=33&db=5&C0=818\n\n#3 When you complete these cleanses, coninue drinking distilled water each day but avoid processed foods, meat, dairy, bread, sugary drinks, and diet drinks. Your body needs to have a chance to heal itself.\nhttp://notmilk.com\n\n#4 Eat mostly fruits and raw vegetables. Carrot juice has amazing healing qualities. So do blueberries. Eat or juice raw tomatoes, raw cucumbers, raw celery, raw spinach, and raw asparagus. Add Curcimin(Turmeric) to juices.\n\n#5 Vitamin C in high doses would be beneficial.\n\n#6 Get at least one hour of sunlight each day. \n\n#7 Get plenty of solid rest
215261
Poor baby!! I'm afraid you're going to have to go bland for a while, until your system gets accustomed to the gall bladder being gone. The good news is that the rumbling & running will get better about a month or so after surgery. As far as grains go, they can cause excess gas so maybe cut back on those. Also, certain types of veggies, broccoli or cauliflower can cause upset. When you do yogurt, be sure you get the kind with active, live cultures in it. You might try toast & boiled eggs for breakfast, or even scrambled eggs as long as nothing greasy was used to cook them. Oddly enough, I can eat Mexican any time I want & not get sick, so it's going to be a trial & error thing for you for a bit after you heal. Apple sauce, jello, pudding, soups - nothing fatty or greasy. Sorta stick to the BRAT diet - bananas, rice, apple sauce & toast - it helps. Plus the yogurt!! I think you're on the right track, but it really does take 4 to 6 weeks for the rumbling to calm down. If it doesn't, a gastroenterologist can prescribe a medication you can use with your meals to help your system adjust. It's a powder you sprinkle on your food. Good luck & hang in there - it does get better!!
749254
take them, and try to do it according to the original schedule. you should take the whole course because if you don't, all you do is make the germ, whatever it may be, resistant to the drug you're taking, and when it comes back, you'll have to get something else to cure it. This is why they only give penicillin for strep throat now, everything else has become resistant to it coz of people only taking part of their anitbiotics
948840
try to clean out your colon.  Like medamucill, something that has psylluim husk.  could be someting that you ate a while ago, and is stuck inside your colon walls. drink plenty of distilled water,  you can take 1 tsp. of cider vinegar and drink water.  This is what has help me.
422182
I was told that because I had to have lots of penicillin when I was a child (sick all the time), that my "good" bacteria in my intestines was destroyed.  I need to take acidophiles daily to keep my diarhia and cramps at bay..It really works!
594519
Gatorade! It works wonders. It's easier on the stomach than water, plus it replaces electrolytes. Get the old style, not the new sugary ones. Any broth, ginger/grn tea (you can get fresh ginger in the produce section in jars by the minced garlic) 1/8 tsp to 1 tea bag. After steeping, add small amount of honey to taste. There's rice made with broth; use twice as much broth instead of water (1/2 cp rice to 2 cps broth), add salt, parsley (if you have it) & ginger. Tastes great. BRAT- bananas, rice, applesause, toast. The main thing is not to eat for a couple hours after vomiting; then, eat or drink small amounts until you know that your done.
909740
No: The extra antibiotic will just go to waste, apart from maybe making you feel even sicker. It is supposed to be poisoning the bacteria that are making you bad, but it is no use you taking it faster than they can absorb it. Also, it is likely to wipe out the symbiotic bacteria that your gut needs to digest properly, giving you the squits big time. Alcohol neutralises a lot of antibiotics, giving the infection a fresh start, with germs that you have just selected for antibiotic resistance, so you will need an even longer course of pills to get yourself right. Finish your pills and lay off the drink, like the doctor said.